5 Free Lettering Tutorials for Perfectionists

Discover excellent professional resources, and be inspired by the styles of great lettering artists

You can express yourself through lettering and challenge the rules of creativity. Furthermore, while you learn this discipline, you have many opportunities to experiment with different techniques, styles, and processes.

When you’re working on your lettering design, you’ll find yourself wanting to look for perfection. This is normal, and it means you are developing your skills. As for all creative fields, you get to say what you want to achieve.

Having access to new resources is not only practical but will surely help you find your style. As brands are more and more reliant on the effective use of lettering to communicate their messages, developing one is an excellent way for your work to stand out.

Besides accessing five free online lettering tutorials, this article also includes tips and advice from lettering artists who will go through the key elements of this discipline. They share essential readings, web pages, styles, and techniques that will inspire you and help you perfect your designs.

What is lettering?

To begin with, let’s differentiate between calligraphy and lettering. Mistaking them is a very common mistake. Both techniques have unique and personalized letters as a result, and up to a point, they share the same tools. Some artists specialize in both disciplines, but they are not the same.

TECK24 (@teck24horas), a graffiti artist who is an expert in the world of letters, explains the basic keys to help you distinguish between calligraphy and lettering in the below video.

Where can I find fonts and typography resources?

One of the features typical of perfectionists is to look for resources to improve their work constantly. Often, they find these in the work of other artists.

Álvaro Franca (@alvaroefe) is a graphic and lettering designer who collaborates with TV Globo, Sony Music, and Descomplica. In his course, Basic Typography from A to Z, he shares an excellent resource in the You Work For Them website, where you can find reference material, follow trends and check out techniques from the world of typography.

If you are looking for valuable publications in this field, Eduardo Mejía (@eduardograph) a graphic designer who specializes in lettering and branding shares his favorites here.

The list includes guides, examples, and techniques to help your creative process. You will love consulting these typography and lettering books, whether you are a lettering professional, or simply appreciate the art of calligraphy.

Be inspired by other lettering artists

Nubia Navarro (@nubikini) works in Procreate. This app has become the tool of choice of numerous artists thanks to the extensive selection of brushes, textures, and options on offer, as well as the efficient tactile control of the Apple Pencil.

It is the ideal app for lettering and calligraphy artists working on iPad. See it for yourself and check out the results in the following video.

5 lettering tutorials to hone in your skills

Set yourself five new challenges. The following tutorials propose new techniques to step up your lettering skills. Do this with the help of some of the best professionals.

Watch the video and click on the red title to access the tutorial and get a complete guide.

Enjoy!

Bullet Journal Tutorial: Ideas To Improve Your Hand-Lettered Fonts

Creating a bullet journal is an excellent way to document your life artistically and mindfully while using calligraphy. Using the following technique, you can turn journaling into a powerful and creative tool.

Annie Weir (@a_journal_by_annie) is the artist behind the web page A Journal By Annie. She combines her bullet journal and mindfulness practice in her daily routine. In this tutorial, Annie shares some essential tips to improve your hand lettering.

Illustration Tutorial: Watercolor Lettering

Watercolor hand lettering has a relatable and natural quality no other technique can achieve. Creating letters with your paintbrush and a little amount of ink, you will add unique textures that will reflect your style.

If you want to try out this technique, painter and illustrator Ana Victoria Calderón (@anavictoriana) recommends five practical exercises to lose the fear of this medium and be inspired by watercolor. She will also provide tips to gain confidence in this technique.

Lettering Tutorial: How to draw an Ampersand by Hand

When starting out in lettering, it is interesting to begin with some classic letters and symbols. The ampersand is one such symbol, and although & is a ligature, you can achieve some stylish results when you play with it.

To help you in this exercise, Joluvian (@joluvian), graphic designer, calligrapher, typography artist, and illustrator will teach you to draw an ampersand by hand in the following video. You will be able to take on complex commissions when you master this to perfection.

Lettering Tutorial: The Basics of Beginning with a Brush

Hand lettering is as visually attractive as hard to achieve, both for beginners and those who wish to improve their skills.

In this tutorial, lettering artist James Lewis (@jamesllewis) shares basic concepts to start out with a paintbrush: from getting your tools ready to placing your hands and correcting minor mistakes.

Calligraphy Tutorial: Basic Brush Pen Strokes

Do you work with brush pens? These markers have turned into one of the most popular tools used by many accomplished artists. Although it takes time to master this technique, it is undoubtedly one of the prettiest to start out in lettering.

In the following video tutorial, Ana Hernandez (@ana_hera), a graphic designer specializing in calligraphy and lettering, will show you basic strokes with a brush pen to follow step by step.

Be inspired by all kinds of typography and the work of other artists. You will find your own style and niche in the world of lettering by practicing consistently.

If you want to perfect your lines, why not explore some of Domestika’s digital, hand lettering and calligraphy courses.

English version by @acesarato

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