Copyright©2018byPeggyDeanAllrightsreserved.

PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyWatsonGuptillPublications,animprintoftheCrownPublishingGroup,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYork.www.crownpublishing.comwww.watsonguptill.com

WATSONGUPTILLandtheHORSEHEADcolophonareregisteredtrademarksofPenguinRandomHouseLLC.

OriginallypublishedintheUnitedStatesbyThePigeonLetters,in2017.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataTitle:Theultimatebrushletteringguide:acompletestep-by-stepcreativeworkbooktojump-startmoderncalligraphyskills/PeggyDean.Description:California|NewYork:WatsonGuptill,2018.|Includesindex.Identifiers:LCCN2018002117Subjects:LCSH:Lettering.|Alphabets.|BISAC:ART/TechniquesCalligraphy.|ARTTechniquesPen

&InkDrawing.|SELF-HELPCreativity.Classification:LCCNK3600.D362018|DDC769.5—dc23LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018002117

ISBN 9780399582196EbookISBN 9780399582202

v5.3.1

prh

Introduction:HowtoUseThisBook

ToolstoGetStarted

FirstSteps:TheAnatomyofLettering

BrushLettering101

OneStepFurther:IntroductiontoBounce,Variety,andFlourishes

PutItTogether:CompositiononthePage

UseandShareYourSkills:DIYProjects

Conclusion

FurtherReading

Acknowledgments

AbouttheAuthor

Index

toolstogetstartedHavingtherighttoolsandmaterialsisessentialtoyoursuccessinyourbrushletteringjourney.Yourpensmatter.Yourpapermatters.Therearesomanyoptionstochoosefrom,soI’vecreatedacomprehensiveguideofsomeofmyfavoritego-tosupplies.Suppliescanbefoundinlocalartstoresandonline.Amazonisagreatresourceifyoudon’thaveastorenearbythat’sloadeduponletteringsupplies.

It’simportanttounderstandthedifferencesthatbrushpensoffer,suchastheirtips,flexibility,andcontrol.Papermattersbecauseyouwanttoensureyou’renotdamagingyourpentips.Allowmetoelaborate.

brushpensBrushpensrangeinflexibility,whichisthemainthingyou’llnoticeasyouusethem.Formorecontrol,you’llwanttipswithlessflexibilitybecauseyourupstrokeswon’tgetawayfromyouasyou’relearning,meaningthetransitionbetweenaddingandreleasingpressurewillbeeasier.Themorecomfortableyouget,themoreyou’llbeabletoconfidentlyusebrushpenswithmoreflexibility.

PrismacolorPremierMarkerSmallbrushtip—4Flexibility—9Control—5

Smalltomediumlettering TombowFudenosukeHardandSoftTipSmallbrushtip—3Flexibility—3,4Control—7,8

Smalltomediumlettering PentelFudeTouchSignPenSmallbrushtip—4Flexibillity—6Control—6

Smalltomediumlettering PentelAquashWaterBrushSmall,medium&bold—5,8,10Flexibility—10Control—5

Mediumtolargelettering TombowDualBrushPenLargebrushtip—9Flexibility—5Control—7Largelettering

finetippensThesepensaregreatforworkwithconsistentlinethickness.It’swhatyou’llusetopracticebuildingconsistentalphabets,learningfauxcalligraphy,andcreatinghandletteredillustrations.

MicronPigmaInkPensFaderesistantSeveralcolorsManysizeoptionsDoesn’tbleed

PapermateFlairPointguardfelttipDoesn’tbleedTwenty-sixcolors

Uni-BallGelImpactVisibleinksupplyOpaque

Writesonmostmaterials ZebraSakuraGelFastdryingSmudgeproofFourteenvibrantcolorsManysizes

GellyRollbySakuraFineandmediumpointsSeveralcolorsetsandfinishes

paperWhatmostfolksdon’tknowisthatalotofpapercanruinbrushpens.Copyorprinterpaper,forexample,containsmicrofibersthatwillshredthetipsofbrushpens,causingthemtofrayandrenderingthemuseless.Youcangrabqualitypaperfromartstoresandonline.Expecttopayforqualitybecauseyougetwhatyoupayfor.Thatsaid,therearesomemoreaccessiblepricepointsthanothers,andI’dalwaysoptforthebestvalue.Coloredpapercanevenbeincorporatedifit’ssmoothenough.I’dstayawayfromconstructionpaperthough;fornow,let’ssticktothebasicsofgettingstarted.

