Creating elegant, eye-popping lettering is one thing that many artists struggle with in their art journals and scrapbook pages. Dissatisfied with their own handwriting, many feel discouraged when it is time to write on their pages. Along with some basic advice about how to make sure letters are even and everything fits on the page, here are some creative ideas for lettering that will add interest and fun to any art journal page.
Lettering Guidelines
No matter what style of letters is being used, making them fit in allotted the space can be frustrating. To avoid having to squeeze letters in at the end having too much space left over, use a pencil to trace out the letters beforehand, but be careful about damaging background when it’s time to erase.
Another option is to use a template. Sketch a quick guideline for letter placement on a piece of scrap paper, then lay it beside the page while working.
Remember: letters don’t need to conform to "line-space"...that is, all lined up like they just came out of the typewriter. Artists should experiment with size and placement to find a pleasing arrangement that suits their needs. (Figure 1)
Fun Lettering Ideas
Use a highlighter or marker with a chisel tip to draw block letters. A highlighter will blend into the background of page, and variations of color will add texture and dimension to the letters. A regular marker will create a bolder effect. (Figure 2)
Outline the letters with a fine-point pen (such as a gel pen) to add contrast and make letters jump from the page. Use all one color, or use a dark and a light pen to create shadow-highlight effects. Outlining the letters with graphite or chalk and smudging the lines creates a subtler look.
For longer blocks of text that would be too tedious to outline, use a white (or other light colored) marker to write in cursive, and then write over the words using a gel pen. (Figure 3) Bright color gel pens might be used over a dark base, but be sure to test it on a scrap of paper first—not every combination of ink will work.
Stencils give a very modern, industrial look to the page. (Figure 4) Use a marker to fill in the stencil, or just trace the outlines. Stamp pads are another option for filling in stencils: use a small one to add ink directly to the paper. Adventurous artists might try an airbrush or spray paint (be sure to use spray paint in a well-ventilated area). Once the basic letter shape has been stenciled onto the page, they can be embellished with doodles, or connected so that they don't look like they were stenciled at all.
Embellishing Letters
The real secret to creating elaborate letters with lots of arcs, flourishes and swashes is practice, practice, practice. But here’s a trick to get started. Start by drawing simple, straight letters with a fine-point pen. When everything is in place, go back and start thickening lines, adding flourishes and swirls, and any other embellishments that seem appropriate. Outline the letters to give it a clean, finished look. (Figure 5)
To get ideas for embellished letters, check out online font resources such as the Scriptorium and Dafont.com. Print out a sample, and copy the letters by hand. Just remember that the goal is inspiration not replication.
Still unhappy with hand lettering? Artists can always resort to letter stickers (available in abundance from scrapbook suppliers), rubber stamps and computer-generated text. Just cut it out and glue it on!
Staci Dumoski - Working as a writer and editor for the past ten years, I have been fortunate to learn about (and write about) a wide variety of subjects, ...
Join the Conversation