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Hand Lettering - Bounce Lettering

Bounce Lettering

Calligraphy, which contrasts thin and thick strokes within letters and words, is particularly popular with hand letterers. The faux calligraphy technique uses simple fineliners to imitate the effect of calligraphy. There are a couple of rules you will need to follow to ensure that your end result looks good! We show you how to conjure up faux calligraphy hand lettering easily using pigment liners.

Lea

An article by Lea

Bounce Lettering Step 1

When you’re creating traditional hand lettering script, you stick closely to the ascender line, x-height and descender line and your letters don‘t extend beyond them.

Bounce Lettering Step 2

With bounce lettering you let the letters “dance.” To achieve this, it’s important to distinguish between upward and downward strokes, because in the next step you’ll need to take them higher or lower to achieve the bounce effect.

Bounce Lettering Template
Bounce Lettering Step 3

To create the bounce effect, let the upwards and downwards strokes of individual letters extend beyond the guide lines.

Bounce Lettering Step 4

To ensure that your lettering looks good when it’s finished, it’s important that each word is balanced. It’s helpful here to make sure the middle section (the x-height, between the first and third guide lines) is always or mostly full, and that you are only deviating above and below this section.

Material overview

Bounce Lettering Material

What you need

ProductArticle no.Quantity
pigment liner 308 Fineliner - STAEDTLER box containing 8 pigment liner black in assorted line widths (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2, 0.3-2.0) 308 SB8 1
Mars® Lumograph® 100 Drawing pencil - Single product HB 100-HB 1

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