Hand Lettering A to Z - A World of Creative Ideas for Drawing and Designing Alphabets

4. Using a crosshatch technique, I start coloring
in the letterforms with my fineliner. (You can opt
to use watercolor, markers, or colored pencils
at this point, but be sure to outline your alphabet
in pencil first.) To achieve the sketchy effect, the
trick is to keep your strokes loose and light. There
may be white strokes left, and that’s fine.

5. As an alternative, you can also try coloring
the letter completely (no sketchy effect) or make
it hollow with a shadow effect to make it look
dimensional. Feel free to expand and create
your own style based on this letterform.

Sans Serif 49

Everything is possible.

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He who rests grows rusty.

Sans Serif 51

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Inline and Outline Tools and Materials • pencil
• eraser
Derived mainly from block letters, this sans serif font • ruler
is bold and hollow. Adding an inline, outline, and • 120 gsm (81 lb) paper
shadow keeps the font fresh and modern. With its • thin fineliner pen
thick form it’s sure to be a standout and is perfect for • thick fineliner pen
headlines, signage, or big banners.

Sans Serif 53

1. To start, I plot my alphabet grid on an A4-size 2. With a pencil, I sketch the basic sans serif letters.
sheet, with equal measurements of at least 2" x 2" This establishes the inline stroke of the letterform.
(5 x 5 cm) per letter. Note that this font style is
wider than common sans serif fonts and that I continue with both uppercase and lowercase
there is a possibility for the letterforms to exceed
the square dimensions. letters until I finish the entire alphabet.

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3. Once the inline alphabet has been set up, 4. Using a thin fineliner pen, I trace the inline

I proceed with drawing a block letterform strokes I’ve sketched with a pencil. Then, using

outside the inline—this is for the base of the a thick fineliner pen, I trace the block letter

letter. The measurements don’t have to be exact, outlines. This is a bit tricky, so keep a steady

but be sure to allot adequate and equal spacing hand while working on your strokes. Drawing

between each block letter and the inline stroke in one direction will help keep the strokes fast

so that they don’t collide. After the block letter and fluid.

has been drawn, I create a shadow by thickening

the left side of each letter. Once this is inked 5. Once all the block letters and inlines have been

with a fineliner pen, it will be colored. drawn, I use a thick fineliner pen to color in the

shadows to add a 3-D–like effect to my letters.

Allow the alphabets to dry.

Sans Serif 55

It’s always the right time.

56 Hand Lettering A to Z

Experience is the mother of wisdom.

Sans Serif 57

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Nature Story Tools and Materials • 300 gsm (208 lb) cold-pressed
watercolor paper
I’ve called this font Nature Story. It depicts an abundance
of different foliage elements in pattern form. Using • pencil
earth colors as the main theme, this style is heavily • ruler
inspired by all things leafy, green, and growing. As • thin round brush
a sans serif font, it’s simple to draw, but adding the • thick round brush
natural elements makes it fun to embellish. I made • watercolors in earth colors
one section of each letter hollow, for inserting my
embellishments. I used watercolor as a medium
because the brush is a great tool for drawing leaves,
vines, and branches.

Sans Serif 59

1. In my initial sketches for this font, I decided 3. I draw my alphabet in pencil first, leaving
to make it upper- and lowercase, with the space on one side of each for the patterns that
lowercase letters about half the height of the I’ll add later. I want the alphabet to have a hand-
uppercase forms. These are based on conventional drawn look, but it’s still important that all the
sans serif letterforms. letters be perfectly perpendicular and of an
even width. A font will look amateurish if you’re
2. I like to work on an 8½" x 11" (21.5 x 28 cm) not careful with consistency.
pad when I’m designing a new font. Since I’ll be
working with watercolor, I use a ruler and pencil 4. When I’m happy with the look of my penciled
to create my ruled lines on watercolor paper. alphabet, I’m ready to start painting. I start with
For this alphabet I’m allowing about 2" (5 cm) the outlines of the letters, using a thick round
in height and width for each letter. I’m making brush and dark brown paint. You might want to
these letters wider than a normal font width experiment on a piece of scrap paper before
because I’ll be painting patterns inside each. you begin, to test the amount of water your brush
should hold and how to keep the tip of the
brush fine as you make your brush strokes. Try
to keep a steady hand while painting to maintain
the strokes.

