{"id":120450,"date":"2022-03-22T15:02:37","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T22:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.picsart.tools\/?p=120450"},"modified":"2022-04-08T10:30:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T17:30:41","slug":"hand-lettering-basics-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/hand-lettering-basics-styles\/","title":{"rendered":"Lettering Styles and Hand Lettering Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Language is beautiful because of what it expresses. Just think of love letters, poetry, and descriptions of springtime landscapes. But language can also quite literally be beautiful depending on the lettering styles you use. Mastering hand lettering, the creative art of hand-drawing letters, will allow you to experiment with <\/span>different lettering styles<\/span><\/a> and add a human touch to your designs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best thing about hand lettering is that it’s fun every step of the way. You’re free to doodle, experiment with <\/span>lettering styles and ideas<\/span>, get inspired by <\/span>cursive calligraphy fonts<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>and learn more about kerning. Finally, as you get better at drawing letters, you can start hand lettering online and come up with more nuanced ways to play with space and letter meanings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This article is your comprehensive guide to getting started with hand lettering. We’ll discuss essential tools, introduce you to key <\/span>lettering styles<\/span>, ideas for designs, and give you pro tips on starting hand lettering online. Remember: if in doubt, the Picsart font generator<\/a> is your friend.
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What\u2019s the Difference Between Hand Lettering and Calligraphy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we jump into lettering design, it’s important to distinguish between hand lettering and calligraphy. While both are ultimately about creating beautiful letters, calligraphy concerns <\/span>writing <\/span><\/i>letters and often requires specific tools; however, hand lettering is about <\/span>drawing <\/span><\/i>them with plenty of going back and forth to adjust or add embellishments. They\u2019re both forms of art, but one focuses on writing whereas the other is about drawing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are Lettering Styles?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are three key <\/span>lettering styles: <\/span>Serif<\/b>, <\/span>Sans Serif<\/b>, and <\/span>Script<\/b>. These <\/span>categories of fonts<\/span><\/a> are defined by general qualities. We’ll go over each of the <\/span>lettering styles <\/span>to make it more clear:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

Serif<\/h3>\n

Open any older book or magazine and it’ll most likely use a Serif font. This category is defined by the short lines at the ends of letter strokes (serifs) that add legibility. Serif <\/span>lettering design<\/span> gives off an official, classic vibe, but you can easily make it more fun if you play around with the serifs, exaggerating them or embellishing them. Some examples in this category are Line Serif, where bold and heavy letters end with contrasting thin lines for serifs, and Slab Serif, where the serifs are just as solid-looking as the letters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Serif lettering is also defined by strokes of different thickness. The rule of thumb when drawing a Serif font is to make the up strokes thin and down strokes thick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to draw a Serif font, make sure you know where the serifs of each letter are. If you’re a beginner, be sure to have an alphabet in front of you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

Sans Serif<\/h3>\n

As the name suggests, Sans Serif fonts are fonts without serifs. Known for being relatively easy to draw, Sans Serif fonts are a great place to start your typography journey. If you\u2019re into <\/span>minimalist design<\/span><\/a>, then sans serif fonts might be right for you. They\u2019re famous for their simple, modern look and are frequently used on digital platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When drawing Sans Serif fonts, you need to pay extra attention to letterforms and keep the alphabet consistent throughout. We recommend dividing each word into its individual letters and practicing drawing each letter freehand before putting them together to form actual words.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

Script or Cursive<\/h3>\n

The third and final common type of <\/span>lettering style<\/span>, script or cursive, is when the letters connect and seem to flow together as they do when you handwrite them. This loose font category looks like a product of calligraphy but as we mentioned earlier, there’s a difference in methods and tools. Script fonts can look classic or modern, the choice is yours. In general, the formal-looking options are perfect for everything from poetry and <\/span>invitations<\/span><\/a>, to congratulatory cards and tattoos. The more casual script styles are often used in street art or vintage themes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note that the most exciting aspects of hand lettering begin where these three types of<\/span> lettering styles<\/span> end. They may be great starting points, but there’s a whole new world of symmetries and asymmetries, letter weight distribution, texture, rhythm, and variety out there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Qualities of Good Hand Lettering\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now that you have a grasp of lettering styles, it\u2019s time to consider what makes for good lettering. Consider these qualities when starting your next hand lettering project:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"qualities<\/p>\n

Good lettering is easy to read.<\/h4>\n

If the reader has to squint and slow down to read what you’ve written, you\u2019ve likely lost them. Moreover, if it\u2019s so hard to read that someone misreads it, then no matter how stunning the artform, your message will be lost. Test out your skills by showing your hand-lettered phrase to a couple of friends or colleagues first and see if they’re able to read it easily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It translates the meaning of its message well.<\/h4>\n

Why shouldn’t the word “cake” seem to be made of frosting? And isn’t the word “cordially” just begging for a formal script? The best lettering rises to the occasion and maybe even adds a new dimension to the meaning of the message. After all, if there’s a drop of blood dripping from the <\/span>font in a Halloween invitation<\/span><\/a>, it’s bound to make all vampire fans excited to get dressed up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good lettering is consistent.<\/h4>\n

This is more about technique than anything else, and in <\/span>typography<\/span><\/a>, just like in most cases, practice makes perfect. Sure, there are lots of easy fonts to draw. Just aim for consistency throughout in spacing, serifs, accents, letter weight, connection between the letters, and details of the embellishments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s creative and fun.<\/h4>\n

Most importantly, good lettering is drawn with curiosity, joy, and creativity. It’s important for the author of the font to feel like they have found the exact style that perfectly fits a phrase or idea. And the reader will appreciate it too.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Kerning?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Use of space is a major part of hand lettering. That’s why you need to know how to kern letters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You’re probably thinking, “Okay, but <\/span>what is kerning<\/span>?” Kerning is adjusting spacing between the font’s letters depending on their form. If you’re careful, you’ll notice that letters are typically unequally spaced, and that’s what makes the words easy to read. Check out this example of kearning in practice:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

Notice how it looks different from this unkerned version?<\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

No doubt, an unkerned version seems a bit unnatural. Even though the space between the letters is actually equal in the unkerned version, we perceive the kerned version as the correct and readable one. One immediately wants to push the “r” toward the “e” and otherwise adjust the spacing to make the letters appear evenly spaced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kerning may seem difficult at first, but you’ll get a hang of it with practice. It’s a skill any hand lettering aficionado should master when picking up a brush pen. You can try playing <\/span>a kerning game online<\/span><\/a> and find out just how good you are at it intuitively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also some basic rules to follow. In general, most letters can be divided into two categories:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n