Design Ideas Hand Lettering

First, for all but the most free form

Materials

First, for all but the most free form of projects, get a ruler. You’ll need it to plot the overall shape of your piece before sketching the letter forms, make grids, and block off your letters so they’re spaced appropriately. Handwriting art is vivid and visual depiction of a couple of letters/words that are eloquent.

Paper

You’ll also need something to draw on. There are three most common types:

Plain Printer Paper: For less formal projects, or in the planning stages, it’s perfectly fine to use this. It’s cheap, good for getting ideas down, and can be used for anything you won’t need a hard copy of after you scan it. And later, we’ll also explain a neat trick you can use with it that can cut down on time and effort if you feel like you’re struggling. However, it’s very acidic and will yellow with time, so don’t use it on anything you want to preserve for a while. This application contains How to Draw Lettering and Tutorials on Lettering.

Bristol board: If you want to give your piece some weight and endurance, Bristol board is an excellent choice. It’s also perfect for framing. If you choose this, you’ll then be faced with the choice between vellum, with a softer matte finish, and plate, which is smooth and shiny. It’s generally said that vellum is better for penciling, where plate is better for inking. Inks are more likely to bleed on vellum, but plate is known to smear pencil lines with the slightest touch.