How to Start the Hobby of Hand Lettering

Posted on Feb 11, 2020 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Jenny Highsmith

Have you ever wanted to learn hand lettering and not known where to start? Beginning a new hobby can feel daunting, but I hope this post will help you feel encouraged and provide directions on how to get started.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

I want you to know that anyone can learn how to hand letter if they are willing to take the time to practice. Like any skill, you probably won’t become an expert overnight. But if you spend a few minutes each week practicing and don’t give up, you will see continued improvement and be surprised at how much better your skills become. You can do it!

THE BASICS

Before I share my favorite tools, you first have to understand one basic principle of lettering: thin going up, thick going down.

All that means is to create beautiful lettering, you apply heavy pressure on your marker or brush when moving down and light pressure on it when moving up.

Now, if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford to spend any extra money on a few good markers, simply search your house to see if you already have a marker that works. The marker basically needs a tip that is flexible enough to make thick strokes as well as thin strokes. A Crayola broad tip marker or a Sharpie brush pen definitely works.

TOOLS I RECOMMEND

If you can spare a few dollars, it is well worth it to invest in some of the tools I’m about to mention. It makes a huge difference to have a marker that works with you instead of one you fight against. Here are some of my absolute favorites for beginners. To see a full list of all my favorite lettering tools, click here.

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: This pen is one of my very favorites because it is very easy to create different thicknesses of strokes for your letters. It also comes in both a hard tip and soft tip, which is wonderful to have the option for those who are heavy handed. The tip holds its shape and glides beautifully while the pen is odorless and precise, amazing for perfecting your letters.

Tombow Dual Brush Pen: This pen is also great for beginners because the flexibility of the brush tip makes it really easy to create nice, thick strokes. If you are more heavy-handed, I don’t recommend starting with this one because the tip bends really easily. I do love how it is a dual-tip marker with both a flexible brush tip and a firm, fine tip, giving you the option to clean up your lettering with the fine point or to create both thick lettering as well as mono line accents. The ink also blends well, doesn’t bleed, is odorless, and comes in a LOT of colors.

Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Pen: If you want to create a more watercolor-like effect for your lettering, this pen is a great one to start with. You don’t have to constantly dip your pen in ink, and it provides a controlled flow. This pen comes filled with a permanent, acid-free ink, but you can refill it whenever you need with an ink of your choosing. I recommend refilling it with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India Ink, which comes with a dropper top so it’s easier to fill the pen.

Field Notes Dot-graph Paper Notebook: I love these small notebooks for practicing on the go. They have faint dots on the pages, making it easy to work on your strokes and lay out designs. You’ll also want to have a sketchbook or plain paper to use most of the time while you’re practicing. I use my sketchbook about 98 percent of the time and my nicer paper, like my Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Pad or my Canson XL Watercolor Textured Paper Pad, when I’m ready to create a piece of artwork.

Those are my suggestions for beginning! Just remember you don’t have to have special supplies to get started; you can begin with any flexible tip marker and plain paper. But when you feel ready to move to the next level, I hope you’ll try out some of these supplies!

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Want more in-depth instructions on how to letter and learn basic techniques, as well as creative ways you can use your new skills to bless others and strengthen your faith?