Hand lettering doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a hand-lettered greeting card or sticker in Procreate using simple shapes, loose florals, and playful lettering that feels handmade and ready for licensing, print-on-demand, or your own product line.
Watch the Tutorial
This episode is part of my iPad Art Breaks series, where I share approachable digital art tutorials that help you build your style and create artwork people love to buy. You can watch the full tutorial on YouTube, or keep reading below for the full step-by-step breakdown.
HOW TO HAND LETTER A QUOTE CARD IN PROCREATE
This is one of my favorite ways to stop wasting finished artwork, start thinking in collections, and move from one-off designs into more professional, sellable projects.
Step 1: Choose a Simple Word or Phrase
If you’re new to lettering, start with a single word before tackling a longer quote. Standard greeting card phrases like Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary are great additions to a licensing portfolio.
Step 2: Sketch Loose Lettering Guides
Draw simple guide lines to help position your words. Don’t worry about perfect spacing. The goal is to create a layout with personality.
Step 3: Build Letters from Shapes
Instead of writing in cursive, construct each letter from circles, lines, and simple forms. Thinking in shapes creates more consistent lettering and makes editing much easier.
Step 4: Arrange the Composition
Resize, move, and rearrange words until the composition feels balanced. The lettering should become the foundation for everything else you’ll add.
Step 5: Sketch Supporting Illustrations
Add loose florals or simple illustrations around the lettering. These elements support the message without competing for attention.
Step 6: Define the Lettering Thickness
Using the Dual Pencil brush from the free Everything Bagel Brush Set, define the thickness of each letter before final inking. Test the brush size using the smallest loops in your lettering so every stroke feels balanced and consistent throughout the composition.
Step 7: Ink the Lettering and add Loose Florals
Once you’re happy with the lettering thickness, switch to the Rough Inking Brush and ink the lettering on a new layer. Then ink the florals, stems, and leaves with loose, confident strokes, adding only a few simple details to keep the artwork playful and handmade.
Zoom out, make small composition adjustments, add simple flower and leaf details, and refine overlaps where needed.
Step 9: Create Color Variations
Duplicate your artwork before experimenting. Try different backgrounds, lettering colors, and floral palettes until you discover the strongest version.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Hand lettering is one of the most versatile skills you can add to your illustration toolkit. Whether you’re creating greeting cards, stickers, calendars, or licensing artwork, a playful handmade style can help your work stand out while still feeling approachable.
Script Lettering Class
- Learn the foundations of beautiful hand lettering with step-by-step lessons designed for beginners and illustrators.
- Build confidence with script, spacing, flourishing, and composition inside the full Script Class in The Studio.
