How to Draw the Alphabet in Cool Letters
Everyday and everywhere, you are surrounded by letters and written messages. From logotypes to posters, billboards, t-shirts or book covers, letters not only tell a story just evoke certain emotions as well. What if, instead of using an already existing font, you could depict cute hand lettering that's total of personality?
Even if yous've already dipped your toes into the space universe of manus lettering, or you've thought near trying it out just weren't sure where to start, you lot are in the right place! We're going to have a look at the essentials that you need to kickoff this wonderful journey of hand lettering.
I've been paw lettering for a little over a year, and it all started when a weekly claiming popped up on Instagram and I decided to enroll. I previously played around with calligraphy, but I wasn't really sure what the divergence betwixt that and hand lettering was. I had naught experience, never taken a form, never watched someone practice it alive. I just thought it would be fun—and it was! Since and then, I've been lettering almost daily, and learning this skill has been one of the best things I've ever washed!
By the stop of this article, you lot'll know the nuts of paw lettering and have the conviction to create your own pieces!
What is paw lettering?
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Many people out at that place misfile hand lettering, calligraphy, typesetting and type blueprint and use the term "type" or "typography" to refer to all of these.
Type pattern
Blazon design is the process of making typefaces which all of us tin use. A type designer creates systems of letters, making sure that all messages of the alphabet piece of work together in endless combinations.
Typesetting simply ways arranging type that's been created by a type designer in a given layout. This might be as uncomplicated as a blackness and white newspaper or equally complex as a typography-driven brochure.
Back in the day, this was done by hand. Today, nosotros exercise it all on a calculator.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is flawless, gorgeous handwriting. After many years of practice, calligraphers use muscle memory to perfect their manner so that the next time they gets commissioned to create a wedding invitation, for example, they can perfectly write all the copy on the first try. Although hand lettering often imitates calligraphy, the process behind the 2 is very different.
Manus lettering
Finally, mitt lettering is the fine art of drawing messages and can take on many shapes and sizes, from traditional-looking letters to intricate, detailed and not-and so-obvious looking ones. This can be done in any way, on whatsoever material, with whatsoever media.
Fifty-fifty though there are no rules in mitt lettering, there are still guidelines that we need to take into consideration.
How to get-go paw lettering
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Before we start, let'south have a quick look at how hand lettering can be used. Yous might be surprised to see but how many ways there are to utilise this art form!
1. Get your tools
You don't need any fancy tools to be a mitt-letterer. When I started to get into lettering, I thought I needed the about expensive and professional pens, judging past all those super-duper shots from Instagram. I bought a agglomeration of brushes and pens which I probably used… five times?
The only tools you will truly use are a pencil, paper, eraser and ruler. If you want your lettering to await calligraphic, consider using the proper calligraphic tools (such every bit brush pens or nibs), merely yous can do but fine without (more on that later).
If you lot want to bring your lettering in the digital medium, there are a few ways to brand information technology happen. To first digitally from scratch, utilise a graphic tablet or an iPad Pro and Apple tree Pencil to describe. Or scan your slice, and edit information technology in Photoshop or Illustrator by using the built-in tracing selection or past tracing information technology yourself using the Pen tool.
ii. Know near letter of the alphabet construction and relation
Guidelines are very important in the process of cartoon letters. They aid yous keep your letters in proper proportion and then they'll have a harmonious relationship between one another.
The ascender line shows how long the ascender of a lowercase letter should be (like l, h, b). The cap height is the acme of an upper-case letter letter. The 10-top is the meridian of a lowercase letter and the line that holds the crossbar. The baseline is where all letters residue. The descender line shows how long the descender of a lowercase alphabetic character should exist (like p, j, 1000).
In some cases, you lot'll take to slightly ignore these guides and make some optical adjustments.
Here is a technique I've learned from Martina Flor. No thing what fashion of lettering you lot use, there are a few bones shapes that we piece of work with—shapes she calls "mother forms." We have rectangular shapes (similar the messages H or E), triangular shapes (like the letters V or A), rounded shapes (like the letters O or C) plus the combination of all of these.
