The first five days after a weekend are always the hardest. But it's finally here – Friday! You finally get to sit down and try that hand lettering you've been putting off ever since you read my last post.
But what if you want to get the hand lettered look without buying yet another pen? Or what if you did get brush pens, but you're struggling to use them? Or what if you went home for Easter break and realized you had brought back four huge containers of extra stuff from your dorm, but still managed to forget all your brush pens? (Not that I would happen to know anything about that...)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to fake hand lettering. Faking it is almost as easy as doing the real thing! And if you've never used a brush pen before, this keeps you from having to learn how to control the brush and make script letters.
Shelby Abrahamsen at Little Coffee Fox wrote that faking it can actually help you build a really strong foundation of skills.
Now pencil in your words, looking at the example as you go. Notice where letters are in relation to others. For example, the r in "favorite" kind of lines up with the p in "place."
Don't worry about thin upstrokes or thick down strokes at this point. Just sketch. Finish by drawing in the stems and leaves of the vines, which are really just made up of lines and slightly pointed ovals.
Now for the fun part – filling it all in! Trace over your pencil lines with any marker-like pen (fine-tipped Sharpies are perfect for this). Let the ink dry before thoroughly erasing all pencil lines.
Go back over the hand lettered words and make down strokes thicker. Notice how when going down, the line thickens gently, rather than abruptly. Fill in these down strokes, using a thicker marker to color them in.
You'll probably need to go back over the words for mistakes. Look closely. Are there any spots that aren't quite even? Do the up and down strokes fade into each other nicely?
Fix any problem areas with a fine-tip pen.
Finally, go over the capital letters and widen the lines on the left side just a bit. This helps them match the script just a little better.
If you still want to practice with your brush pen but aren't quite ready to use one for the whole thing, Rose at Little Miss Rose suggests using a brush pen only on the down strokes. For me, the hardest part of using a brush pen is creating a consistent, thin up stroke, so doing that with a regular pen can make the whole process a lot easier!
Watch the whole process below:
But what if you want to get the hand lettered look without buying yet another pen? Or what if you did get brush pens, but you're struggling to use them? Or what if you went home for Easter break and realized you had brought back four huge containers of extra stuff from your dorm, but still managed to forget all your brush pens? (Not that I would happen to know anything about that...)
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| You could frame this piece for your walls or use the design on a chalkboard. |
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to fake hand lettering. Faking it is almost as easy as doing the real thing! And if you've never used a brush pen before, this keeps you from having to learn how to control the brush and make script letters.
Shelby Abrahamsen at Little Coffee Fox wrote that faking it can actually help you build a really strong foundation of skills.
Faux calligraphy is a great launching point for anyone who is interested in hand lettering but isn’t sure where to begin. It’s cheap, simple and relatively quick. And while it isn’t quite a substitute for the real thing, it will definitely do the job in a pinch and serve as great practice for more complex lettering down the road.The hand lettered piece above would be cute to hang in your home or even for a wedding sign. We're going to start by using a ruler and pencil to sketch out guidelines for the word "together." I suggest drawing guidelines as you go, rather than all at once, so you so you'll be able to see what the line spacing is after each one.
Now pencil in your words, looking at the example as you go. Notice where letters are in relation to others. For example, the r in "favorite" kind of lines up with the p in "place."
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| Every time your stroke goes down, thicken that line, tapering it at either end. |
Now for the fun part – filling it all in! Trace over your pencil lines with any marker-like pen (fine-tipped Sharpies are perfect for this). Let the ink dry before thoroughly erasing all pencil lines.
Go back over the hand lettered words and make down strokes thicker. Notice how when going down, the line thickens gently, rather than abruptly. Fill in these down strokes, using a thicker marker to color them in.
You'll probably need to go back over the words for mistakes. Look closely. Are there any spots that aren't quite even? Do the up and down strokes fade into each other nicely?
Fix any problem areas with a fine-tip pen.
Finally, go over the capital letters and widen the lines on the left side just a bit. This helps them match the script just a little better.
If you still want to practice with your brush pen but aren't quite ready to use one for the whole thing, Rose at Little Miss Rose suggests using a brush pen only on the down strokes. For me, the hardest part of using a brush pen is creating a consistent, thin up stroke, so doing that with a regular pen can make the whole process a lot easier!
Watch the whole process below:
And whatever you do, just remember...never leave anywhere without making sure you have your brush pens with you.
What phrases or Bible verses would you like to learn how to letter next? Let me know in the comments below!
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