Free Hand Lettering Practice Sheets: G

G is for goals, and if one of your goals is to master brush lettering, you’ve come to the right place! This month, we’re looking at each letter of the alphabet one at a time and learning to form it in Brush Script. Today, we’ll practice two versions of a capital G, as well as the lowercase g and some of its embellishments. Let’s get started!

If you’re new to brush lettering, a great first step is to practice the basics: downstrokes and upstrokes. By changing the amount of pressure you apply to your brush pen, you’ll get some lines that are thicker than others, which is exactly what we want.

DRAWING A CAPITAL BRUSH SCRIPT G

As with many of the letters, there’s not just one “right” way to write a capital G. Different artists prefer different styles, and that’s perfectly okay! In fact, it’s part of what makes each person’s work unique. Here’s a look at how to form one kind of uppercase G. It’s my personal favorite, and it very much resembles the lowercase g.

The left side of the letter is a basic loop, similar to our lowercase “e.” On the right, we have a descender with a loop, which is just a downstroke that curls back up and crosses over itself.

Take a minute to practice this looping descender stroke, because it’s one you’ll be using again in several other letters, including the lowercase “g,” “j,” and “y.”

Here is another variation of the capital G that looks more like traditional cursive. The left side is an upstroke with a small loop to the left. The right side is the same stroke you were just practicing in the exercises above; the downstroke with a loop that comes back up and crosses over itself. When you combine the two sides, you get a shape that looks like this:

It’s totally up to you which “G” you prefer. Take some time to practice both, then you always have a choice when you’re lettering.

DRAWING A LOWERCASE BRUSH SCRIPT G

The lowercase letter g is formed using two shapes you’re very familiar with by now. The first is a basic oval, and the second is the same exact looping descender stroke you’ve been practicing for the capital G. Try forming them separately, then try connecting them without picking up your pen in between.

Now that you’ve mastered the simple looping descender, we get to talk about the really fun part, embellishing it! Any letter with a descender like this gives you an opportunity to add a flourish if you like. It can be as simple as continuing your loop around in a spiral, adding a tiny loop, or adding something more complex, as shown in the examples below. Play around with these shapes on the practice pages and in your sketchbook, and don’t be afraid to try some of your own ideas too!

See how different the same letter can look when we add different flourishes to the descender? Which one is your favorite? For a more in-depth look at descender flourishes, click to check out this post.

I’ve created three free printable practice pages for you today. The first two focus on both capital variations as well as the lowercase “g” and some embellishments. The third one is all about connecting the lowercase “g” to the other letters we’ve learned so far. Remember that hand lettering is different than cursive, so feel free to pick up your pen in between letters if it feels more comfortable. To use these pages, just click the link below and download them to your device. Then, print them out or upload them to your digital lettering software. Feel free to use them as often as you like for personal practice.