Brush Lettering For Beginners

Brush lettering, the topic a few of you have mentioned I should write about.

Alas, I am not the one to do so and you’d be better off finding a much more competent letterer than I, but I will say a couple of things about it just the same 😉

I started lettering out of boredom (and jealousy that someone could write so nicely, so seemingly easily 😜) but because it wasn’t really a major interest then and because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, I just used a fine tipped sharpie and not a correct brush lettering marker.

Which was stupid 😜

The marker, MATTERS!

When I visited Mom and tested some of her markers, it was the ‘Kuretake’ that changed my lettering life 😳😃😜

Recently I’ve been using the ‘Pentel sign pen, Touch’ as well.

It depends what you become comfortable with but I know some who letter with something as simple as kids ‘Crayola’ markers and do fantastically… but it makes my lettering look like, a kids 😜

So, if you’ve tried lettering without the proper tools and you’re devastated and feeling like a pathetically, so called human, wielding a useless hand… try getting a marker that works for you.

I tend to write small and prefer a bit of a firmer, short nibbed marker, rather than some of the larger, softer markers like the ‘Ecoline Brush Pen’, no matter how much I love the vibrant color those ones give.
You just have to find your niche.

Also, I love writing on tracing paper/velum.
If you’ve spent money on a good marker, you’ll want it to last and to give the best results and I believe you get both by using the tracing or velum paper, as normal paper is too rough and shreds marker tips much faster.

Next to tools of the lettering trade, you will want to… praaaactice 😬
Yes, that awful word that nobody likes yet tis true and required in so many cases 😜

I suggest getting a practice sheet of ‘drills’ and learning some of the basic ‘strokes’ before diving into trying a big (or even small) word.

Press heavy/hard on your down lines and soft/light on the lines going up.

Luckily for me, my own Mother (@diamondandwillow) letters beautifully, teaches a lettering class, has drill sheets and a seemingly endless supply of lettering markers and tricks for me to glean from 😁
Without her teaching and help, I wouldn’t letter like I do now.

A few of the Instagram letterers I follow are:

http://instagram.com/diamondandwillow

http://instagram.com/amandaarneill

http://instagram.com/skyladesign

http://instagram.com/thehappyevercrafter

http://instagram.com/letteringhislove

http://instagram.com/hanwriting

http://instagram.com/blackchalkco

To name a few.
Whether it’s because I like their style, their instructions or what the actually say with what they letter, I know you’ll gain some inspiration from them.

One last point, your handwriting, does not effect your hand lettering!!!

This sample should prove that😬

On the left is some of my (though beginner) hand lettering and on the right is my normal handwriting.

Let’s say my book reports frustrated my teacher back in the day 😬😝

It’s embarrassing but here’s some of the first things I tried with ‘lettering’, pre good marker and practice.

And some of the more recent.

Hopefully this little blurb helps clarify a few things for the very beginning, beginners out there 😊

If you have more questions though, let me know!