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Sans Serif 61

5. When the outlines are completely dry, I’m ready
to start the leaf patterns. I use a thin round brush
and work with two shades of green per letter.
To make varied shades of green, I add yellows,
browns, and a bit of blue to my mixing palette.

6. Experiment with foliage designs to incorporate
into your work. Start with thumbnails of different
patterns you’d like to use, then try them in your
outlined letters. Be sure to keep the patterns
within the outlines.
As you paint the leaf patterns, use very little
water with the paint, so as not to smudge the
outlines or other parts of the letter. Using
less water will also allow your letters to dry
more quickly.

7. Once you’ve finished working on the alphabet,
use it to write out your desired quote or message.
Embellish the layout with foliage-inspired patterns
similar to the ones you created for your letters.

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Sans Serif 63

That’s life.

64 Hand Lettering A to Z

Haste makes waste.

Everything seems impossible until you do it.

Sans Serif 65

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GUEST ARTIST Tools and Materials • sketch pad or practice paper
• pencil (preferably with a light lead)
Bubble Letters • eraser
with Gradients • round watercolor brush
• 300 gsm (208 lb) watercolor paper
by Googly Gooeys • watercolor (in any format: cake,

ABOUT THE ARTIST tube, half-pan)
Tippy Go is a freelance artist, illustrator, and photographer • water
from the Philippines. She is half of the Googly Gooeys,
a design and humor blog that loves exploring all
things fun and colorful. She loves to explore with
her art style, hopping from one medium to another,
but she always makes sure her work is full of vibrant
and happy colors. Check out more of her work at
www.GooglyGooeys.com.

ABOUT THE ALPHABET
Get creative with your alphabet by creating bubble-like
shapes, adding watercolor gradients, and finishing
with a confetti-like splatter. To paint a gradient, wet
your brush with one color and start a line. Before
it dries, dip your brush into the next color and
continue the line. This style makes your letters look
extra fun, colorful, and cartoony.

Sans Serif 67

1. Start your bubble letters on the sketch pad. 2. When you’ve worked out the details of your
There are two approaches to this: alphabet, you’re ready to redraw it on watercolor
paper. Unless you intentionally want your outlines
• Draw the basic capital letter, then draw the to be seen, draw them lightly. Remember that
bubble outline around it. Erase the lines of pencil marks can no longer be erased once
the original drawing. you’ve painted over them.

• Create your alphabet with thick and thin oblong 3. Start at the center of the paper and draw the
forms in pencil. Adjust the angle and placement letter A. Draw the rest of the letters around it.
of the forms until you are satisfied with the result. Try filling in the empty spaces with the stems
Erase the lines where they intersect. Assign and curves of the next letters to maximize the
one of the lines to be the thickest. space on your paper. Rotate your paper until
you’re able to fill up the page with the alphabet.

4. Once you’re happy with the layout, you’re ready
to paint. First, plan your palette. For this exercise,
choose six colors that are side by side on the
color wheel (see right). This will make a smooth
transition from one color to the next as you paint.

TIP: Be sure to work out your experiments and drafts
of your alphabet on sketch paper first. Watercolor
paper can take only a limited number of erasures
before its fibers get damaged. It’s definitely best
to plan your designs in advance.

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Color Wheel

Sans Serif 69

5. Before painting the letters, test your palette 6. To produce gradients, pick your first color

on a separate sheet of watercolor paper to make and dip your brush into the water. Add the next

sure it’s cohesive. Mix the colors to your liking. color at the end of the first while it is still wet.

Make sure you have enough paint to complete Remember that the color travels only where

your alphabet. Doing so will make the transitions the water is. Let the second color blend and

between colors seamless, since pausing to mix diffuse toward the first color effortlessly. You

a new batch of colors while doing gradients will may also assist the blending with your brush.

produce watermarks on your paper. Continue with the subsequent colors. Once

you’re done, choose the set that appeals

to you the most.

The advantage of doing this step is that you’re
able to acquaint yourself with how much water
your brush is able to hold, how fast your watercolor
dries (which will dictate how quickly you have
to work), and how much water your paper
can absorb.

