Hi everyone! One thing that a lot of you say you struggle with is shaky brush strokes, so I wanted to talk about how to get the right pressure for brush lettering. While learning to use pressure correctly will help you to smooth out your strokes, the most important thing to remember is that shaky strokes are normal! It takes time to train your brain and muscles to letter smoothly. So much of brush lettering comes down to the amount of pressure you put on your pen and your strokes. Pushing down hard will give you thicker strokes, and pressing as lightly as you can will give you thin strokes. 8 Tips for Getting the Pressure with Brush Pens: Make sure your hand and arm are well supported. Hold your pen at that all-important 45 degree angle! Push hard for thick downstrokes. Push as lightly as you can for thin upstrokes. Go nice and slow on your transitions. Start lifting before you reach the bottom on underturned strokes. Practice lots of drills (this helps with muscle memory... SO important!!) Expect your strokes to be shaky in the beginning – that's normal! If there's one thing I hope you take away from these tips (well, ok, I hope you take away 8 things!!) but maybe the most important is to remember that ALL brush pen strokes, thick or thin ones, WILL be shaky when you are just getting started. And that is ok!! You are teaching your brain and your body a new skill, and it takes time to train your muscles to use the right pressure. Shaky strokes are NORMAL, so don't be hard on yourself!! Try to enjoy the process (you know I am all about finding joy in creating!) and give yourself some grace as you learn. I created another mini-tutorial that gets into ALL of these in detail, and shows you exactly how I use pressure to control my strokes! Watch below: If you have questions, are looking for more tips, or could use someone to cheer you on, send me a message on Instagram and check out my Pen Tips Guide for more videos! Xoxo, Lisa PS - I have more brush pen tips articles here on my blog, too! Keep learning with How to Hold Your Brush Pen, The Best Supplies for Hand Lettering, and Blending With Brush Pens!