Hand Lettering in your Bible Journaling

I absolutely love hand lettering!  It's all the rage right now and I can't scroll past 3 squares on my Instagram feed without running into a beautifully lettered piece of art.  The sad problem in that I am NOT a hand letterer (is that an actual word?  not sure…).

I know, I know.  Lettering is not the same as writing so my dreadful physician's handwriting shouldn't affect my ability to letter.  But apparently, I'm not a very good artist either.  And this, my friends, is the reason for this post.  I've discovered a way around this pesky problem!

What is Hand Lettering?

I know this definition is going to knock you over, but here goes.  Hand Lettering is to “print or write by hand”.  Wait. What?  This is different than, although often confused with, calligraphy and typography.  Here's the basic difference.

Calligraphy is a single pass of the pen/tool to write as a form of art.  Typography is writing with prefabricated, pre-written letters.  Hand lettering is actually drawing each letter with multiple strokes.

Now, for many of us, this is not an important distinction.  They all use the same basic artistic principles and honestly, most of us just want pretty words, am I right?  I do think it's good to learn the differences, but for the sake of this post, we are calling any text that is created and pretty “hand-lettered”.

Why should you want to incorporate Hand Lettering in your Bible Journaling?

See above.  It's pretty.  But more than that, there is something powerful about words.  Words evoke emotion and they are compelling reminders when paired with ideas.  Single words can be memory prompts for much longer stories.  And hand-lettered words can combine the authority of the written word with the strength of an image.

This makes it perfect for Bible Journaling.  You can use one single word as a trigger to aid in your comprehension and retention of the things God speaks to you through His Word.  Cool!

How can we add Hand Lettering to our Bible if we are terrible at it?

First of all, you can just do it!  Practice.  Practice.  Be happy with your imperfections.  Remember that you are creative.  And remember that Bible Journaling is first and foremost about the Gospel and Word of God.  It's not really about the art.  So, just write… or draw… or letter as the case may be.  Trust me, I have many, many pages in my Bible that are scribbled in with my handwriting that would not be recognized as English for many readers.  And that's OK!

If you want to get fancy, like I sometimes do, I have a little trick for you.  I've created the video below showing you the process and *spoiler* it's super easy.  As in print… trace… color.  Take a peek.

The beautiful hand-lettered words mentioned in the video are from Shawna Clingerman and can be found here.  She is super talented and I have major respect for her work.

Now, I started this post off letting you know that I am NOT a Hand Letterer, but I have created a few words for you to download for FREE if you are interested.  Note: this is typography, not hand lettering, but it'll still be great practice!  And pretty words are pretty words.

Want more?  You can purchase these Grace Word Sets for $2.00 each!  So.much.fun!

              

If you try this on your own, you know I'll want to see!  Or maybe this is old hat for you and you have some better ideas.  Shoot those to me as well!  Tag me on Social Media (@gracencolor) or contact me anytime.

Have a lovely week and get into the Word of God today.

Jen