Calligraphy and Handlettering Are NOT The Same
They’re just not...
I’m an art teacher. I have a son. He has a fiancée. As a very, young couple, just starting out with a small budget, they are diy’ing some parts of their wedding…I can get behind that.
But when I was asked to do a little job for them, I got anxious. The soon-to-be bride had already dropped a hint about invites. The only problem is, at the present, I do more handlettering than calligraphy.
And, yes, it matters.
Calligraphy is more akin to beautiful writing and the strokes are highly dependent on the utensil. Handlettering, on the other hand, is more like drawing letters.
But there is a compromise in faux calligraphy. Faux calligraphy is accomplished by drawing in the thick downstrokes and thin up strokes that characterize traditional calligraphy. You can see in this video where I taught my students to simulate script lettering by drawing in the thick and thins of a letter. It still exists under the umbrella of handlettering since it’s drawing. But faux calligraphy can easily give some of the impression of traditional calligraphy.
So, I decided to get a grip…
…and I used it on some Posca paint pens.
These paint pens come in a few sizes and colors and tend to be a favorite amongst letterers for their opaqueness, permanence on a variety of surfaces, and color ranges. Although this was not my first time using one, it was my first time using one on wood.
The process was whoa. 😳
First, the tips of the pens are not like brush pens where they have some give. They’re pretty stiff, so you need to be more certain of your mark than with a pen that has a more forgiving bend to it.
Also, the wood, although very beautiful to look at, had a ridged texture to it. Getting a smooth line over that? I thought the kids could have been kinder to dear, old mom, you know?
Being, the punk that I am, I wasn’t so sure my marks would land in the proper places with all those ridges. So, for my first crack at it, I used a pencil to outline where I wanted my marks to go. Then, I used the pen over it, adjusting as I went.
What do you think?
The betrothed couple gave it their stamp of approval. So, all’s well that ends well, I guess. But, they need a calligrapher, stat! 😂
What has been your most challenging DIY?
