Lettering with Love

Hand lettering - the art of combining beautifully drawn letters and watercolour illustrations - is becoming increasingly popular. Relatively easy to learn, the technique lends itself to creating lovely homemade artwork, beautiful journal pages or delicate painted notes and cards for friends and family. 

Lettering with Love advises on the basic tools and techniques, with step-by-step instructions for a range of different projects. 

* Woman Alive magazine *

This exquisite book from the founders of the May & Berry studio shows readers how to create beautiful messages using hand lettering and water-colours. Broken down into easy-to-follow stages, the title explains how to use different pens and inks to produce gorgeous lettering, embellished with simple yet stunningly effective watercolour motifs. There are 10 projects inside, all with step-by-step instructions, and at the back of the book there’s a treasure trove of botanical-style motifs and borders together with four delightful alphabets created by authors Sue Hiepler and Yasin Reddig. 

* Craft Focus Magazine Dec 2018/Jan 2019 *

Say it like you mean it with a beautiful combination of hand lettering and watercolour painting. In an age of keyboards, printers and the Internet the very idea of writing something out by hand and decorating it makes it less “instant” and consequently a lot more special. Grab anything you can write with and some watercolours and get ready to make your mark.

I confess to having had a go at real calligraphy using ink and a special pen and not getting very far with it. This book is all about a different method, known as faux calligraphy which is far simpler and less rule-bound. Basically it is about forming letters using first a pencil, and then any type of pen, brush or marker you like. The book starts by explaining all this and listing what you need; all fairly basic items most people (especially those into art or craft) already own. The faux calligraphy method is explained simply with a few examples, and then follows a short section about watercolouring. The rest of the book contains lovely projects which combine the two and are all about enjoying yourself and going with the flow when working, rather than worrying about perfection. Most of the painted embellishments are floral in nature, celebrating the garden. Instructions are given throughout on how to form the loose and flowing plants, and there are several lettering styles to try too. The book has hard covers so opens out neatly and stays obligingly flat for easy reference when working. Turn to the back for several alphabets to copy for practice plus some floral wreaths, pot plants, single blooms plus a few cacti. Working through all this is a great way of getting into the style, and it is a fun way of relaxing and producing something beautiful. The projects in here include pictures for walls and greetings cards, all of which can be resized and used as a starting point for your own ideas. I love something that is a bit different, and I haven’t seen a book on this subject before. A great way of saying what you want and getting creative that does not need a lot of outlay for materials.

– Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *

Not only is this a beautiful book to look at, it is filled with some stunning examples of watercolour artwork and hand lettering, that is both inspiring and easy to achieve with a little practice. Simple step by step instructions show you how to create a piece of artwork that will be perfect to give as a gift or to decorate your home. You do not need an expensive array of tools, just a pencil and some watercolour paints to get started will suffice. I love the idea of decorating journals, my love of papercrafting will really benefit with what I learn from this lesson in paint and ink. There is a gallery of painted flowers to encourage creativity and also included are lettering in both upper and lower case, as well as practice pages to help you develop your style. Lettering with Love is exquisite. It is wonderfully presented and would make a delightful gift. It is definitely on list of things to buy for my crafty friends. 

– Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *

Written by Sue Hiepler and Yasmin Reddig, Lettering with Love shows readers how to create beautiful messages using a combination of hand lettering and watercolours. Broken down into easy steps, the guide demonstrates ways in which to use different pens and inks to create stunning effects. There’s also 10 step-by-step projects and useful worksheets on which to practice. The book retails at £12.99.

* Craft Focus *

Sue Hiepler is a freelance illustrator, born and based in Bonn, Germany. After graduating in communication design and illustration, Sue was an art director for three years at an international PR agency before opening her own studio in the spring of 2017.

Yasmin Reddig spent most of her life in South America until 2012. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, she discovered and fell in love with typography and calligraphy during her university studies. Hand lettering became her greatest passion, leading her to return to Germany and start her own business.

In Bonn, Germany, Sue and Yasmin’s passion for hand-drawn words and watercolour illustrations drew them together to start ‘May & Berry Studios’, where they sell their artwork and host watercolour and illustration workshops.