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A Love of Lettering Projects
Ever since I first learned to write, I’ve loved lettering. I would write my alphabet over and over again, perfecting each letter. In school, I spent my weekends recopying my notes, not in hopes of retaining the information better, but to make them neater and easier to read. Formal calligraphy, fun and funky lettering … I really love it all.
If you spend any time on Pinterest at all, you know how popular lettering has become. Just about everyone has their board designated for it so that they can keep track of their favorite styles. Where it seems to become most popular is in weddings, where brides and grooms prepare hand-written signs for menus, seating charts, table numbers, and more. When I began planning my own wedding, I knew I’d be incorporating my lifelong love of lettering into many of the details.
I’ve had no formal calligraphy training, unless you count the week we spent studying it in my high school art class. Still, I feel comfortable with a pen and nib, and I managed to retain a slight understanding of the different strokes that are used. The first project I worked on was a set of signs to put on the back of our chairs at the wedding reception, dubbing us “Mr.” and “Mrs.”. I wasn’t able to use a calligraphy pen and instead had to use a paint pen, but the bit of calligraphy knowledge I have helped me plan which parts of the letters needed to be wide or narrow. The next thing I worked on were table numbers, which were done with just a calligraphy pen and a Kraft index card. Simple, but effective! And because I didn’t want to waste anything, I decided to photocopy the paper I practiced the strokes on and use it to wrap our little favors. All of these little details come together to carry out a nice lettering theme!
Even if you have no practice with calligraphy, the set I used came with a great instruction booklet. You can also find a lot of resources online, including some really informative videos. If you would rather “wing it” with calligraphy pens, you can absolutely do that too. Just practice writing until you perfect your style, and be prepared to get addicted!
Ever since I first learned to write, I’ve loved lettering. I would write my alphabet over and over again, perfecting each letter. In school, I spent my weekends recopying my notes, not in hopes of retaining the information better, but to make them neater and easier to read. Formal calligraphy, fun and funky lettering … I really love it all.
If you spend any time on Pinterest at all, you know how popular lettering has become. Just about everyone has their board designated for it so that they can keep track of their favorite styles. Where it seems to become most popular is in weddings, where brides and grooms prepare hand-written signs for menus, seating charts, table numbers, and more. When I began planning my own wedding, I knew I’d be incorporating my lifelong love of lettering into many of the details.
I’ve had no formal calligraphy training, unless you count the week we spent studying it in my high school art class. Still, I feel comfortable with a pen and nib, and I managed to retain a slight understanding of the different strokes that are used. The first project I worked on was a set of signs to put on the back of our chairs at the wedding reception, dubbing us “Mr.” and “Mrs.”. I wasn’t able to use a calligraphy pen and instead had to use a paint pen, but the bit of calligraphy knowledge I have helped me plan which parts of the letters needed to be wide or narrow. The next thing I worked on were table numbers, which were done with just a calligraphy pen and a Kraft index card. Simple, but effective! And because I didn’t want to waste anything, I decided to photocopy the paper I practiced the strokes on and use it to wrap our little favors. All of these little details come together to carry out a nice lettering theme!
Even if you have no practice with calligraphy, the set I used came with a great instruction booklet. You can also find a lot of resources online, including some really informative videos. If you would rather “wing it” with calligraphy pens, you can absolutely do that too. Just practice writing until you perfect your style, and be prepared to get addicted!
