It happens to all of us! Those shaky letters show up at the worst time and ruin a perfectly good lettering piece. The good news is, you're not alone. It literally happens to everyone. Here are 3 tips that have helped me...
- Take a Coffee Break-- I love my caffeine, and spend most of my mornings sipping away on a french roast. But when I need to letter something, I take a coffee break. Anyone else get a little jittery sometimes if you've had too much caffeine? I noticed it one time when I was trying to burn the midnight oil and finish off a few signs before bed. Every time I went to write, the letters were so shaky. I finally gave it a rest and started again the next day sans coffee. I noticed a huge difference. (If you're like me and need the caffeine, sometimes tea is a little less harsh when it comes to the jitters. Personally, I feel more of a gradual increase in energy than when I drink coffee. Worth a shot if you are craving the caffeine!
- Practice, Practice, Practice- I know. Not really what you probably wanted to hear, but it's true. Practicing the basic strokes for a few minutes a day helps build muscle memory. When you're not so focused on trying to create the right curves and lines, your hand can more easily move with the letters. Grab my lettering guides here! They're great for a quick 5-10 daily practice.
- Find Your Flow- When I first started lettering, everyone said, "slow down!" to write the letters. It's great advice. Unless you're writing so slowly that you make it impossible to remove the shakes in your letters. I realized I was so focused on slowing down, that the letters didn't flow as they should. Going too fast is also not ideal, especially when you're starting out. This can cause you to form the letters incorrectly and make the legibility of the piece go down. It's going to take some time, but finding that sweet spot where the letters flow together can help smooth out your lettering.
So there you have it...3 tips to help you get those wiggles out. Don't forget to be patient with yourself. It's just like everything else thats good in life, it's going to take some time.
Keep in mind that something homemade is not going to be perfect...and that's kind of what makes it perfect. Even the best artists in the world are not going to have perfect letters all the time, and thats perfectly okay!!
If you're looking to improve your calligraphy and want to get those wiggles out...remember to try to lay off the caffeine, practice the basics, and find your flow. I can't wait to see what you create!
♡mb
PS: The pen you're using is also an important piece I don't want to leave out! For a beginner, not all pens are great when you're starting out. I recommend the Tombow Fudenosuke (hard tip). I wrote a whole blog post about it here, and you can purchase it here!
