4 Hand Lettering Myths Holding You Back

There are so many hand lettering myths floating around and I think are mostly perpetuated by people who know squat about the issue. Look, hand lettering is one of those things that I really, truly believe anyone can learn. Not everyone can learn to paint something so realistic it looks like a photograph. But most people can learn how to handle an Apple Pencil, brush pen, or even traditional pointed pen! Anyone can learn to impress their friends and families with beautifully drawn letters.

 

 You have to have good handwriting

I wouldn’t say I have bad handwriting but it isn’t anything to show off either. Hand lettering is more about drawing and creating letters. You put thought into every stroke you make. Not only that but writing with a brush pen or pointed pen is a completely different set of skills. You hold the pen differently, you position your body differently, you make the strokes differently. Basically, everything is different. But I think the most important difference is how much thought you put into forming each letter when hand-lettering compared to simply taking notes in class.

It’s expensive

I thought the exact same thing!! But you really don’t need all that much when you’re just starting. I would suggest starting out with the Tombow fudenosuke brush pens and a pad of Rhodia paper if you’re feeling fancy. If you’re not feeling fancy premium laserjet paper is a really cheap alternative. Start from there and as you get better using the fudenosuke pens you can move on to the Tombow Dual Tips. They come in lots of colors and if you don’t want to spend money on an entire pack of them you can buy them individually!

If you want to start out with something more colorful but don’t want to spend money on a Dual-Tip you’ll more than likely ruin, I suggest Crayola Markers. They’re inexpensive, and allow you to get the differently sized strokes. Now, these aren’t made for brush lettering so the tips will probably alter shape, but they’re an awesome place to start.

You have to spend hundreds of dollars on classes

Now I’ve taken a couple hand lettering classes and they’re great if you like a hands-on learning approach. But they’re totally not necessary! All the information you learn in a class you can most likely find online for free. Not only that but you can find loads of printable worksheets online! You can also check out my post on hand lettering books to get you started.

It’ll take years to learn so why start now?

My dudes…I started in January. I’m nowhere close to the level some people are but I’ve seen so much progress since I started. I’m constantly getting compliments from both friends and strangers! The best part is that with hand lettering its really easy to see your progress over a few hours, days, weeks, and especially months. I think that being able to see such clear improvement in your work makes it easier to stay motivated.

Has anything else been holding you back from learning hand lettering? Let me know! And if you’re ready to start lettering read this post on what books are best to get you started!