Brush Lettering Projects That Make Perfect Mother's Day Gifts

Sometimes, hand lettering projects can look so beautiful that it’s hard for a novice to imagine being able to create the same fluid gestures. But in the same way you can learn how to make a delicious ganache frosting from scratch or master the steps to a new dance, anyone can produce lettering projects with some expert tips and a little practice. And with your new skills, you’ll open up possibilities for all sorts of gifts—especially Mother’s Day calligraphy gifts.

Hand lettering projects are a great way to develop your skills while putting a smile on your mom’s face. If you need some brush lettering ideas for Mother’s Day, we’ve put together a list of projects, as well as a quick review of the art of brush lettering and how you can perfect the craft.

Once you master some basic brush lettering skills, you’ll open up creative possibilities for all kinds of hand lettering projects.

What Is Brush Lettering?

Brush lettering is the art of writing words with a brush pen or a watercolor pen, explains Bianca Giarola, an Italian artist who specializes in written art forms such as brush lettering.

“It’s the tool itself that differentiates it from regular calligraphy, where a dip pen and ink are used, along with specific calligraphy nibs. Brush calligraphy is used predominantly for modern calligraphy, rather than more classical calligraphy styles like Copperplate or Spencerian,” she says.

Unlike traditional calligraphy pens, brush pens are already equipped with ink, and their flexible tips require a gentle press-lift gliding motion—usually with heavier downstrokes and lighter upstrokes.

Miranda Steijger, a Netherlands-based artist who also specializes in written arts, says that brush lettering is also a bit different from hand lettering, where you draw each letter with a pen, pencil, or fine liner in either serif or sans serif form. You could technically achieve the same gliding motion with one of these tools, but it wouldn’t have the same calligraphy effect without a flexible pen tip.

A watercolor pen with a flexible tip allows you to achieve thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes, creating the unique look of brush lettering.

4 Tips for Better Brush Lettering

If you’re relatively new to brush lettering, you can practice a few tried-and-true techniques to create a prettier finished result.

1. Hold the Pen Correctly

“When using the brush pen to write, don’t hold it like you would with a normal pen,” says Ada Ee, a lettering artist based in Singapore. “Adjust the angle of your hand so you use the side of the brush to write. You want to use the side of the brush tip to create the thick downstrokes.”

2. Use the Right Tools

Ee recommends the Pentel Touch Fude Pens, Tombow Fudenosuke, and Zebra Funwari Fude Pens for beginners, which can be used on any paper to practice. For felt tip brush pens, try Tombow Dual Brush or Artline Stix, though if you decide to use the latter, make sure you also use brush lettering paper since the delicate brushes can fray easily.

In her brush lettering class , Skillshare instructor Peggy Dean guides you through selecting a brush lettering pen and demonstrates how to correctly angle your pen and paper. — In her brush lettering class, Skillshare instructor Peggy Dean guides you through selecting a brush lettering pen and demonstrates how to correctly angle your pen and paper.

3. Be Patient (and Practice!)

Ask any lettering artist, and they will tell you that taking enough time to practice basic strokes of brush lettering is key to your development. “I know we’re all eager to get the words going on paper, but not practicing the basic strokes will only result in a lot more frustration when it comes to actually writing letters,” says Giarola. “Fill pages and pages with basic strokes before you jump into the letters.”

4. Think of It Like Meditation

Steijger says, “Brushing is like meditating, taking time for every stroke.” Even when you master the craft, you’ll still need to go slowly, thoughtfully, and methodically.

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4 Mother’s Day Calligraphy Project Ideas

If you’re ready to get started, Mother’s Day is the perfect time to put your new brush lettering skills to use—especially if your gift involves mom written in calligraphy. Perfect or imperfect, there’s no way Mom won’t love receiving one of these fun projects.

1. Hand Lettered Coffee Mug

In Shelley Hitz’s class on easy mug design , she demonstrates how to hand letter a mug. — In Shelley Hitz’s class on easy mug design, she demonstrates how to hand letter a mug.

