There are no shortcuts to becoming a master of drawing beautiful hand lettering! This class is the perfect introduction for those interested in building their lettering skills on a solid foundation, following the exact techniques and process that I’ve used to grow my hobby into a full-time career as a lettering artist.

We’ll start with the fundamentals, exploring various lettering styles that form the foundation of this practice. I’ll guide you through the basics of building letters, walking through the process step-by-step, from laying out a sketch to finalizing an art piece that you can be proud of.

Some lessons that we’ll cover include:

Lettering Terms & Styles
Structure
Common Beginner Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Layout
Sketching
Enhancing
Finalizing

This class is packed with tips and tricks that I wish I had known when I started lettering 10 years ago! This includes topics like:

Common beginner mistakes you can avoid
Tips for mastering those tricky letters (I see you, S!)
Layout planning techniques (no more ‘Happy Birthday’ cards with a super-skinny little Y!)

Hand lettering is an extremely valuable skill set for any designer. It brings a personalized, custom touch to any design and allows you to create one-of-a-kind murals, packaging, or artwork for licensing - and so much more. Fonts are widely available to any designer, but developing a hand lettering practice allows you to build your own unique style. Whether using it to build a client’s brand, or your own, people can always feel when something is handmade vs. mass-produced, and hand lettering adds that extra-special touch to any project.

Whether you’re a seasoned artist or new to drawing, you’ll pick up tips and techniques to help you begin to master the art of hand lettering. I’ll be sharing personalized feedback about your project along the way, and my hope is to have you leave this class feeling inspired to continue developing your practice.

Materials:

We’re going old-school and putting pencils to paper in this course, just the way I started out before transitioning to iPad & Procreate. I think it’s important to first understand how to draft letters in this traditional way, before you begin exploring digital lettering. This way, you’ll be able to fully understand the fundamentals before you begin to incorporate shortcuts or techniques available in programs like Procreate. It will ultimately make your digital lettering practice stronger once you’re ready to elevate your skillset!

You’ll want to have these supplies on hand to follow along throughout the class:

Pencil (I usually like a 4H)
Eraser
Paper / Sketchbook (Dotted or Grid Paper works best)
Pens (I use Micron Fineliners – in a variety of point weights: 01, 03, 05, 3 – but any black pens / markers will do!)
Markers (optional – if you’d like your final piece to have colour)
Bristol paper or cardstock (Approx. 8x10 size)
Tracing Paper or Transfer Paper
Ruler

Olga Cave

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