#HooplaHalloween: DIY Spooky Mail Art
Do you send out cards for Halloween? If not, lemme tell you — you’re missing out. Just go take a look at the Halloween card rack at your local stationer or Target, and tell me how you can resist all the cute ghosts, black cats and references to “boos” and “spirits.”
If that STILL doesn’t convince you to start sending out cards for All Hallow’s Eve, I predict that after reading this week’s installment of #HooplaHalloween, you’re going to be heading to the Post Office with a stack of macabre mail reaaaal soon.
That’s because this week, I’m going to show you 3 ways to create some seriously spooky mail art. And bonus? They are all super duper easy.
Before we dive into these tutorials, you may want to check out my Envelope Essentials video course. In this class, I teach you ev.er.y.thing you need to know about addressing envelopes. I’ll be sharing some tidbits as we go along, but if you want more, definitely check it out! Without any further ado, let’s get our #HooplaHalloween project started!
The Jack-O-Lantern
If we’re ranking these DIYs on a scale of ease, this is by far the easiest. And let’s be real — it’s also the cutest. This would be great for sending cards to the littles in your life — which is why these will be what my nieces and nephews will get in their mailbox this year. Here’s what you need:
Orange envelope - if the card you chose comes with another color envelope, you can grab this shade of orange at Paper Source in a number of standard sizes
Black marker
Metallic brush marker
Pencil
Black eraser
Once you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to make some magic!
Step 1: Draw your jack-o-lantern face.
I went with the standard triangle eyes and snuggle tooth grin, but you do you! You just want to make sure the mouth is fairly large as it will contain the address. You also want to watch the placement of the eyes to ensure they won’t be covered by the stamp. Be sure to put down your pencil marks lightly (much lighter than I did!) so you can easily erase them when you’re finished.
Step 2: Color in the face with black marker.
There’s no need to use a Sharpie or anything super intense here — you just want to make sure it’s waterproof/water-resistant. If it isn’t you’ll want to coat your envelope in MicroGlaze wax to ensure it doesn’t bleed everywhere if it gets caught in an autumn rainstorm. I used a Tombow Dual Brush Marker. It looked pretty streaky at first, but looked much better after I went over it a second time.
Step 3: Script the address over the mouth with a metallic marker.
Don’t worry about centering or keeping all your text on the same baseline. Focus on filling in the space with the address. I used a Spectrum Noir Twin Tip Pen in Tarnished Silver, and really love how it turned out! It’s a dual tip pen, so I was able to make the name pop in a thick brush script while keeping the address simple and legible in the bullet tip.
Step 4: Erase, stamp and send.
When everything is dry (should only take about 30 seconds - these pens dry quickly!), use a black eraser to remove any pencil lines. Why a black erase? If you use a white or pink eraser, it will remove the pigment of the orange paper, as well as your black marker. A black eraser will ensure your orange stays bright and your black stays dark! Pop on a stamp and drop this bad boy off at the Post Office. You can jazz up the back of your envelope by adding a little festive washi tape over the fold. I got this super cute pumpkin washi tape at Paper Source (don’t see it on their website, but I found it in-store).
The Spiders’ Web
While I’m not a fan of spiders 364 days of the year, they get a pass on Halloween. And this tangled web makes for an eye-popping piece of mail art. Here’s what you’ll need:
Black envelope - technically, this design would work with any color… but it looks the best in black
Metallic brush/bullet-tip pen
Pencil
Black eraser
Step 1: Script name and address in pencil.
Be sure to do this lightly so those marks can be easily removed at the end. While you can choose any number of layouts for your address (check out my Envelope Essentials video course for oodles of options), I recommend you go with a layout that heavily features the name, giving your web something to cling to.
Step 2: Sketch main web structure.
Okay, we want this to look like the web was been built around the name and address. The first step in achieving this look is to draw straight lines from the outermost points of letters to the edge of the envelope. Another way to think about this is if you were to draw a tight circle around your name and address, the points where the circle touched the words would be the same points when the web would “attach” to the letters. Sounds a little confusing, I know, but take a look at the second photo to see what I mean — notice where the web “attaches” to the letters, and the sunburst patten it creates? That’s what we’re going for!
Step 3: Sketch the secondary web structure.
Start connecting those lines you just created with slightly curved perpendicular lines — the arc of the curve should face away from the words to give the appearance that the web is being gently pulled away from the name/address. This is not a time for symmetry — don’t let these connecting lines match up, or your web will look more like a net. After you sketch these, toss in some more connecting lines, this time running parallel to your main web structure (i.e. your first batch of lines). You don’t need to add many — but having a handful will help add variation to your web.