PaperforLettering

Rhodiapadsareanexcellentchoiceformostletteringpracticeandprojects.

Thepaper'ssilkysurfaceistheperfectpartnertoabrushpen’sglide.

Whenusingwaterbrushes,Irecommendusingpapermadespecificallyfor

watercolor.Thispaperis140lb/300g,acidfree,andtextured.

BenefitsofRhodiaReinforcedstapledbindingforextrastrengthCoverisscoredtoneatlyfoldbackStiffbackcovermakeswritingorsketchingeasyandportablePalevioletlinesandgridwith5mmintervalsMicroperforatedontopforeasyandcleanremovalExtrawhite80gultrasmoothClairefontainepaper

80sheetsofblank,lines,grids,ordots

PaperforWaterBrushesWhenusingwaterbrushes,itisrecommendedthatpapermadespecificallyforwatermediabeused.Thispapershouldbe140lb/300g,acidfree,andoftentextured.Thisismarketedaswatercolorpaper.Somewatercolorpaperwillreflect98lb,whichisfine,butcanwarpeasierwhenwaterisapplied.Watercolorpapercanbefoundwithasmoothortexturedsurface.Whenyouseethewords“coldpress,”thepaperwillbetextured,while“hotpress”paperwillbesmooth.Botharefinechoices,anditultimatelycomesdowntopersonalpreference.Ilikecoldpresswatercolor

paperbecausethewaterwon’tspreadawayfromyouaseasilyasitdoeswithasmoothsurface.

tip

Onatightbudget?JustgrabaTombowFudenosuke2-packandhardandsofttipbrushpensoraRhodiadotorblankpad.Purchasingyourfirstletteringkitdoesn'thavetobreakthebank.

firststeps:theanatomyofletteringTherearealotoftermsforletteringthatyou’llseecomeupwhenyoufirstdiveintolettering.Althoughmanyofthesewordsandtermshaveevolvedfromtraditionalfontsets,you’llfindthatlearningthesetermswillgiveyouabetterunderstandingwhentheydopopup.There’snothingliketryingtopickupnewinformationexternallyandnotknowingwhatitmeans!Let’sbreakitdownandmakeitalittleeasierwithsomevisualexamples.

wordstoknow

SwashExaggeratedserif.

LigaturesLinesthatcreativelyconnectlettersorwordstogether.

CrossbarHorizontalstroke.

MoodThelookandfeeloflettersandfonts.

FlourishAdecorative,ornamentalstroke(swashesareinthiscategory).

BounceWhendownstrokesdipbelowthebaselinetocreatecharacter.

guidelines

Whatareallthoselines?

Guidelineswillhelpyouformyourletterswithprecision.Inthebeginning,

it’scrucialtopayattentiontotheselinesbecauseitwillhelpyoudevelopa

cohesivealphabet.Themoreyoupracticewithguidelines,themoremuscle

memoryyouwillbuild.Youcanevencreatequickguidelinesonyourown

witharulerandaddmorelinesorincludefewer,dependingonwhat

practiceyou’refocusingonatthemoment.

Ascender:Partoflowercaselettersthatmayriseabovethecapheight.

CapHeight:Theheightofacapitalletter.

MeanLine:Theheightofalowercaseletter.

X-Height:Thedistancebetweenthebaselineandthemeanlineoflowercaseletters.

Baseline:Thelineonwhichthetext“sits.”

Descender:Theportionoflettersthatdipbelowthebaseline.

You’llfindthattraditionalcalligraphyhasahardfocusonthestructureand

shapeofletters,whilemodernletteringhasastrongemphasisonallthe

uniquewaystostretchtraditionalrules.You’llfreeuptheserulesby

softeningletterstructureswhilemaintainingthebasicshapes,andyoucan

useguidelinesasabasewhileyou’llalsobreaktherulesandletyour

strokesreachaboveandbelowtheselinesfromtimetotime.

