Brushlettering 101

1. Intro to BrushLettering 101: Hi, I brush lettering 101, I am going to teach you the very basics of brush lettering. We are going to go over how to use a brush pen and how to hold it and angle it to get the very thin upstrokes and the thick down strokes where you use the entire width of the pen. The thin and thick strokes signify brush lettering and we are going to achieve those by just doing a few very simple practices. For this class, you will need a few sheets of paper or you can print out my material, and then you will need a brush pen of your choice. The most important part is that it has a nib that mimics a paint brush. Hopefully, by the end of this short tutorial, you will have the basics down for brush lettering. 2. BRUSHLETTERING 101 : Hi. Welcome to my class brush lettering one oh one. My name is Karen Rosen Quiz Chagger, and I am a graphic designer and lettering artist based in Stockholm, Sweden. Of course, there are many different brush pens, and the more you write and the more you dig into this amazing hobby, the more brush pens you will find. For this purpose, I will be using a tombo but you can use any brush pen that you like, as long as it has a nib or a tip that mimics a paintbrush. When you use a brush pen, you hold it normally like you would hold any pen, but you can tilt your hand at a 45 degree angle. Most importantly, you do not push the pen straight down like this because then these fibers in the tips will break. Instead, you're holding the pen at an angle where you can use both the tip and the width of the actual brush. Our first exercise, we are going to just go over the thick downstrokes. We're going to use the width of the pen and push pretty hard to get the downstrokes. The main principle of brush calligraphy and brush lettering is that the downstrokes are thick and the upstrokes are thin. Which brings us to our next practice, and this is to make a compound curve. So we are going to do a thick downstroke and then in the curve, we're going to balance it out, the pressure out to make a thin upstroke. So we're going to put our pressure on, and then here, we're going to release the pressure and then make a thin upstroke and a thick downstroke. And a thin upstroke. Depending on how you sit and what kind of pen you use, you might have to shift your arm a little bit in the actual curve. Sometimes you lose the touch, you lose the contact with the paper on your upstrokes because you're too careful, and then you just simply go in and fill it out. But the point is to try to balance the pressure of your arm enough so that these lines are solid. Another thing that I think is important that a lot of people miss in the practice is that I use my entire arm on the table. I almost lie down like this. I tilt the paper at an angle that's comfortable for me, and then I use this whole area, this whole underarm on the table, and that prevents my wrist to shake when I write. This is how I can leverage the pressure of these strokes. Okay. So now that we have our compound curves and our straight lines under control, we're going to move on to the circle. This is when I've noticed most people get thrown off and find it to be a challenge. With the circle, you are going to press down for the downstroke, release the pressure, and go up with a thin upstroke. And then we're just going to keep going Depending on what pen you're using, this is a much smaller nib than the one I used before. It's still ambo. This is a fue. You still press down, and then you release the pressure. But with this pen, the nib is so much smaller that I really don't have to take a break in every stroke. It's easier. The trick here is to make these transitions fluid. Okay. As you can see, I am really pushing down on that nib. These nibs are meant to hold the pressure, and then they bounce back pretty quick. Although you are going to see a little bit where you used it. Next time you pick up the pen, it will be easier to find that angle. Now, if you use a pen that is too thin and flimsy, it will look like this and it might be. For some people, it's easier to control. I tend to find these a little bit harder and a little more shaky. But this pen mimics paint brush a lot more. These three strokes that we have been working on today, the straight line, the compound curve and the circle are all the basic strokes that create the letters in the alphabet. And it's why we're using these as a warm up to get the of these thick and thin strokes. That is the basic features of brush Colgraphy. Now to the class project. We are going to use everything that we learned in the class. First, we're going to start with our thick down strokes. Try to use the width of the brush and the same with stroke. And after our straight lines we're moving onto our compound curves, and then remember to really push down for the sick and then transition to the sin and then transition again to the sick and again to the sin. Take a break when you need. And then really try to balance out the pressure in your arm so your wrist doesn't get too tired. And then for the thin upstrokes, you're using the very tip of the pen. And for the thick downstrokes, again, you're using the width of the brush. But not least, we're finishing off with our circles. And again, put all the pressure on your downstrokes and then release gradually. In your curves to find the balance of the thin and thick strokes. Here, you can go in and fix any mistakes. Remember that this is not a practice that goes fast. It's not a quick way of writing, even with your warm ups. This is normal speed that you're looking at now. Your arm will get tired, so don't forget to take a break, especially when you see things are starting to get sloppy here. Then it's time for a break. M. Okay. Thank you so much for watching my brush lettering one oh one class. I will be posting more tutorials soon where we will dig deeper into the world of lettering and calligraphy. See you soon. Okay.