Would you like to make your handwriting or printing look better, prettier, perhaps even elegant or unique? Did you know you can easily create pretty lettering by simply accenting your basic printing or cursive style? You may be surprised at just how easy it is to do.
In this post you will learn a few simple tips and techniques that will make your own unique handwriting look like you majored in penmanship in school.
After practicing a little you will be able to hand letter a greeting or gift card & address the envelope with a personal touch or make table place cards with pretty handwriting for the holidays or dinner parties. Even when writing on a gift tag or writing out your grocery list.
A person’s handwriting is a natural extension of personal style – the flow from our brain to pen to paper.
I love when I see pretty script or the elegant beautiful handwriting of my friends and family on an envelope in the snail mail that arrives in my mailbox. I like it that I am able to recognize immediately who it is from just by seeing the handwritten address on the envelope.
Sadly though – computers, email, and smart phones are making our own handwriting obsolete – a lost art. Even our signatures can be digitally created nowadays.
I don’t want this to happen, but there seems to be less and less need to reach for a pretty pen, notebook or paper when a few strokes on a keyboard does it for us.
I can’t bear to see neat handwriting become obsolete. I want to start or be part of the “Save our Handwriting Revolution!”
Handwriting is as much a part of our personal style as how we decorate our home or what we choose to wear. It can tell so much about us.
The way we form our letters in unique ways and put them together so they flow into words is truly an extension of our personal style that I miss seeing. It is one thing that we can claim as truly our own. We can’t claim a computer font as our own.
You may be saying to yourself that your handwriting is awful and that there is no way you can have attractive handwriting.
Instead, silence that inner critic by thinking about it this way – Our handwriting is a bit like our body type. We can’t choose it, but we can exercise to get in shape – same with your handwriting – a little practice and learning some new techniques will get your handwriting in shape in no time.
The best way to make your handwriting prettier is to simply start writing cursive letters.
If you know how to write the alphabet, all you need is a little practice on lined paper to gain lettering as a useful and beautiful new skill set and one that will improve your handwriting at the same time.
It doesn’t require changing your basic handwriting – it just takes it up a notch with better spacing, shading, a curl or a flourish.
There are many pens and markers to choose from when it comes to pretty handwriting. You will find that your choice of pen or marker can make even your basic handwriting look so much better even without any special lettering skills.
Gather some pens – a fountain pen, gel pen, marker or pencil. Ballpoint pens are not the best to use – the ink can be uneven.
See which pen feels right in your hand and where the ink or lead flows smoothly across the paper.
As you test each pen you will find your favorites and one will become the right pen for your style of writing.
If you don’t have a favorite pen or pencil yet, start with a simple lettering kit that comes with a brush and thin tipped nibs.
To make your handwriting look like italic calligraphy, I like the markers called, Elegant Writer. They come in different color inks and nibs (tip widths).
This may sound hard to do, but it is very simple. It is called doubling the downstroke in each letter. It can be done on both cursive handwriting and print letters.
It is an easy way to create faux calligraphy that achieves the same thick-thin stroke section on each letter, but without any fancy calligrapher tools and bottles of ink.
2. Then every time your pen stroke goes downward on each letter, make another line right next to it leaving a little bit of space. (shown with the arrows in the image above) You can leave the letter as is or fill the sections with the double lines in with your pen or marker.
This will give your letters the look of calligraphy with some sections of each letter being thin, and the downstrokes slightly thicker.
A calligraphy pen or marker will do this automatically. When holding the pen at a slant, the wide nib creates a thicker line when making the downstroke of the letter. When you press lightly (as you do on all upstrokes) the tines stay closed and only a small amount of ink passes through.
The technique works on all handwriting or print letter.
To show you, I used a fine tipped Sharpie and wrote my name a few times in different handwriting styles and letter spacing.
Then I made a double line along the down stroke of each letter– cool! Easy!
I went further by filling in the double lined sections with more ink to create a bolder look.
By simply doing this will move your hand lettering or cursive writing up a few notches on the pretty handwriting style meter.
If you want to understand the basics of calligraphy or making your handwriting look better – keep the slant of the pen or pencil the same as you create each letter. It can be straight up and down or slanted to the left or the right – just keep the slant of the letters uniform.
Also try to space the letters evenly apart. Keeping this in mind will keep the words you are writing look better when viewed as a whole.
