Hand Lettering Hub: Tools, Techniques, and Terminology for Digital Lettering (2026 Update)

Interested in digital hand lettering? You’ve come to the right place.

Hand lettering is a skill that can be easy to learn but difficult to master. Trust me, I know. I started lettering in college, and it’s been part of my creative journey ever since. Now, as a professional lettering artist, I've learned that there's always more to learn. Lettering mastery requires a working knowledge of typography, design, and letterforms.

This guide is here to talk you through the basics of creating beautiful, hand-lettered art and to provide everything you need to know in order to improve your lettering skills. And maybe one day, even go pro.

Let’s jump right in!

What is hand lettering?

Simply put: Hand lettering is the process of drawing letters rather than simply writing them. This is an open-ended definition because the line between hand lettering and other lettering disciplines is roughly defined.

Traditionally, lettering drawn by hand and created without digital tools is considered “hand lettering,” but that definition is soft and rapidly changing.

With digital tablets and related accessories like a stylus and/or a screen protector, many hand lettering artists have broken away from traditional tools to work in digital formats.

This is what I did back in 2017 when I got my first iPad. I wanted to streamline my creative process and see what the hype around Procreate was about. I now see it as a natural part of the lettering artist's journey.

Can I learn hand lettering?

You absolutely can! Unlike more traditional or rigid art forms, hand lettering is very fluid and accessible.

The rules surrounding lettering aren’t as strict (although there are many best practices to help you improve as a lettering artist), and the popularity of brush pens and digital tools have made it even easier to break into the lettering game with minimal experience.

There are also plenty of great resources available for free or at a very low cost. We’ve listed many in our resource guide for lettering artists, but you can find lettering tutorials, practice sheets, books, and detailed beginner’s guides with just a Google search or two.

Are calligraphy and hand lettering the same thing?

Nope, although they’re often grouped together, along with typography, under the “lettering” umbrella.

As a rule, both traditional and modern calligraphic styles follow a more rigid creation process. The art form, the tools (down to the nib), and the process are well defined in this medium.

The key difference is this: Hand lettering is about drawing letters. Calligraphy is about writing letters. If that’s not immediately clear, don’t worry.

Here are examples from two great artists to help you see the difference:

• Emilee Rudd
• Myriam Frisano

In the above examples, note how lettering artist and designer Emilee Rudd draws out the letters in her design. While they are part of a larger illustration, they’re also drawn into the image as if they were part of the artwork itself.

On the other hand, calligrapher Myriam Frisano is implementing modern calligraphy techniques to create art by writing the words directly onto the page.

It’s important to note that while these are considered to be two separate disciplines, many creative lettering artists are fair hands at calligraphy. The basic hand lettering techniques you’ll need to learn in order to draw clean lines are applicable in both art forms.

Can I make money with hand lettering?

Definitely. Hand lettering, like modern calligraphy, is just one set of skills in a designer’s toolkit!

Many of the professional creatives in our inspiration list use lettering in combination with other artistic and design skills to create incredible art.

If you want to focus primarily on the art of letterforms and everything surrounding them, you can also earn income as a workshop instructor or author like Shelly Kim.

Other artists, like Karin Newport, earn income by creating resources like digital lettering brushes, practice sheets, and more for the lettering community.

There are often fears about lettering being too oversaturated, but there are plenty of opportunities for creatives with an entrepreneurial streak to master this skill, build an audience, and provide content and resources to the community at large.

iPad tips for hand lettering

So far, we’ve talked you through the basics of hand lettering and how it differs from calligraphy. Another path to consider with any modern art form is whether you should go digital!

While we cover making the switch from physical mediums to a digital platform right here, let's address the key factors below.

Advantages

Whether you’re just starting out as a lettering artist or you’ve been at it for a while, switching from a physical format to a digital medium has a number of advantages.

In a digital format, nothing you do is permanent. Traditional tools can be simulated digitally, and it’s easy to sketch, erase, warp, skew, and transform your lines until you create exactly what you want.

