5 Common Brush Lettering Mistakes Beginners Make
So you’ve picked up a brush pen, opened your notebook, and you’re ready to start creating beautiful letters—only to find that your “o” looks wobbly and your “m” looks like a squashed caterpillar. Don’t worry—you’re not alone! Here are 5 common brush lettering mistakes beginners make (plus simple ways to fix them). Let’s turn those slip-ups into glow-ups!
1. Holding the pen too upright
All brush pens need to be held at a 45 degree angle to the paper, so that the flexible nib has room to flex in order to create the thin and thick strokes. Don't hold the pen like you would a normal ballpoint pen, tilt it back and rest it in the groove of your hand to write with the side of the nib. This will give you clean, controlled strokes and won't damage your pen nib!
2. Not lifting the pen after each stroke
Calligraphy is not cursive. Rather than writing in one continuous motion, calligraphy letters are made up of individual strokes which when pieced together in the right order gives us consistent, beautiful letters. So make sure you’re lifting your pen after each individual stroke to avoid your letters looking a little wonky!
3. Using the wrong pen
There are SO many brush pens available on the market, and some are easier than others. One of the most common pens you see on social media and in craft stores are the Tombow Dual brush pens, which are fantastic pens, however, they do have a large tip which can be difficult for beginners to handle when starting out. So if you are finding it hard to control your strokes and you're getting shaky lines, try switching to a small nibbed brush pen. My all time favourite is the Pentel Brush Sign Pens which you can purchase here (affiliate link).
4. Going too fast
Calligraphy is not meant to be a race. If you're finding your strokes are looking shaky, wonky and just not right, it could be because you are going too fast. If you're trying to copy the speed you see artists do it on social media then there's a high chance those videos are sped up, so what you're watching in 15 seconds often actually took several slow, focused minutes to create.
Slowing down gives you more control, more consistency, and (bonus!) turns the process into a peaceful, almost meditative activity.
5. Skipping the warm up
Just like a dancer stretches before going on stage, your hand and wrist need to ease into lettering too. Spending even 5 minutes on simple drills can make a world of difference in the control, consistency, and confidence of your strokes. Plus, the more you do the more muscle memory you will build making the strokes easier over time.
I have a handy free warm up worksheet available to members of my Happy Letters Club. You can download this by signing up for free.
Lastly...
Calligraphy is a beautiful, meditative practice—but it’s also a skill that comes with trial, error, and lots of “oops” moments.
Keep showing up, keep practicing, and be proud of every wobbly letter — it’s all part of your lettering journey.
Happy lettering,