In college, I took a hand lettering class. Before we were allowed to use ink and fancy metal nib pens, we had to use a carpenter’s pencil that has a wide flat lead tip– like the nib on a calligraphy pen.
By keeping the wide pencil lead connected to the paper while on the same slant as we created each letter, it allowed us to see how each letter we made in italic calligraphy had thin and thick strokes as we formed them.
Try one of these optional fancy lettering ideas that will add even more uniqueness to your handwriting or printed letters.
When you use a pencil to make your letters, rubbing a paper stump along the downstrokes or all around the letters creates shadows and shading that adds dimension to each letter. You can buy these stumps at any arts and crafts store.
Dingbats and doodads are little elements you add to each letter to enhance the look of your letters while making them unique.
They can be anything from flower heads…
…to dots and dashes.
Following the doubling of the downstroke technique mentioned earlier in this post. When using markers – use a dark and light shade of same color to create the look of shading.
Experiment with thin tipped and brush style markers to create different looks.
My love of pretty handwriting goes back to when I was a kid. I remember one Christmas when I was in junior high and Santa brought me a book about handwriting analysis. I found it fascinating that every single time you put pen to paper, you are revealing a little bit about yourself.
If you want to find out what your handwriting says about you, it is a fun read.
Do you have a favorite letter you like to write in cursive script? If so, why not try using a few of these tips writing both lowercase and uppercase letters to see just how pretty your handwriting can look.
Next write out your favorite quotes to gain spacing skills not only between each letter, but each word also.
Now that you know a few pretty lettering tips, I hope they will help guide, inspire, and encourage you to creatively experiment with lettering and develop a well-formed, stylish cursive handwriting style of your own.
From grocery lists, addressing greeting cards to chalkboards – pretty handwriting and lettering can be yours.
If you liked this post, I have written a few more posts about pretty handwriting and creative envelopes. You will find it here: Creative Snail Mail Ideas, Lettering & Envelopes
For more pretty lettering and handwriting inspiration, check out these books from lettering artists. Seeing their favorite tools and how they use them as well as an overview of their signature lettering style will give you lots of creative ideas.
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I love to write everything down . Literally everything has to go in a notebook and I have a billion of them lol. I envy people that can write in the many different styles and secretly prayed to be able to write in such beautiful handwriting. I can’t draw a stick man straight so I was pretty convinced that I would never be able to make those words look so amazing. But then I found this article on the web and u gave me the very best, very simple, and very thorough instructions on how to do it. And the first time I tried to do it , it turned out so amazing. Of course I will have to practice but I couldn’t believe how great it turned out on my very first try. Thank u for this article And thank u for being such an awesome teacher.
Diane Henkler says:Hi Jessica – Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me that my post about pretty handwriting really helped you. This is so nice to know and just what a blogger likes to hear that what they post is helpful. XO
Anonymous says:Thanks for making calligraphy so approachable – it certainly wasn’t taught that way when I was in school. And you make it a fun project. Inspires me to pick it up again – still have all the nibs, inks , pens in my studio.
By the way, do you have a WFPB menu for Memorial Day? I’m transitioning back to being a Vegan again after 30+ years but other family members are not. Always looking for ideas that I can serve guests that are yummy but still vegan.
Happy Memorial Day!
Hi – I don’t have a WFPB menu for entertaining, but that is a good idea. I need to think about what I would serve. When I entertain, I still make the standard American diet food for guests and have what I eat prepared in advance.
Vikki says:Great post Diane. I love lettering and pretty handwriting. You have sparked my desire to try some lettering. Thank you.
judy h. says:Beautiful hand lettering, Diane! Wow, all of the extra little flourishes, dots and doodads take hand lettering from the elegant to the whimsical. Is it possible for a left-hander to have success with decorative hand-lettering? I think smudging and smearing would be unavoidable. I still remember the drudgery of my grade school penmanship classes; Sr. Ann Alexis was a stickler about writing with fountain pens only.
Vikki says:Hi Judy…as a fellow lefty, I feel your pain. I had to smile when I saw your Sister Ann Alexis comment. The nuns taught me cursive also. I usually get compliments on my handwriting so I’m thankful for their instruction. It is sad that the children of today are not being taught cursive.
