R2: Hand Lettering
Ease: 8/10
Price: $-$$
Is it a hobby?: Yes
Total score: 77 (C+)*
Summary:
Become okay at lettering quickly and maybe better over time. It is relaxing, but writing the same word over and over makes you believe it’s not a real word.
Process:
I figured out what my tools would need to be: hand lettering templates, tracing paper, and brush pens.
There are less and more expensive ways to do this.
Free or less expensive: Find free templates online and print from home. Tracing paper is optional, though I’d say it’s recommended. You can go without it and simply use your template paper or scratch paper. You can also learn the basics with regular pens or markers - or buy less expensive brush pens.
More expensive: You can buy an actual guide or purchase printable templates online. (I received this book [not the kit] for Christmas last year along with two Tombow pens.) To purchase these things plus tracing paper would run you $25-40.
I practiced with the templates.
You will go through plenty of tracing paper should you use that to learn. Or be ready to completely mark up your guide and/or throw away a lot of template paper. Once you know “apply pressure on down strokes and lift your pen on upstrokes” - you essentially know the golden rule of lettering.
I enjoyed quick progress but slow mastering.
The good thing about hand lettering is that you can actually see your progress. However (and from what I can tell), it does take actual practice to get really good at hand lettering. Unless you have naturally nice handwriting to begin with, you probably won’t be able to create wedding invites in the first two weeks. However, you can definitely write okay-looking words after a week or so. I call that a win.
*“Everything's made up and the points don't matter.”