You’ve got a great door hanger design in front of you, a catalog of painting skills, and a desire to have fun. The only thing missing? Hand lettering!

Hand lettering on door hangers is one of the most common things I see beginner painters struggle with. So if you’ve ever looked at your brush and thought, “Why won’t my hand do what my brain wants?” you’re not alone. 

But what can take you from the idea you have in your head to a great final product? Muscle memory — it’s the secret all hand lettering artists and door hanger makers know for creating beautiful designs they feel confident about. 

Today, we’re going to walk through what painter’s muscle memory really is, why it matters, and how simple, consistent practice can make a huge difference in your door hangers. 

What Is Muscle Memory?

Muscle memory is what allows your hands to do familiar tasks without overthinking, like brushing your teeth or tying your shoes. Think about how you type without looking at your keyboard, or crocheting while watching TV. That’s your body remembering repetitive motions!

Letting is no different! When you first pick up a brush, it might feel awkward. You might second-guess every little stroke. But over time? Your hands learn what to do, and eventually, you’ll have consistent results!

Practice Makes Progress (Not Perfection)

I tell people inside the Painter’s Clubhouse all the time, “Trust the process.”
With lettering for your door hangers, that means practice, practice, practice.

What does this type of practice look like? Well, you can take it a little at a time and start with basic strokes. 

You can also try practicing on:

• Cardstock or printer paper
• Mixed media pad
• Cardboard (It mimics the feel of wood really well!)

Try painting simple words like joy, home, love, or welcome. These include upstrokes, downstrokes, and curves, and are some of the best words to practice with. Do them over and over until you feel confident with the final result! Then, you can move on to the more challenging words or phrases. 

Tools For Hand Lettering on Door Hangers

If you’ve never done hand lettering with a brush, don’t overthink it — start simple.
I recommend using a round-tipped brush with short bristles, and something to hold your paint in, like an ice cube tray. If you’re aiming for clean, uniform letters, a flat tip or filbert tip brush can help.

When you start painting, you can water down the paint just a tad so it glides better. 

You can also try using a paint pen if you find you like these better. Paint pens give a monoline look — one consistent thickness — unless you manually add in thicker strokes. 

However, I like brush lettering because paint brushes naturally create variation in line weight, which gives your lettering more personality/a more whimsical look!

Simple Hand Lettering Tips

After you get some practice in, you may find that you’re still struggling to get the look you want. This quick-tip guide is going to help you make improvements with quick wins!

• On the upstrokes: Use a light touch with barely any pressure.
• On the downstrokes: Press down more firmly to flatten the bristles, creating that signature thick stroke.
• Avoid wrist motion: Use your fingertips instead to control small movements.
• Fix bumpy strokes: Use short, gentle strokes to clean them up later.
• Mind your pressure placement: Especially when tracing templates, whether you trace inside, outside, or the center of the line changes how thick your letter looks!

Template Tracing Tips

Now you may be wondering, “Is there a template I can use to make this easier? There sure are! Templates are a beginner’s best friend — and you can find plenty of them in the Painter’s Clubhouse or from other lettering pros. 

To use them, lace graphite or carbon paper (shiny side down) under the template, like you would with a regular door hanger template. Then, trace the inside and outside of the letters so all that’s left is to trace with paint and fill in the lines!

Keep Showing Up and Practicing

No one becomes a lettering pro overnight. Whether you’re using a Crayola marker, a pencil, or a paintbrush, every bit of practice counts. Your hand is learning the muscle memory it needs to create beautiful art, so don’t stop showing up!

Want more hand lettering tips for beginners? Check out the post below where I show you a few more!