Lettering: script

Lettering: Script

Script, calligraphy, cursive; all three look really similar, it's almost hard to differentiate them. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful font that can be used for anything from birthday cards to wedding invitations.


McDevitt says script is "...often created with fluid strokes using a brush or pen and nib" (32). There are many different variations of script. For example, one type of script is formal script. Formal script is commonly seen in 17th century writing with strokes connecting letters together. Another example is casual script, which is informal and looks as though it was written quickly. The Hand-Lettering Ledger shows a collection of script styles:

After drawing a few sketches and picking the quote I wanted to draw, I moved to the second step named in the book, which is sketch out the phrase while keeping in mind the swashes, composition, and sizing of the words (34).

Here, I chose the quote "no rain...no flowers". I added swashes to letters like "f" and "n", but not too much where it wasn't readable.

Once I chose the sketch above to work on, I followed the next step suggested by McDevitt; "Finalize your drawing with a pen, either with tracing paper or directly on top of your drawing" (35). I didn't have a pen that was thick enough for me to fill in the letters fully, so I used a black permanent marker instead.

I feel like using a dark marker, whether it be black, dark blue, etc., it makes the words a lot more visible and it gives the whole phrase an elegant look. What type of lettering or font do you think best suites your personality?

Citation - McDevitt, Mary Kate. Hand-Lettering Ledger. Chronicle Books, 2014.