Step 4: Script & trace in metallic brush marker.
Once your web is sketched, you can start putting it down in ink. I went with the Spectrum Noir Metallic Twin Tip Pen in Tarnished Silver again — having a serious love affair with this pen! I used the brush tip for the name and the bullet tip for the address and web. Once I had this all down, I realized my web needed something —um, DUH. Spiders! Pepper one or a few of those little arachnids onto your web. This could also be a good opportunity for some spider stickers, should you have any in your arsenal.
Step 5: Erase, stamp and send.
Use your black eraser to remove any visible pencil lines, and voila! And if you can get your hands on a spider stamp, DO IT. I feel like I really missed an opportunity there.
The Vampire’s Bite
Okay, so this one is a little more involved than our other two, but trust me when I say that the final product is so worth it. Here’s what you’ll need:
White envelope
Pointed pen and black ink OR small black brush pen, such as a Tombow Fudenosuke
Red ink/acrylic paint
Eye dropper
Washi tape
OPTIONAL: red sealing wax & seal
Step 1: Put washi tape on back of envelope, along top edge.
This washi tape won’t stay on, so no worries if it doesn’t go with the theme. We’re putting this tape on the back of the envelope along the top edge to prevent any of our “blood” from dripping over the edge.
Step 2: Collect your “blood” in an eye dropper.
The best option is red ink, but honestly, I didn’t have it on hand, so I used concentrated watercolor. It has the same consistency as ink, and worked well for this purpose — but because it’s not waterproof, it would need to be sealed in MicroGlaze wax before mailing. But again, a waterproof red ink (like this one) is definitely best. A second option would be acrylic paint with a bit of water added. To see if it’s the right consistency, put a drop on a piece of scrap paper and tilt it. If it drips very quickly and appears thin, you need more paint; on the other hand, if it doesn’t move at all, add some more water. The consistency you’re looking for is that of, well, blood.
Step 3: Create your “bite.”
Hold your envelope in your non-dominant hand, tilted up slightly. Then use the dropper to add your “blood” to a 2-3 inch area in the top left corner of your envelope. Once you have added a few drops, tilt your envelope at a great angle and gently tap on the table to encourage the “blood” to drip down. Add more drops as needed to achieve the desired look. One thing to note about this is not to put wet drops too close together. I did that, and instead of having two “blood” trails, I got one big one. I mean, it looks fine, but wasn’t what I was going for at the time. If you want to add additional “blood” trails, wait until your first round of drops is fairly dry.
Step 4: Script out your name and address.
If you’re right handed, you can do this while your “blood” dries — if you’re a lefty, you’ll need to wait. You can try to script the address before you create the “bite,” but then you run the risk of “blood” covering your script… which is exactly what happened to me on my first attempt at this envelope. Womp womp. Now because vampires are sexy AF, we want a script that is equally as sexy. I chose a heavily italicized script using pointed pen and black acrylic ink. I used a Nikko G nib for a sharp look (but, inexplicably, I used the Blue Pumpkin nib in this pic — I know my fellow calligraphers noticed!). If pointed pen isn’t your bag, you can achieve a similar look with a small brush pen, like a Tombow Fudenosuke or Pentel Sign Brush.
Step 5: Add a wax seal, Stamp & Send.
This step is totally optional, but I highly recommend it. If you’ve never used a wax seal before, it’s a ton of fun. Using sealing wax in a glue gun is very popular and a completely valid option, but I prefer to use the the candle method. Just light the wick on your sealing wax and let it drip, drip, drip… just be careful not to set your envelope on fire, mmmkay? Once you have a wax puddle the size of your seal (usually around a nickel to a quarter in size), blow our your candle and place your seal on top (to get a frenzied look, I shook my candle light out so I’d get some wax splatter). Let it sit for a few moments as the wax dries, and then remove. The seal I used is just a little heart I got at Paper Source (can you tell what my favorite store is?), but would look even better with a monogram. Now one quick note about adding a wax seal. Adding a wax seal makes your envelope “non-machineable” in the eyes of the Post Office. That means you’ll need some extra postage. Two Forever stamps should cover it it’s a standard size card and you’re mailing within the US, but ask just to be sure.
Which design is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to share your spooky mail art on Instagram and tag #hooplahalloween to be entered to win a free online class of your choice (just be sure to post a fake address or blur out/cover the details. I can’t wait to see what you do!
And if you enjoyed this tutorial and would like to learn more about creating beautiful envelopes, be sure to check out my Envelope Essentials video course.
Spooky scripting, everyone! I’ll be back next week for even more inky, Halloween-y goodness.