Hey there again,
I got some positive reactions on my question if you would want to see a lettering tutorial of some sort, so here I am with some beginner tips that helped me a lot. I just want to say that I am not an expert myself, I am just charing what works for me, so it might not be ideal for you. I just hope I can help you at least a tiny bit. But let's get started.
MATERIALS
First of all I want to talk about the materials I use. For my normal handwriting in my journals I use the pentel energel liquid gel ink in size 0.5 or the pilot frixion clicker also in size 0.5. I mostly prefer the pentel energel because the black is more vibrant, but the pilot frixion has less bleed thru. I also want to mention that I use a normal ball point pen in black or blue for random notes and school summaries.
For the lettering and calligraphy I mainly use the pentel brush sign pen, I have one in black and grey, but they are availeble in many diffrent collors and sets. And their price is reasonable for the quality they give. They have a fine, sturdy tip, that is perfect for beginners, because it is easy to control. Sometimes I use some random markers I have laying around. I will try to link all the materials below.
As for the paper, I use decent quality journals for my bullet journal. I have one post about some notebook reviews that I will also link below. Currently I am using the MUS journal (I think it is a dutch company), which can handle most of the materials I use pretty well. But for my reading journal I use a regular notebook, you can find in any other book or crea shop and for my notes in class I even use the cheapest grid paper I found in my local supermarket. What I want to say is that it doesn't matter how expensive something is, what matters is that you find it comfortable to write on and that it fits the purpose you are using it for.
HOW TO HOLD YOUR PEN
Next I want to talk about the way you hold your pen. IT DOES NOT MATTER. As long as it is comfortable for you to hold your pen and you have control over it, it is all good.
HANDWRITING STYLES
Now for the lettering itself: I wrote out the alphabet in my own handwriting and the calligraphy I use the most for reference. I also included my quick handwriting that I use in class if my professor talks to fast for two reasons. 1. because it is the base for the second calligraphy style and 2. because I want to show you that not everything has to be perfect. I always show my neat handwriting on this app, but my classnotes can sometimes rival a doctors note (and I am not even studying to be a doctor)
I showed you my own handwriting as a refrence, but you should create your own just how you like it, you can use certain letters from me, others you like in your own current handwriting and search for inspiration in others handwriting. Experiment with the diffrent options and be unique.
CALLIGRAPHY STYLES
If you use brushpens for calligraphy it is important to make your strokes thicker when you move down, by using a bit more force, and make your strokes thinner when you move upwards by gently stroking your paper with your brush pen (I really hope this makes any sense at all, because this is hard to explain.)
Sometimes you have to cheat the system though. For example, I write strokes of the capital M in the first calligraphy alphabet all seperatly and almost all of them go down. So in order to make the letter more balanced I don't make all of them thick strokes.
The first calligraphy alphabet is basically my normal handwriting with a brush pen, using the system of thick and thin strokes. The second style is based of my quick handwriting, and it is a lot more freehanded. However I do not write this style quickly. I take my time so I keep control over the tip and I can make every letter how I want it to be.
The last style I included is faux calligraphy where you mimic brushpen calligraphy with a normal pen or marker. I like to use it for calligraphy with colours in bigger titles and quotes. And if you skip the last step and don't fill in the lines you get another really cool font to use in lettering.
LITTLE RECAP:
1. use the material you are comfortable with
2. hold your pen in a way that is comfortable for you
3. do not mindlessly copy someone else, be creative and find your own style
4. practice, practice, practice, no one can achieve perfect lettering without practice
5. take your time, and don't rush it.
This post became way longer than I expected, I didn't know I had so much to tell about lettering. I hope this was somewhat helpfull, and if you have any questions left, I will be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities.
Anyways thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.
----------------------------------
links to the materials I mentioned:
Comments (2)
I have just ordered a couple of those pens to try, I've never been good with calligraphy. Thanks for sharing.
I really hope it helped. 🥰 Remeber to keep practicing and I know you will get the hang of it.