I hear it all the time. “I wish I could write like that, but my handwriting is terrible!” Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. I hear this in the Signmaker’s Society, on Facebook, and even just in conversation with my friends. “I just can’t letter like you can.” 

The truth is, you can! Hand lettering is not the same as handwriting my friends. Hand lettering is an art, much like painting. Who is a master painter the first time they pick up the brush? No one. Hand lettering takes practice, and I cannot emphasize this enough, it is not the same as handwriting! My actual handwriting is messy and sometimes illegible.

Why? Think about it like this…handwriting is done quickly. We write to-do lists, grocery lists, and memos to remind ourselves “don’t forget to send Jackie with her art project to school!” And then we throw those notes away. This type of writing is meant to be temporary. 

However, hand lettering is meant to last. Hand lettering can be used for cards, posters, school projects, place cards, name tags, door hangers – there are so many things! You’ll toss that grocery list you wrote in 30 seconds. It doesn’t hold the same value. You’ll keep the pretty door hanger you spent hours trying to perfect.

Again, hand lettering is an art and requires time to make along with lots of practice! So when you start, don’t get discouraged if the letter o doesn’t loop perfectly, or if all your letters aren’t in line with each other. You’ll get there soon, just keep practicing!