While they can be more complicated to learn, digital tools and software give you a ton of options when it comes to art, creativity, and design. Plus, digital files are easier to share either by creating printable files or by distribution through social media channels.

Disadvantages

We love digital formats, but they come with a higher upfront cost. Despite the flexibility it can provide, an iPad and Apple Pencil will likely cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Even though you can use an iPad for more than art or even save money by buying refurbished, it’s far more expensive than a sheet of printer paper, a pencil, and an eraser!

The other major disadvantage is that many of the traditional drawing techniques that letterers can learn were designed for pen and paper, not for screens.

Many professional lettering artists were trained in traditional mediums and have adapted that work for slippery digital screens and powerful modern software.

If you want to reach the level of modern experts, working exclusively in a digital format is unlikely to give you a balanced approach to lettering.

Go digital with Paperlike™

One major challenge of digital hand lettering is the screen. iPads and other digital tablets use glass screens that are slick to the touch.

This makes the surface difficult for drawing because the stylus can slip and slide across the glass!

The Paperlike Screen Protector solves this problem by adding friction and resistance to your screen so that it has a natural paper feel. This is great for artists coming from traditional mediums who want the best of both worlds.

Hand lettering tools

Every hand letterer needs the right set of tools to refine their lettering technique. Below, we’ll cover the basic tools that you can use to get started with hand lettering.

To get started with traditional hand lettering, you’ll need the following:

• Pencil.
• Paper.
• Eraser.
• Ruler.
• Marker.

Depending on the hand lettering style you want to pursue, you might also need additional tools like protractors, brush pens, paint, watercolor kits, and more. (We’ll also cover this in greater detail in the next section.)

You should also consider that the tools listed above are only one approach. If you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil at your disposal, you already have everything you need to get started with digital hand lettering.

In that case, all you’ll need to get started is an app. Check our recommended iPad lettering apps to find one that works for you.

Pencil

Your pencil is important as both a sketching and design tool when creating your lettering piece. As with other forms of art, many basic design principles apply during this process.

A pencil gives you the ability to lightly sketch those outlines onto the page without committing to them. You can always erase and redraw the lines if you need to make changes.

Once your design is finished, you’ll draw over your pencil marks with a marker, fineliner, or other tool and use your eraser to remove these lines.

So which pencil should you choose? You’ll find dozens of pencil options on Amazon or in your local art store, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule for which brand you should pick. I like Tombow lead pencils because they create light, smooth lines that are ideal for sketching.

Paper

You’ll need a few sheets of paper when you’re creating your lettering designs. Remember: Unlike calligraphy, hand lettering is about drawing letters. You’ll need a sheet of paper where you plan to draw your final design, but many hand letterers also use a piece (or two) of paper as scrap.

Scrap paper is great because it gives you the freedom to doodle and experiment without adding unnecessary marks to your design. In my process, this is where I create thumbnails to figure out my composition and brainstorm lettering styles. Whether you need to practice letter construction or figure out what kind of embellishment complements your letterform, working on scrap paper gives you room to breathe.

Depending on your skill as an artist and how you ultimately plan to finalize your piece, the paper you use will vary. Paper brands like Canson and Strathmore offer a variety of artist papers depending on your artistic medium. I've used Strathmore tracing paper to iterate and refine my lettering. In the beginning of my journey, my lettering pieces were done on plain computer paper! Start with what you have and then try out new materials gradually.

Eraser

While it might not seem important, your eraser is one of the most important pieces of your artistic toolkit.

Whether you’re getting a bad vibe from your existing design or you just want to try something different, your eraser gives you the ability to try again. It’s also essential because you’ll want to erase your pencil marks when you’ve finished inking your design.

As a rule, you want to stay away from eraser heads on the top of traditional pencils and get something a little more specialized. Faber-Castell makes great kneadable artist erasers that won’t leave residual marks and streaks on your page, but you can also find great eraser pencils if that’s more suited to your style. I'm a fan of Staedtler erasers for quickly erasing large areas of my paper.