Modernletteringallowsforasofter,rounder,looserletterform.Itcanbe

intentionallyirregular,whichlargelycontributestoitscharm.Icallthis

imperfectlyperfect.

practicesheetsBeforewediveintotheexplorativejourneyoflettering,Istronglyencourageyoutomakephotocopiesofthepracticesheetsfromthefollowingpages.Althoughtherearespacesforpracticethroughoutthisbook,itwillbehelpfultohaveextrasonhand!TodownloadaPDFofthefollowingpracticesheets,gotohttp://rhlink.com/9780399582189a008

Thedottedpracticesheetwillhelpyoukeepstraightlineswhilemaintaining

eachletterform.Thedashedmiddlelinepracticesheetisabasicguidefor

keepingstraightlines.Thesheetthathasmultiplehorizontallinesassists

withlearningtoutilizeallpointsofaletterincludingthebaseline,x-height,

capheight,andascendersanddescenders.Youcanusebothvarietiesof

slantedlinepracticesheetstokeepyourlinesstraightwhilecreating

uniformedslantedletters.

letterformationI’mgoingtointroduceamethodthatIusetoexplainletterformation.Youwantacohesivealphabet,andlettershapesthemselvesneedguidesjustasmuchaswordsandsentencesneedguidelines.We’llusewhatIcallthefourcorner(orthreecorner)method.Thesecornersaretouchpoints.Ipreferusingonlythreemaincornerstoformmyletters.Thinkofitlikeamagnet.Insteadofcirclingbackaround,onceyourletterreachesitsthirdtouchpoint,itshootsrightbackuptothebeginning.It’sokayifyourletterslookchoppyandsharpasyoupracticethis.Theideaistocreate

themusclememory.

Aswedivein,usearegularfinepointpen.Asmuchasyoumightbe

temptedtouseabrushpen,we’renotthereyet!Thisisanimportantstepof

theprocessoflearning,evenifyou’vealreadydabbledinbrushlettering.

CreateBaseShapes

KeepParallelLines

KeepConsistentHeightandSpace

tip

It’sfineifyouprefermoreorlessheight/spadeaslongasallyourlettersremainuniform.(TheG,K,andLwouldbeagreatstylegrouping.)

practiceutilizingtouchpointsUseaballpointpentoformyourlettershapes.

letterformsa–jLearnhowtobuildlettersbeforebuildingwords.Tryliftingyourpenafteryourfirststrokeformorecontrol.Remember,you’restillusingaregular,fine-tippen.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowingletterforms,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a007.

letterformsk–tNoticethebaseshapeofeachletterasyoupracticebuildingit.Aretheshapesuniform?

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowingletterforms,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a007.

letterformsu–zPracticingasteadypatternwillgiveyouthetoolstobranchoutintoyourownstyle.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowingletterforms,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a007.

let’sconnect!

Thereareseveralfactorstoconsiderwhendetermininghowyouwill

connectyourletters.Understandingtherelationshipsbetweenletterswill

allowyoutobreaktherulesandgetcreative.

TheLengthofLead-inandExitStrokes

WhenIfirststartedmyletteringjourney,Iwantedtoproducebeautiful,airy

letterswithlong,wispyexitstrokes.Mynaturalprogressiondidn’tendup

thatway,somygo-tostyleisabitdifferent.Thatsaid,onceyougetfamiliar

withplacingintentionallengthinyourexitstrokes,you’llbeabletoswitch

betweenstyles!

TheDirectionofLead-inandExitStrokes

Noticehowasoftcurveupwardmakesyourwordlookalittlemorebubbly

andcute,whilethehardcurveupandoverlooksalittlemoreairy.Thisis

alsoacreativechoiceinyourexitstrokesthatwillevokedifferentmoodsin

yourwork.

rulesformakingwordsConnectionscanbetrickywhentoomuchthoughtisputintothem.Rememberthefollowingrulesandyou’llfindthisprocesstobemucheasier.

Rule#1

Stopyourexitstrokebeforebeginningthenextletter.Liftyourpenoffthe

paperforeachbreak.Basically,treateachletterasastand-aloneletter.

