Basic Hand Lettering Terminology

Before you start putting pen to paper, there are few words we’ll be referencing in our video tutorial that you should become familiar with:

• Cap line – The guiding line that establishes the height for all capital letters.
• X-line – The guiding line that establishes the height for all lowercase letters.
• Baseline – The guiding line upon which the entire word or phrase sits on.
• Flourish – Flourishes are decorative strokes that can be added to letters to provide movement. It’s easy to go overboard with flourishes, so the key is to maintain balance in order to create an elegant look. Flourishes include loops and swirls.