Hand Lettering Essentials for Beginners

Name: Hand Lettering Essentials for Beginners
Author: Mary Kate McDevitt

Mary Kate McDevitt, Lettering and Illustration

13 Videos (1h 57m)

- Introduction
  
  1:42
- Get Started
  
  8:58
- Tools
  
  9:46
- Lettering Warm Up: Part I
  
  3:13
- Lettering Warm Up: Part II
  
  14:01
- Understanding Hand-Drawn Letters
  
  12:29
- More Tips
  
  0:45
- Thumbnails
  
  8:22
- Sketching Part I
  
  3:09
- Sketching Part II
  
  23:35
- Refining Your Sketch
  
  3:35
- Final Inking
  
  27:04
- More Creative Classes on Skillshare
  
  0:33

428 students are watching this class

Project Description

Hand letter your favorite quote, title, or phrase.

ASSIGNMENT

Hand-letter your favorite quote, title, or phrase. Choose a phrase that's brief and personal, and gather inspirational images to help define your mood, tone, and style. Remember: regardless of your experience, the first steps of hand-lettering are crucial. Even the most seasoned letterer can see the value in revisiting these basic steps. Many people tend to jump into the computer too quickly to play with color and texture. The result is poorly drawn letters and too much emphasis on texture. This class and assgnment will help break down the necessary steps, and help us wrangle these 26 little letters.

DELIVERABLE

Upload your final hand-lettered image and the process to create it. A completed project may include:

inspirations
mood boards
thumbnails
sketches
inked images
final image
notes on your process and inspiration

RESOURCES

Download the 2-part project guide (below) for step-by-step instructions, images, and more on the class assignment. Part 1 covers inspiration, tools, a warm-up exercise, and notes for beginners. Part 2 covers sketching and inking.
The History of Type - a beautiful stop motion video that sums up the history of type in a fast and informative way.
Letterology - Blog chock-full-of vintage type.
Once New Vintage - Plenty of vintage reference material and free downloadable hi-res vintage ephemera.
Related Discussion: Where do you find Inspiration? Share with the class where you find inspiration for your lettering projects in this discussion.
Jet Pens - A great website for finding new pens!