Looking to learn how to do modern calligraphy? You’ve come to the right place! Sharing supplies, tips and examples for hand lettering.
Modern hand lettering, also known as brush lettering, is a popular hobby as of late.
With lots of people staying home more, it’s an easy-to-learn hobby and perfect way to stay creative and relax. I kinda think of it as the next adult coloring trend 🙂
In fact, it’s a hobby I recently picked up myself! I haven’t shared it on this blog, but have posted some pieces on Instagram. So, today, I’m sharing some of my own hand-lettering, as well as resources that helped me in my lettering journey. Hope this helps you, too!
Hand Lettering Supplies
Before anything else, let’s go over some of my favorite supplies for hand lettering!
These are supplies you can easily find on amazon, and the best part is, you can begin hand-lettering for under $25 (these supplies also make a great gift idea)!
Hand Lettering Supplies
My favorite supplies for hand lettering and brush lettering.
This is my very favorite hand lettering book. Best of all, it's almost always under $10!
I love this book for many reasons, but best of all, if you purchase the book you can email the author to receive PDFs of all the workbook pages so you can practice again and again!
Tombow markers are some of the very best and it's all I use for my hand-lettering. You can purchase from Amazon, or from their website (where you can also purchase individually).
I have several sets and LOVE them!
To take the best care of your brush pens, you'll want to be careful about what kind of paper you write on. Smooth paper works best, and I bought a ream of this HP paper for practicing.
This paper is very smooth and heavyweight. I absolutely adore it for not only practicing but finished lettering projects as well!
I often like to add white highlights/detailing to my letters, and I've been using these inexpensive white gel pens with good results.
How Long Does it Take to Learn to Hand Letter?
It took me a few weeks to learn to hand-letter.
I spent about an hour a day practicing, and while I still have a lot to learn, I’m pleased with my progress!
I began by going through the book I mentioned above, and then went on to print practice sheets so I could continue to refine my lettering style.
I truly thing anyone can learn to hand-letter, though, as with most creative endeavors, the more artistic you are, the quicker you’ll probably pick this up.
The most important thing to get good at lettering is the same thing you need to get good at anything: practice!
What Pens are Best for Hand-Lettering?
I said it above but I’ll say it again: Tombow pens are my favorite by far for hand lettering.
They are high quality and come in so, so many colors. I really believe that quality supplies matter. Tombow pens, while not cheap, are the industry standard.
Tombow can often be found on amazon or even ebay. Keep up with them on social media for coupons for their website!
Can You Make Money Hand Lettering?
Hand lettering and modern calligraphy is so in-demand right now!
Beyond the obvious (invitations), consider opening an Etsy shop with some of your lettered pieces. You can even create printable art to sell!
Also consider having your lettering created on notecards, items of clothing, mugs, etc.
I’ve sold on both Etsy and Society6, and while most everyone is familiar with Etsy, society6 is slightly different: Artists upload their design, which can be displayed on a variety of products (from art prints to tote bags to cell phone covers).
society6 takes it from there, dealing with all aspects of the sale, from producing the item to packing the item to shipping the item.
Both sites have their benefits, and are worth looking into. The answer though is YES, you can definitely make money hand lettering.
Visit me on Instagram for more hand lettering inspiration and time-lapse videos!
And check this comprehensive list of hobbies for over 750+ hobby ideas to consider.
And check out this post on how to hand letter pumpkins!
Have you tried hand-lettering? I’d love to see what you’re working on!
If you’re a beginner, let me know what else you’d like to see on the topic!
Thanks so much for reading all about How to: Hand Lettering {Brush Lettering Supplies and Instructions}!
Have a crafty day!