If you’re looking to try new lettering techniques, then this starburst effect lettering is for you!
In this tutorial, you’ll see two ways you can create this style: on black card with Fudenosuke pastel brush pens, and on white card with ABT Dual Brush Pens. Let’s get started!
What you will need
- Tombow A4 Bristol paper (the smooth surface works perfectly for lettering!)
- Tombow ABT dual tip brush pen/s
- Tombow black paper pad
- Tombow Fudenosuke pastel brush pens
- A stick of chalk
- A pencil
- Tombow Mono Zero
- A piece of rough paper to write out your draft wording
Tutorial 1 - pastels on black card
The first step is to draft out your lettering design with a Tombow ABT brush pen. You can do this in calligraphy, faux calligraphy, or any style of lettering you are comfortable with - just make sure that your lettering is thick enough to work around that you can see the negative space of your letters.
I recommend choosing one word to begin with, then build up to longer compositions as you gain confidence with the style.
Next up, take your stick of chalk and turn over your chosen draft piece. Chalk over the letters on the reverse of the paper, as this is how we will transfer the design on to the black card.
Next, turn your paper back the right way, and place it over your black card so that your word sits in the centre. Take your pencil, and outline your lettering.
Press a little harder than when you write normally; you want the chalk to transfer down on to the black card below.
You may also wish to use white tracedown paper for this part instead of chalk - whichever you feel works best for you.
When you lift your draft paper off, you should be left with a lovely outline of your word, ready to begin the starburst effect!
TIP: If your chalk has transferred really heavily, I recommend using your Tombow Mono Zero eraser to gently remove the really bold areas; this will make it easier to write over with your pastel Fudenosuke pens.
Now it’s time to start with the basic outline of your lettering.
Start with your favourite pastel Fudenosuke brush pen, and, using small dots placed very close together (they should be touching at this point), carefully go over your chalk outline.
This creates the densest area of dots at the centre of the word.
At this point, use the Mono Zero eraser to remove your chalk outline, as you will no longer need this.
Once you have the basic outline completed, continue to work from the outline of your word, adding more dots, still keeping them fairly dense/together. Work around the whole word with three or four layers of dots.
The last step is to start building up the starburst effect; add more layers of dots, radiating from the centre of the word, but start to increase the space between the dots, so they become more spread out. By the end, you should have a lovely spread of dots, which look like they have ‘burst’ around the word.
By the end, you should be left with a beautifully styled piece!
Tutorial 2 - ABT brush pens on white card
Now you have the knowledge on how to create the starburst lettering effect, here is another way to create it - this time on white card. For this tutorial, I am using a rainbow selection of Tombow ABT dual tip brush pens, but you can use just one colour to begin with.
Shop the ABT Dual Brush Pens here
Take your word template (or create a new one!), and this time, we will use a slightly different method of transferring the design.
If you have one, a light pad is a great tool for copying images. You place your draft on to the pad first, then your final paper on top. Switch the light pad on, and your design will shine through from below easy to then outline with your first layer of dots!*
*If you don’t have a light pad, you can use a thinner paper, which, when layered on top, should show your design through more easily.
Alternatively, you can use the window method - place your final cardstock over your design, and hold/tape it up on against a window. Use a pencil to gently outline your word (you won’t want your paper to be against the window for the dot process!), then pop it back down to continue.
The starburst process is now exactly the same, but instead, use the bullet tip of your ABT brush pen for monoline dots. As I am creating a rainbow effect, I have dotted each letter with a different colour. At the points where the different colours meet, you can overlap the dots slighty - Tombow ABT pens are great for blending, so you can create a more seamless change between colours.
Then, as before, start to build up the denser layers of dots n your desired colour/s.
Continue building the starburst effect as per the first tutorial, spreading out the dots the further they move from the centre of your word. Again, you can overlap your dots to blend them together; this creates a more subtle shift from one colour to another.
You should finish with a stunning piece of artwork in a beautiful, unique style. Will you give this a try?