1. Review the Introductory Lesson
Before we dive into Roundhand Script, let’s warm up our hands with some easy calligraphy lettering. We’re going to go back to the introduction lesson and do a line or two of the basic strokes to make sure we’re ready to go.
Step 1
Print out four or five of the practice sheets on a nice card stock or Bristol paper. This is a great base for working on calligraphy alphabets for beginners.
Step 2
Practice the basic downward stroke for one or two lines. This will help you warm up your calligraphy for the easy letters.
Step 3
Practice the basic curve stroke for one or two lines to warm up.
Okay! Now we’re ready. In this lesson, we’re going to learn a very simple calligraphy alphabet called Roundhand Script.
2. How to Make the Roundhand Script Lowercase Alphabet
Let’s take a look at the Roundhand Script alphabet. As you can see, it’s a nice blend of print and cursive lettering.
This means that you can either join your letters when you write words or leave them separate. It’s up to you. The blue arrows above show the directions of the pen strokes, and the numbers below tell you how many strokes make up each letter.
We’re going to start with the lowercase alphabet and break it up into two sections: downward stroke letters and curve stroke letters. So let’s start with the downward stroke letters.
Print out a copy of the cursive calligraphy alphabet above so that you have it handy for reference.
3. How to Make the Downward Stroke Lowercase Letters
Step 1
The letters b, f, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, x, and z all begin with a downward stroke. Some have strokes that fill up the entire height of the line, and others only reach the dashed line. Some, like the ‘f’, even reach below the bottom line.
To start, I’m going to show you broken apart letters so you can see how many strokes make up each letter. However, since it’s much harder to ink broken apart letters, we’re going to make the real ones.
You can always sketch out the letters using your pencil first to feel more comfortable. Then you can simply follow the pencil lines with your pen.
Step 2
Let’s start with the ‘h’ since it’s one of the easy calligraphy letters. Place your pen tip on the top line. Make a downward stroke all the way to the bottom line.
Lift your pen and place it just below where the dashed line and downward stroke you just made intersect. Then arc up, over to the right, and down to the bottom line, ending in a small curl up.
Voila! You have a Roundhand Script ‘h’. It’s one of the first letters to master when learning how to write a calligraphy alphabet for beginners.
Step 3
Repeat, making the letter ‘h’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it. Many letters, such as the d, f, and k, are very similar to the ‘h’. Once you have the ‘h’ down, it’s easy to see how other letters are made.
Step 4
Let’s try a harder letter: k. The ‘k’ starts the same as the ‘h’ with the downward stroke. You then put your pen tip in the same spot, just below the intersection of the dashed line and the downward stroke you just made.
This time, instead of arcing all the way down to the bottom line, you’ll curve back into the downward stroke about halfway between the dashed line and the bottom line. Then do a diagonal downward stroke to the right, ending in a little curl.
Step 5
Repeat the letter ‘k’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it.
Step 6
Slowly make your way through the rest of the curved stroke lowercase letters, using the guide of the strokes as a reference.
4. How to Make the Curved Stroke Lowercase Letters
Step 1
The letters a, c, d, e, g, o, q, u, v, w, and y all begin with a curved stroke. To start, I’m going to show you broken apart letters so you can see how many strokes make up each letter. However, since it’s much harder to ink broken apart letters, we’re going to make the real ones.
You can always sketch out the letters using your pencil first to feel more comfortable. Then you can simply follow the pencil lines with your pen.
Step 2
We’ll begin with easy calligraphy lettering, so let’s start with the ‘c’. Place your pen tip on the dashed line. Arc down and around to the right, making the majority of the letter.
Then lift up your pen and return it to the starting point. The second stroke for the ‘c’ starts at the same place but arcs down just a tiny bit.
Voila! You have a Roundhand Script ‘c’. It’s the easiest and most basic letter of any calligraphy alphabet for beginners.
Step 3
Repeat making the letter ‘c’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it. Many letters, such as the ‘e’ and ‘o’, are made up of two curved strokes that swing out and meet at the bottom. Once you have the ‘c’ down, it’s easy to see how other letters are made.
Step 4
Let’s try a harder letter: q. Make the same start to the ‘q’ as you did the ‘c’. Now, put your pen back at the starting point and draw a straight line down.
For the little connecting flourish, place your pen where the curve and downward stroke meet on the bottom line and make a slight curve upward.
Step 5
Repeat the letter ‘q’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it. The letter ‘q’ is very similar to the letters d, g, and p. So once you have this one down, you can do the rest!
Step 6
Slowly make your way through the rest of the curved stroke lowercase letters, using the guide of the strokes as a reference.