Ruler

A large part of great art — including hand lettering — comes down to creating smooth, straight lines. A ruler will allow you to do this.

Keep in mind that a ruler isn’t only useful for drawing the letters themselves. As an artist, you can also use it to draw guidelines on the page. This can be critical if you’re trying your hand at script lettering or you want to impose a calligraphic style on top of your existing artwork. Without a guide, you’re drawing blind.

Choose a ruler that suits your style and needs. If the classic wooden ruler doesn’t work for you, consider purchasing a clear, plastic or fiberglass ruler instead. These rulers are typically thinner and easier to place on the page, but they can’t handle as much abuse as the wooden variety.

Marker or fineliner

When you’ve completed your sketch (at last!), it’s time to add ink and make the design permanent. This is where your markers and fineliners come into play.

While you can use anything from an ink pen to a magic marker to do this, keep in mind that your choices here will play a big role in how your art looks when you’re done because these lines can’t be removed!

Many artists use fineliners to outline their lettering work. These marker pens have a fine tip and a steady flow that allows for smooth linework. They’re perfect for everything from lining off embellishments to capturing the graceful flow of cursive and script lettering styles.

Fineliners come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. If you don’t have a set, Amazon has you covered. Pick up a set that makes sense for the designs you want to create.

Extras

So far, we’ve covered the basics, but there are other tools that you can use to create great lettering art. Let’s take a look at a few common options!

Chalk

It might have an air of impermanence, but chalk lettering has its own unique style and feel. Chalk will take the place of every other tool in your toolkit, but you’ll also need a chalkboard to practice in this style.

Keep in mind that chalk lettering is often used in paid mediums, from sandwich boards in front of restaurants to large walls in public forums and private spaces. If you’re looking for a way to make money with hand lettering, chalk lettering is a good skill to have in your back pocket.

Brush pens

These pens differ from standard markers and pens by offering artists a flexible tip to interact with.

As you draw with a brush pen, the bristles will apply ink to the page. The angle of your stroke and the pressure you use to apply ink to the page will both affect how the ink spreads.

Many lettering artists use brush pens to create a kind of faux calligraphy. Brush pens were one of my favorite tools to use early on in my lettering journey. The lettering style resembles the varying levels of line thickness that calligraphy is known for, but it isn’t as precise as traditional calligraphy.

Brush pens can be a great tool to have in your arsenal, but they may not always apply. If that’s the case, consider picking up a set of dual brush pens like the ones Tombow offers here. These pens have a brush tip on one side and a fine tip on the other side, so that you can create the type of line you need to get the job done.

Watercolors

Going in the opposite direction, watercolor tools allow you to create beautiful background components for your lettering work.

However, these techniques are tricky because watercolor wets the paper. You won’t be able to use your pencil to sketch out your design, so you’ll need to find another way to create your design before you bring out the watercolor brushes.

Alternatively, watercolor calligraphy is also an option. If you want to practice some creative lettering basics, don’t be afraid to use water as a medium to practice and refine your lettering skills while creating great art along the way.

Tracing paper & lightboxes

We’re combining tracing paper and lightboxes for one main reason: Functionally, they serve the same purpose. With tracing paper, you can sketch a design and then apply it to your primary canvas. With a lightbox, you can do the exact same thing.

If tracing feels like cheating, think again! This is a common technique used by artists everywhere to limit artistic variation and create consistent designs. The artist creates a design they want to use on the tracing paper and then uses the tracing paper or the lightbox to move that design around the page and redraw it at different angles.

This is a practical and easy way to expand a design, and it’s a powerful tool for your artist toolkit.

Lettering styles

We briefly touched on lettering styles earlier, but we want to highlight some of the main styles that you’re likely to see employed by modern hand lettering artists.

Every-Tuesday published a great hand lettering style inspiration guide that you should also consider if you’re looking for interesting ways to style your letterforms.