TIP: Colors will appear differently on your palette than
they do on the paper because dried color looks different
than wet. You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache if you

always remember to test the colors you’ve mixed on
a separate sheet of paper.

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Sans Serif 71

7. Apply the same color scheme to your finished 8. For this alphabet, the Googly Gooeys applied
letters. You may work from top to bottom, left gray shadow to the left and lower portions of her
to right, or middle to outer edge. Assign two letters. Wherever you decide to place the shadows
colors per letter. Paint the outer edge first and for your alphabet, make sure they are placed
then fill in the bubble letter. Gradients are best consistently from one letter to the next.
produced if you work quickly. Make sure the
paint is still wet when you apply the second Try different types of gray for your shadows. Mixing
color. Allow your work to dry for a few minutes. black with a lot of water will produce a transparent
gray. Mixing black with white paint will give you
an opaque gray. Mixing equal amounts of red,
yellow, and blue, will produce a toned gray.

9. Once the paint is dry, you’re ready for the last
step: the splatter. Wet your watercolor brush and
pick a random color from your palette. Get another
brush or pen and tap the handle of the watercolor
brush to produce the splatter effect.

TIP: Use a finer brush for the shadows TIP: To achieve contrast, use light splatter colors on the area
if it’s easier for you. with dark colors and vice versa. Experiment with the amount
of force that you apply on your brush handle. A light shade
of watercolor may be drowned by darker hues, but you can

make a light color pop by mixing it with white before
splattering. Paint splatter is unpredictable—just have fun

with the process!

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ABCs OF GRADIENT PAINTING C. Finish work on each letter before moving to
the next. This will prevent the paint from drying
A. If you’re right-handed, start at the upper left of between gradations.
the paper and work your way across and down toward
the lower right. If you’re left-handed, start at the D. Make your letters pop off the page by adding
upper right and work your way toward the lower left. shadows. Make sure the paint is dry before you begin,
By doing so, you are minimizing the chance of your otherwise the shadow will bleed into the original
hand accidentally touching the wet paint. color. Test for dryness by looking at your paper from
different angles. If it’s a bit shiny, the paint is still wet.
B. To cover the widest area in the shortest amount of Or touch the paint carefully with your fingertip. If it’s
time, tilt your brush at a 45-degree angle and press damp, give yourself more time.
down on the bristles. Conversely, when filling in tight
spaces, hold your brush in an upright manner so that
the hairs barely touch the paper.

Sans Serif 73

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SCRIPT Tools and Materials • 120 gsm (81 lb) paper
• pencil
Freehand • eraser
Brush Script • ruler
• brush pen
Following a modern script style, Freehand Brush
Script is a loose font based on cursive handwriting. Script 75
There are no specific thick and thin strokes, but there
are exaggerated parts on some letters, such as a
crossbar and tail. Using a brush pen helps achieve
the rustic and organic look of the strokes, resulting
in a dry-brush effect.

1. Before starting on a script font, warm up by 2. Use a pencil to sketch freeform uppercase
making random strokes with the brush pen. and lowercase letters. These will serve as the
This will help you decide how you want to grip
your pen as you work. Brush pens come in various basis for your brush pen strokes.
sizes and types; the one I used for this font
was ink-based.

76 Hand Lettering A to Z

3. Trace over the pencil marks with the brush pen.
The brush pen lines do not have to follow the
pencil exactly. Depending on the pressure you
put on the brush pen while writing, the outcome
of the letters may be thick or thin. The goal is to
make the letters loose but still cohesive. There
are no specific measurements since this is
a freehand script style.

4. When the letters have dried, erase the pencil
marks. As you begin to write quotations in this
font, you can choose whether you want to connect
the letters, cursive-style.

Script 77

You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.

78 Hand Lettering A to Z

He who travels has stories to tell.

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Script 79

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Lined Script Tools and Materials • 120 gsm (81 lb) paper
• pencil
With a resemblance to elegant script, Lined Script • eraser
takes a more modern approach with the integration • ruler
of cursive elements. This particular font style is a • brush markers
versatile cursive alphabet that can let you play with
the heights of each letter. There is a lined stroke at
the right side of each letterform to create distinction
among common types of script.

