Cool Ways to Draw the Letter S
Everyday and everywhere, you are surrounded by letters and written letters. From logotypes to posters, billboards, t-shirts or volume covers, letters not simply tell a story but evoke certain emotions likewise. What if, instead of using an already existing font, you could draw beautiful hand lettering that'south full of personality?
Even if y'all've already dipped your toes into the infinite universe of hand lettering, or you've thought almost trying it out merely weren't sure where to offset, you are in the correct identify! Nosotros're going to have a await at the essentials that y'all need to start this wonderful journey of hand lettering.
I've been hand lettering for a little over a twelvemonth, and it all started when a weekly challenge popped upwardly on Instagram and I decided to enroll. I previously played around with calligraphy, but I wasn't actually sure what the difference betwixt that and hand lettering was. I had zero feel, never taken a grade, never watched someone exercise it alive. I just thought it would be fun—and it was! Since then, I've been lettering nearly daily, and learning this skill has been one of the best things I've ever done!
By the end of this article, you lot'll know the basics of hand lettering and have the confidence to create your own pieces!
What is manus lettering?
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Many people out there confuse paw lettering, calligraphy, typesetting and blazon pattern and use the term "type" or "typography" to refer to all of these.
Type design
Blazon blueprint is the process of making typefaces which all of us can use. A blazon designer creates systems of messages, making certain that all letters of the alphabet work together in endless combinations.
Typesetting but means arranging blazon that'southward been created by a blazon designer in a given layout. This might be as uncomplicated as a black and white newspaper or as complex as a typography-driven brochure.
Dorsum in the day, this was done by hand. Today, we do information technology all on a computer.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is flawless, gorgeous handwriting. After many years of practise, calligraphers use muscle memory to perfect their manner and then that the adjacent time they gets commissioned to create a wedding invitation, for instance, they can perfectly write all the copy on the first endeavour. Although paw lettering often imitates calligraphy, the process behind the two is very different.
Hand lettering
Finally, hand lettering is the art of drawing letters and can accept on many shapes and sizes, from traditional-looking letters to intricate, detailed and not-then-obvious looking ones. This can be done in whatsoever style, on any cloth, with whatsoever media.
Even though there are no rules in hand lettering, at that place are still guidelines that we need to take into consideration.
How to first mitt lettering
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Before we start, let's take a quick look at how hand lettering tin exist used. You might be surprised to see merely how many ways there are to use this art class!
one. Get your tools
Yous don't need any fancy tools to be a hand-letterer. When I started to become into lettering, I thought I needed the most expensive and professional pens, judging by all those super-duper shots from Instagram. I bought a bunch of brushes and pens which I probably used… v times?
The only tools y'all will truly use are a pencil, paper, eraser and ruler. If you desire your lettering to await calligraphic, consider using the proper calligraphic tools (such as brush pens or nibs), but you can practice just fine without (more than on that afterwards).
If y'all desire to bring your lettering in the digital medium, there are a few means to make it happen. To start digitally from scratch, use a graphic tablet or an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to draw. Or scan your slice, and edit it in Photoshop or Illustrator past using the born tracing pick or by tracing it yourself using the Pen tool.
two. Know about letter construction and relation
Guidelines are very important in the process of drawing letters. They help yous keep your letters in proper proportion so they'll accept a harmonious relationship betwixt one another.
The ascender line shows how long the ascender of a lowercase letter of the alphabet should be (similar 50, h, b). The cap height is the height of an uppercase letter of the alphabet. The x-height is the height of a lowercase letter and the line that holds the crossbar. The baseline is where all letters rest. The descender line shows how long the descender of a lowercase letter should be (like p, j, k).
In some cases, you'll have to slightly ignore these guides and make some optical adjustments.
Here is a technique I've learned from Martina Flor. No matter what style of lettering y'all use, in that location are a few basic shapes that we work with—shapes she calls "mother forms." Nosotros have rectangular shapes (like the letters 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 yous have all these shapes on the aforementioned baseline, all the verbal same size, the circle and the triangle would await significantly smaller than the rectangle. Why? Because the square touches the baseline and cap top with its entire border, while the circle and triangle don't.
Even if technically they are the same size, optically they're not. This is when you'll use your eyes and instincts to overstate those letters just a little over the baseline and cap height. How much should y'all enlarge them? Well, that'due south upwards to you! In time, y'all'll find it easier until you'll do it without even thinking about it. The aforementioned rule goes for the lowercase letters, too.
3. Learn the anatomy of letters
Before you swoop into the actual lettering, it'south important to know the most commonly used terms, so that side by side fourth dimension you'll be able to call the 'little affair on the end of a lowercase letter' by its proper name—a terminal. Once you know these terms, yous'll exist able to talk with anyone nigh this topic.
Here are the ones you lot'll apply the almost:
4. Cull a lettering style
This is where we go wild! As a letterer, you have to know all the dissimilar styles then yous can cull the one that fits your electric current project the best. Knowing the bones styles will assist you create endless variations of the aforementioned letter.
We yet accept some rules to play past, merely your imagination can get crazy!
The most of import dominion to keep in listen at all times is legibility. You can create the most ornate, fancy looking Due east, only at the end of the day, if it tin't be easily recognized as an E you failed. Since there'southward not just one right mode to draw an East (except for its basic skeleton, which tin nevertheless be modified), it's up to united states to decide how to describe it.
Ready? Here we go!
Serif lettering
A serif is the minor line attached at the end of a letter's stroke. Initially, information technology was invented to help with legibility but designers and letterers accept pushed it and reinvented information technology many, many times, creating some actually funky and interesting serifs.
Inside this category, there are many other styles. We've got quondam style serifs, transitional serifs, didone or modern serifs, glyphic serifs or slab serifs. Whoa, right?
Let's have a look at what all these await like:
And here are a few examples of all the ways you can employ them:
Sans serif lettering
"Sans" means without. And 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 gimmicky style.
Even though these letterforms have a more than basic structure than serifs, there are all the same a number of creative ways to do this. Yous might think there'southward not much yous tin practise with something so simple, but let me prove you wrong!
Let's meet a few of these in action:
Script and brush lettering
Script and brush lettering refers to letterforms that are connected to each other. This can be very formal looking and elegant, playful or even super trashy. This style imitates calligraphy, but instead of drawing the letters with a unmarried movement of the paw like you would in calligraphy, you depict the letters from many little pencil strokes to build that look.
The almost important dominion to keep in mind is that a letter of the alphabet's upstroke is e'er thin, and its downstroke is always thick. Upwardly thin, down thick. You minimize the pressure level of the pen on the ups, you push and create more pressure on the downs. Upwardly thin, down thick. Up sparse, down thick. That'due south but four words to memorize!
Yous can also play effectually with a brush pen or unlike nibs to get the experience of the stroke and then that you'll know what y'all have to imitate.
These are the three basic lettering styles. Tweak them however you delight, and get to some actually crazy, funky looking messages.
Brand the letters very slim or very fatty. Capsize the weights to get that groovy feel. Add a super heavy weight dissimilarity. Apply actually crazy serifs or flourishes.
There's actually no limit to what yous can accomplish. Just have fun with it!
5. Add dimension, details and decorative elements
Now that y'all are more familiar and comfy with the basic style categories, permit's take a wait at what we can practise to make them more than interesting and decorative.
Adding dimension and shadow
When we talk most dimension, we're talking almost iii types of shading: the driblet line, drib shade and drop shadow. You can create these by cartoon the aforementioned shape behind your primary one. Uncomplicated equally that. If you got comfortable with creating these you tin play around with them and brand some actually interesting shadows to brand your letterforms even more expressive.
For case, you tin can create a vanishing indicate and connect all the edges of the letter (or word) to the same signal, or you can have some actually heavy, bold shadows, playing with the positioning.