Linda O'Neill says:Really super email today. Love all your tips and suggestions. I’m with you about it being a lost art. Let’s keep it alive. Lately, I’ve been sending letters and little goodies to friends near and far. Who doesn’t like getting things in the mail. Now, I’ll start making the envelopes a little bit better. Another enhancement that I’ve seen is using beautiful postal stamps. Loads can be purchased on Ebay or Etsy. Thanks again for this post. Must go and practice my lettering . . . . .
Theresa says:Handwriting is therapeutic. At 54, I had a left brain stroke which affected my right side. Once home, aside from physical therapy, I concentrated on writing the alphabet over and over (it was important to me not to skip letters). Most importantly to me though was regaining my signature. Yes, I wrote that until I could get it correctly. Your signature equals you. My handwriting bobbles sometimes, but I am grateful to have that fine motor skill.
Kelle says:Chances are that fountain will probably splash or splatter slightly from time for you to time. With the right budge, there isn’t any must
limit yourself to a particular style. In other wood species you might find checking
and cracking, but Cedar will resist.
You are just like me! I really don’t feel the need for electronic note-taking software when a few steps away are a pen and paper! By the way, my handwriting looks so neat, according to EVERYONE.
Diane Henkler says:Hi Carmelo – One of the best things about the internet is that it allows us to find kindred spirits near and far away and connect. :-) What is your favorite pen to use?
john says: sweet writing VICKI HUFFAKER says:Gosh, I love your pretty letters~I love to write stories, songs, poems, Bible verses & decorate the paper for holidays or decorate the paper for
Me, because I LOVE PRETTY. Thank you for your wit blended in with your creativity. I have looked at your PRETTIES many times but I wanted to say thank you & share my thoughts, as well. I am going to be following your style now
There is a great website where you can create your own font. It is http://www.yourfonts.com. I did it a couple of years ago and it makes addressing party invitation envelopes and Christmas card envelopes a breeze! When I did it, the cost was $9.95. You write the letters on a template, scan the page, and then it generates a font file that you save to your computer. It works in the Microsoft office suite. You can even set it as your email font, but the person reading the email won’t see that font as it is only installed on your computer. Warning: Make sure there is no dust or anything on your scanner as it will pick it up, and make sure you use the preview option to review it before purchasing. Hope that helps! Jeremy
Diane Henkler says:Hi Jeremy – I have been wanting to do this for a long time. Thanks for the site name and the tip about a dusty scanner. :-) I am going to try it out.
VICKI HUFFAKER says:Thanks for your tip-nice to know that someone cares whether you mess up more than you should have….I mess up so badly my first few times that I get plenty paper, pencils, chalk, & erasers, white out, etc. Thank you for that.
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Thanks for sharing. As I was writing in my journal before bed I came across your post on handwriting. I feel you on the lost art of pretty penmanship – thanks to technology. When I was younger I used to do calligraphy with my grandmother. I want to get back into it. I will check out your suggestions.
Nana says:I love to write and do all of our Christmas cards by hand. I have been told that I have pretty handwriting still at my age. And I am left handed also.
I do take pride in my penmanship.
I would so enjoy the handwriting book as learning new information is very important to me.
Thank you for this post. It is indeed sad that not many people write longhand these days. I have great respect for people who still do, and especially for those who try to write beautifully. Whenever I see beautiful handwriting, I feel like all the world is civilized, all the world is nice. Tres fou, I know.
yvonne pesantes says:When I was about 7 or8 ,my uncle force me to practice penmanship using a calligraphy pen . I hated it, but handwriting did improve and as the went by ,my handwriting become beautiful! I get compliments all the time. Thank-you!!
Alison says:Thanks for this great post (I see I’m a little late to it, it’s from February this year). I do a type of Japanese folk art called etegami that integrates images and words, and I’ve made it a goal for the latter part of the year to improve the English lettering I do on my etegami. (I sometimes use Japanese, and feel okay about my characters at this point.) I feel my English lettering, however, is too slapdash — it looks too much like what I scrawl on scraps of paper! I’ll follow some of these tips on working on my own lettering. Thanks!
Janet says:I also take pride in how my handwriting looks on the page. I still write note cards by hand and a few letters, but not as much as in the past. I think I like the capital letter G. It has loops and changing which one I make largest changes the whole look. It’s also the beginning letter of my favorite brother’s name. Sadly, I agree that handwriting is becoming a lost art. Kids today just don’t see the romance and beauty of good cursive handwriting. The book looks amazing!
