Alright beginning calligraphers! This is for those of you who know your basic strokes, you’ve practiced standard lowercase letters, and you’re ready to be creative and move on to uppercase letters!
This is the final installation of a 3-part series on the basics of calligraphy. In each part, I curate the best calligraphy resources for beginners. I learned calligraphy while nursing my child and during my breaks at work, and I want you to be able to pick up this fun hobby during your busy schedule, too! The resources I have collected are ones that you can consume on mute or while you are doing something tedious. If you are just joining me, be sure to check out the following resources:
Uppercase is a bit more challenging because there is so much variation. This is where you can have fun as a lettering artist and find your own style; but as a beginner, it may be overwhelming to see so many different alphabet styles. Here are five resources to help you get started on uppercase letters. The fourth one is particularly good for those of you who are looking for ways to vary your lettering style!
Resource 1: Loveleigh Loops
That’s right, twins Jillian and Jordan are featured again! I’m telling you, they have amazing calligraphy resources. Check out their awesome videos on YouTube and Instagram (@loveleighloops). I love this video because it shows two different styles of lettering in one video. In it, they swap between a Kuretake brush pen and a Pentel sign pen. For those of you who are lettering on a budget, remember that you can also do the job with a basic Crayola marker!
Resource 2: How to Hand Letter
I love how short this video is. This is perfect for those of you who don’t have a lot of time to watch tutorial videos. I will say that it is a bit bleached out and the angle is not that great, but I think it still does the job of showing you the movement of each letter. This calligrapher’s YouTube channel and Instagram (@howtohandletter) are also quite helpful!
Resource 3: Veronica Letters
Chances are you’re mostly learning calligraphy with markers and pens and not even worrying about brushes and paints just yet — THAT’S FINE. What I love about this video is that it runs through the uppercase alphabet in big, bold strokes and makes it easy for you to follow the movement in a short period of time.
Resource 4: Letter Archive (@letterarchive) on Instagram
Y’all. This resource is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It is the collected work of the lettering community on Instagram. You can look through their feed to find hundreds of styles of lettering, and get inspired to find your own style! If you’re looking for a particular letter, search by hashtags: #letterarchive_[insert letter here]. For example, #letterarchive_s reveals this:
As you continue experimenting with your own style of lettering and calligraphy, be sure to give back by sharing your wild new take on the alphabet by tagging Letter Archive!
Resource #5: My Instagram Stories @nerdladydraws
I’ll be sharing muted videos of myself lettering through the uppercase alphabet! Check out my stories on Instagram. If you miss anything, I’ll feature it in my highlights under “Calligraphy 101.”
That’s it, my friends! Now go and letter your heart out! I’d love to see your work and cheer you on. DM me or tag me on Instagram with your calligraphy practice! You can do it!
The Nerd Lady 
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