5. How to Write the Lowercase Alphabet
Now that you’ve written each letter multiple times, it’s time to put it all together and write out the calligraphy alphabet with the easy strokes you just learned.Â
6. How to Make the Roundhand Script Uppercase Alphabet
The uppercase alphabet always plays by different rules and is generally much more elaborate. The curved strokes are much bigger, and the downward strokes have a bit more flair. Besides that, the uppercase letters are just as simple to write as the lowercase.
You can always sketch out the letters using your pencil first to feel more comfortable. Then you can simply follow the pencil lines with your pen. When it comes to uppercase letters, I prefer to pencil mine out beforehand.
Step 1
Since most of the letters begin with the curved stroke, I didn’t divide the alphabet into groups. Instead, we’ll simply work our way through it, using the guide above to see how many strokes each letter is made of and what direction the strokes go. So let’s start with an easy letter.
Again, we’ll start with the letter ‘c’. Place your pen tip on the top line. Arc down and around to the right, making sure to curl back up nicely at the end.
Then lift up your pen and return it to the starting point. The second stroke for the ‘c’ starts at the same place but arcs down into the ‘c’ with a nice flourish.
Voila! You have a Roundhand Script uppercase ‘c’.
Step 2
Repeat making the letter ‘c’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it. When it comes to uppercase letters, the more flourish the better, so don’t be scared to make some big curls and sweeping lines.
As in the lowercase alphabet, many letters, such as the ‘e’ and ‘o’, are made up of two curved strokes that swing out and meet at the bottom. Once you have the ‘c’ down, it’s easy to see how other uppercase letters are made.
Step 3
Let’s try a harder letter: k. Place your pen tip on the top line and curve out and down toward the dashed line, curling up a tiny bit at the end. Go back up to the start of the curve and draw a big downward stroke to the bottom line, curling up at the end.
Place your pen tip just shy of the top line. Curl up to the top line and then down and to the left toward where the downward stroke meets the dashed line. Then, from that meeting point, arc down and to the right, ending with a curl. A bit tricky, but not too hard, right?
Step 4
Repeat the letter ‘k’ two or three times so that you get the feel of it. The letter ‘k’ is very similar to the letters b, d, f, h, i, j, p, q, r, t, u, w, x, and y. So once you have this one down, you can do the rest!
Step 5
Slowly make your way through the rest of the uppercase letters, using the guide of the strokes as a reference.
7. How to Write the Uppercase Roundhand Script
Now that you’ve written each letter multiple times, it’s time to put it all together and write out the alphabet.
8. How to Put It All Together
Let’s write something a bit more exciting! Even calligraphy alphabets for beginners can make very interesting headings, signatures, and messages.
A good way to mix uppercase and lowercase letters is to write out your name. Now, since you’ve gotten so good at Roundhand Script, let’s make you a pro!
You’ve Just Mastered the Roundhand Script!
Everyone likes to think that calligraphy is hard, but if you just break every letter down into its basic strokes, you start to see the patterns. You can always start practicing your calligraphy with the easy letters and keep going from there.
The more you practice, the easier it will be to ink the letters, and the faster you’ll be at writing. In future tutorials, we’ll learn some slightly more complicated scripts.
5 Top Roundhand Fonts From Envato Elements
You’ve learned how to write cursive letters. Next up, I’ll share with you some of the best cursive calligraphy fonts from Envato Elements.
If you’re working on multiple digital creative projects, you’ll love our subscription-based marketplace. For a low monthly fee, enjoy unlimited downloads of the best calligraphy fonts. You can also get unlimited premium fonts, graphic templates, actions and presets, and more.
Let’s see some awesome handwritten script fonts from Envato Elements:
1. Grettana Script Font (OTF, TTF)
Grettana is an elegant handwritten script font. Its clean and fresh look makes it perfect for invitations, logos, and prints. This roundhand font features ligatures and multilingual support.
2. Mitchellia Script Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)
Mitchellia is a classic and elegant roundhand font. This handwritten script font is perfect for eCommerce brands, blogs, prints, or any type of project. This roundhand font comes with stylistic sets and alternates, along with ligatures and PUA encoded characters.Â
3. Havania Script Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)
Are you looking for a roundhand font with a modern, fresh look? Havania is a great handwritten script font. See how great it looks for posters and brands.
This script font is easy to install and use.
4. Julianne Script Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)
Roundhand calligraphy can also be irregular and creative, just like this roundhand font. Julianne is a thin and modern handwritten script font, perfect for creative projects. This roundhand font includes all letters and numbers, along with symbols and multilingual support.
5. Bentang Handwriting Script Font (OTF, TTF)
Looking for a relaxed cursive calligraphy alphabet? Bentang is a great font for writing calligraphy alphabets for beginners. With this download, you get tons of glyphs, alternates, ligatures, punctuation signs, and so much more.Â
Discover More Calligraphy Font Inspiration
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial on how to write cursive letters. After seeing all these cool handwritten script fonts from Envato Elements, I’m sure you’d like to discover more awesome calligraphy fonts: