Script Capital Letters by Darla Hagensick
There’s hardly anything prettier than a persons initials lettered by hand. It’s always been a
popular practice to place them on anything of value and because of this they become valu-
able themselves. One of the most interesting things about freehand capital letters is that
they seem to take on the personality of the artist. They become as individual as your own
fingerprint. When beginning to learn the capital letters it would be wise to try to adhere to
and replicate the sample alphabet sheet as close as possible. Try to make each letter look
exactly as described. As you advance and become more comfortable with the general shape
of each letter you will find it impossible not to take your own artistic liberties and you will de-
velop a series of capital letters with very own style. The art of hand lettering is yours for the
taking all it takes is practice!!
This is a sample sheet of a script alphabet that has stood the test of time.
It’s very quick to letter and works perfectly for a t-shirt artist. This would be
the very barest of alphabets and it leaves ample room for your own varia-
tion. There are many ways to make the same letter but these are the sim-
plest and work well for me. You will notice that none of these letters have
been double stroked. It’s important to learn the basic shape of your letters
without the hindrance of double stroking in the beginning of your lessons.
Stand tall and straight good posture is a must for pretty lettering.
Pay special attention to spacing; I think proper spacing is the most impor-
tant aspect of good hand lettering and probably the most difficult part of
lettering to learn. Capital letters as a general rule look best if severely over
emphasized this makes them large and bold. You will have to allow at least
double spacing or more to accommodate them.
If you’re striving for perfection loosen up!! Practice diligently knowing full well that there is no perfection in hand lettering. Try to
spot faults in your early practice and correct them before they become habit. If you memorize the proper shape of each letter and
space correctly you can create the illusion of a perfectly lettered word. As long as you make each of your brush strokes harmoni-
ous and graceful no one will find fault and instead you will gain praise. I believe it’s worth the effort and I encourage you to begin
your practice soon.
The letter “A” a perfect place to start!!
The most important part of this letter in the s-hook slanted leg. The very top of this
brush stroke is critical because if you don’t have the hook to catch hold of you’re in
a world of trouble making the straight leg down. The red marks show where I start
each letter and they help show how important this hook is. The brush strokes it takes
to make the letter “A” are also the ones you use to make the letters “M” and “N”. This
is a piece of important information you will need to remember it as you advance in
your lettering skills. There are many times you will need a good thick and thin alpha-
bet and these three letters (in script or bold) are the only ones that start out with a
thin line on the left hand side. They spell a word, which makes them even easier to
remember “M”A”N”.
Start your letter with the small s-hook, bringing it down and swooping it into a pretty
oval. Pay special attention to this oval it needs to be a pretty one coming all the way
to the top of your letter. In previous articles you learned that each letter in script is made up of only ovals and straight lines. This is
a perfect example of three letters that use a combination of both. Return to the top of the letter, catching onto the hook, make a
straight leg down, taking the stroke back to the center left side and straight across horizontally. The “M” and the “N” are a continu-
ous up and down stroke until the letter is completed.
I’ve also given some examples of ovals, lines, and dagger strokes that you will be using to complete the letters. I strongly advise you
to practice sharp dagger strokes, as they are very important in the outcome of your script lettering.
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