Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from pointed pen calligraphy and whip out a regular pen to create some hand-lettering! This post provides you with the tools and inspiration to create a TPK original hand-lettering style: The George.
I was recently asked which TPK hand-lettering style is best for beginners. Without a doubt, it’s the George. With its simple, easy-to-understand letter formations, making George Style lettering allows new hand-letterers to foster a love for the art from the very beginning. This month, TPK is celebrating eight years of George Style lettering with a free uppercase exemplar, a mini tutorial, and plenty of photo inspiration!
George Style lettering is a TPK original style that features straight, clean lines with a hint of quirk and artistry. It’s an excellent go-to for cards, envelope art, place cards, and any other project that seeks to make a bold statement with clear readability.
George Style lettering acts as my palette cleanser, especially after working extensively with flourished script calligraphy (which I’ve been doing a lot this past week). Its clean and hyper-legible nature offers a refreshing change. You might be wondering how I came up with the name. The truth is, after naming so many calligraphy styles after women, I thought it would be nice to pivot with something masculine. Thus, “George” came about. It’s a sturdy, reliable, and approachable name — just like this lettering style.
TPK’s 13-page George Style Hand Lettering Worksheet begins by showing you how to form all of the George Style characters at a glance with a “cheat sheet” exemplar. The step-by-step exemplar is excellent for keeping at hand for when you want to use George Style letters on projects.
The exemplar gives way to guided practice for all letters A-Z, a-z, and numbers. (The numbers are especially handy for writing addresses.) It also features word practice to give you guidance for writing common words and phrases.
The George Style worksheet was primarily designed for beginners in hand-lettering, providing exercises that build foundational skills. That said, it’s also popular among experienced letterers, who appreciate the opportunity to engage in hand-lettering as a form of meditation. The blend of guided practice and the therapeutic nature of lettering makes the worksheet a valuable tool for enthusiasts at all levels.
(Prefer to letter on your tablet? There’s also a Procreate version.)
If you don’t mind trying out George Style Lettering without letter formation instructions, you can download TPK’s one-page Uppercase George Style Lettering exemplar for free! It’s available here.
Here’s a mini-tutorial over how to use George Style Lettering to make a unique envelope. First, begin with three sets of three guidelines on a #10 envelope. Then, use a parallel glider or a ruler to ensure straight parallel edges for letters that feature long, skinny rectangles (like ‘H’, ‘E’, ‘N’, ‘R’, ‘Y’).
For letters that have curves (like “O”), you’ll free-hand draw. There’s no need to draw the letters in pencil first: you can dive straight in with a smudge-proof pen such as Micron. Once you’ve drawn a letter or a group of letters, add small, dense parallel diagonal lines to fill them in.
Once you’re done lettering and your ink has completely dried, erase any pencil guidelines.
Then, for the perfect finishing touch, adorn your envelope with a vintage stamp collage.
Here are some projects that I’ve enjoyed using this lettering style to create:
The number one thing I want to encourage you to do as you’re making George Style Lettering is have fun with it! Feel free to switch up the lettering a bit to make it your own; for example, in the blue envelope below, I substituted brown and red ombré colored pencil for the little diagonal lines.
I hope that you enjoy the photo inspiration in this post, the free uppercase exemplar, and — if you’re so inclined — the George Style Lettering Worksheet. Thanks so much for reading TPK, and we’ll reconvene on Friday with an inspiring tutorial to punctuate your weekend!
Warmly,
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