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Bullet Journal Hand Lettering & Fonts for Beginners

By Sylvia | Mommy Over Work · This post may contain affiliate links, marked with *

Are you looking to improve your handwriting or up your bullet journal font game?

Then you’re in the “write” place because this post brings together the best tips to make your writing pop, from hand lettering 101 for beginners to creative ways to embellish your writing. Enjoy!

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collage of bullet journal font and handlettering tips including brush calligraphy practice.
via Kiley in Kentucky | Zen of Planning

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Jump to:
  • Recommended resources
  • Start off with the basics
  • Progress to other simple embellishments
  • Know these useful tips on lettering technique
  • Understand how to pair fonts
  • Check Pinterest for font inspiration
  • Follow lettering artists on Instagram
  • Try your hand at it
  • Practice, practice, practice!
  • Come up with your set of writing styles
  • Get creative
  • Conclusion

Recommended resources

  • Comprehensive bullet journaling roadmap* with printable bujo pages
  • Dual brush pens* with the sharpest colors
  • A guide to better lettering*

Or check out these top recommended bullet journal supplies from your favorite bullet journalists and artists across the internet.

Start off with the basics

Leave it to Buzzfeed to come up with some basic hand lettering techniques anyone of any artistic skill can follow. The 8 tutorial overviews cover these styles:

  • Serif font (basically adding ticks at the end of your letters)
  • Faux calligraphy
  • Stretched out
  • Filled in
  • Narrow
  • Block
  • Dot
  • Balloon

(via Buzzfeed)

Progress to other simple embellishments

It doesn’t take much to make your words stand out. This post will show you other easy ideas to try such as:

  • Adding hearts
  • Minimal circles
  • Outlined cursive
  • Drop shadow
  • Dot outline
  • Flags
  • Curly serif font
  • Floral details

(via Little Miss Rose)

Know these useful tips on lettering technique

This graphic covers more of the how-to behind better font generation. The tips include:

  • Hold brush pen at 45 degree angle to make easier to make thick and thin strokes
  • Create faux calligraphy by making thicker downstrokes
  • Match up curly lettering with clean block lettering
  • Make lettering uneven intentionally to hide little shaky mistakes
  • Define loopy letters distinctly, like “e” from “l” from “r” and so forth

(via Pin image)

Understand how to pair fonts

Combining multiple fonts opens up even more handwriting possibilities. Know what elements complement each other to give you lettering that stands out. (via Pin image)

Check Pinterest for font inspiration

Never run out of ideas from Pinterest! Save your favorites to a personal board to copy in your journal. Here’s one example I found that is a unique yet totally doable style. (via Pin image)

Follow lettering artists on Instagram

If you’re really serious about upping your lettering skills, then get motivated by talented artists on Instagram. Prepare to be wowed. (via Brit + Co)

Try your hand at it

You can only get better at something if you actually do it. This site has worksheets that show you how to do each letter in 50 different ways. (via Kiley in Kentucky)

Practice, practice, practice!

Practice makes perfect, so utilize these 30 days of worksheets to take your writing to the next level. You’ll be surprised at how much more gorgeous your lettering becomes if you keep at it just for a month. Every little bit you devote to your handwriting each day only helps to improve it. (via Dawn Nicole Design)

Come up with your set of writing styles

Practice writing long enough and you’ll come up with your set of go-to styles. For example, this video shows 9 different font styles:

  • Everyday print, basic nothing fancy
  • In a hurry writing, combination of cursive and print, sometimes letters connected and not
  • Sans serif
  • Angled brush lettering
  • Upright brush lettering simplified
  • Romantic script
  • Bouncy lettering
  • Faux calligraphy
  • Monoline script

(via How to Hand Letter)

Get creative

Of course, you can always exercise the creative side of yours to come up with your own combinations of styles to make your words stand out. Here’s a video of 50 different hand lettering embellishments, which use a variation or combination of the following:

  • Dropshadow
  • Block lettering
  • Inline lettering
  • Dotted inline
  • Confetti lettering
  • Dot lettering
  • Patterned lettering
  • Ombre lettering
  • Serifs
  • And more

(via AmandaRachLee)

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Conclusion

Bullet journal fonts can be as simple or elaborate as you make it. Just remember these two important things when you work on how to improve handwriting:

  • Don’t be afraid to try new ideas
  • Keep working at it and you’ll be sure to see improvement

Here's to better, gorgeous lettering!


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Hi, I'm Sylvia (with my son Q). Life is tough, but doesn't mean that you can't have fun along the way! I created Mommy Over Work to share ideas, tips, life hacks, and inspiration to make life easier, organized and more adventurous.

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