The 6 P's to Better Brush Lettering

Here's a quick video that shows the progress of my lettering.

You can see the difference 9 months of practice has made. For people just starting their journey, here are, to me, the keys to Brush Lettering Progress. (The following contains affiliate links, which do not increase an items cost to you, but does pay me a small commission if you are so kind as to make a purchase based on my recommendations.)

The 6 P's of Brush Lettering

  1. Pens - while you can produce "faux-lligraphy" with any writing instrument, brush pens are the key to quality lettering. I'm not going to recommend a specific brand, because they are ALL SO DIFFERENT! You need to take it upon yourself and keep testing until you find which ones work best for you. I will say, the Tombow Fudenosuke Twin Tip or the Pentel Touch Sign Pens (flexible tip) are a great small pens to start with. The Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens are available in smaller starter sets to use as a large brush pen to test as well. 
  2. Paper - now that you've invested in some brush pens, you can't just pick up any ol' piece of paper and start lettering on it. You need to spend a little more to get good quality paper to ensure your brush pens LAST! It's soooo easy to fray tips (especially for us lefties!!) so you need to make sure you're using quality paper. Most tracing papers and Rhodia pads are smooth enough. For additional practice sheets I like to use HP Premium LaserJet Paper.
  3. Pirg - okay, I cheated on this one. It's really GRIP. This is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT when starting out, and also the most personal. You don't hold your brush pen like a regular pen. You hold it more like a paint brush. But above all else, you hold it so it's COMFORTABLE FOR YOU! You can watch how someone else holds their pen all you want, but you need to make minor adjustments in your grip until it feels "right". You know, because you'll be able to make razor-thin upstrokes at a snails pace with minimal shakes. It took me almost a month to find a grip that worked for me. 
  4. Pressure - this is how you produce thick and thin strokes. You need to be VERY mindful of how you apply pressure. Smooth transitions through curves, delicate handling in upstrokes, maintaining a slow pace during heavy downstrokes... how and when you apply pressure has an impact on how professional your lettering appears.
  5. Pace - It's very misleading watching videos and seeing how quickly people write. The reality is, you need to write AT A SNAIL'S PACE. Most times, you're writing so slowly you forget what letter comes next in a word (that's how you know you're going slow enough 😂 ). Remember, slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
  6. PRACTICE - okay, this one is really the MOST IMPORTANT component to gaining confidence and competence in your brush lettering. You should try to spend at least 15 minutes a day practicing. It's not a lot, but even just that small amount can make a difference. At the start of the year when I began, I would practice for around an hour each night after my Little Dude was in bed (also to reduce the chances he would want to use my nice new brush pens). You reap what you sow, and the more you dedicate to practice, the more quickly your skills will grow.

Extra advice for Lefties:

Because I do get asked often if I have any advice for fellow left-handers. The short answer is, I don't. Lettering is going to be more difficult because the majority of our brush strokes will be "pushes" rather than "pulls". With enough practice, and smooth enough paper, over time it won't matter. In general though:

  • Try holding your pen slightly further back than you normally would. This will allow you more distance between your hand and your lettering, and slightly reducing the chance of "smearing".
  • Be mindful of your overturn strokes. Right-handers have a tendency to use a heavy hand on the bottom part of their letters. For lefties, the opposite is true. I notice if I'm not focused on what I'm lettering, the tops of letters like 'a' or 'd' are much thicker than I want them to be. 
  • Don't be afraid to try new mediums! I put off picking up a paint brush for MONTHS because I was intimidated about how to "push" a brush. The reality is, lettering is going to be as easy (or difficult) as you think it will be. If you approach new tools with a positive attitude, your confidence is 75% of what you need to succeed (daily practice is the other 25% 😂 ).

I hope you found this helpful! Please don't hesitate to ask my more specific questions below!