My iPad was definitely the best thing that I’ve ever bought for my business. I remember being at a point where I had been learning calligraphy for about a year, had recently started my Etsy shop, was planning my own wedding, didn’t have a laptop, and reallyyyyyy wanted to get an iPad. Why an iPad? I could use it as a computer, which I needed, but iPad lettering was what I was really excited about!

I knew you could do a lot with iPad lettering, but until I had my own, had no idea how much I would actually use it! I honestly use my iPad almost every day. There’s many business use cases, but it’s also just so relaxing to doodle on it!

What You Need

To letter on your iPad, you need an Apple Pencil and the Procreate app! You do need to make sure that your iPad is compatible with the Apple Pencil, because it is pressure-sensitive, which is something you definitely need for lettering.

Why I Love iPad Lettering

Practice Without Waste

You can experiment endlessly - with no need to buy (and waste) new supplies. Better for the environment and for your wallet! It’s so easy to try out new colors, textures, styles, etc!

It’s Portable!

You can take it anywhere! Throw it in your bag and go letter in a coffee shop or a park. I like to bring mine when we travel; I can letter on the plane and if there’s downtime on the trip I can practice / make something without having to lug around a bunch of supplies. I have the 9.7 inch iPad Pro and I think it’s a great size for portability and function!

Easily Create Client Mock Ups

It is perfect for creating client mock ups! If I’m working on a wedding sign or other custom project, I like to take a picture of it, drop the picture in Procreate and then mock-up the lettering overtop of the photo. This way my client can get a really good idea of what the final product will look like, and we can try out a couple of different options or layouts, without ever putting pen to actual paper (or marker to sign, or paint to acrylic). Here’s an example - on the left is the mock up and on the right is the final product! Just ended up making the printed font a little bigger!

Create Digital Items and Design Elements

I also use will letter digitally for so many items - prints / printables, stickers, mugs (pretty much anything that I can get printed!), for lettering that I can then cut out on my Cricut, and for invitation design! Often I will letter names digitally for spot calligraphy on wedding invitations, or use doodles as an element. And I love just AirDropping files to my laptop to work with in Photoshop! Here’s a great example of how a design element looked on the iPad next to the final product!

Try (and make!) Different Brushes

You can try out all sorts of different brushes in Procreate to get different textures and artistic looks! There are a TON of freebies out there, along with the many that come with Procreate! You can even get “stamps” of doodles like florals or other accents so you can easily incorporate them into your designs! You can even make your own! I’ve fine tuned my basic calligraphy brush - take a look! I also have been making a ton of color palettes, which are really fun to use in different designs! Click here to check them out!

Moody Beach Sunset Color Palette for iPad Procreate

I absolutely love my iPad and highly recommend that anyone who’s interested in hand lettering get one - it’s definitely an investment but it pays off, big time! I’ve had mine since the end of 2017 and I use it a LOT and it’s still going strong. It’s been on multiple trips with me, and it’s help up great over the last few years. I did have to replace my Apple Pencil once, but that was because my dog chewed it up. Good thing he’s cute!

I am going to be sharing more iPad lettering resources moving forward. I’d love to know what you want to see! If you love iPad lettering, let’s chat - comment below or DM me on Instagram or Facebook!