If you take all these shapes on the same baseline, all the verbal same size, the circle and the triangle would look significantly smaller than the rectangle. Why? Because the foursquare touches the baseline and cap height with its unabridged border, while the circle and triangle don't.
Even if technically they are the same size, optically they're non. This is when you lot'll use your eyes and instincts to enlarge those letters just a little over the baseline and cap meridian. How much should yous enlarge them? Well, that's up to you! In fourth dimension, you lot'll find it easier until you'll practise information technology without fifty-fifty thinking near it. The aforementioned rule goes for the lowercase letters, too.
3. Learn the beefcake of letters
Before you dive into the actual lettering, information technology's of import to know the well-nigh commonly used terms, so that next fourth dimension yous'll be able to call the 'little thing on the end of a lowercase letter' by its proper name—a last. In one case y'all know these terms, you lot'll exist able to talk with anyone almost this topic.
Here are the ones you lot'll use the virtually:
4. Cull a lettering style
This is where we go wild! As a letterer, you have to know all the different styles and then you lot can choose the one that fits your current project the best. Knowing the basic styles volition help you create endless variations of the same letter.
We still accept some rules to play by, merely your imagination can go crazy!
The most important dominion to go on in mind at all times is legibility. You can create the virtually ornate, fancy looking E, but at the end of the day, if it can't be easily recognized as an E yous failed. Since there's not just one right manner to draw an E (except for its bones skeleton, which can still be modified), it'southward up to u.s. to make up one's mind how to draw information technology.
Prepare? Here we go!
Serif lettering
A serif is the small line fastened at the finish of a letter of the alphabet's stroke. Initially, information technology was invented to aid with legibility merely designers and letterers have pushed it and reinvented it many, many times, creating some really funky and interesting serifs.
Inside this category, in that location are many other styles. Nosotros've got old manner serifs, transitional serifs, didone or modern serifs, glyphic serifs or slab serifs. Whoa, right?
Let'due south have a look at what all these look like:
And here are a few examples of all the ways you tin can use them:
Sans serif lettering
"Sans" ways without. So this category of lettering contains typography that has no lines fastened to the ends of each letterform. Sans serif lettering is often used to convey a more than contemporary mode.
Fifty-fifty though these letterforms have a more bones structure than serifs, there are still a number of creative ways to practise this. You might recollect there's non much y'all tin exercise with something so simple, but permit me prove you lot incorrect!
Let's come across a few of these in activity:
Script and brush lettering
Script and brush lettering refers to letterforms that are continued to each other. This can be very formal looking and elegant, playful or even super trashy. This manner imitates calligraphy, but instead of drawing the letters with a single movement of the hand like you would in calligraphy, yous draw the letters from many lilliputian pencil strokes to build that wait.
The most important rule to keep in heed is that a alphabetic character'due south upstroke is always thin, and its downstroke is ever thick. Up thin, downwards thick. You minimize the pressure level of the pen on the ups, you push and create more pressure on the downs. Up sparse, down thick. Up thin, down thick. That'southward but four words to memorize!
You can likewise play around with a brush pen or different nibs to get the experience of the stroke so that you'll know what you have to imitate.
These are the three basic lettering styles. Tweak them nonetheless you please, and become to some really crazy, funky looking letters.
Make the letters very slim or very fat. Capsize the weights to go that cracking feel. Add a super heavy weight dissimilarity. Use really crazy serifs or flourishes.
There's really no limit to what you tin can achieve. Simply have fun with it!
5. Add dimension, details and decorative elements
Now that you are more than familiar and comfortable with the bones mode categories, permit's accept a look at what nosotros tin can do to make them more than interesting and decorative.
Adding dimension and shadow
When we talk almost dimension, we're talking about three types of shading: the driblet line, drop shade and driblet shadow. You can create these by drawing the same shape behind your primary ane. Simple equally that. If you got comfortable with creating these you can play around with them and brand some actually interesting shadows to make your letterforms fifty-fifty more expressive.
For example, y'all tin create a vanishing point and connect all the edges of the letter (or word) to the same point, or yous tin can have some really heavy, bold shadows, playing with the positioning.