Script 81

1. Start warming up using your brush marker.
Brush markers are best for script font styles
because they produce fluid strokes. The trick
is to keep the pressure varied—light pressure
to produce a thin stroke and heavy pressure to
produce a thick stroke.

In Lined Script, you will give emphasis to the 2. Once you finish warming up your strokes,
main downstroke of each letter by adding a narrow it’s time to apply them to your letterforms.
line to the right of the stroke. This creates a more
varied look for the script form. Practice with your Use the pencil to outline the letters as a guide
pen on a sketch pad, thickening certain strokes
and adding the extra line as part of the letterform. for the brush marker.

82 Hand Lettering A to Z

3. After lining the letters loosely, pick the colors TIP: When doing layouts, you can play with the
you want to use. Brush markers are available various heights and elongate certain features
in many colors beyond basic black.
of letters (such as the lowercase t, l, and f) in order
4. Start outlining in the colors of your choice. to avoid empty spaces in your composition.
Be wary of the pressure points to ensure the
thick and thin contrasting strokes of the letters.
Once you are finished, erase the remaining
pencil marks.

Script 83

84 Hand Lettering A to Z

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Life’s short. Live passionately.

Script 85

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Retro Script Tools and Materials • pencil
• eraser
I came up with this script style in my desire to recreate • ruler
typefaces I’ve seen in vintage posters. This font, aptly • 300 gsm (208 lb) cold-pressed
called Retro Script, is inspired by custom signage and
diner logos from the 1950s and 1960s. With rounder watercolor paper
script elements and straight orientation compared to • liner brush
common script, this is definitely a unique and different • gouache paint (in tubes or pans)
take on cursive alphabets.

Script 87

1. I start working on guides with a light pencil 2. For letter construction, I begin with a rough
on my watercolor sheets. I use two sheets to skeleton of the script letters. These script letters,
allow enough area for me to paint each letterform. unlike most traditional styles, are not italic—they’re
Since this font style is wider than most script fonts, straight. You can use a ruler for reference. Once
I also make sure each uppercase and lowercase I finish all the skeletons, I start to create alternate
letter has adequate space. The height is 2" (5 cm), thick and thin outlines. This will serve as a guide
while the width per alphabet set (uppercase and for painting the alphabets.
lowercase combined) is around 2½" (6.5 cm).
Some letters may exceed the measurements (like
uppercase letters O and Q) and that’s fine.

88 Hand Lettering A to Z

5. I continue to work on all the letters, tracing
over the outlines. Try to keep your strokes fluid
and continuous so that the paint coat will be
consistent. For this set, I used alternate colors of
red, yellow, orange, and brown for the alphabets.

6. Allow the alphabet to dry overnight to make
sure the paint is completely dry.

3. For painting the letterforms, I use gouache, TIP: Most of these letters resemble sans serif fonts, which
an opaque watercolor paint. I’ve chosen warm, can be a good jumping-off point if you want a guide for
retro-themed colors for the alphabet I’ll be
painting. I also use a liner brush—a thin round your alphabet. The curved edges of the letters help
brush with long bristles, which is great for long establish the retro style.
strokes and script-style fonts.

4. Using my liner brush, I dip it into the gouache
and mix a bit of water to activate the color.
Gouache is highly pigmented, so a single coat
of the paint and water mixture is probably all you’ll
need. I trace over the pencil strokes thoroughly
with the paint colors I’ve chosen.

Script 89

There’s no place like home. (Literally: There’s no hearth like your own hearth.)

90 Hand Lettering A to Z

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears.

Script 91

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GUEST ARTIST

Swish & Flick

by Meagan Hyland

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Ireland and raised by television, Meagan Hyland
is an illustrator, art director, and passionate creative
type currently working in Dublin. She is mostly known
for pop culture–inspired art prints and typography.

Her love of letters has always been at the forefront Tools and Materials • layout paper (vellum)
of her projects, which often incorporate typography • pencil
as part of the artwork. She has exhibited in New York, • eraser
Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, Limerick, and • ruler
Dublin. Some of the clients she has worked on projects • Faber-Castell PITT pens
for include Disney, Columbia Pictures, Twentieth • brush pens (small and large)
Century Fox, and Red Hour Productions.