Thiswillcomeinhandywhenyoubeginincorporatingflourishes!

Inthewordabove,forexample,herearealltheplacesIstopped,liftedmy

pen,andthencontinuedthenextletter.

Rule#2

Don’tworryaboutyourconnectinglinesmatchingupperfectly.Noticewhere

my“n”connectstomy“b”inbothexamples.Ididn’tworryaboutwherethe

lead-informy“b”wouldconnect.Rather,Itreateditasitsownbeginning.

Belowisthesamerulewithaflourishincorporated.

Rule#3

Besurethatyourconnectingstrokesareconsistentinlength.Evenwitha

solidbaseshape,ifspacingisinconsistent,thewordcanturnoutabit

sloppy.Itdoesn’tmatteriftheconnectingstrokesarelongorshort,but

consistencyiskey.

practicecreatingwordsFindyourstylebywritingthesamewordwithshortspacingandthenlongspacingtoseewhichresonateswithyoumore!You’restillonlyusingaregularfine-tippen—don’tforget!

Nowthatwe’vecomethisfar,howaboutaproperintroduction?Writeyour

nameusingyournewletterformations.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"HelloMyNameIs"sheet,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a005.

Howaboutsomemoreaboutyou?

fauxcalligraphyOnceyoufeelcomfortablewithyourletters,youcanbegintoaddweighttothem.Notonlywillthishelpyoulearnwhereyourweightlineswillgo,butitwillalsoprepareyouforoddprojectsthatcan’tbedoneonasmallpieceofpaper.Forexample,ifyouwanttodoletteringonawindowwithapaintpen,thistechniquewillcomeinhandy.We’renotquitereadyforthebrushpenthough,sodon’tjumpinjustyet!Wewillbeginaddingweightusinganiftytechniqueknownasfauxcalligraphy.It’seasy!Here’showyoudoit.

Whenyouwritealetter,payattentiontoyourupstrokesanddownstrokes.

Strokes1and3aredownstrokes,amdstrokes2and4areupstrokes.Draw

alineveryclosetothedownstrokesofyourletters,connectingthelinesat

alineveryclosetothedownstrokesofyourletters,connectingthelinesat

thebeginningandendoftheweightline.Keepyourlinesconsistentand

choosewhetheryouwantyourconnectionsroundedormoresquare.

Afterfamiliarizingyourselfwithweightlineplacement,allyouneedtodois

fillinthewhitespace.Youcandothisbycoloringintheemptyspace,which

imitatestheappearanceofabrushpen.

StepOne:UseconsistentbaseshapestoletterawordStepTwo:AddweightlinetodownstrokesStepThree:Colorinwhitespace

PracticeAddingWeightFollowthepromptsbelowtopracticeaddingweight.Havefun!

tip

Keepthesamedistancebetweeneachletteranditsweightline.

FauxCalligraphyPracticeIencourageyoutouseyour

creativityanddrawapatterninsidetheemptyspacesyou’vecreatedbetweentheletterlineandtheweightlineinyourletters.Fillthisspacewithacolorotherthanblack.Tryusingpink,blue,orpolkadots!

tip

Tryusingalternatingcolorsinthelettersorwords.

PatternPlayHowmanycanyoucomeupwith?

brushlettering101

We’vegoneoverhowtoformyourletters,howtoexperimentwithdifferentcreativechoices,howtobuildwords,toalterthestyleandmoodofyourwords,andwheretoapplyweightlines—andit’sfinallytimetopickupthebrushpenthat’sprobablybeenstaringatyoubeggingtobeused!

