Over 60 Ways to Impress the World with Your Brush Lettering Skills
So you’ve started to learn brush lettering and you’re wondering when and how you’re going to use these skills. I’ve rounded up this mega list of ways you can use your skills on a regular basis. (Some obvious and some facetious). Mix and match!
Snail Mail Addressing
- Birthday cards
- Thank you cards
- Holiday cards
- Wedding invitations
- Baby shower invitations
- Birthday party invitations
- Utility bills
- Tax returns
- Letters to your political representative
- Taylor Swift fanmail
- Credit card bills
- Corporate complaint letters
Snail Mail Innards
- Birthday cards
- Thank you cards
- Holiday cards
- Invitations
- Poem declaring your undying love for Chris Pine
- Boring forms and bills
- Corporate complaint letters
- Written checks
Routine Scribblings
- Grocery lists
- To do lists
- Paper agendas
- Recipies
- Schedules
- Lunchbox notes
Gift and Party Decor
- Gift tags
- Gift wrapping paper
- Gift bags
- Placecards
- Menu cards
- Seating arrangements
- Party banners
- Napkin wraps
- Escort cards
- Drink tags
- Table menus
- Wineglass tags
- Solo cup labels
- Name tags
Awesome Art
- Art journaling
- Bible journaling
- Scrapbooking
- Large scale canvases
- Personalized art
- Frameable recipes
- Wooden signs
- Holiday ornaments
- Certificates
- Pumpkin decorating
- Wedding vows
- Important speeches
Graphic Design
- Logos
- Stationery
- Workbooks
- Photo overlays
- Typefaces
- Web elements
- Email signatures
- Blog headers
- Email headers
- Photo templates
- T-shirts
- Business cards
Just for Fun
- Brush letter all your text messages and send a picture of your words
- Brush letter all your email contents
- Passive aggressive notes
- Senior thesis
Other ideas? Leave them in the comments!
January Brush Letter Practice Challenge
Showcase your brush lettering skills and get to know other who share your love for brush lettering.
How to join the challenge for free:
- Download and/or print the prompt graphic for this month.
- Post this graphic on Instagram or Twitter to let us know you’re joining along.
- Every day, share a picture or video of your brush lettering on Instagram, Twitter or Periscope using the hashtag #brushletterpracticechallenge.
- Check out other awesome people using the hashtag and leave them some likes and comments!
Download and Pin the graphic below!
Click to tweet: I’m joining @randomoliveblog this month for the #brushletterpracticechallenge. Find out more at http://bit.ly/blpchallenge
How about some extra guidance?
I’ve created a set of traceables to help you practice all of this month’s prompts.
Downloadable, printable, traceable pages to get your brushy letters looking smooth. Also comes with extra lined paper.
Find out about next month’s challenge.
Get notified when new practice challenges are ready for you to join along! You’ll also receive emails about other awesome stuff related to brush lettering.
Looking for the original Brush Letter Practice Guide with over 250 printable pages and a structured 45-day practice schedule? Click here.
The Brush Letter Practice Challenge for December
Showcase your brush lettering skills and get to know other who share your love for brush lettering.
How to join the challenge for free:
- Download and/or print the prompt graphic for this month.
- Post this graphic on Instagram or Twitter to let us know you’re joining along.
- Every day, share a picture or video of your brush lettering on Instagram, Twitter or Periscope using the hashtag #brushletterpracticechallenge.
- Check out other awesome people using the hashtag and leave them some likes and comments!
Download and Pin the graphic below!
Click to tweet: I’m joining @randomoliveblog this month for the #brushletterpracticechallenge. Find out more at http://bit.ly/blpchallenge
How about some extra guidance?
I’ve created a set of traceables to help you practice all of this month’s prompts.
Downloadable, printable, traceable pages to get your brushy letters looking smooth. Also comes with extra lined paper. (32 pages)
Find out about next month’s challenge.
Get notified when new practice challenges are ready for you to join along! You’ll also receive emails about other awesome stuff related to brush lettering.
Looking for the original Brush Letter Practice Guide with over 250 printable pages and a structured 45-day practice schedule? Click here.
Gift Certificates Available!
Have you started to think of holiday gifts yet? (Or have you started making your wishlists?)
Now you can give (or request) the Brush Letter Practice Guide as an extra-special present for those who have been wanting to learn how to brush letter!
When you purchase a gift certificate, you’ll receive a PDF file that you send to your recipient. The PDF file contains instructions for how to retrieve their guide with a unique gift code to use during the checkout process.
You can email the certificate to your family or friend or print it out on cardstock!
How to buy? Click here and scroll down to the teal banner that says “Buy a Gift Certificate”
Lettering Essentials
Want to create a basket of supplies to go with the guide? Here are my recommended essentials for getting started.
- One ream of printer paper
- Pentel Aquash Waterbrush set in large, medium, and small
- Loew-Cornell watercolor paint palette
- Assorted round watercolor brushes
- Black sumi ink
- Clean paint palette
(Links above are affiliate links – if you purchase through them, I receive a small commission)
The Two Most Important Brush Strokes
For anyone starting with brush lettering, the two most essential brush strokes to master are the downstroke and the upstroke (also known as the thick line and the thin line).
