A Beginner’s Look at Hand Lettering
I’ve been getting tons of questions about how I started hand lettering and how I hand letter and all the questions that accompany the topic of starting hand lettering. This all came about after I posted about my bullet journal aka my new obsession. My bullet journal is the place for me to practice my hand lettering, and that sparked a lot of interest from my readers!
First off, this is the first time I’ve received enough questions about a topic that I want to write a post on it. Progress, my friends! Let me just say that I am in no way, shape, or form an expert at hand lettering nor have I gone to art school or taken courses in typography. But, I do have a passion for fonts and lettering!
So how did I get started? Curiosity and jealousy! I have always been super jealous of girls with the pretty, loopy, scripty handwriting and I wanted that. After admiring every hand written quote on Pinterest and watching 2342356245 videos on YouTube about hand lettering, I took the next step and started practicing.
Tools
- Tons of printer paper
- Pigma Micron Pens (this is the exact set I have)
- Pens
- Pencil
- Eraser
Process
First, I have to be really bored, stressed out, or itching to do something artsy. My favorite time to hand letter is during finals week. Take a step back from those books, sit down with a cup of tea, and start doodling a quote I fell in love with.
I play around with the words, figuring out which ones I want to emphasize and how to lay it out on the paper. To me this is the most stressful part because it’s quite a challenge fitting 10 words on a 8×8 square of paper.
Made by Marzipan has and ah-maz-ing YouTube channel full of step-by-step hand lettering tutorials and tips. The video below is one of my favorites, and it walks you through all of the steps when creating a hand lettering piece. I’ve also linked to her full playlist so be sure to check that out!
Happy with the layout I chose, I then sketch it in pencil on my full-sized paper (sometimes I do square, sometimes I do 8.5×11). I add fonts and embellishments until I’m content with the look. The final step is tracing over the pencil with those Micron pens or whatever pen you choose.
Resources
Dawn Nicole Designs
If you’ve ever searched on Pinterest for hand lettering, you’re bound to have stumbled upon Dawn Nicole Designs. She has a free hand lettering 101 course, a Facebook group for hand lettering, and even a hashtag to show off your work on Instagram!
One Artsy Mama
Another one of my favorites, Amy has an amazing collection of hand lettering tutorials, tips, and inspiration! She’s one of my go-to’s to follow in Instagram as well.
21 Hand Lettering & Brush Lettering Tutorials
Check out this amazing round-up post by Erin from Printable Crush that has 21 to-die-for hand lettering tutorials.
Fonts & Doodles
Check out my Pinterest board where I keep all of my hand lettering inspiration. From a plethora of fonts, tutorials, and embellishments, I’m constantly updating the board, so make sure to follow!
Hope this helped show you kind of how I got started with hand lettering and the work I’ve done so far! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
~abigail gray
