Have you ever created a word collage? Hey Tombow fans, it’s Mandy from @a_heartened_calling! I am so thrilled to be back on the Tombow Design Team for this upcoming year! For my very first blog post of the new year, I’m going to show you how to create your own New Year’s word collage! Whether you have goals, resolutions or even words for the year, this project is perfect for anyone! Let’s gather our materials and get started!
MATERIALS
- Tombow Dual Brush Pens 476 and N15
- Tombow MONO Graph Mechanical Pencil
- Tombow Twin Tip Fudenosuke Brush Pen
- Tombow MONO Drawing Pens 01, 03, 05 and 08
- A piece of mixed media paper
STEP 1 – Sketch!
For me, sketching is the most important part of my artwork. It allows you to make as many changes as necessary before permanently inking your work. For this step, use the MONO Graph Mechanical Pencil to sketch out all your words, goals or resolutions all in different fonts. TIP: Start in the center with your main word, goal or resolution and then add your biggest words next. I actually didn’t set any goals or resolutions for myself this year, but my motto is “One Day At A Time.” So, I created a banner right in the center with that phrase. I worked my way out from the center with my other words.
I used a protractor to create rounded lines for the words “Exercise” and “Vegan.” I then sketched them out in a different font. Next, I created two banners coming from the left and right side of my page for the words “Letter” and “Faith.” I then added the words “Read” and “Illustrate” at the top and bottom. I then filled in the blank spaces on the sides with four different word bubbles. Lastly, I added lots of dots and embellishments to fill in any remaining blank spaces.
STEP 2 – Inking!
Now the fun begins! Using Dual Brush Pen N15, I filled in the words “Letter” and “Faith” with the brush tip. I then used the bullet tip to trace the banner. Next, I used the MONO Drawing Pen 05 to ink out the words “Exercise” and “Vegan” in a double line font.
To create the word bubbles, I used the MONO Drawing Pen 08 to trace my lettering. I then used the black end of the Fudenosuke Twin Tip to trace my bubble. I added thicker shadows to the bubble using the same pen and tip.
Next, I used MONO Drawing Pen 03 to trace my center banner and the black end of Fudenosuke Twin Tip to trace over “One Day At A Time.” I then traced my embellishments coming out of the banner with the same pen and tip. Next, I used the gray end of the Fudenosuke Twin Tip to add shadows to my banner and to my lettering.
Lastly, I used Dual Brush Pen 476 to add a little color pop! It’s also very close to Pantone’s Color of the Year, Classic Blue. I used it to letter out “Read” and “Illustrate” with the brush tip. Then I used the bullet tip to trace over the lines extending out of my center banner. I also used the same bullet tip to add shadows to “Letter” and “Faith.” To finish, I used MONO Drawing Pen 08 to color in all my dots and remaining embellishments. I used the gray end of the Fudenosuke Twin Tip to add shadows to the lettering in my word bubbles. Then I erased all my pencil lines.
Now, all you have to do is hang it up somewhere where you’ll see it everyday as a visual reminder of the goals, resolutions or dreams you have! If you create your own word collage, we’d love to see it! Be sure to tag @tombowusa and @a_heartened_calling, so we can cheer on your amazing artwork!
For more new year inspiration, be sure to check out these posts!
- New Year’s Gratitude Jar with Tombow Adhesives with Grace
- New Year’s Resolution Cards with Jessica
- How to Make a DIY “Goals” Clipboard for the New Year with Katie
See you soon!
Mandy