Easiest Ever Hand Lettered Holiday Art

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are honestly my own.

I absolutely love decorating our home for Christmas! We do a lot of hosting all season long, and I enjoy making things as festive as possible for our guests as well as just for us. Each year, I like to add a few new pieces of holiday decor, like this super-simple hand lettered art. It only requires a few supplies, is really inexpensive, and looks great anywhere you want to put it on display. Take a look…

You’ll need:

a blank white canvas

Delta Ceramcoat® Acrylic Paint 

pencil with eraser

thin liner paintbrush

fine tip black marker

glitter {optional}

Step 1: Write the word “merry” across your canvas in pencil.

I like to write mine on a diagonal with the appearance of continuing on past the edges. Feel free to position your word any way you like. You’ll want to write in cursive, leaving a little bit of extra space between your letters. If you prefer, you can use a different seasonal word, like “rejoice” or “joy.”

Step 2: Add a second line on every downstroke.

Friends, this is the secret to getting that gorgeous brush-lettered look, a contrast between thick and thin lines. Everywhere your pencil moved in a downward motion when you wrote the word, it’s called a downstroke, and we want those lines to be thicker than the rest.

Step 3: Paint over your pencil lines, filling in the area between your double lines.

Delta paint is an all-purpose, premium quality acrylic paint made specifically for the decorative painting like this, so the rich, creamy formula will give you great coverage with just one coat. It also gives consistent color on all porous surfaces, such as wood, terracotta, plaster, and paper mache, so if you’d rather try this project on a different base, go for it!

Step 4: Sketch a partial triangle on the right side of your canvas.

This will be your Christmas tree.

Step 5: Paint your triangle green and add a brown rectangle at the bottom for a trunk.

Step 6: Add a pattern to your tree and highlights to your lettering.

I like to do swirls on my trees, but you can also try polka dots, stripes, stars, or any other pattern you want to create. For the highlights, all you do is paint a white line on top of every thick downstroke. I follow my lines with a few little dots created by dipping the non-bristled end of the paintbrush into a puddle of paint, then lightly touching it to the canvas.

Step 7 {optional}: Add glitter!

If you love sparkly things like I do, you’ll want to do this step. If not, skip right on over to Step 8. First, I painted the bottom section of my canvas white, then while the paint was wet, I sprinkled a fine holographic glitter on top. This makes it look like the tree is standing in a field of snow.

Step 8: Write the words “and bright” in the center, below “merry.”

I used a fine tip black marker for this step and a combination of print and script. Feel free to letter it any way you like, or to skip this step and just leave it at “merry.”

That’s all there is to it! Delta acrylic paint dries to a beautiful matte finish, but if you prefer a glossy look, you can give your canvas a coat of Mod Podge Gloss when the paint is completely dry. In case you find yourself and your brushes messy when you’re finished, rest assured that the Delta paints are water-based and non-toxic, making cleanup easy with soap and water.

Ready to make this project yourself? It’s such a fun and simple piece of holiday decor, and it would also make a sweet handmade gift. Find Delta Ceramcoat® Acrylic Paint at Target in 22 colors and six new Flash Metallic colors at Target in the craft aisle or at Target.com. My 6×8 Hand Made Modern Canvas is also from Target, so you can get everything you need in one place! Just what you need, an excuse to go shopping at Target. You’re welcome!

For more inspiration on using Delta paints this holiday season, be sure to follow Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Don’t forget, if you like it, then you oughta put a Pin on it!

Hand Lettered Holiday Canvas Art

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2 Comments

  1. Your hand-lettered holiday art is simply enchanting! I adore how you make it look so easy and achievable for everyone. Your step-by-step guide is a fantastic resource, and your creativity is truly inspiring. Thank you for spreading the holiday cheer and encouraging us to add a personal touch to our celebrations. Thank you!

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