30 November Lettering Prompts (Challenge + Free Worksheets)
Foggy mornings, chilly days and warm blankets... This month just screams "curl up inside and practice your lettering and calligraphy!" We're going to make your practice easier this month with a list of daily November lettering prompts.
Use this challenge to:
Reduce the amount of time between "wanting to" practice and actually writing
Write every day (even if it's just a doodle on a piece of scrap paper)
Get ideas for crafts like Cricut projects
Explore new calligraphy styles
We're going to share a free practice sheet for every lettering style we show you!
↓ Pin it for later! ↓
>> Learn how to write November in our monthly tutorial <<
Table of Contents
30 November Hand Lettering Prompts
Here's our list of daily hand lettering prompts for the month. If you're a beginner, you can practice these in any style. More experienced calligraphers may enjoy a challenge - scroll on to see style suggestions!
Get inspired by how other people are completing each daily prompt in the Loveleigh Loops Facebook group. If you feel up for sharing, you can post your writing sample as a comment in the daily thread!
Hello, November!
Head first into fall
Rake the leaves
Community
Donuts
Warm and cozy
Fairy lights
Cappuccino
Cherry pie
Lots to be thankful for
Veteran's Day (November 11th)
Gourds galore
Be kind (World Kindness Day, November 13th)
Comfort
Bundt cake
Gathering
Take a hike (Take A Hike Day, November 17th)
Abundance
Macchiato (National Macchiato Day, November 19th)
Gobble gobble
Feast
Traditions
Cranberries (National Cranberry Day, November 23rd)
Cornucopia
Can't buy happiness (Buy Nothing Day, November 25th)
Turkey time
Pumpkin pie
Happy Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving, November 28th)
Black Friday
Gratitude
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You might also like our November calligraphy tutorial:
Lettering Styles And Tools
Out of inspiration? That will leave your lettering looking more tired than a post-turkey food coma!
If you need to re-energize things, we have you covered. Here are 3 tool and style suggestions (plus a free practice sheet for each!).
Traditional Brush Letters
Brush pens may be modern tools, but they can still create traditional compositions. Here we've written "Pumpkin pie" in the Copperplate style.
Instead of relying on the tool to create a traditional look, you can try these techniques to create a traditional-looking brush pen composition:
A 55-degree slant (characteristic of the Copperplate script)
Traditional letterforms instead of alternatives (which we'll show in a minute!)
Consistency in letter size
You achieve this uniformity by mastering the traditional basic strokes. You can practice them with our free worksheet:
Bold Brush Lettering
Small-tipped brush pens can achieve a dainty, traditional look, while larger pens have the opposite effect.
When you use a brush pen with a large, flexible tip, you're able to achieve much higher contrast between thick upstrokes and thick downstrokes.
Here is "warm and cozy" (prompt #6) written in a modern style. Can you see the contrast difference between this example and the previous one?
Try our practice sheets made for brush pens of all sizes:
Letter Variations
Below you can see the word "cranberries" (prompt #23) written in 3 different styles. Look closely and you'll see some letter variations between the different styles.
Look even more closely and you'll see letter variations within the same word! I'm referring to the middle version of cranberries (in the bounce lettering style) where the letter "r" is written two different ways.
This is allowed in modern calligraphy - even encouraged! Creating your own unique calligraphy alphabet is one of the great joys of this craft, and makes it a truly endless opportunity for creativity.
Try creating your own letter variations with our free letter variation practice sheet:
November Project Ideas
You don't have to look far for creative inspiration this month. If you're up for a challenge, see how you can work these design elements into your lettering practice:
Color: As the reds and oranges of autumn start to fade, it’s time to look for the deep, brooding hues of November’s natural landscape
Shape: Curious shapes can be found in bare tree branches, in piles of raked leaves and in the condensation that comes when you can see your breath outside
Style: While Halloween and December loom large around November, we can still pull inspiration from this humble month’s calm and coziness
Learn more about the elements of design in our guide: Lettering Composition For Beginners.
If you're looking for specific project ideas, try one of these:
Seasonal sign: Walk through Michaels or Target and you'll see countless seasonal signs with painted-on calligraphy. Try DIYing this instead of buying one!
Handwritten note: It's the perfect time of year for a handwritten thank-you note
Food labels: Label the dishes at your office potluck or your Thanksgiving dinner with handwritten folded food labels
Prompt #16 written with a pointed pen
Free Practice Sheets
Still want another practice sheet? You've got it - here are 3 more!
Thank you in calligraphy: It’s the month of gratitude! Celebrate by writing thank you cards using our thank you traceable worksheet
Calligraphy flourishes: Get an entire free flourishing course with these practice sheet
iPad Spencerian quote: Download a traceable “Journey” quote written in the Spencerian script
We have 20+ free worksheets available for instant access in our free worksheet library.
Next Steps
Which style or practice sheet in this blog was your favorite? We'd love to hear in our Facebook group! Feel free to join and meet your new calligraphy and hand lettering friends.
It's not over here - we're sharing an entire YEAR of daily prompts! Follow along with this blog series to improve your hand lettering skills day by day.
Other challenges:
December challenge - coming soon
