First things first, it’s important that for the context of this blog post you understand the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy. And no, they are not necessarily the same thing.

 

I consider calligraphy a form of hand lettering, but I don’t always consider lettering a form of calligraphy. Calligraphy is a type of writing that is typically done in one pass – which is why both nib and ink calligraphy and most brush lettering is probably considered more calligraphy, even though it is called brush lettering. Hand lettering is the process of creating letters by hand, so it is more of an artistic process – the most obvious example of it is faux calligraphy, where you are not writing something in one movement (its called fake calligraphy because the end product is supposed to look like you did it in one pass). Hand lettering does not have to be cursive necessarily either. Any letter form you create by hand is considered hand lettering. A little confusing, isn’t it?

 

The following steps are the actual steps I took to teach myself how to do calligraphy. I went in a very specific order, and I think it worked out really well for me looking back on it less than a year after starting. I learned how to do calligraphy very quickly, so I figured I would write down my steps if you want to learn it as quickly as I did! These steps are universally a great way to go if you are a beginner, but a lot of people learn just by bouncing from process to process and learning each one individually. What you do to learn is your choice, I just wanted to share what worked for me. I would love to hear your success stories with this process, or what process you used to learn calligraphy – so drop a comment!

 

If you’re looking for more context on some of the tools I use, I go into a lot more detail about them in my Envelope Addressing blog post! I go over a lot of the tools I mention in this post.

 

*Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links, at no extra cost to you. This helps support my blog and allows me to continue to make free content. I only recommend products that I use and love. Thank you for your support!

 

 

STEP ONE

 

I learned cursive in grade school, and I continued to use it occasionally up until I started learning lettering & calligraphy. So once I decided I wanted to learn calligraphy, it was pretty easy to pick back up and remember the shapes and movements.

 

Cursive, unfortunately, is not always taught, and people may get to the point that they want to learn lettering and not know basic cursive. In this situation, practicing basic cursive is a mandatory step in learning calligraphy. Cursive is a completely different way of writing, and it’s the easiest way to get comfortable with the movements of lettering.

 

How to do this: Use basic cursive practice sheets that you use for children – they will help you practice as well whether you know cursive already or if you don’t.

 

 

STEP TWO

 

 

Fake calligraphy is the bridge between basic cursive and calligraphy. It’s a necessary step that is going to make you understand the basic fundamentals of lettering and calligraphy. Learning fake calligraphy is mostly about learning the upstrokes (the thin parts) and downstrokes (the thick parts) of letters, which will make the transition from cursive to calligraphy much easier for you. This is also a great time to practice different lettering styles and find your own style.

 

How to do this: Read my blog post on how to master fake calligraphy first, and then practice practice practice! Try it with different pens, try a bunch of different styles, and master it. Use lettering guides to start getting used to where the downstrokes are and where to start the downstrokes.

 

My favorite tools:

Lettering guides: Bossy Brushstrokes, Jones Design Company, & Tombow (try these ones without using Tombow pens!)
Pens: Stabilo, Sharpies, Paint Pens, Gelly Pens, Chalk Pens

 

 

STEP THREE

 

 

I think starting with brush pens is a great choice when learning calligraphy. With brush pens, you can learn how to transition from upstrokes to downstrokes seamlessly using one tool. Although I wish that brush pens and nibs knew exactly when you were writing down and did your downstrokes for you, they don’t and so it’s really important to practice the transitions. I find sometimes that transitions on brush pens (depending on the ones you use) are a tiny bit harder to master, so once you start using nibs and ink, you’ll be in great shape.

 

How to do this: Brush pens are becoming more and more popular, so there are tons of resources out there to help you learn. There are a multitude of free and paid pages and books to help teach you each step, focusing mostly on the transitions.

 

My favorite tools:

Brush pens: Tombow Dual Brush Pens, Tombow Fudenosuke, Crayola Brush Pens, Pentel Sign Brush, Sharpie Brush Pens
Resources: Super Simple Hand Lettering, 50 Ways to Letter, Bossy Brushstrokes, Tombow
Paper: Blank Rhodia Pads, Laser printer paper, sketch pads

 

 

STEP FOUR

 

 

Finally, you’re ready to get into nib and ink lettering. Yes, it’s possibly to skip all the steps above and go straight to this – but I guarantee you that you’re going to get super frustrated and waste a lot of ink (expensive ink to boot). Nib and ink calligraphy, also called pointed pen calligraphy, is difficult. But, it’s going to be a lot easier if you’ve mastered steps 1-3 above.

 

How to do this: First thing I’d recommend when it comes to learning is to get a couple different nibs to try. One nib that’s perfect for one person may not be perfect for you – so practice is essential! In addition to the nibs, you’ll probably want to figure out what kind of holder works best for you. I use both a straight holder and an oblique holder, but I know a lot of calligraphers who find one over the other easier to use.