Asyoustartthischapter,it’simportanttorememberthatpracticemakesprogress.Themoreyouuseyourbrushpen,themorecomfortableitwillfeel.You’llprobablysurpriseyourselfwithyourprogressasyoupractice,sokeepatit!We’llstartsimply,andlearnhowtoproperlyusebrushpenswiththeirbasicstrokes,whichwillhelpyoueasilytransitionintolettersandwords.

beginningpracticestolearnhowtouseabrushpen

Keepingallpreviouslessonsinmind,addthisrule:pressfirmlyonyour

downstrokes.Thiscausesthebrushtoflattenandcreateathicker

downstrokeline.Thisaddsweighttoyourletters.Releasepressureonyour

upstrokes.Thiswillmakethebrushreturntoitspointedtip.

basicstrokes

Holdingyourpenata35-to45-degreeanglewillhelpyouachievetheideal

weightlinesbygivingyoumorecontrol.I’manoverwriterwhenitcomesto

regularwriting,whichmeansIgripmypenslikemylifedependsonitand

thetipreachestowardmeinsteadofawayfromme.Chancesareyouwon’t

holdyourbrushpenslikeyoudowithregularpens.Remember,you’re

drawing,notwriting.Youwantyourbrushpentositlooserinyourhandso

thatitcanflowwithease.

Whenpracticing,you’llfindthatyougothroughatonofpaper.Iencourage

youtousetracingpaperoveraguide,whichwillhelpalotwithyourend

result.Don’tunderestimatethepowerofusingguidelines!

Takeacloserlookatdownstrokesandupstrokes.

FullPressure:Thethickstrokethatbeginsandendswithathick,full-belliedmotion.

EntryStroke:Thehairlinestrokeleadingintothebeginningofaletter.

Underturn:ThescoopingU-shapedstrokethatbeginswithathickdownstrokeandcurvesupwardinascoopingmotion

intoathin,hairlineupstroke.

Overturn:Thearchedupside-downU-shapedstrokethatbeginswithathinupstrokeandcurvesoverintoathick

downstroke.

CompoundCurve:Combinestheunderturnandoverturnstrokestocreateaseamless,wavystroke.

Oval:Combinestheunderturnandoverturnstroke,creatinganenclosedroundedshape.

AscendingStemLoop:Thestrokebeginninginanupward,hairlinecurve,transitioningintoathickstrokedownward.

DescendingStemLoop:Thethickstrokemovingdownwardandthencurvingupwardintoathinlinethatmeetsthe

middleofthedownstroke.

It’scrucialthatyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththesebasicstrokesand

continuetoreturntothesepracticesalongyourletteringjourney.Each

brushpenisuniqueinitsflexibilityandsize,sothesebasicswillcomein

handywhilebreakinginthosenewtools.Whenitcomestotheamountof

timeyoudedicatetopractice,fifteenminutesadayisawesome.Ifyoudon’t

havethatmuchtime,evenfiveminutesdoeswondersbecauseyou’re

puttingenergyintothework.Don’tstrayawayfromapplyingyourcreativity

becauseyoufeellikeyoudon’thavetimetositdownandcreateabig

project.Justsitdownandcreatesomebasicstrokes!

Nowgousethefollowingtocompletetwolinesofeachoftheseshapesand

watchyourstrokesimprove!

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"BasicStrokes"sheets,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a002.

practicebasicstrokes

strokesinletters

Nowwe’llusethesebrushstrokesinourletters.Youwillfindsomeofthese

brushstrokesinthefollowingletters.Afteryoutakealookattheletters

below,trytore-createthemusingyourbasicstrokes.

TodownloadaPDFofthe"TryItOut"sheet,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a011.

lefthanded?

Youcanjustassuccessfullylearntomasterletteringasyourright-handed

neighbor.Thestruggleisreal.Thebiggestroadblockforboth“lefties”and

“righties”alwayscomesdowntomentalbarriers.Youwillbetheonlyone

holdingyouback.Ifthisblockstemmedfromthefeelingoffailure,perhaps

duetoamessyattemptcompletewithanink-stainedhandandsmudgedup

paper,holdontothisthought:Mentalbarrierscanexistevenwhenyou

haven’ttriedyetbecauseoffearoffailure.Well,guesswhat?Everybody

startssomewhere!

Hereareacoupleoftipsforleft-handedaspiringletterers.

Tryadjustingtheangleofthepen.

Left-handedwritersarebothunderwriters(keepingthewriststraightand

holdingthepenabove)andoverwriters(curlingthewristandholdingthe

penunderneath).Ifyou’reanoverwriter,youmaybefamiliarwithsmudging

yourworkasyourhandfollows.Ifusingadifferentanglewiththepen

doesn’tworkinyourfavor,trykeepingaregularpenangleandinsteadjust

adjusttheangleofthepaper.

