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Hand Lettering Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Vomela

Sign Shop Painter/Finisher

Franklin Park, IL · On-site

$23/hr

... to custom cut lettering, fabricated structures and hardware made of wood, steel, aluminum ... Fill cracks, holes and imperfections, sand by hand, pneumatic, electric, drum and belt sander.

Vomela

Sign Shop Painter/Finisher

Franklin Park, IL · On-site

$23/hr

... to custom cut lettering, fabricated structures and hardware made of wood, steel, aluminum ... Fill cracks, holes and imperfections, sand by hand, pneumatic, electric, drum and belt sander.

All JobsHand Lettering JobsHand Lettering Jobs in Illinois

Hand Lettering information

See Illinois salary details

$9

$16

$23

How much do hand lettering jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 1, 2026, the average hourly pay for hand lettering in Illinois is $16.85, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $13.99 and $18.85 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges hand lettering artists face when working on client projects?

Hand lettering artists often encounter challenges such as interpreting a client's vision accurately, managing revisions, and meeting tight deadlines. Balancing creative expression with brand guidelines or specific client requirements can be demanding. Additionally, hand letterers must ensure their work translates well across various mediums, such as digital and print, which sometimes requires adapting their techniques or using specialized software.

What can I do with hand lettering?

A hand lettering artist can create custom designs for branding, signage, greeting cards, and decorative art. This role often involves working with tools like pens, brushes, and digital software, and may require a portfolio to showcase skills for freelance or employment opportunities.

What is the average salary of a calligrapher?

The average salary of a calligrapher varies depending on experience, location, and whether they work freelance or for a company. Typically, calligraphers earn between $20,000 and $50,000 annually, with skilled professionals or those with a strong portfolio potentially earning more. Many also supplement income through workshops, commissions, or selling their work.

What is hand lettering?

Hand lettering is the art of drawing letters by hand, rather than using pre-existing fonts or typefaces. Unlike traditional calligraphy, which relies on specific strokes and tools, hand lettering focuses on creating custom letterforms and unique designs for each piece. Artists often use pencils, pens, markers, or brushes to craft decorative words or phrases for things like signs, invitations, logos, and artwork. Hand lettering allows for a high level of creativity and personalization, making each project unique.

What is the difference between Hand Lettering vs Calligraphy?

AspectHand LetteringCalligraphy
Skills & TechniquesDrawing and designing custom letterforms by hand, often with digital toolsCreating decorative, stylized writing with specific brush or pen strokes
Tools & MaterialsPencils, markers, digital tabletsBrush pens, dip pens, ink
Work EnvironmentDesign studios, freelance, digital platformsArt studios, wedding invitations, formal events
Industry UsageBranding, logos, custom artworkWedding invitations, certificates, formal documents

While both Hand Lettering and Calligraphy involve beautiful lettering, Hand Lettering focuses on creating custom letterforms through drawing and design, often combining digital and traditional tools. Calligraphy emphasizes stylized writing with specific strokes and tools, typically used for formal or decorative writing. Understanding these differences helps clients choose the right artist for their project.

Can you make money hand lettering?

Hand lettering can be a profitable career or side income for skilled artists, especially through freelance work, selling custom pieces, or creating products like prints and signage. Success depends on skill level, marketing, and building a client base, with many artists earning income by offering services or selling their work online or locally.

What careers use handwriting analysis?

Careers that use handwriting analysis include forensic document examiners, who analyze handwriting for legal cases, and graphologists, who assess personality traits for employment or psychological evaluations. These roles require strong attention to detail, knowledge of writing patterns, and often certification or training in document examination or graphology.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Hand Lettering Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Hand Lettering Artist, you need a strong foundation in typography, drawing skills, and design principles, often supported by a portfolio of creative work. Familiarity with digital illustration tools like Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, and traditional materials such as brush pens and paper is typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and patience are essential soft skills for producing unique and polished lettering pieces. These skills and qualities are important because they enable artists to create visually appealing and professional work that meets client or project needs.
What are popular job titles related to Hand Lettering jobs in Illinois? For Hand Lettering jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:
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What cities in Illinois are hiring for Hand Lettering jobs? Cities in Illinois with the most Hand Lettering job openings:
Hand Lettering jobs near you
Infographic showing various Hand Lettering job openings in Illinois as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 56% Full Time, 24% Part Time, and 20% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $35,053 per year, or $16.9 per hour.
Sign Painting/ Hand Lettering

Sign Painting/ Hand Lettering

Hasana, Inc.

Chicago, IL

Part-time

Posted 6 days ago

Job description

Company Description

The Aparecio Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was designed as an economic development strategy to lift women out of poverty and as a community development approach to build the leadership capacity of low-income women. The Aparecio Foundation provides academic support and scholarship programs for hih-potential, low-income women in public high schools hrough an eight-year multiple-mentor program.

The culture of Aparecio Foundation is characterized by an informal and laid back environment, where employees work independently and in teams to develop and carry out effective organizational structure and work processes. Employees are driven through self-motivation and passion for the not-for-profit sector. Through the development of quality services to the enhancement of the organization's goals and objectives employees are able to use their strengths and skills the best ways they can! Therefore Aparecio Foundation employees are given freedom to be creative and energetic in performing their tasks and duties as professionals in their respective field of expertise.



Please note that this is an unpaid internship.
Job Description

As a sign painter you will be responsible for painting different logos of the company on the windows. You will be working with photographers and work will be displayed openly.

  • Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
  • Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, in order to produce desired effects such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
  • Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
Qualifications

A passion for women's economic opportunities
Excellent command of the English language
Proven ability to work to stringent deadlines
Ability to work as part of a team or autonomously
Ability to work in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment with competing deadlines and priorities.
Integrity, honesty, openness and a willingness to operate as a team player

Additional Information
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Apply