Hand Lettering Basics

Master Class: Hand Lettering Basics for Cards

Hand lettering adds a personal, artistic touch to greeting cards. In this article, we share the lettering techniques our master artisans use to create beautiful, personalized messages on each handcrafted card.

Materials You'll Need

• Brush pens or calligraphy pens
• Practice paper (smooth, bleed-proof paper)
• Pencil for sketching
• Ruler
• Eraser
• Guideline sheets (or create your own)
• Cardstock for final projects

Understanding Lettering vs. Calligraphy

Hand lettering is the art of drawing letters, while calligraphy is the art of writing letters. Lettering gives you more creative freedom and is perfect for card making.

Step 1: Learn Basic Strokes

Before forming letters, practice these basic strokes:

• Upstroke: Light pressure, thin line (going up)
• Downstroke: Heavy pressure, thick line (going down)
• Oval: Combination of upstrokes and downstrokes
• Underturn: Curved stroke going down
• Overturn: Curved stroke going up

Step 2: Practice Individual Letters

Start with lowercase letters, as they're more commonly used. Practice each letter multiple times, focusing on consistent stroke width and spacing.

Remember: Upstrokes are thin, downstrokes are thick. This creates the beautiful contrast that makes hand lettering so appealing.

Step 3: Connect Letters into Words

Once you're comfortable with individual letters, practice connecting them. Pay attention to:

• Consistent letter spacing
• Baseline alignment
• Letter height consistency
• Smooth connections between letters

Step 4: Create Guidelines

Use a pencil and ruler to create light guidelines on your card. This helps maintain consistent letter height and alignment. Guidelines should include:

• Baseline (where letters sit)
• X-height line (height of lowercase letters)
• Ascender line (for letters like 'h', 'b', 'd')
• Descender line (for letters like 'g', 'p', 'y')

Step 5: Sketch Your Design

Before inking, sketch your lettering lightly with a pencil. This allows you to plan spacing, sizing, and composition. Make adjustments as needed.

Step 6: Ink Your Lettering

Once you're happy with your sketch, go over it with your brush pen or calligraphy pen. Work slowly and deliberately, maintaining consistent pressure for downstrokes.

Step 7: Erase Guidelines

After the ink is completely dry, carefully erase your pencil guidelines. Use a soft eraser to avoid smudging.

Common Styles to Try

Modern Calligraphy: Elegant, flowing script with varied stroke widths.

Brush Lettering: Bold, casual style perfect for modern cards.

Faux Calligraphy: Create calligraphy effects with any pen by thickening downstrokes.