Someleftiesusehandguards.

Theycreateabarrierinbetweenyourlettersandyourhand.Youcanfind

themonline.Ican’tvouchforthembecauseI’veneverusedthem,butthey

mayworkgreatforyou!Therearealsoalotoftutorialsonlinebyleft-

handedletterersthatwanttohelp!

alphabetsampler

Doyoueverseeapieceofartworkthatmakesyoufeelaparticularway?

Perhapsachalkboardadvertisementforfreshnavelorangesthatgivesyou

asenseofitscitrustexture?Orastunning,delicateweddinginvitation

invokingthefragilefeelingofpreciouslove?Howaboutaneye-catching

sleek,modernbusinesscardthatgivesyouconfidencethatthecompanyor

individualis“therealdeal”?

Thesemood-invokingdesignsarelargelyduetothestylisticchoicesofthe

lettering.

Thefollowingpresenttendifferentwaystocreateeachuppercaseletter,ten

waysforeachlowercaseletter,andtenwaystocreatenumbers.

alphabetstyles

numericstyle

Howmanydifferentstylescanyouthinkofforeachnumber?

onestepfurther:introductiontobounce,variety,andflourishesBounceletteringisalltherave!It’swhatreallymakesmoderncalligraphystandout.Bouncingyourletterstypicallyoccursinascendinganddescendinglines,asyoucanplaywiththemtoreachmuchhigheranddropmuchlowerthantheirtypicalguidelines.You’llalsofindthatyoucanbreakuprepetitionbystaggeringrepeatingletters.Bounceletteringaddsenergyandpersonalitytoyourletters.Onceyoufeelcomfortablewithyourbasicforms,Iencourageyoutodiveintoexperimentingwiththisprocess,anddon’tbediscouragedifitdoesn’tcomeoutexactlylikeyouthoughtitwould.Practicemakesprogress!

bounce

Whentheexitstrokeofaletterisnaturallydirecteddownward,youcandip

belowthedescenderline.Besuretoreturntothebaselineeveryfewletters

tomaintainbalanceinyourwords.

Whentheexitstrokenaturallydragsupward,youcanreachabovethe

ascenderline.

PracticeYourBounce!

Chooseananimalandletteritsnameafewdifferentwaysusingbounce

lettering.

lettering.

tip

Returnyourpentothebaselineeveryfewletters.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"Bounce"practicesheet,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a003.

practicecreatingswashesSwashesbringalittlemorelifetothebeginningandendinglettersinawordorasentence.Insteadofabasic,boringbeginning,swashesaddabitofflair!

CreateYourOwn!

tip

Avoidcrossingthicklineswithotherthicklines.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"Swashes"practicesheet,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a010.

practicecreatingascendersanddescendersPracticeincorporatingswasheswithascendersanddescendersbyletteringthenamesofyourfriendsandfamily.

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"AscendersandDescenders"practice

sheet,gotohttp://rhlink.com/9780399582189a001.

Let’sPlayMakeBelieveDidyoueverusemade-upwordsasakid?Doyourecallanycrazycombinationsoflettersorsounds?Well,yougettorevisitthattimeandcreatenewmade-upword.

Usethisboxtojotdownyourwordideas.TodownloadaPDFofthe

following"Let'sPlayMakeBelieve,"goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a006.

Onceyou’vechosenyourfavoritecreation,displayitproudly!Writeithere.

You’vegotyourword,butitneedsadefinition!

styleexplorationDoyoufindthatyoufeeldifferently

readingthiswordversusthisword?

Dependingonthestyleappliedtoaword’sstructure,itwillnaturally

translatetodifferentmoods,creatingauniquefeeltoeachvariation.Let’s

giveyourwordsomenewvibes!Usethepromptstoletteryourfreshly

createdword.

Theoptionsgoonandon!

Howmuchfunisstyleexploration?!It’sagreatactivitytoreturntowhen

preppingadesign.Let’skeepgoing.Seehowmanydifferentwaysyoucan

letteryourname!