 

When I was getting started, I bought a simple oblique holder and a straight holder from Amazon. I did my research, and I started with the Zebra Comic G nib, which I thought was the perfect starter nib. I eventually moved on to the Brause B361 nib and Brause Arrow #66, which are my two favorite nibs now. The Brause Arrow is difficult to use, and I do not recommend it for beginners, but the Brause B361 could work as a starter nib. No matter what nib you choose, be sure to clean it off when you first get remove the coating that manufacturers add to prevent rust. I use a Dr. Ph. Martin’s Nib cleaner for the first clean, as well as for cleaning throughout use, but you can also use a toothbrush, dish soap, and water to clean it.

 

The next step is to practice practice practice (didn’t see that one coming, did you? ;)). There are practice sheets I’m sure for this, and books, but I found it easier to just start writing random words, and to do the same transition practice like you did with brush lettering. But, if you followed the above steps, you’re probably a master at where and when you need to transition – so now the only thing left to do is to get used to using the nib instead. Nibs need significantly less pressure than most brush pens, so just go easy on it. Once you practice for a bit, you’ll start to understand the differences between pointed pen calligraphy and brush lettering.

 

My favorite tools:

Nibs: Zebra Comic G, Brause Arrow #66, Brause B361 “Blue Pumpkin”
Holders: Tachikawa Straight Holder, Speedball Oblique Holder
Inks: Dr. Ph. Martin’s Pen-White, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Black Star Matte India Ink, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Ink, Coliro Gold Watercolor
Paper: Blank Rhodia pads, Recollections Cardstock, Sketch books
Miscellaneous: Dinky Dips (essential for easy ink dipping), Dr. Ph. Martin’s Nib cleaner

 

 

STEP FIVE

 

 

Learning real brush lettering and watercolor lettering was a really important last step for me, just because I love the process and look of using a brush to create calligraphy. Paint brushes, though, are one of the hardest tools to control, which is why I chose to do this last.

 

How to do this: The most important things to note if you decide to pick up brush lettering is to take it REALLY slow and find the right pressure. Even if you’ve mastered transitioning with brush pens and pointed pen, paint brushes are a totally differing ball game. No matter what brush you’re using, keeping light pressure with your brush is the only way to get the super thin lines so you have more of a transition from thin to thick on your downstrokes. Finding the right pressure is the hardest part of learning, so take that step slow.

 

Another thing to note is the way you may write letters with brush pens or pointed pen may not translate to brush lettering. A looser, more casual letter form will probably be better in this case, so it’s best to practice (yes, more practice!) to see what letters work and which don’t. In addition, depending on what type of paint or ink you are using, you have to get used to how much paint or ink you need, how much water to add in order to get the right look, etc. Watercolor lettering is going to look completely different depending on the amount of water vs. paint, and what brush you use (smaller brushes hold less water). Unfortunately, there isn’t a great way for me to describe this – it’s all a matter of trial and error.

 

My absolute favorite brush letterer is Lauren with A Fabulous Fete, and lucky for you – she has a book. Her style is really beautiful and she has practice pages and tips for learning to brush letter. If you’re interested in brush lettering, I can’t recommend this book enough (I just wish it were longer!)

 

My favorite tools:

Brushes: 5/0 Spotter, 3/0 Spotter, Flat Shader
Inks: Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Coliro Gold Watercolor, Brea Reese Watercolors, Prima Marketing Watercolor, Academy Watercolor – Ivory Black
Resources: Brush Lettering for Beginners
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper (if you’re using any water based ink, aka almost all of the ones above), Recollections Cardstock (if you’re using acrylic paints or Bleed Proof White)
Miscellaneous: Small Containers or a Ceramic Palette.

 

 

OPTIONAL

 

Learning how to do iPad lettering was a fun addition to my lettering knowledge. I didn’t get my iPad until I had already taught myself steps 1 through 5 above, but it was a whole new challenge for me. Obviously, this is an optional step – not everyone has the money or feels a need to get an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil, but if you do – it’s fun to learn and is definitely a lifesaver when it comes to digitizing lettering projects. I use the iPad for all aspects of my business, and for social media, but lettering takes up a lot of my time. What I’ve found the iPad to be best for when it comes to my lettering is both finding the perfect layout for lettering, where I am able to create each word separately and move to the right spot, as well as for illustration (at least for me). I like to be able to easily erase, undo, and change colors – so for illustration, for example, it is the perfect place to learn and perfect my craft before I move to paper illustration (which I suck at, by the way).

 

How to do this: Using the Apple Pencil with the iPad is a completely new and unique process for even the most experienced letterer to learn. It takes a very specific amount of pressure and movement to create realistic looking calligraphy, but once you find that pressure, you can create very realistic writing.

 

My Favorite Tools:

iPad Accessories: Apple Pencil Accessories pack, iPad sleeve
Apps: Procreate (drawing), Amaziograph (pattern making), Over (for text layouts), Pigment (for coloring fun), Asana (for planning), Dot2Dot & Cross-Stitch World (for some fun!)
Resources: Bossy Brushstrokes, Abbie Uproot, Holly Pixels, iPad Lettering

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