• Brush Lettering - Uses brush pens to create faux calligraphy by using flexible brush tips to manipulate the intensity of the stroke.
• Bounce Lettering - A lettering style used by lettering artists to make the letters look bouncy. When bounce is applied to letterforms, the baseline often varies in height from one letter to the next.
• Chalk Lettering - Hand lettering created using chalk as a medium. Often seen on sandwich boards, in DIY projects, and on chalkboards.
• Crayligraphy - The art of hand lettering applied using Crayola markers and (rarely) crayons.
• Graffiti - While not strictly hand lettering, some graffiti artists employ drawn letters as part of a larger style.

Ready to take your lettering skills to the next level?

Whether you’re just mastering your downstroke or trying to manipulate your text in new and exciting ways, picking up an iPad and an Apple Pencil is a great way to switch up your lettering game.

Combined with the Procreate app and a Paperlike Screen Protector, you’ll have no limits when it comes to your creative process.

Lettering terminology

So far, we've covered the basics of hand lettering tools and different styles to get you started.

Now, let’s look at some basic hand lettering terminology you’ll want to know as you work to master the art of hand lettering. This will also come in handy if you end up interested in creating your own fonts or typefaces.

We’ll keep this glossary short and sweet so that you can find what you need and get back to work, but be sure to check out our linked resources for even more information on fonts, positioning, and lettering anatomy.

Fonts and typefaces

As you probably know, fonts aren’t exclusive to hand lettering. The term “font” actually comes from metal typesetting and is generally interchangeable with typefaces when describing its particular size, weight, and style.

Why does this matter to a hand letterer? Because fonts are both a great source of inspiration and an effective guideline when creating your own unique letters.

Whether you need to modify an existing typeface or create one of your own, browsing a font library like Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts can help you gather ideas and better determine how your font fits within modern categories.

Let’s look at the basics:

Sans-serif fonts have no embellishments or extended features at the end of the stroke. These fonts are straight, simple, and no-nonsense. Roboto and Montserrat are great examples of sans-serif fonts.

Serif fonts feature extensions at the end of each stroke. These small additions create definition and shape within the typeface. Take a look at Josefin Slab and Merriweather to see a good example of the serif extensions in the typeface.

Script typefaces often resemble handwriting and are typically used in display format rather than for text copy like what you’d see in a newspaper or online article. They’re also generally characterized by connected lines between each character. These typefaces vary widely, as shown here in Fabiola and Goodlife.

Other font styles, like display and monospaced styles, also fall under the broader categories listed above. Scripts are particularly useful for hand letterers who want to mimic a calligraphic style or who want to use brush pens to style their strokes.

As a letterer, keep an eye out for unique styles and typefaces on everything from advertising emails to film reels. Everyone uses lettering for something, and you never know where inspiration might strike.

Positioning

In hand lettering and design, it’s important to know how to position your letters on the page.

We’ll cover the basics here and add a few other useful terms to supplement your hand lettering knowledge.

• Baseline - This is the line on which the majority of characters in the typeface sit. If you drew a line under every letter of text in this paragraph, you’d see the baseline.
• Cap Line - This is the line that touches the top of every capital letter in a typeface. If you were to DRAW A LINE ACROSS THE TOP OF THIS SET OF CAPITAL LETTERS, you’d see the cap line.
• Median Line - This line runs across the top of non-ascending, lowercase letters. Most (not all) lowercase letters will touch the top of this line without exceeding it.

• Ascender Line - This line serves as a touchpoint for lowercase, taller letters that climb above the median line.
• Descender Line - Marks the lowest point of the descenders within a font or typeface.
• X-Height - The distance between the median line and the baseline of the font. Typically, this is the height of the lowercase x.
• Cap Height - The height of the capital letters within the typeface.

• Leading - Describes the distance between each line of text, which is important for determining the legibility of the text.
• Kerning - The amount of space between two characters within a typeface.
• Tracking - Also called letter-spacing, this describes the overall spacing between groups of letters, often separated by the space bar on modern keyboards.
• Overshoot - The compensation given to rounded letters like O or C that slightly exceeds the height of letters with straight edges to balance their sizes optically.

While typography and typesetting might not be part of your daily hand lettering routine, knowing more about the anatomy of letters and how typography works can improve your lettering technique and show you how to modify your lettering style in new and exciting ways.

Mastering the art of hand lettering often comes down to understanding the fundamentals of the letterforms.

Here are a few basic definitions that you’ll want to know about lettering and typography. We’re only covering the basics here, but Visme published a great infographic about the parts of letters.

• Stroke - The basic motion that calligraphers and script letterers use to create letters. The strokes consist of a pushed upstroke and a pulled downstroke.
• Terminal - Typically, the terminal of a letter is the end of a stroke. This may or may not include a serif.
• Stem - The vertical stroke of a letterform. For tall letters like k or h, this is the part of the letter where other components are attached

• Ascender - Describes the part of a letter that climbs above the median line. The portion that exceeds the median.
• Descender - Describes the part of the letter that dips below the baseline.
• Counter - The enclosed or partially enclosed negative space within the letter. The space within the line of the letter O is considered a counter.
• Embellishment - Whorls, swirls, and other decorative flourishes that stylize a letterform.

The lettering process

As an art form, hand lettering sits somewhere between art and design. Let’s cover the broad basics of hand lettering creation.

Keep in mind that your creative style may vary. This is a rough guide, not an ironclad process. Adjust each step as you see fit!

Traditional lettering

Even for the most creative professionals, getting started is often the hardest part. A blank canvas can be intimidating. Here are the basic steps you’ll need to follow to jump-start your next big lettering piece.

1. Find inspiration

For many artists, the first step to creating a great piece of art has very little to do with the art itself. It’s about being open to the world, connecting with people, and waiting for the ideas to come.

Whether you’re looking at billboards, flipping through magazines, or enjoying a dinner with friends, do what you need to do to find inspiration — but be ready when lightning strikes.

2. Doodle and iterate

Once you have the broad strokes of an idea, it’s time to doodle and iterate.

Most of the best ideas require refinement before they’re ready for production. Doodling and sketching are great ways to motivate your brain, iterate on your ideas, and create the best possible outcome before the technical process gets underway. At this stage, I like to keep my sketches loose and small. I commit to creating a certain number of thumbnails to give me room to explore different directions for my piece.

You can see great examples of sketch iteration in James Martin’s logo design. Each design embodies a company in a different way, but each iteration is one step closer to the final product.

3. Sketch it out

Once you’ve got a solid idea, it’s time to enlarge your sketch on your page.

While this can take place in a digital medium if you’re using an iPad or similar tablet, many lettering artists choose to do this via traditional means before importing their sketch to the drawing app of their choice. Use your pencil, ruler, eraser, and other tools to get your art onto the page!

If you’re sticking with pen and paper or other traditional means, you’ll want to stay on this path. Nothing digital is required through the final three stages.

4. Add some ink

Once you’ve added your sketch to your page, it’s time to ink the design.

Go over your sketch with a fineliner or other marker (depending on your design), following your outlines and drawing your letters with clean, straight lines.

This process can take time, but it’s important not to rush. Take breaks as needed. If you make a mistake here, it’s part of the finished product forever. Or, you can just use a white-out marker!

5. Erase your sketch marks

Once you’ve completed the design, it’s time to go back and erase your pencil marks. Before you start, make sure you've waited long enough for the ink to dry completely. Erasing too soon can lead to unintentional smudging.

Use your eraser and rub the page lightly to remove the marks. Take care at this stage not to tear the page or press too hard. You don’t want to rip it or damage the paper in some way. Keep things light and easy until all the marks are removed.

6. Color and stylize

Now for the fun part. With the sketch inked and outlined, it’s time to add color. Use your markers, pencils, and other tools to add a little color and style to your design!

When it comes to color, you can use a specific color palette or keep it simple. I like to consider color psychology to help my quote communicate on another level. Tips for using color in your work can be found in this color theory guide for digital artists.

Digital lettering

Alternatively, you can work on your iPad to create beautiful hand lettering. The app you end up choosing for creating lettering will depend on your personal preference. Let’s go through the steps and options for digital lettering.

1. Import your sketch

Whether by using your smartphone or tablet camera or a high-quality scanner, you’ll want to import your sketch into the drawing app of your choice.

Many apps allow you to bring this document in as its own layer. Load that layer into a new document, create a layer above it, and lower the opacity of your imported drawing so that it’s barely visible. If you’re not sure which app to use, explore my recommendations.

2. Refine your sketch

At this stage, you’ll need to redraw your design. This is probably the most tedious part when shifting from analog to digital, but it’s necessary.

Use an in-app pen tool or a physical stylus to sketch over your outline on your new layer. If you want to experiment, consider using multiple layers so that you can warp and transform your design with fine-grained control.

Note that if you want to vectorize your design, Procreate won't work. You'll want to use a vector drawing program like Adobe Fresco or Illustrator. Learn more about the differences between Procreate and Adobe Fresco or Procreate and Illustrator.

3. Add details and share

Once you have a refined black-and-white sketch, use the color tools in your app of choice to colorize and stylize the image.

Many apps come with interesting gradient effects, paint mixing, and other customization features that allow you to make interesting color combinations in seconds. Use these features to make your art shine.

Explore these resources to help you with this step:

• 30+ Best Procreate Color Palettes
• Color Theory for Digital Artists
• 25+ Best Procreate Brush Sets for Lettering Artists

When you’ve wrapped up, remove any basic layers and compress your design. Don’t forget to save a copy in the app’s native format (if necessary) so that you can open up the layered file again at a future date for additional revisions and iterations.

Once you’ve finished creating your design, it’s time for the most important part: Sharing it with the world.

I totally get it if you’re not a big fan of social media platforms, but sharing your work with the community inspires others.

So why not contribute and join in the fun? Join the Paperlike community on social media and liven up your feed with fresh art from creatives worldwide. You could even have your work featured on our Instagram to showcase your amazing skills.

How to turn your lettering into a digital font

Font creation is a way to apply your lettering skills. They're related, but not the same. I like to start with traditional tools when exploring inspiration for a typeface. You can use digital apps, too. And now that you have the vocabulary for fonts and letters, you’re ready to go through the steps.

1. Research & inspiration

First, decide what kind of typeface you want to create. This happens before you even pick up a pencil or stylus. Simply put, what is your idea?

To find your type idea, here are a few factors for you to consider:

• How do you envision your typeface being used?
• What parameters do you want it to follow?
• What have you seen around you that inspires you?
• Do similar fonts already exist?

It’s okay if you don’t have answers to all of these from the very start. I recommend taking them one at a time. To help you find use cases for your typeface, it helps to know how it’s typically used. For example, display fonts are usually detailed and bold. Web fonts are good to read on screens, and book fonts are comfortable to read printed at small sizes.

2. Experimentation & sketching

When you’ve established the kind of typeface you’re going to create, you can start experimenting and sketching. Gather visual references for your typeface ahead of time. Then you can take any material that you want and start creating. I’ve used all kinds of materials, both traditional and digital.

If you're using traditional materials, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. You might go through a lot of versions, but I encourage you to fill the page and not be too precious at this step.

Sketching the word handgloves is a good way to experiment with different forms and shapes that will repeat throughout your typeface. Once you're done, review your sketches and decide which characteristics and forms you like. Then you can use those to inform your next step.

3. Refining your sketch

You should now have a good foundation for your typeface. Now it's time for refining. This will involve redrawing your sketch to prepare it for vectorization. You can use tracing paper or take a picture and make edits digitally on your iPad.

An app like Procreate or Adobe Fresco can help you make precise selections and adjustments. Refined doesn’t mean perfect, and your typeface will keep developing from this stage. Your shapes and linework should just be tight enough that you have an idea of how to create the remaining letters.

