I’m kicking off a week of hand lettered love, which will include daily features on some of my favorite hand lettered paper goods, plus lots of hand lettering and calligraphy inspiration, with a fantastic giveaway from CreativeLive!

CreativeLive recently introduced “Chalk Lettering”, an online class taught by the very talented Annica Lydenberg of Dirty Bandits, and they’re offering one lucky Paper Crave reader free access. Here’s a peek:

I’ve watched all of the videos in the class over this past week, courtesy of CreativeLive, and have learned so much. I love getting a behind the scenes look at the processes that different creatives use to transform their ideas from thoughts to reality, and that is what this class gives you. Annica takes you from start to finish on a chalk mural project for the offices of CreativeLive, and she shares so many helpful tips and techniques along the way.

Though this class is specifically about chalk lettering, I found that a large part of the creative process can be applied to any type of creative lettering project, from cards and stationery to art prints to large murals, restaurant and party menus, and business signage. Lots of possibilities. Annica shares everything from what you should be looking for when studying inspirational lettering pieces to best practices for sketching to how to digitally adjust your lettered layout. In addition, she gives you several methods for transferring your work for its final application to a chalkboard, a wall, or wherever you may be creating it. Finally, you get to see how she creates an oversized, hand lettered mural for the CreativeLive office, and I was surprised and delighted to see just how organic the final process is.

If you love hand lettering and are interested in learning more about creating your own, then you’ll want to enter this giveaway!

Here’s how:

Instagram Entries

1. Post / repost your favorite example of hand lettering or calligraphy to your Instagram account. You can post your own work or someone else’s, but be sure to credit the original artist in your post so I know whose work you’re loving!
2. Tag @papercrave in your post.
3. Hashtag #lettercrave in your post.

That’s it! Easy, peasy.

OR, if you don’t have an Instagram account, simply leave a comment on this post with a link to your favorite example of hand lettering or calligraphy.

One entry per person. Giveaway ends at midnight eastern on Monday, March 9, 2015, and I’ll announce the winner here and on Instagram later next week.

Good luck, everyone, and I cannot wait to see the hand lettered and calligraphed lovelies that you share!