For this project, you’ll need a mug that’s made from glazed ceramic, porcelain, or heat-resistant glass, as well as oven-bake brush pens (these are a good option). After you’ve sketched your design to perfection (using regular brush pens), replicate it on the actual mug, and then bake as instructed. Need some ideas for what to write? Try “World’s Best Mom” or “Best Mom Ever.” Along with the mug, you can include a box of Mom’s favorite tea, a bag of her go-to coffee, or a gift card to her preferred coffee shop.

2. Her Favorite Quote or Poem Framed

Peggy Dean’s brush lettering course, Brush Lettering 2: Alphabet Basics , provides the fundamental skills you need to hand letter a beautiful inspirational quote, which you can then frame. — Peggy Dean’s brush lettering course, Brush Lettering 2: Alphabet Basics, provides the fundamental skills you need to hand letter a beautiful inspirational quote, which you can then frame.

Using your brush lettering skills, write your mom’s favorite poem or an inspirational quote on high-quality calligraphy paper and put it in a beautiful frame.

“Composition is key to this project, and the key to good composition is sketching first,” says Giarola. “Take out your sketchbook and a pencil and try out different ideas, decide the hierarchy of the words—i.e., which words are more important—and see how the words interact with each other. If you’re short on inspiration, Pinterest and Instagram are great.”

Once you've found a style you like—be it minimalist, 3D, ornate, or colorful—and the sketch looks exactly like the picture in your mind, replicate it on your good paper. Giarola says you can even lightly sketch the design out with a pencil before going in with your brush pen. “A lot of pros still do it to get the perfect shapes and spacing,” she notes.

3. Personalized Agate Keychain

In the course Adding Modern Calligraphy and Brush Lettering On Quartz , Skillshare instructor Joy Tay explains how to incorporate hand lettering on materials such as agate and rose quartz—which you can further customize into a keychain. — In the course Adding Modern Calligraphy and Brush Lettering On Quartz, Skillshare instructor Joy Tay explains how to incorporate hand lettering on materials such as agate and rose quartz—which you can further customize into a keychain.

“Agate keychains are beautiful and surprisingly very easy to create. You can buy the agate slices either in your local gems store or directly online, along with the little rings to attach the keys to,” says Giarola. “The only thing you need to do is hand write her name on the slice using an oil-based marker, which is more durable.”

Since there aren’t any oil-based brush pens, Giarola says to create a similar brush lettering effect with a technique called faux calligraphy. “Traditional calligraphy uses the contrast between thick and thin strokes, but in faux calligraphy this is created just by running the pen again over the downstrokes so they look thicker than the upstrokes,” she says. Instead of an agate keychain, you could also make agate coasters.

4. Watercolor Mother’s Day Card

In Peggy Dean’s course, Watercolor Lettering , she explains how to hand lettering projects using watercolors and a traditional brush. — In Peggy Dean’s course, Watercolor Lettering, she explains how to hand lettering projects using watercolors and a traditional brush.

Go wild by infusing a little watercolor aesthetic into your brush lettering Mother’s Day gift. For this project, suggested by Ee, you’ll need an A4 stock card folded in half, Tombow Dual Brush Pens in a few different shades, a monoline pen, and a watercolor brush.

Start by using a lighter shade to write a phrase or greeting—like “Super Mom” or simply “Happy Mother’s Day”—in the center of the paper.

“Next, color in some darker shades in the thicker strokes of the piece, then go over the words with the watercolor brush to create the watercolor effect,” she says. “When the water has dried up, use the monoline pen and draw lines around the words to create shadows. If you are unsure [about where to place them], just draw lines on the downstrokes.”

Whatever Mother’s Day calligraphy project you choose to give to your mom, she will surely be thrilled to receive it. Plus, you’ll give yourself the gift of honing a new skill, which will undoubtedly come in handy in the future—and for other gifts—as well.

Creative, Colorful Hand Lettering Projects

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