5 romantic ideas for Valentine's lettering

Say it with words

Valentine's Day is a wonderful opportunity to get lettering and express yourself through calligraphy or even just handwriting. A hand-written note can demonstrate how you feel more honestly than typed text, and the sweeps and swirls of calligraphy can bring an added romantic edge.

So how do you bring some lettering into your Valentine's Day cards or to any romantic project? In the videos below, Andra from @adadletters has taken some of the prompts from the love song Pen Pusher Challenge and applied a range of different styles you can try for yourself. 

1. Use metallics on black

Metallic inks can look great on white paper but transport them to a dark background and they really shine. Pair that up with with some floral doodles to add an extra pretty touch.

2. Frame your lettering

Placing your lettering within a boundary draws the eye to your work and can give it more emphasis. This is an excellent option when creating the front of a greetings card, for instance, as it gives the design a strong focal point. In this video below, Andra uses the base of an interesting shaped object to create an unusual frame.

3. Doodle floral elements

Calligraphy on its own has a sense of beauty, but you can elevate this further by combining it with other artistic elements. Flowers are so entwined with romance and Valentine's Day that they make wonderful additions to any love-themed lettering. In the video below, Andra combines this with the framing trick from above, using a Post-It note as a mask to create a clear area for the sentiment. Again, this would make a wonderful greetings card!

4. Get creative with colour and shadow

Another way to bring more depth and impact to your lettering is to play with colour and shadows. Water-based brush markers like the Tombow Dual-Brush pens and Kuretake Fudebiyori blend easily and there are several ways to achieve colour-changing effects. In this video, Andra transfers some ink from a dark violet to a piece of plastic and then uses the tip of a lighter violet to pick up the darker ink. As she writes, the dark ink is gradually used up, grading the colour from dark to light.

Adding a light shadow to the lettering with a light grey brush pen only serves to add further depth and really make the calligraphy pop!

5. Keep it simple

All the bells and whistles above are excellent for trying different techniques and having fun with your lettering. There's something honest about keeping things simple too, putting the focus firmly on the flow of your lettering and the truth of your words.