Review
Drawing for relaxation – I have a new favourite book
by Anna Sandner
Hand lettering for beginners: Why drawing letters is more difficult than I thought
1.4.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Anna Sandner
Drawing letters instead of writing them: What hand lettering is really about and what I underestimated when starting out. A first attempt with a starter set.
I'll come out of the closet here: for a long time, I thought hand lettering was just a pseudo-hippy term for beautiful writing. But I still thought the individual lettering on greeting cards, covers and social media posts was pretty. And so, after the fun I had with Slow Drawing, I wanted to try my hand at the artistic letters.
Hand lettering, calligraphy, calligraphy: what's the difference?
First, a quick theory. I was wrong to assume that hand lettering was just the artistic version of writing. In fact, the key difference is the method. In hand lettering, letters are drawn instead of written. Each letter is constructed - sketched, corrected, revised - until the overall picture is right.
Calligraphy, on the other hand, is continuous writing with the aim of being neat and legible. Calligraphy lies somewhere in between. The term comes from the Greek (kalos = beauty, graphein = to write) and refers to skilful, rule-bound writing - usually with a pen or brush, according to clearly defined style guidelines. In calligraphy, the same stroke is practised for a long time until it is perfect. In hand lettering, on the other hand, corrections are not only allowed, but are explicitly part of the process.
Easier said than drawn
Now that's sorted, I can get started. I equip myself with a hand lettering set, additional pens and paper. The set gives me everything I need as a beginner to get started with hand lettering: a short instruction book with templates and space to practise, three pens of different thicknesses and two greetings cards to design.
I work my way through the instructions and am briefly disillusioned. What looks so simple actually takes a bit of practice. Overall, the instructions and exercises in the set are a little too short for me. A step-by-step explanation would be more helpful here. Never mind, there are countless free ones on the Internet, such as this handlettering tutorial for beginners (specifically from 2:53).
One of the most important hand lettering basics: the upstroke remains thin, the downstroke is drawn thick. I practise this for some time until I run out of patience. The nice thing is that it doesn't have to be on one stroke. I can sketch it out and then design the letters at my leisure.
Practise until the line is right
As patient as I was with slow drawing, I am now just as impatient with hand lettering. Why is that? I think because the former doesn't expect a result. Hand lettering does. The letters should look good in the end. I compare with the template, the other letters, what I have imagined, instead of just diving into drawing.
I'll have to keep practising to get the cursive writing right without having to draw in advance. I'm not really convinced yet. On the other hand, I like the templates provided for the decorative elements: garlands, arrows, ornaments, leaves and feathers inspire my imagination to design them.
5 tips for getting started with hand lettering
First comes the pencil. Pre-draw the letters, then trace with a brush pen or fineliner.
Thin upstroke, thick downstroke Apply hardly any pressure when drawing upwards, more when drawing downwards. Internalise this basic principle before attempting the letters.
Start with swinging exercises Repeat thin upstrokes and wide downstrokes until the movement is correct
Hold the pencil loosely, draw slowly Cramped hands are the most common mistake made by beginners. It's better to slow down than to speed up at the expense of control.
Use smooth paper. Rough paper quickly destroys the sensitive brush pen tip and makes it difficult to draw even lines.
One letter, a thousand possibilities
For new ideas, I search the internet for hand lettering alphabets and different writing styles. I have hand lettering postcards and posters in my head, which vary much more in the choice of letters than my template booklet. I quickly find what I'm looking for, for example in this overview of different font styles.
I like my next work a little better, but there is still room for improvement. With a little patience and a few more attempts than expected, the first presentable results will emerge. I will certainly keep practising. But I don't yet know whether hand lettering will become a long-term companion. Unlike slow drawing, it's less about letting go and more about tinkering - more craft than flow. But: I'll definitely design the next greetings card myself.
Anna Sandner
Senior Editor
Anna.Sandner@galaxus.deScience editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always the outdoors - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.
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