TodownloadaPDFofthefollowing"StyleExploration"sheets,goto

http://rhlink.com/9780399582189a009.

practicemorevariety

Creativityhastheabilitytoblossomwithhandlettering.Incorporatesome

varietyandexperimentwithdifferentletterstyles!

There’salotyoucandowithsimplerletterssuchas“c”and“o,”whichwouldn’tseemlikethey’dhavemuchvariety.Trytendifferentswashes.Circleyourfavorite.Practiceavarietyofexitstrokes.Trydroppingbeneaththedescenderafewtimes.Trydrawingadifferentstyleforeachletter.Youcandoit!Practicevaryingdegreesofunderstrokes.Trysomewispyhairlinestrokes.

flourishes

Aflourishisanornamentalflowingcurveusedtoembellishlettering

designs.

Simpleflourishesarealovelyadditiontowordsanddesignsthatdon’t

necessarilyneedtostandout,butthatcouldbenefitfromasofterpolished

appearance.Elaborateflourishestransformabasicdesignbyaddingahigh

degreeofelegance.Theadditionoffancyflourishesalonecancompletea

logo,agreetingcard,anannouncement,amenu,andmore.

Wheretoaddflourishes:• atthebeginning/endofaword

• atthetopofanascendingstem

• atthebottomofadescendingtail

Youcanalsoaddthemonstemsandtailsofwords.

Lookatthedifferencesofabasicwordafteraddingsimpleflourishesand

elaborateflourishes.

AddingLigatures

Flourishescanalsobeusedforligatures,whicharelinesusedtojointwo

letterstogether,sometimesinclever,unexpectedways,asintheexamples

below.

StandaloneFlourishesLet’snotforgetaboutallthedesignpossibilitiesawaitingwhenweincorporateflourishesthatarenotattachedtoletters.Theseadd-onsareusedwithexistingflourishedwords,oftenaspagedividers,underlines,anddecorations.Therearemanystylesofstandaloneflourishestoconsiderwhensettingthemoodofyourpiece.Herearesomeexamplestogetyoustarted.

TodownloadaPDFofthe"DecorativeFlourishes"practicesheetabove,go

tohttp://rhlink.com/9780399582189a004.

putittogether:compositiononthepage

Howyoudecidetoarrangeanddrawyourwordsistheworkofcomposition.You’rebuildinganillustrationtomakesenseonpaperasapieceofart.Smallsketchesareagreatwaytodeterminehowyouwanttoplaceyourwords.Thisisalsoveryusefulinplacingflourishes.Althoughletteringislovelyonitsown,buildingapieceofarttakesthought,andcompositionshouldbepartofthatthought.

Usingapencilbeforeusingabrushpencansaveyoualotoftimeandpaper,asmistakescanbefixed.Theseexamplesfeatureseveraltipsonhowtobestexecutelayouts.

threewords,samesize

Placethemiddlewordfirst.Thisensuresthepieceiscentered.Usethe

middlewordasaguideforwhereyourwordsaboveandbelowcanreach

anddipintothemiddleword’sframe.Whenyou’rehappywithyour

composition,applyinkwithyourbrushpen.Ifneeded,eraseanyremaining

pencillines(butbesuretheinkiscompletelydryfirst).

multiplewordswithattentiontoone

Justasyouplacedyourmiddlewordasyourguide,youwillplaceyour

emphasizedwordfirst,makingitlargerthantheotherwordswillbe.

Letteringtheremainingwordsinthesamestyleislovely,andyoucanwork

insidethemainword’sframeasyoudidbefore.

Thatbeingsaid,mixingotherletteringstylescanbecomplementaryandadd

amoredynamicaesthetic.

multiplewordswithfocusonseveral

First,layoutyourmainwordsthatyouwantemphasized.

Second,addsecondarywordswhileusingthemainwordsasguides.