In the videos, I’m using a Pentel Aquash Waterbrush with the Artist Loft watercolor paint pan from Michael’s (A similar paint palette is available here). [affiliate links]
Downstrokes happen when you’re pulling the brush down towards you. To get a nice thick stroke, you apply more pressure.
Upstrokes occur when you are gently pushing the brush away from you. Remember to use light pressure.
The practice sheets shown in the videos here are available for free when you add your email address to the list below. (You’ll receive updates from me on all things related to brush lettering)
Click to Tweet: Brush letter down then up with confidence. Check out @randomoliveblog’s tutorial. http://ctt.ec/dgu7a+
For even more printable practice sheet goodness, check out the fully loaded Brush Letter Practice Guide.
How can I better share brush lettering with the world?
It’s not a surprise that I love brush lettering. I’m sharing lettering constantly on my blog, on Instagram, and on Periscope. And I’m super excited to share lettering with you (either by creating printable art for your walls or by helping you practice your own lettering).
But how do I find more people like you? (you know, people who also share your appreciation for brush lettering). How can I make it easier for those people to find me? And how do I consistently share awesome information with you?
My goal is to inject brightness, color, fun, and awesome lettering into your everyday life. There are others in the world who are just like you who could benefit!
With all of these questions swirling around my brain, I’m heading up to San Francisco next week (!) to be in the studio audience of April Bowles-Olin’s newest class on CreativeLive, Double Your Followers with Creative Marketing. I’m hoping to learn how to level up on sharing lettering awesomeness with you and with others.
This post is a part of the Double Your Followers blog tour to spread the word about April Bowles-Olin’s upcoming CreativeLive course. Does hearing the word ‘marketing’ make your armpits start to drip with anxiety? Are you terrified of sounding salesy or like you have the personality of a dead blowfish? If so, come join me and 2,500+ entrepreneurs who’re taking April’s latest CreativeLive course, Double Your Followers with Creative Marketing. You can RSVP and watch for FREE. Yep, free. High fives, wildflowers, wine samples. Who doesn’t love free?
Water Brushes for Brush Lettering
Another tool that I like to use is a water brush plus watercolor paint pans. A water brush comes with an empty barrel that you can fill with water (or ink) and it flows through the bristles of the brush.
I’ve gathered up my small collection of water brushes to show you the different sizes of letters you can achieve with them.
(Pictured: Niji Water Brush, Pentel Aquash)
What else would you like to learn about brush lettering? Comment below!!
Brush Markers for Lettering
If you’re looking to break into brush lettering, using brush markers is a great way to get started.
With the huge variety of tools available, it can be tough to decide which one to buy. I’ve rounded up all of the markers I currently own to show you what you can do.
At the inexpensive end of the spectrum is the good old Crayola marker. With the pointy tip and a broad side, you can achieve some awesome thick and thin lines in your letters.
(The same goes for the generic Target brand markers too).
Crayola SuperTips give you a thinner line than the classic size, but the marker still comes to a fine point.
Sharpie has also jumped in on the brush marker game with the permanent ink brush pen and the fabric markers.
In terms of art supplies for grown-ups, Tombow Dual Brush Markers are the best. Lots of flexibility in the tip and a huge rainbow of colors. There’s even a fine point on one end for regular writing and drawing.
There are tons of other brush markers out there in the world, but these are the ones I’ve tried and that live in my collection.
What brush markers do you love?
Random Love Letter Recap
Can you believe it has been almost a month since our June Random Love Letter Challenge? If you missed the fun, the challenge was explained here.
Thank you to everyone who joined in and participated all around the world! It was amazing to see all the notes being left in public places and seeing them get discovered and posted online.
I’ve highlighted a few of the awesome notes from June, but if you want to see more, check out the hashtag #randomloveletter on Instagram.
Sad to say that we didn’t reach our big goal of a million notes left in the wild, but I think we did succeed in spreading a little joy.
What’s next? Go ahead and keep leaving those notes when the moment strikes you and continue using the hashtag. Sarah and I might plan another month-long challenge again someday, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Coloring Books for Grown-Ups
Coloring books aren’t just for kids. These detailed books are picking up steam as a relaxing activity for grown-ups. With fine details to keep your motor skills in check, coloring books of this caliber are made of high-quality paper. I’ve filled out a few of the pages from one of the books I own, and it’s definitely a soothing way to spend an afternoon (or while you’re on a conference call). With the plethora of detail found in these books, the pages will definitely last you awhile.
Links:
Coloring Pages by Alisa Burke
Just Add Color: Botanicals by Lisa Congdon
Just Add Color: Geometric Patterns by Lisa Congdon
Just Add Color: Folk Art by Lisa Congdon
Flower Designs Coloring Book (Volume 1) by Jenean Morrison
Pattern and Design Coloring Book (Volume 1) by Jenean Morrison
Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book by Johanna Brasford
Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book by Johanna Brasford
COLORTWIST — Pink Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)
COLORTWIST — Pink Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)
