Have you ever gotten a hand lettered card in the mail and wished you could send someone one like it? Well, guess what? You can!
I used to think hand lettered pieces looked way too complicated to do myself, but when I started with it last fall, I quickly found out that hand lettering is only made up of some basic lines and loops. I think anyone can hand letter something, whether or not you think you're creative! Today, we're going to look at three reasons why hand lettering isn't that hard.
Tools
There are a lot of different kinds of brush pens out there, but you'll find that one with a firmer tip is easier to control at first. If the tip is too bendable, your letters might end up looking shaky.
I've even used Crayola fine tip markers before because they're cheap. (If you do decide to go with Crayolas, remember the tip won't last very long since you'll be pressing down pretty hard!) The other thing you'll need is paper, and any kind will do.
Basic strokes
Emily Potts, who has the Creative Live blog, suggested starting off your hand lettering sessions with some warm-up exercises, like drawing circles and swirls on some scrap paper.
The basics of hand lettering are pretty simple: when your pen is going down, the lines are thicker, and when the pen is going up, the lines are thinner. Every hand lettered word can be made with a combination of four strokes: upstrokes, downstrokes, circles and loops.
Start off with some simple lines. Up, down, up, down, up, down... keep going! Next, keep your pen on the page to draw a wavy line.
If you can connect the lines, you can draw a circle. Press down harder when going down, then gradually ease the pressure as you're going back up. Loops are pretty much just lines with circles on the end.
Practicing these strokes before you try actual letters will help you get familiar with a brush pen. Go ahead and fill up the whole page before to get a feel for your pen!
It might be hard to get the pressure right at first, especially when transitioning from a thicker line to a thinner one. You'll be able to tell if this is a problem because the line won't be even.
Natalie Boyd at HOW Design suggests continuing to refine your letters after you've drawn them. Just go back over it with the brush pen and fill in any gaps!
Putting it all together
If you could do these simple lines and loops, congratulations! You can do hand lettering!
To draw the thank you card above, start by penciling in the letters the way you see them. This will give you a guide, because once you have your pen to paper, you want to draw as smoothly as possible. Next, draw each of the words without lifting your pen off the page.
A few tips:
I used to think hand lettered pieces looked way too complicated to do myself, but when I started with it last fall, I quickly found out that hand lettering is only made up of some basic lines and loops. I think anyone can hand letter something, whether or not you think you're creative! Today, we're going to look at three reasons why hand lettering isn't that hard.
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| Whenever I receive a gift from someone really close to me, I always try to make a hand lettered card just for them. |
There are a lot of different kinds of brush pens out there, but you'll find that one with a firmer tip is easier to control at first. If the tip is too bendable, your letters might end up looking shaky.
I've even used Crayola fine tip markers before because they're cheap. (If you do decide to go with Crayolas, remember the tip won't last very long since you'll be pressing down pretty hard!) The other thing you'll need is paper, and any kind will do.
Basic strokes
Emily Potts, who has the Creative Live blog, suggested starting off your hand lettering sessions with some warm-up exercises, like drawing circles and swirls on some scrap paper.
This will help you with balance and kerning in your future hand lettering pieces. And take your time—it is better to be slow and accurate than quick and messy. Shapes and lines are the building blocks for letters so they are really good for practicing.
The basics of hand lettering are pretty simple: when your pen is going down, the lines are thicker, and when the pen is going up, the lines are thinner. Every hand lettered word can be made with a combination of four strokes: upstrokes, downstrokes, circles and loops.
Start off with some simple lines. Up, down, up, down, up, down... keep going! Next, keep your pen on the page to draw a wavy line.
If you can connect the lines, you can draw a circle. Press down harder when going down, then gradually ease the pressure as you're going back up. Loops are pretty much just lines with circles on the end.
Practicing these strokes before you try actual letters will help you get familiar with a brush pen. Go ahead and fill up the whole page before to get a feel for your pen!
It might be hard to get the pressure right at first, especially when transitioning from a thicker line to a thinner one. You'll be able to tell if this is a problem because the line won't be even.
 |
| I feel like hand lettering on a wedding card is the perfect combination! |
Putting it all together
If you could do these simple lines and loops, congratulations! You can do hand lettering!
To draw the thank you card above, start by penciling in the letters the way you see them. This will give you a guide, because once you have your pen to paper, you want to draw as smoothly as possible. Next, draw each of the words without lifting your pen off the page.
A few tips:
- Try to form each stroke with one smooth motion.
- Move your whole arm instead of just your wrist. The pen should be completely still in your hand.
- Believe it or not, your lettering will get better with more practice!
- Remember, part of the beauty of hand lettering is that no two letters look the same, so don't worry about making them perfect!
Do you see how easy that was? I hope after seeing how simple these lines and shapes are, you'll try out hand lettering for yourself!
What has been the hardest thing for you about hand lettering? Let me know in the comments below!
What has been the hardest thing for you about hand lettering? Let me know in the comments below!
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