Swish and Flick - The Art of Brush Lettering

Have you ever noticed how modern brush lettering has gained a surge in popularity recently? Everywhere you turn, you are likely to see an example of the art.

From adorning book covers and magazines, brush lettering projects and workshops, artworks on Etsy and hundreds of dedicated artists on Instagram, the calligraphic style has won the hearts of many art lovers through its casual and spontaneous form of writing.

Despite being in trend late last year, the art style does not appear to be dwindling down anytime soon, with local and international brands merging various modern brush lettering styles into their fashion styles to display a sense of originality through the art’s hand-written techniques and elements found in each letter.

But what exactly is brush lettering?

Brush lettering is essentially an art which uses paintbrushes to write words and letters. It is similar to traditional Chinese calligraphy except the letters and words follow the English alphabet.

Though it sounds simple, you will be surprised to find it being more complicated than it appears. Do not expect to just pick up a brush and perfect the art straight away because there are various skills you need to learn to get the results you want. There are many types of brushes that can be used to do brush lettering, and each brush creates different looks and has their own lettering characteristics.

Due to the form’s casual and spontaneous style, brush lettering has been widely perceived as cool, glamourous and even a chic form of art. The practice has successfully created a beautiful connection between words and designs, with the letters formed breaking down into their respective shapes and textures.

Why is the calligraphic style so popular?

“I think that brush lettering is on the rise because of its carefree, spontaneous and contrast look. It’s a refreshing style when a person is used to neatness and order in art and typography,” said Taylor’s University School of Architecture and Design student, Crystal Koh Chew Yee, 21, who had been practising her skills with the art by participating in numerous local lettering workshops for the past six months.

Koh added that when she first got into the lettering, she was drawn to it as the writing style was slightly different compared to traditional forms of calligraphy.

“I wanted to learn the practice but I also wanted freedom to create my own style of lettering. So, brush lettering was perfect for me!” she said.

For Faculty of Design Innovation student from Sunway University, Ng Yu Heng, 21, he liked brush lettering because it's an art which enable people to escape from their lives hectic schedules.

“We are constantly bombarded with a lot of things, whether it is work or life problems, so it's good to find something that could take your mind off things for a while.

"Not only does brush lettering provides you with the opportunity to build new creative skills but also present the chance to set aside our smartphones and other problems and just create,” he said.

For freelance calligrapher, Dayang Hazirah binti Nazim, who had been gaining recognition for her amazing calligraphy skills through her respective Instagram account, she had always been attracted to the concept of brush lettering as it involved the interplay of different letters.

“I found letters to be so beautiful. They have this extraordinary ability to be melted and moulded into one another naturally.

"The best of part of brush lettering is that you can twist, bend, stretch and stylize the letters in seemingly infinite ways. If it is done correctly, the words will still hold to their meaning. Figuring how to combine each letter yet still have visual balance is one of the highlight of brush lettering,” she said.

Whether brush lettering is an art which will fade across time as just like other trends and phases, the art style has spoken to the heart of numerous art lovers and even touched the feelings of those outside the art community.

It proves that art does not only connect colours, shapes and textures but also connect us all to the common thread between us, which is our hearts and emotions.

#features #articles #ALTMagazine