Have you always wondered how to use different styles of lettering in your journal? Do you want to look for inspiration because you’ve been in a lettering slump? Or do you want to just add a little more spice to your journal? In this blog, I will be talking about how I use different fonts in my spreads and also how you can start lettering, if you’ve never tried it! Let’s get right into it!

Lettering 101!

Hello! I’m Viv from @bujowmee on Instagram/YouTube here talking about different ways to handletter in your journal! I started handlettering when I was in grade 10 and have been practicing it since then. I can definitely say that lettering doesn’t have to have a particular style, but you can always learn how to create your own style. But, you can always learn and develop your own style by taking inspiration from other lettering accounts on Instagram/YouTube. In this blog, I’ll be talking you through the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of hand lettering! I will also give you some examples along with some accounts on Instagram you can follow to gain more inspiration! (:

Supplies!

For the different types of lettering today, I used the equipment below which you may also find helpful in recreating any of the handlettering! Remember you can always use my code VIV10 for 10% off on all your orders at Archer and Olive; we love ourselves a little discount!

• Archer and Olive B5 Notepad! (any size would work!)
• Acrylographs from A&O Jewel collection, but any collection should do!
• Calliographs should work too!
• Tombow dual Brush Pens and Fudenosuke brush pen
• Zebra Mildliners
• UniBall White Signo pen

If you’re more of a visual leaner, feel free to take a watch the video below, where I explore different lettering styles! 

But what is it..?

Handlettering is an art form where you draw letters instead of just writing them. What I mean is that handlettering is a way to create your own art style and it gives you free reign on what you could do. This also means that there are different ways in which you handletter and each type of handlettering that you produce will be completely different from what you’ve created before! It is a unique and wonderful art style to try out! 

If you’re wondering hand lettering feela a lot like the calligraphy, you won’t be the first person to believe so! Calligraphy, in my opinion, is an art form where you adhere to certain rules to write. Handletttering on the other hand, does not adhere to any strict rules and can be created freely. By saying this however, I mean that the process of each art form is different but not the result. One has strict rules to follow and the other has freedom to create as extravagantly as you will! 

The best place to look for inspiration is a fellow ambassador’s, Lisa,, Instagram page, @nolalettering! It’s definitely a great place to explore different styles of lettering and get inspiration from! Lisa has some amazing reels where she handletters lyrics in her journal and all of those have such amazing and different style to each word, which are a source of infinite inspiration. She also has some posts where she’s handlettered each letter of the alphabet in sixteen different ways!

Another person to take inspiration from is @liahansenn on Instagram! She has inspired a bunch of my lettering in my spreads in both my anime journal and bullet journal. Her account showcases many different lettering styles along with some art inspiration as well. She recently created some reels which showed how you can letter each alphabet different for your signature which I honestly thought was pretty cool! 

Another amazing artist to take inspiration from is Elizabeth, @thepaintedrepurpose, on Instagram! Her works are more on the digital side but just as beautiful nonetheless. She has quotes, or rather verses, that she letters along with some amazing illustration of flowers and leaves around it! Her work below showcases one of the verses handlettered in different styles along with the flourishes on the side. You can always take inspiration to recreate some of her artworks in your journal or even on your iPad!

The last person for this blog I’ve got for you is Olivia, @oliolivolivi on Instagram! Her works are just so consistent and absolutely breathtaking all the time! She creates her works by adding a gradient and using two different styles of lettering. Her artwork below shows how she’s used two different styles to show emphasis on each word differently, along with adding a gradient that catches your eye. Most of her works also include a rectangle/square that basically makes the lettering look like they’re in a box. You can always recreate her style in your bullet journal in your quote pages or just in one of your blank pages in the month!

I’ve given you some examples about different types of lettering but what about how to letter if you haven’t even started? Hope on to the “How does one even..?” section if you wish to learn some ways! 

How does one even..?

Handlettering is an art form which is different for each person and portrays your imagination! Below are some steps which can help you if you are a beginner in handlettering and just want to learn how to do it! If you’re more of a visual person, feel free to skip reading this and go directly to the photo below this paragraph for the steps. For everybody who’d read and refer, follow the steps below the photo! 

• How to hold your pen!
• When handlettering, always hold your pen at a 45 degree angle! This will help you create the thick downward strokes and also prevent your nib from damage!
• NEVER hold your brush pen at a 90 degree angle since that would destroy the nib and therefore your pen ;-;
• Pressure!
• The amount of pressure you apply while handlettering differs for every stroke that you create!
• For an upward stroke, you would want to apply almost little to no pressure to create a thin line. If you’ve just started lettering, this may take some practice but remember that I still mess up my strokes sometimes!
• For a downward stroke, you want to apply as much pressure as you can to the stroke since you want to create a thicker stroke as compared to an upward stroke!
• How to connect the two!
• Once you’ve learnt how to apply pressure, you want to try working on combining the strokes, which is essentially making ‘U’ and a downward ‘U’ as shown in the picture!
• You can also try out the other examples in the photo for more practice!
• How to write letters?
• In this step, all you do is put the basic skills you’ve learnt from the previous steps into handlettering letters!
• Do remember to pick up your pen after each stroke to achieve the perfect thickness for the downstroke and a slim upstroke!

And that’s all there is to how to handletter in your journals! You can follow the same steps for creating artworks on your iPads in Procreate too!

Again, if you’d like to see how I created the handlettering above, feel free to jump to the video on the top of the blog! You’ll see a reflection of the steps in my lettering throughout the video. Below is a printable with some strokes as well as letters that you can use to practice your handlettering!

There are many ways to handletter and I hope you’ve found the ideas in this blog post to be helpful; I hope you’re excited to create an aesthetic for yourself and your journal! Feel free to tag me, @bujowmee, @archerandolive, @archerandolive.community, #AOShare, and #archerandolive in your handlettering related posts on Instagram. We can’t wait to see what you create! (: