Lettering Ideas if You Hate Your Own Handwriting

If you follow me on Instagram (@planonthesunrise) or have ready this blog for any period of time, you likely know that I’ve gotten into journaling. Like a lot.

I actually started journaling a few years ago as a way to deal with stress. I was also doing artwork in sketchbooks at that time- mostly drawing, painting, and using oil pastels. But lately, I’ve started combining writing and art.

I wrote an article last year about creative journaling– and that is some of what I do. Although lately, I’ve been using more art than writing in my creative journals as I go back to playing with some of the craft supplies I had in storage when my kids were little.

So, now my weekend creative time is spent doing mixed media in my various journals or working on creative journaling pages in my traveler’s notebooks. And, while I’m really enjoying the process, there’s one thing that I wish I could do better, and that’s have better handwriting.

I’ve never liked my handwriting. It doesn’t matter if I’m writing quickly or slowing my pace down, it never looks the way I want it to. I can’t seem to make the letters uniform in size and style, and it just doesn’t look like neat writing.

Lately, I’ve been using my Learn Calligraphy Happy Planner to practice handlettering each day, as I said I would when I reviewed that Happy Planner in this prior post. And, while I think I’m getting a little better with handlettering, my overall handwriting is still not what I’d like it to be.

I’m not a fan of pushing for perfection. In fact, art is not about perfection, but instead about embracing imperfections. So, I still use my own handwriting in my journals (as you’ll see below). But, when it comes to writing titles or phrases, I find myself looking for help.

Luckily, I’ve found some work arounds. So, if you’re like me, I’m hoping you’ll appreciate having some alternatives to dress up the lettering in your creative journals.

12 Lettering Solutions for the Handwriting Challenged

There are so many ways to incorporate pretty and neat lettering in your journal.  Below are just a few ideas that have worked for me.

Easy Hacks

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Type and Print– The easiest thing to do is to type out what you want to write in your journal, print it out, cut into strips, and glue it onto your page. My favorite is to use a newspaper font like Courier. But, I’ve also used other fonts that look like cursive handwriting, depending on the project. Try different font sizes, colors, and even highlighted backgrounds to make the letters look different. To make them stand out, outline them with fineliners, distress the edges with distress inks, or mount them onto other paper to create a background.

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Stickers– Instead of printing out your own typed wording, you can always just use word or phrase stickers. Planner sticker books often have words that you can use in your journal. And, there are tons of stickers made specifically with phrases for journaling. If you are using your journal for scripture or faith journaling, there are lots of stickers you can find with bible phrases. Or, you can add a sticker for the first letter of each word and write out the rest of the word in your own handwriting. Below is a very popular sticker book that I have loved using for my journals. It’s basically two sets of the same phrases with one set in black in on white stickers and the other in white ink on black stickers. (#Ad)

Stamps– Whether you have a set of alphabet stamps and use the letters to stamp words onto your page or you have stamps with words or phrases on them, rubber and acrylic stamps are an easy way to get some pretty lettering onto your page. Try using different colored ink pads to make your pages more interesting. One tip is to be sure that your ink will not bleed through your journal paper (this happens with really liquidy inks or on journals with thin paper). I try to remember to stamp on cardstock or other types of paper and then glue those into my journal pages to prevent bleed through to the other side. You can also add embossing powder to your stamped words to make them stand out. Here are a couple of stamp sets that work well for journaling. (#Ad)

Trace or Copy– I am not the best when it comes to lettering on my own, but when I can see how someone else has done their lettering, I can usually copy it pretty well. (This page was inspired by a similar page by _____. Check them out on Instagram @____). You can also use tracing paper to get a similar effect. Search Instagram or Pinterest for lettered art pages- they always have something really pretty and inspiring.

Label Maker– I have been using a Brother Label Maker for years to label things in my pantry and organize my holiday decorations. It’s really functional but doesn’t make for interesting journal pages. So, I recently got into the old kind of labeling I remember from my childhood- a Dymo label maker. This manual label device basically embosses letters onto adhesive plastic tape strips. The tapes come in lots of different colors, and they’re very easy to switch out. I’m labeling things that I want to display with my Dymo label maker, and it makes for really neat-looking lettering in my journals. Here’s the Dymo I’m using. (#Ad)

Canva– If you’re interested in printing out really neat lettering with cool backgrounds, Canva is your best friend. You can choose a variety of different sizes, backgrounds, and fonts. Just download your creation and print it in color for your journal page.

Stencils – I really like using stencils for titles. I got this from my old scrapbooking days (which I wrote about in this prior post). Stencils provide a uniform and neat way to outline and color in letters. Depending on the stencil, you can also try to cut them out with scissors and glue them onto your page. Here are some that would look nice in a journal. And, they’re so inexpensive, you can get a pack of them for very little and have lots of lettering options like with this pack here (#Ad).

Ransom Note Style– Cutting out letters from a variety of papers and gluing them onto your page to make words and phrases makes for an interesting lettering layout. The important thing to do is make sure that each letter has a distinct font and color. I have cut letters from magazine, catalogs, and those value coupon packs I get in the mail. Although it’s a little time-consuming, it makes for a distinctive look.

Hacks for Improving Your Handwriting

Practice– this is obviously the first one. I’m finding that, although it’s been slow-going, I am slowly improving each day I practice my handlettering. So, grab a handlettering workbook, some brush pens, and start practicing. Below is one of the handlettering books that I’ve used and enjoyed. (#AD)

Try Writing Differently– I know, easier said than done. What I mean by that is to try writing in a different way. Sometimes writing in differently can make you write more carefully and neatly. So, if you don’t like your cursive, try writing in block script. Or, try writing in all capital letters rather than capitalizing the first word in a sentence and writing in lower case for the rest of the words. Another thing to try is to write in a larger or smaller size than your normal handwriting. You can also try writing in a thinner or thicker font. Change it up and see if you like that way of writing better.

Different Pens– Sometimes a different pen will change my writing for the better. See what works for you. If you like a smoother feel to your pen, you might want to try a fountain pen. Gel pens are always popular, but see what pen size works best for you. Some people like a thick pen stroke and will only use 0.7 (medium) or 1.0 (broad) pen sizes, while folks who prefer a thinner stroke will go with 0.5 (fine) or 0.38 (extra fine). The same goes for brush pens. A Tombow dual tip brush pen has a very flexible nib that can be hard to control. If you have difficulty with the pen strokes on a Tombow, try a more firm and smaller brush nib like on the Pental Sign Pens. (#Ad)

Line with Pencil– I find that when I don’t have lines, I inevitably write my journaling on a slant. It doesn’t look neat and leaves me unhappy with my pages. This is why I try to write on dot grid or lined paper. But, when I’m working in my art or creative journals, I will often use gesso or paints to create background that hide the dots or lines on the paper. When that happens, I try to use a ruler to create even lines with pencil. Even professional calligraphers lightly use pencil markings to ensure they are writing in a neat, straight line. If you’re worried about not having evenly spaced lines, try a lined stencil like this one. (#Ad)

I hope this has given you some ideas for using letters and words in your journals that you’ll be proud to show off and look back on. Do you have some lettering hacks? Share them in the comments below!

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** Image of writing in cover graphic found on Canva.

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