In my humble opinion, Faux-Hand Lettering is the best way to jump into your Hand Lettering Journey. It allows you to learn about the upstrokes, downstrokes, and line/letter anatomy, but still quickly produce something that looks like the Hand Lettering that you love. As you practice (and yes, it requires practice!), and you are starting to get the shapes and look down, you can transition to small brush lettering.
Moral of the Story: Learning Faux-Hand Lettering first, makes the transition to brush lettering soooooooo much easier.
Faux-Hand Lettering is done best with monoline pens. "Monoline" means single line, these pens typically have small widths and no give. So they are great for creating the letter and then adding in your downstroke.
Some of what I recommend in this category can be found in the Beginners Pen Kit that I curated for my Hand Lettering 101 Workshop, which you can check out here. Otherwise I've listed the monoline ones below (and marked that they are also in the Beginners Pen Kit).
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
-->Everything is listed alphabetically!
Moral of the Story: Learning Faux-Hand Lettering first, makes the transition to brush lettering soooooooo much easier.
Faux-Hand Lettering is done best with monoline pens. "Monoline" means single line, these pens typically have small widths and no give. So they are great for creating the letter and then adding in your downstroke.
Some of what I recommend in this category can be found in the Beginners Pen Kit that I curated for my Hand Lettering 101 Workshop, which you can check out here. Otherwise I've listed the monoline ones below (and marked that they are also in the Beginners Pen Kit).
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
-->Everything is listed alphabetically!
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Ink Joy .7 - In the Beginners Pen Kit
These are considered medium width ink pens. The ink flow on these babies are magic. Smooth like butter. These are hands down my favorite everyday pens AND my favorite Hand Lettering pens. PROS - They come in a variety of colors, you can get packs of 12 or packs of 20 and they are SUPER reasonably priced. CONS - I have no idea. I love these pens a lot. |
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Micron 05 - In the Beginners Pen Kit
Microns are great pens. They come in a variety of widths or thicknesses. In the Beginners Pen Pack, I gave you the 05, which is middle of the road thickness. PROS - Micron comes in a variety of thicknesses (001, 01, 05, 08, 1, and more) This is super nice for adding details and fine lines, and they hold up well for your Hand Lettering. CONS - They only have 8 colors and if you get colors, you one get one choice of width (05). |
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Tombow Monoline Pens
These are an alternative to the Microns listed above. They come in 3 widths: 01, 03, & 05. PROS - The ink flow is really great. I've loved every monoline Tombow pen I've owned. CONS - They only come in 3 widths. |
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PaperMate Flair
I fell in love with these when I was teaching and they transitioned well to Hand Lettering. It's one of those resources that most people already have lying around. Don't be afraid to look around and try the things you have around the house. IF you don't already own some of these, I would recommend it. PROS - Part of what I love about them is that you can "break" the tip. (i.e. if you're kiddos get ahold of them, they won't destroy them!!) And they come in 12 and 24 packs. Lots of colors to choose from. CONS - These are not the "juiciest" of Hand Lettering pens. The ink flows well enough, but it doesn't lay as smoothly as a Micron or and InkJoy. |
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Sakura Gel Pens - In the Beginners Pen Kit
These are also considered medium width, but I find that they are a bit thinner than the Ink Joy. These are great for adding details to your lettering. PROS - They come in Gold and Silver, as well as milky colors, glittery colors, and neons. Sooo fun for that extra detail. CONS - The basic white isn't as opaque as I wish it would be. If you are looking for a good white, I would recommend the Uni Ball Signo White pen. The last two pens/markers are considered small brush pens. These are what I call "Training Wheel" Pens for when you are ready to move from Faux-Hand Lettering to Brush Lettering. These are great because the "brush" portion of the marker is small and controlled. Great for learning and practicing. Even if you never want to move into brush lettering, these are great for coloring in your Faux-Hand Lettering letters. |
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Staedtler 03 - In the Beginners Pen Kit
Staedtlers only come in one width, which is a bit thinner than what you get with the micron. I like these because they don't tend to bleed through paper. PROS - They come in a lot of colors. You can get packs of 20, or packs of 72 should you choose. CONS - They only come in one width. 🤷🏼♀️ The next two monoline pens are gel or ink based. This is less marker like and more pen like. |
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Tombow Twin Tone
These markers have two widths. One side is 0.8, and the other is extra fine at 0.3. It's water based ink means that it won't bleed through most papers. I LOVE using these in my planner. As with most all my pens, I guard these ones with my life! They are a ride or die marker for me! PROS - Two Tips = Two Sizes! That means more lettering options with ONE pen. Additionally, they come in a variety of colors. Shown is the Pastel pallete, but you can also get a Classic Rainbow pallete, and a Bright Pallete. CONS - You can't get just one color. You have to buy a set. I don't know if you consider that a con or not. |