Bryn says:Diane, thanks for the post and for mentioning our Paperfinger workshops! For any of your readers interested in signing up for workshops in New York, Portland, OR and other locations, here’s the link: http://paperfinger.com/services.html Thanks again!
Bryn (aka Paperfinger)
What fun! I actually am a calligraphy (albeit, a rusty one!), so I love seeing anything that is promoting handwriting! Sure would love to be one of the winners! I hope I’m not too late!
Susie @ Homemaker-mom.com says:Wow. I so agree! My favorite letter to write is the friendly letter. I love being able to send a piece of me personally to a friend far away. It means more to open a hand written letter than to open a cold email with no personal flare. So my fav is the friendly letter format! My hand writing can surly use a tune up. I would love help! I hope to win your book!
Dawna says:What absolutely fabulous post. I agree that the decline of hand written & cursive writing is wrong. Having the computer is wonderful but does not compare with the beauty of a note from a friend or loved one. My favorite letter is a D. Not surprising as it is my first initial. I wonder how many chose for that reason?
Olivia says:L is my favorite letter to write and this book looks AMAZING, especially for chalkboard art. Love it, thanks for sharing!
Susie says:The “S” is one of my favs and the “J”. I am one that just doesn’t like to see my handwriting, too ugly! Some creative types with lovely handwriting have mentioned my less than nice handwriting. So of course I print more! I need help! LOL
Jess @ Spool and Spoon says:That’s such a difficult question. I can’t stand writing Ms which is not so good considering that I’m now “Mrs. Mauras” but I do love writing Zs. They’re such fun letters and always in the best words — pizza, pretzels, gazpacho, chorizo… Wait, maybe I’m just hungry :)
Charlotte says: I love to write the letter A- I write it with Straight lines and curly loops! Patti says:I am fond of the letters S and M. Probably two of the most sought after letters. When I am need of letters or initialed items those two are usually in low supply or gone. I too, love to write handwritten notes and sad to see handwriting not being taught in school. I really would love to win this book. It speaks to me and my creative side. Thank you for sharing. I hope I win.
Katie Baldwin says: I had a hard time choosing … But, M won! Erin Kaven says:“S” has alway been my favorite. It has such flourish in an hand and now it is the first letter of my sons name…who is 10 and I have to convince daily that cursive is something he should continue to practice. He goes to Catholic school so they do still teach cursive there…and have handwriting competitions. There is nothing more civilized than good penmenship.
Susan says:Wow! I am very happy that you shared this e-mail. You are talkin’ to me- love handwriting, penmanship, calligraphy, monograms, fonts etc. Both of my parents have beautiful handwriting, they definitely influenced me. I always liked my big sister’s handwriting, so I continued to doodle, and practice letters. My Aunts and cousins, we always wrote notes, cards, letters. It’s very interesting to look back and to see how my handwriting has evolved. People have always commented on my style, it is unique to me and says something about me to those that read it. It’s very important that people can read what I’m writing, but that I express my creative, artsy side as well. If I had to choose my favorite, I’d say “E” – 3 simple horizontal lines (no vertical line to hold them all together:) And if I could, I would end this comment with a big swooshing, swirling calligraphy inspired underline! Thank you
Linda Deline says:Good evening. I can’t really say it is my favorite letter, but I keep trying to get a really nice capital ” T “. I don’t find it easy at all. I do agree that handwriting is becoming a lost art…and schools don’t help. My granddaughter is 13, in grade 8, and she is unable to read handwriting well because the school does not teach it. Unbelievable…but they say it is because everything else is in print. I do hope I win a copy. Thank you very much for the opportunity. God bless.
Shelley Davis says:Hello, My favorite letter to write is S followed closely by letter E. I have always enjoyed writing. I feel sorry for today’s children that won’t have the joy of learning cursive writing in school. I would love to win your prize. Thank you for the opportunity. Blessings,
Shelley
S is my favorite. It’s so loopy and pretty. My first name and my maiden name begin with S so I have had lots of practice!
Alicia says:I love writing the letter “A”. Not because my name begins with this letter, it’s the first letter of the alphabet. This letter sets the tone for the other letters to be written. I attended several calligraphy classes and have gotten away from it. I love writing letters and I love the beautifying the envelopes for my unsuspecting receivers.
gogi gasper says:My favorite letter to write is G–because it’s my initials, I write it alot!
