Here we are at the letter X in our month of hand lettering practice, March has got it’s running shoes laced up and is zooming by.

I decided at the end of February that I wanted to do some hand lettering and didn’t really know where to start, so I thought I would write and draw a letter every day in March. So, I did, and some fab folks have joined me and we are having quite the lettering party at #GirlFifteenLetters over on Instagram! Many many wonderful ideas are pouring forth, and I have learnt so much and been so inspired by just spending a few minutes a day drawing letters and checking out everyone else’s lettering too.

I am also participating in Made Vibrant‘s ‘Meet Yourself March’ challenge and lettering all kinds of words and phrases for that. To think that I have a sketchbook full of words, letters and ideas is a great thing and I love to look through what I have accomplished and look forward to doing more through to the end of March and onwards!
Here are a few things I have learnt along the way –

1. Colour is a good thing, especially when it is in the form of a brilliant vibrant Koi brush pen, but I concentrate better with a fine line Micron pen than with anything else, they just seem to hone my focus.

2.  Make sure your spelling is correct!

3. Some days the ideas just don’t flow, but we will practise anyway.

4. If you keep at it, every so often a really good idea will pop up, often on a regular basis.

5. If your lines go astray, just colour the whole thing in!

6. Don’t be afraid to give it a go, if it doesn’t turn out the masterpiece you had planned, have another go.

7. Try, try try again.

8. Keep a sharp pencil and a clean eraser.

9. Leave your pen a little longer to dry, erasing the pencil line too soon can leave a less than attractive smudge which will not be erased.

10. Micron Pens dry much quicker than Papermate Flair pens (I found this out the smudgy way).

11. Go wild, mess about – draw, draw over, use tracing paper, draw in the letters and around the letters, you can’t do it wrong!

12. Keep a little sketchbook with you and by your bed, you never know when inspiration will whack you around the head and demand to be recorded. Don’t forget to keep a pencil with that notebook.

Please don’t think it is too late to join in Girl Fifteen Letters, the original post and list of letters and prompts is here.  You can pick up today or tomorrow or anytime!  When we run out of letters, we are going to work on words and phrases, so that should be a fun last lettering week of the month.

Let’s draw and paint and create!