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I’m sure you know by now that I find the practice of basic strokes very important. The reason for this is the fact that they will help you as you begin to create your letters!

Let’s get started! All you need is a Crayola marker and some blank paper.
The first basic stroke that we are going to focus on is the circle. You may be thinking it’s just an “o”, but it is the base of a lot of letters in the alphabet!

Start out your lettering practice with a half page of the “o” basic stroke. Don’t skip this part because it will help warm up your hand! You can do other basic strokes as well if you want extra credit (and practice). Don’t forget to hold the marker at an angle! You want those thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes (tired of hearing that yet?).

Okay, now that you’ve practiced here are some letters that you can start building with this “o” basic stroke:

a, b, c, d, e, g, o, p, and q.

In the picture above I tried to show the various strokes that each letter is made out of. Your lettering style may look different than mine, but you can use this example as a guide to building your own alphabet. The great thing about lettering is that everyone’s writing is unique and beautiful in its own way! Don’t worry about your letters looking like mine, just focus on creating your own unique alphabet!
NOTE: b and p will have the thick downstroke on the right side rather than the left, which is a little bit of a different basic stroke that you may need to practice as well!

I would advise you that if you are feeling overwhelmed or annoyed with these letters to pick ONE letter to focus on this week and practice that letter only. You can create the letter various ways or work to get it exactly how you envision it in your mind. Don’t forget the importance of practicing your basic strokes so that your letters will look beautiful! I can’t wait to see your letters – if you post to Instagram please tag me (@lysstyler.letters) on your practice!

What’s next?!
Get Started Working on Letter Connections

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