4. Vectorizing

There are many options for vectorizing your font. Ideally, you’ll have vector tools with editing and export features, and a way to test your font.

You can use apps like Glyphs, Adobe Illustrator, or Fontself. If you want to use your iPad, Adobe Illustrator and Fontself are excellent options. To complete your font in Adobe Illustrator, you’ll need an additional plug-in like Calligraphr or Fontself for desktop.

Fontself is the only app option from this group that lets you build, test, and export your font in one app. Start by importing your sketches and then trace over them with vector brushes or the Pen Tool. You can also start with styles and templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch. For vectorizing tips, I recommend this blog post from James Edmondson of OH no Type Co​. By the end of this process, you'll have at least a full set of uppercase and lowercase letters, basic punctuation, and numerals.

5. Testing your font

Once you've drawn all your characters, test them side by side to make sure the spacing and color look good. This process is called proofing. These are sentences and words that help you see how your forms relate to one another and how you can improve them with each iteration.

The founder of world-renowned type foundry Hoefler & Co., Jonathan Hoefler, has a detailed blog post about the importance of proofing your font and how the text you use can make a big difference. He also provides a downloadable PDF where you can copy and paste your font text.

6. Exporting

Type is art, but it’s also software. The most common formats for type files are OTF and TTF.

OTF, or OpenType files, are cross-platform compatible and offer advanced control over typographic settings. This is the most current and widely accepted font type.

TTF, or TrueType Fonts, generally have a larger file size and are great for non-designers who don't need fine-tuned edits.

Procreate can read both file types but can't natively access alternative characters. To use them, you'll need a third-party app like iFont to find, copy, and paste your desired character into Procreate.

Adobe Fresco and all Adobe programs manage their fonts through Adobe Fonts. With your Creative Cloud subscription, you can browse thousands of fonts and also import font files to make them available across all your Adobe programs. It’s a convenient way to license and manage any fonts you create.

How to practice your lettering

Like with any skill you’re learning, there won’t be much improvement if you’re not practicing. Here are three ways you can continue developing your lettering skills for low or no cost.

Practice sheets

Practice sheets are a great resource because you can use them as a template for traditional or digital lettering. Most of the time, you can find practice sheets through online marketplaces like Etsy or on an artist's personal website.

Print them out and write directly on the sheet or use tracing paper to keep the template reusable. I suggest finding a folder or other way to keep your practice sheets organized. In my experience, the paper can pile up quickly.

Using practice sheets on your iPad is a great way to reduce paper clutter and develop your skills using your stylus. With these lettering and calligraphy practice sheets, you’ll get closer to your goals while learning different styles.

Art challenges

Art challenges are popular among artists because they bring the community together around a common goal. You can even create your own art challenge to give yourself a focused way to develop your skills.

When I was preparing to launch my freelance lettering career, I created a daily lettering challenge to build my social media presence and hold myself accountable.

You can also join many lettering and type challenges, like 36 Days of Type and the Lettering Style challenge. Learn recommended strategies for taking on your next art challenge.

Online courses

Taking a course is a popular learning option that lets you learn almost anything from anywhere in the world. One of the biggest advantages of expanding your creative skills this way is the guided, structured breakdown of the classes.

Most classes center on a final project, giving you an immediate goal that directly applies to what you're learning. I recommend using either Skillshare or Domestika for their expansive catalogs of creative courses.

Once you’ve completed the course, you can use your project as a way to add a new piece to your portfolio. If you’re overwhelmed at the thought of browsing thousands of courses, look through our recommended Skillshare courses for digital artists here.

Wrapping up

And there you have it! Everything you need to know in order to get started with basic hand lettering.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list, we hope the content here helps you figure out where to start with lettering.

Want to know more? Check out our creative resources for hand letterers, interviews with lettering experts, and our guide to switching from traditional to digital hand lettering!

And don’t forget: If you’re working on an iPad, a Paperlike Screen Protector has been a game-changer for artists and note-takers.

Improve your iPad experience with Paperlike's natural paper feel.