If y'all accept all your dimension added you lot can go ahead and add even more than depth. Determine where your light source is coming from and draw the night parts in wherever the light wouldn't impact your letter.
An piece of cake way to figure this out is if yous imagine your letter is an actual object on a tabular array. Await at different objects in your room, both rounded and rectangular, to become a feel of how the lights and shadows play on it. Information technology takes a little practise to get it right, but hey, exercise makes perfect!
Add together details
Sometimes you will need to add some details on the letters themselves. Add together annihilation from a elementary inline to intricate flourishes and shading. Permit'due south accept a look at simply a few examples:
There is no rule for how to add these, except for keeping the letterforms legible and relevant to your projection.
Adding decorative elements
At times, y'all'll want to fill the empty space around your messages. Once more, keep the letters readable at all times.
Make sure you lot don't go too crazy with the flourishes and piffling decorative elements. Or if you choose to go crazy, do it in a way that fits your concept and style.
These flourishes and swashes tin can be office of your messages or stand on their own. Either way, they can help balance out your composition and make your letters stand up out.
5. Draw expressive letterforms
Allow'south do some actual lettering!
Every bit a hand letterer you need to be able to limited feelings and emotions solely with the style of the drawn letters. For example, you most probably won't exist using a decorative, circusy slab serif for the title of a fancy event invitation (except if it's a circus conference?) or a sophisticated script lettering for a sports magazine cover.
Practice by trying to illustrate random words with the help of messages. Pick your word and call back about what feelings tin can that give-and-take evoke. Write a list with everything that comes to your listen when you recollect about the given word. Y'all can write objects, feelings, styles, anything. The longer the listing, the better.
Y'all don't accept to use each of these ideas, but it's useful to see them all and use the ones that fit your concept the best.
Later y'all feel like you got everything you demand, start drawing. At beginning, focus solely on getting the idea from your head to the paper. Don't become precious with your sketches. Don't focus on details, and don't get sad if you lot mess it upward. A sketch is supposed to be messy! Attempt to sketch fast, without overthinking it and listen to your instincts. Sketch out more than just 1 concept for the chosen give-and-take so that you lot'll be able to choose the best.
A little trick about sketching is to always start with the skeleton of the letters and add weights after. You'll take a solid foundation to build on then you'll be able to concentrate on the very structure of the letters.
Besides, attempt to non merely draw the give-and-take in a certain style, but use objects to correspond information technology. For example, you might build the word 'bones' from little letter shaped basic or describe actual melting messages for the word 'melt'.
Subsequently you've narrowed it downwardly to one concept per word, keep sketching and refining. This is where you add dimension, flourishes and decorative elements. Reference your listing to use relevant elements!
Now, instead of using one style to define the discussion, employ many unlike styles to requite the same word different meanings.
Follow the same design: choose your word, write the list and get sketching! Over again, don't become precious with your initial sketches, just allow your ideas flow. Think about the many emotions i discussion can evoke. You lot'd be surprised to see how the vibe of i word can modify just by drawing it differently.
Pretty fun, isn't it? You can echo this practice daily and you'll first to see improvement sooner that you might wait. Don't forget to continue your messages legible, but allow yourself to make mistakes!
Bring hand lettering to your own designs!
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If you fabricated information technology through this tutorial, you're awesome and one step closer to mastering the art of hand lettering. Be proud! I know that getting started can be intimidating, merely you'll soon notice that hand lettering can be such a fun form of art.
You probably take the urge to jump into manus lettering head beginning, and outset drawing intricate, detailed quotations. But outset, get comfortable with drawing a unmarried give-and-take. You tin't build a house if you don't have strong bricks, right? With these nuts, you have endless possibilities to draw letters and improve your skills.
Once you kickoff creating, share your work with the world! Recall, everyone started out as a beginner, and everyone needs their fellow artists to give them a little nudge every at present and so.
>> Ready for the advanced grade? Read our tutorial to hand lettering quotes and sentences.
Source: https://99designs.com/blog/design-tutorials/basics-of-hand-lettering-tutorial/
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