Are you on the hunt for some hand lettering examples to get the inspiration flowing? Well, you’re in the right place. Go for a scroll and discover a range of creative ideas below. Whether you’re working with paints, pens, markers or ink, we’ve tried to include a little something for everyone.
1. Watercolours and ink
Watercolour paints are perfect for backgrounds and subtle details. We love these delicate leaves by Minty Pink Studio because they add a splash of colour and positivity to the message.
2. Colour transitions
These dreamy colours transitions from YN Letters are up there with one of our favourite lettering ideas. Watercolour paints are perfect for this style because they flow into each other smoothly, but you can also use blendable markers for a slightly different effect.
3. Location lettering
Whether it’s a town, city or country, location-themed lettering can be a lot of fun. You might like to draw a repeating pattern like Catalina Mejia, or include a feature from the location. For example, if you’re lettering a beach name, you could add a shell or palm tree to your work.
4. Border lettering
Creating a border for your artworks and weaving in stylised words is a great way to add some more personality to your work. You can even take it up a level with a cheeky pun like Minty Pink Studio’s hand lettering example above.
5. Gold with a shadow
Want to create lettering with double the impact? Paint your letters with a metallic paint or marker and add a light grey shadow. This will really make your letters pop off the page.
6. Light on black paper
Do you love this eye-catching style as much as we do? You can create it with metallic watercolours, gouache, acrylic paint or paint pens!
7. Pen on watercolour wash
Here’s a nice and easy one for you. Simply create a wash on some watercolour paper and let it dry, then add your hand lettering over the top!
8. Water brush lettering
Water brushes make a great tool for creative lettering because of their nice, smooth strokes. If you haven’t tried them out before, they have a barrel that you fill with water and squeeze to control the flow. This makes it perfect for use with watercolours and water-based inks!
9. Black on brown paper
We love this swirling black lettering on brown paper by Maria Colchado. The subtle touches of gold give it that extra little bit of life and create a nice combination with the black and brown.
10. Word emphasis
If you’d like to put emphasis on a word in your design, simply use a different colour! You can also use a different font to make a particular word stand out.
11. Animal lettering
Turn your words into an animal with this cute hand lettering idea from Yimin. We’d suggest lightly drawing up an outline of the animal first and laying down some guidelines for where your creative lettering will go. That way you can make sure you don’t get to the end and run out of space.
12. Ink on a watercolour wash
We mentioned writing on a watercolour wash earlier in the piece, so we thought we’d throw this lettering idea into the mix too. You can use anything you like to paint ink over the top, including a calligraphy pen, paint brush or brush pen.
13. Multiple fonts in one
If you’re feeling extra creative, weaving different fonts together can be a fun challenge. Start playing around with a few styles and go from there! You could use some of the hand lettering examples in this article if you’re not sure where to start.
14. 3D lettering
Adding a few finishing touches to your letters can transform it from 2D to 3D. For example, a hint of white for highlights and grey for shadows will help your letters to come off the page like the artwork above.
15. Bounce letters
Bounce lettering is all about breaking the rules. For this writing style, the letters fall outside the lines (the standard baseline, cap height etc.) to create the whimsical effect of bouncing letters. So have some fun, be free and experiment!
