Beginners guide to Hand lettering

There is no skill one can master overnight, the same goes for hand lettering. When I started my journey in 2016, there were barely any resources and courses available, now there are endless. Finally, it boils down to how much you practice. In my opinion, giving half an hour to your hobby is the best thing you can do to be stress free and maintain a balanced lifestyle!

This blog is for all those out there, who want to start hand lettering as a hobby, but need the right guidance, or right information, so here it is. 

Step 1 : Know your basics and warm up! 
Any form of art requires flow. In hand lettering, it's important to know your basic strokes, pen angles, styles and anatomy of letterform. The major takeaway from basic letter anatomy is that your upstrokes should be thin and your downstrokes should stay thick. Skipping your basics only means you will never be able to master the skill. 

Step 2 : Practice everyday 
Rome wasn't built in a day. There are no shortcuts, so practice till you’re perfect. It’s a good idea to start practicing little everyday and voila, you will see your improvement within 3-4 months!

Step 3 : Stationary 
If this isn't the reason that draws you towards hand lettering, I don't know what is. I was super fascinated with all the fancy stationery available and always wanted to use the colourful brush pens. I started my journey with Tombows and I think they are my best investment, but if you are starting out or want to try more pens, check out this blog 

Step 4 : Work with guides
Super underrated but the most important step of all. I still work with guides even after 6-7 years of drawing letters. Working with guides will make you understand compositions better, and will help you create consistency. 

Step 5 : Find inspiration
When I say inspiration, I mean some fonts that you can trace, some letters that you can work on, some hand lettering posts on pinterest and see if you can find a couple of favorites.  
By inspiration, you may also think of people to follow on instagram, so here’s our curated list of artists that are surely going to give you lots of ideas and styles to letter. Remember to always credit the artist though!

Pro Tip: Make sure you have a comfortable chair and desk because lettering for hours at a stretch may lead to bad posture, resulting in back and neck pain.

Cheers to you for taking the first step towards this therapeutic hobby. Follow my blogs to receive more information to turn into an expert. Happy Hand lettering!
Got a question? Email me on lettersandallthat@gmail.com

Author : Bhavna Ahuja