If yous have all your dimension added yous tin get ahead and add even more depth. Decide where your calorie-free source is coming from and draw the dark parts in wherever the low-cal wouldn't touch your letter.
An easy way to effigy this out is if you imagine your letter is an bodily object on a table. Await at unlike objects in your room, both rounded and rectangular, to become a feel of how the lights and shadows play on it. It takes a niggling practice to get it correct, just hey, practise makes perfect!
Add details
Sometimes you volition need to add some details on the letters themselves. Add anything from a simple inline to intricate flourishes and shading. Let's take a wait at just a few examples:
At that place is no rule for how to add together these, except for keeping the letterforms legible and relevant to your project.
Adding decorative elements
At times, you'll desire to fill up the empty infinite around your letters. Again, go on the letters readable at all times.
Make sure you don't go likewise crazy with the flourishes and petty decorative elements. Or if y'all choose to go crazy, practice information technology in a manner that fits your concept and style.
These flourishes and swashes can be part of your messages or stand on their own. Either manner, they tin can aid balance out your composition and make your messages stand up out.
5. Describe expressive letterforms
Let'southward exercise some actual lettering!
As a paw letterer you need to be able to limited feelings and emotions solely with the way of the drawn messages. For case, you most probably won't be using a decorative, circusy slab serif for the title of a fancy upshot invitation (except if it's a circus conference?) or a sophisticated script lettering for a sports magazine cover.
Do past trying to illustrate random words with the help of messages. Selection your word and think well-nigh what feelings can that word evoke. Write a list with everything that comes to your listen when you think about the given word. Y'all tin write objects, feelings, styles, anything. The longer the listing, the better.
You lot don't have to employ each of these ideas, but it'south useful to see them all and utilize the ones that fit your concept the best.
After you lot feel similar you got everything you need, start cartoon. At kickoff, focus solely on getting the idea from your head to the paper. Don't get precious with your sketches. Don't focus on details, and don't get sorry if you mess it upward. A sketch is supposed to be messy! Try to sketch fast, without overthinking it and heed to your instincts. Sketch out more than than but one concept for the chosen discussion and so that yous'll exist able to cull the best.
A little trick about sketching is to always start with the skeleton of the letters and add together weights after. You'll take a solid foundation to build on and then you'll be able to concentrate on the very construction of the letters.
Also, try to non simply describe the word in a certain style, but use objects to correspond it. For instance, you might build the discussion 'basic' from little letter of the alphabet shaped basic or depict actual melting letters for the discussion 'cook'.
Later on you've narrowed it down to ane concept per word, keep sketching and refining. This is where yous add dimension, flourishes and decorative elements. Reference your list to apply relevant elements!
Now, instead of using i style to define the word, apply many different styles to give the same give-and-take different meanings.
Follow the same pattern: choose your word, write the list and go sketching! Over again, don't become precious with your initial sketches, just let your ideas catamenia. Retrieve about the many emotions one word tin can evoke. You lot'd exist surprised to run into how the vibe of one word can change just by drawing information technology differently.
Pretty fun, isn't it? You can repeat this exercise daily and you'll start to see improvement sooner that you might expect. Don't forget to keep your letters legible, but allow yourself to make mistakes!
Bring hand lettering to your own designs!
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If you made it through this tutorial, y'all're crawly and i step closer to mastering the art of manus lettering. Be proud! I know that getting started can be intimidating, but you'll soon find that manus lettering can be such a fun form of fine art.
You probably have the urge to jump into mitt lettering head first, and start cartoon intricate, detailed quotations. But starting time, get comfortable with cartoon a single word. You can't build a house if yous don't have potent bricks, right? With these basics, y'all have countless possibilities to draw letters and amend your skills.
Once you start creating, share your piece of work with the earth! Remember, everyone started out equally a beginner, and anybody needs their fellow artists to give them a piffling nudge every now and then.
>> Gear up for the advanced class? Read our tutorial to hand lettering quotes and sentences.
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Source: https://99designs.com/blog/design-tutorials/basics-of-hand-lettering-tutorial/
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