I like to add curly flourishes & dots. Love your posts.
My favourite letter to doodle is A – I love the variation between lower and upper case and the fact that although it’s a straight-lined letter it can have it’s fair share of flourishes and line-weights, too.
Great post – you captured my thoughts on the lost art perfectly!
My favorite letter to write is L. My maiden name is Lisa L. Lee so I had a lot of practice writing it. :)
Czaczag says:I’m a teacher and I like to make our class charts visually appealing for my students. This book would come in very handy! I like cursive capital G. :)
LaTonya says:Thank you so much for this wonderful giveaway. I have been interested in taking a caligraphy class, so this prize definitely got my attention. My favorite letter is Y.
Marie Butler says:I found your blog very interesting. I, too have been thinking about my handwriting and how to improve it. Thank you so much for this article.
Jaye Clayton says:I like the letter “H.” Even though I do not have a name beginning with that letter, I love how it has a flourish on the left side and then a flourish on the right. I am speaking of a calligraphied “H.” I actually took a calligraphy course in the eighties. I like to embellish my cards to friends. I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to writing and fonts.
Amanda says: I love writing uppercase L and lower case o Annalea says:Really . . . for a long time, it was L. I loved the curlicues, and it was the first letter of my best friends’ name from long, long ago. But, over time, the plain ‘ol A has gotten to be my favorite. It went from being utterly plain-jane, the most boring capital letter in the alphabet (that I had to put at the beginning of my own name), to one that I owned, loved, and made beautiful. :o) Thanks for the great book review, and fun giveaway!
Lisa says: I like L’s as well. B’s too. Shawna G says: My favourite is “G” Nancy says:This book looks so fun! I love that it seems to have tips for the crafter/artist. With art journaling so hot right now, this would be a very timely book.
Amanda says:I love reading your posts! My favorite letter to write is definitely the letter K also. A close second would be the letter M. I just completed a hand painted monogram for my best friend’s newborn – Kylie Myers (last name omitted) – and I loved all the opportunities for loops and swirls that K and M allow! I’d love to win this book – I had a calligraphy set when I was a child and would so enjoy brushing up on the art of lettering again.
Emily says:Oh! My daughter would love this! She’s only 9 but she’s constantly attempting to make her letters pretty and she’s very much an artist. Actually, she’d have to share the book with me though, I love to send a handwritten note and it would be so fun to have more ideas on how to embellish them.
Rosemary says:I enjoy lurking over here on your blog and reading your posts. You have inspired me to make my house a home, I even have a notebook with inspiring ideas and wish lists for projects you have tutorials for as a means of getting me to make make make. What I enjoy most is the conversational style of your posts, it is like talking to someone in person and that is not easy to do in a blog sometimes. But you succeed. I hate seeing the loss of handwriting skills, I loved getting letters in the mail when I was younger and I am sad that my nieces and nephews don’t really have that same thrill of a nice, juicy letter written by a friend to savor. You make me want to look into the sources you note here further. Sure, I would love to win the book, but I was inspired enough by your post that I wanted to finally comment and say how much I enjoy it. It is a real slice of life. Thanks!
Sharon says:Hi Diane,
I happened upon your site after reading the article ‘Crafty Ways to Save’, in This Old House magazine (March 2013). I loved the fireplace screen you created out of the old window sash. I’m so glad I took the time to visit your site!
I truly enjoyed your post about lettering and would love to win a copy of the book. After many years of computer usage my hand writing became pretty much illegible…after signing a document, I was always asked to sign it again or to print my name next to my signature because it did not appear to be a signature. I have most recently reduced my communications by computer and returned to paper and pen. Slowing my pace has made a considerable difference for me.
I love the swirl of the letter S and the waves of the letter W.
Thanks for inspiring me!
I love the act of writing! Although I embrace technology and enjoy using it, I will never stop writing by hand! My daughter is a calligrapher and when I asked how she got started, she said she always admired my handwriting. What a shock as I never felt that it was as pretty as I would like! I would love to have this book to share with her.
Cami says: My favorite letter is G because there are so many fun ways to write it. Thanks! Kit Schroeder says:My favorite letter is K, but I would love, love, LOVE to learn how to make a beautiful W – they’re always so hard for me!