ABOUT THE ALPHABET
“I love script fonts,” says Meagan. “They’re dainty
and swirly, and no two are ever the same. I call this
one Swish & Flick after the weights of the lines in the
letters. The swish and flick from the pen to the page
is what makes all the lovely swirls in this style. It’s all
in the wrist. Based on traditional cursive letterforms,
this is a style that you can customize to be as heavy
or thin as you like.”

“I like to work on vellum layout paper for a number “I’ll present two ways of approaching this typeface.
of reasons. It has a light, smooth surface, so pencil Ink brushes are a great tool for creating loose script
can be erased from it without a trace. Most markers fonts, and I’ll show you how to develop the font
will not soak through. It doubles as tracing paper using them. But for a beginner, the ink-brush process
when you layer it over another page. You can also can be quite messy, so for this tutorial I’ve outlined
layer it over grid paper if you want to avoid drawing a method using mostly dry materials to create a faux
lots of guides.” brush script.”

Script 93

PROCEDURE: DRY MATERIALS In order to create the same look as that of an ink
brush forming the letter, you’ll need to gauge the

1. Draw four parallel, equally spaced lines across pressure of your pen. Think about the loop-de-loops
your page. From the top, these are the ascender that you drew earlier: When were you pulling the

line, x-height, baseline, and descender line. All pen toward you and when were you pushing

letters sit on the baseline. Most lowercase letters the pen away? When you pull the pen, you create

rise to the x-height line, though tall ones like h rise a heavy stroke. When you push the pen, the line

to the ascender line and ones with tails like g dip you create is light. Swish and flick!

to the descender line. Now draw pairs of equidistant

parallel lines down the page, forming three boxes. We’ll take this push/pull idea and apply it to

Keep the main part of your letterform within these lettering. In drawing the letter a, you start at the

boxes, with the exception of extra-wide letters top with a push, then pull it around and down to

like M and W. the baseline, push it up to the top again, loop

back and pull down along the stem, and push

2. With the pencil, draw a lowercase a. Try to draw away for the terminal.

it in one continuous swift movement for as smooth

a line as possible; drawing too slowly will result 3. After you’ve drawn your a, go back to the top

in a shaky line. If you need to go over the line where the line begins and curve a new line down

until you’re satisfied with the curve of your letter, and around as if making a wave. Repeat on the

go ahead. You’ll be able to erase the pencil lines narrower loop to form the stem.

once you’ve outlined the final shape with ink.

TIP: Begin by holding your pencil in a relaxed grip
and practice rows of loop-de-loops. Keep going until

the loops have a consistent height and width.
This will go a long way to helping you draw the

letters later on.

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4. Outline the shape in PITT pen and fill in with
brush pens. Use the smaller brush to get into
tight corners and the bigger one for filling the
larger spaces. Repeat the process for your
other letters.

PROCEDURE: WET MATERIALS
A far quicker way to do this in one step is to use a brush

pen. However, this method takes a lot of practice and

there is no room for mistakes. Pen pressure is key.

Using the grid as your guide, start at the top of the For instance, when a lowercase i is next to a lower-
letter with your brush, adding pressure as you curve case f, you could have a ligature that joins the dot
downward. Lighten the pressure as you push up gently, above the i to the crossbar of the f.
back to the top, then add pressure as you curve down
again to make the stem. Gently flick off the page Ligatures are useful when there are many lines
to create the terminal. or loops in one tight space and when you want to
elevate your lettering into a more artistic style. It’s all
LIGATURES: CONNECTING TWO LETTERS about what looks right to you. After some practice,
Once you’ve developed your alphabet, try writing you can add some swirls to the letters to make
out some words. The best part about hand-drawn something even more dynamic. Enjoy!
script is you’re not restricted to one shape of letter
or one type of connection between letters. In script
fonts it’s common to have two or three alternative
forms of a letter to best suit how it sits within a word.

Script 95

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Not all those who wander are lost.

Not all those who wander are lost.

Script 97

EMBELLISHMENTS

Here are some patterns and details you can incorporate Banners and Label Boxes
into your designs when you create your own fonts
and draw your own quotes. Feel free to experiment
and come up with your own as you go along.

Ampersands and Arrows

98 Hand Lettering A to Z