A Lettering Journey
Sometimes it is easy to feel like other people are just more talented than us and are automatically gifted at everything they try. To combat that idea, Christina, the Creative Project Coordinator at Bramble Berry, asked me the same three questions about my handlettering each week, so you can see the progress. From one letter looking good, to a few letters to whole words and phrases. Practice makes perfect, and no one is good at something the first time.
After one week of working on lettering:
1. What are you learning how to do right now? How is that going?
I am currently just learning the concept of thin upstrokes versus the hard pressure downstrokes. I’m also researching pens and can easily see where this new hobby could get expensive.
2. How do you feel when you work on handlettering and why?
As I worked on the handlettering, I felt wrist pain! I was surprised at how I had to hold my hand still, how my fingers shook and how annoying it was to have my limbs fail me. It’s been a while since I had to write for an hour on end.
3. What has been the most fun part, the most challenging part, and the most encouraging part so far? Why?
The most fun part is seeing progress. I had a single perfect letter and I basically felt like I had conquered the world when it happened.
After two weeks of working on lettering:
1. What are you learning how to do right now? How is that going?
I am learning to join letters together and really work on the flow of the letters and movement. It’s hard but great.
2. How do you feel when you work on handlettering and why?
I feel frustrated when I work at hand lettering punctuated with small, tiny moments of exhilaration. The exhilaration is new and that’s fun.
3. What has been the most fun part, the most challenging part, and the most encouraging part so far? Why?
The most fun part has been starting to join letters together so that I can do longer phrases. The most challenging part is my shaking hands! The delicate ‘up’ strokes really require some fine muscle work that I haven’t built up yet. The most encouraging part is when I get just a couple letters that look professionally done; that’s enough to keep me going. Progress; progress is exciting.
After three weeks of working on lettering:
1. What are you learning how to do right now? How is that going?
Right now I am attempting to learn how to work with a different brand of brush pen than what I started with. It’s slightly thinner, and has less ‘give’ so the wider fan-like strokes of the lettering are harder to control.
2. How do you feel when you work on handlettering and why?
I’m starting to really enjoy my hand lettering time. Now that I’m getting slightly better at it (marginally, barely), it feels very meditative and calming and nice to pull out the brush pens, pipe some music into my earbuds and just flow. Or, try to flow. I’m still realllllly bad at controlling my muscle tremors in my hand.
3. What has been the most fun part, the most challenging part, and the most encouraging part so far? Why?
The most fun part has been moving onto actual words and phrases and then seeing improvement between the 1st time I write it and the 20th.
The most challenging part remains the muscles. I hold my pen weird (wrong). I have since I was a little girl, and I think that’s affecting my ability to do hand lettering with ease. It might even stop my progress.
The most encouraging part has been when I showed my hand lettering to the person doing my nails (she was curious why my fingers were so ink stained) and she was so impressed that she showed it around the salon. That felt good!