When we learn to hand letter one of the most important things in our technique is making our down strokes thick and up strokes thin. This can be challenging to achieve with a brush pen or marker at first because learning pressure sensitivity takes some time.
Using the Procreate App on your iPad is a great alternative to getting your practice in. Watch the video tutorial to find out how I achieve hand lettering in this easy, faux calligraphy style 👇
I just simply write out my letters like I normally would and simply go back and fill in the down strokes to give the appearance of them being thicker. A trick is to make your brush size slightly smaller when doing this so it’s easier to get your lines just right and so that no overlapping happens.
How To Know What to Fill In
When I first started out I’d simply fill in wherever I thought it looked good but over time I have learnt to take note of how I actually form my letters. Wherever I come down with my pen or marker, this needs to be a thicker line.
It’s totally up to you whether you draw the line on the inside or outside of the letter that has been formed – I just do what looks the most natural.
Once I’ve draw the placement lines, I go and fill them in to make them solid. I also like to zoom in and neaten up the lines once I’ve finished, especially at the corners.
There is also a brush marker pen in Procreate that is pressure sensitive. You can find tons of pro hand letterers on Instagram who use this so it can be used for all levels for practicing, too.
I also have lots of Faux Calligraphy lettering worksheets for practicing this easy style with pen and paper or on your iPad. Â