How a daily practice can make you a better lettering or calligraphy artist.

Have you ever been in awe of beautiful calligraphy or hand-lettering artwork and wondered how you can unlock the same creative potential within yourself? I have been there, and in this article, I will share with you tips on how you can unleash your artistic skills through daily practice and, if you do it with a challenge, it will be easier and more entertaining for you.

If you practice every day from 15 to 45 minutes, you will be able to develop your creativity and take advantage of it to improve your skills. There are several challenges on Instagram, 30 days, 100 days, monthly challenges, or the time you decide to commit to, and the results will be incredible.

Be prepared to explore different styles, be consistent, and make your practice engaging by choosing topics that inspire you. Are you ready to embark on this journey of artistic growth? Let's dive in!

Tips to carry out your challenge.

It is advisable to start with an idea or project so as not to despair along the way and give up.

Here are some ideas and tips:

Make the same word in different styles each day, you can choose the days of the week, the months of the year, cities in the world that you would like to visit, the signs of the zodiac, or positive words to name a few.

Another way is to draw one letter per day in different styles. You can fill an entire sheet with different styles of the same letter, uppercase, lowercase, and/or numbers.

Or you can do the same word in several different styles, let's say 3, 5, or 7, and then switch words and repeat these styles.

Some want to explore or improve with different tools and decide to do the challenge with the same technique or those who prefer to do it with different ones. For example, with a parallel pen, a calligraphic nib pen, a brush tip marker, or only drawn letters (Lettering).

There are many styles, look for references online, on Pinterest, or in books if you have them on hand for inspiration. Some examples are letters with serifs, letters without serifs, italics, calligraphic, squared, rounded, balloon type, etc.

You can also play with the thicknesses of each style, skinny or fat letters, tall or short, sloping, wider at the top than at the bottom or vice versa, etc. The possibilities when combining all this are endless.

Remember that by challenging yourself to practice the same word or letter in various styles and techniques, you push the limits of your creativity and explore new techniques. These exercises that allow you to experiment with different styles and techniques will help you develop your own unique style in the process.

Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something completely different. Remember, the goal is to stretch your creative muscles and expand your artistic skill set.

Experiment fearlessly, don't be hard on yourself, and accept mistakes and imperfections along the way, as they often lead to unexpected and beautiful discoveries.

By incorporating daily practice, you will not only improve your technical skills but also develop a deeper understanding of the art of lettering and calligraphy. So grab a pencil and paper, your tablet, or your favorite tool, and let your creativity flow!

To help you get inspired here is a list of some challenges that are carried out regularly on Instagram and can serve you to start your practice today!

#100DaysOfLettering
#30DaysOfLettering
#36DaysOfType
#Calivember
#100DaysProject
#LetteringStyleChallenge
#PencilLetteringChallenge

You can find many more on Instagram, as I said, some are daily, others weekly, or they are not only for calligraphy or lettering but for artists in general. Every day more artists call for this type of challenge, in which, in addition to learning, you begin to form part of a community of artists like you.

Finally, here are some exercises I did for my first 100 Days of Lettering Challenge on Instagram.

I hope this article inspires you, and you start your practice today! 😄