Lastly,addtheremainingwordstocompleteyourcomposition.

tip

Itdoesn’ttakemuchtolayoutsomepossibilitiesbeforebeginningyourpiece,soIencourageyoutopracticeafewsketchesaheadoftimesothatyou’reconfidentinyourlayout!

useandshareyourskills:DIYprojectsNowthatyou’veequippedyourselfwithnewknowledgeandmadletteringskills,it’stimetoputitalltouseinsomeprojects!UsethefollowingtoprompttheDIYerinyoutostartcreating.Youcanincorporateletteringintosomanyfunprojects!It’soneofthecreativehobbiesthatI’vepickedupandneverputdown.Ifyouwantinspiration,youprobablyknowthatPinterestisajackpotofideastotry.Justdon’tdothatthingwhereyoufeeltheurgetocreatesoyoujumponPinterestforanidea,butinsteadofdivingintosomethingfun,youstartpinninginstead.Beforeyouknowit,threehourswillhavepassedandyou’llhaverunoutoftimetodotheactualcreating!We’reallguilty.IuploadcontenttomyInstagramdaily,socomeonoverandfollowmyfeed,

@thepigeonletters,tojump-startyourmotivation!You’vegotthecreativityreadytoburstoutofyou,sofollowthatdrive!

createabuntingIdon’tknowaboutyou,butI’mobsessedwiththese.They’readorableandanythingonastringscreams“Hangmeup!”Addsomeletteringtoabuntingandyou’resetforanyupcomingevents.

MATERIALS

Whitecardstock

Coloredcardstock

Scissors

Brushpen

Adhesive

Holepunch

Twine

Step1

Selectabouttwopiecesofwhitecardorlightlycoloredcardstock.Youmay

needmoredependingonthelengthofyourwordorphrase.Cutyour

cardstockintolong,triangularsectionsinthesamequantityasthenumber

oflettersthatareinyourwordorphrase.Besuretocutyourtriangleswide

enoughtofityourletters.Cutastraightlineafterthetrianglestocreatethe

nextbatch.

tip

Cuttingastraightlineafterthetrianglescreatesanotherbatch.

Step2

Useyourbrushpentowritethelettersyou’reusingontothewhite

cardstock.Createguidelinesusingpencilifyou’dliketokeepthemextra

straight.

tip

Leaveevenmoreroomonthetoptoallowforstring.

Step3

Selectthesameamountofcoloredcardstockasusedfromthewhitepaper.

Usethewhitepiecesasaguide,andleavingasmallborder,cuttriangles

justabitlargerthanthesizeofthefirstcuts.Thebackgroundcolorwill

makethelettersreallypop!

Step4

Adherethetwopiecesofcardstock.Then,useaholepunchtopunchtwo

holestocreatethespacethatthetwinewillbethreadedthrough.Cuta

lengthoftwinelongenoughforallthecardstockflagstofitandsothat

thereisslackattheends.

Step5

Stringthetwinethrough,startingbehind,thenthroughagainfromthefront

towardtheback,andvoila!Youcannowgrabacoupleofthumbtacksand

hangyourdarlingbunting!

watercolorplacecardsEverybodylovesawatercolorwash.Addingbeautifullyletterednamestothat?Peoplewillkeepthemforever!

MATERIALS

Scissors

Brushpen

Thickwatercolorormixedmedia

paper

Watercolorpaints

Asmallpaintbrush

Step1

Determinewhatsizeyou’dlikethefaceofyourplacecardstobe.Double

thatsize(thiswillallowforthefoldsothattheystandup),andcutoutthe

numberofplacecardsyou’llbeusing.Youcanalsouseapapercutter.

Step2

Creasethemiddletocreateafold,andthenopenandlayflat.You’llnowbe

abletovisuallyseparatethefrontfromtheback,withthefrontbelowthe

crease.

Step3

Layawatercolorwashoverthefrontarea.Thisiswherestylisticchoices

comeintoplay.Youcanlaywatercoloredgetoedgeorapplythewashto

onlyaconcentratedarea.Addanadditionalcolorortwoformorevibrancy

anddimension.

tip

Layawater-onlywashfirst,andthenaddcolortocreatealovelybleedeffect.

Step4

Afterthewatercolordries,handletterthenamesforyourplacecards

directlyontopofthedriedpaint.

Step5

Refold,andyou’rereadytosetupyourplacecardsonatable!

silhouettewordcollageWordsilhouettesmakethebestgifts.Receivingapersonalizedgiftisalreadythoughtful—andsouniquewhenithasspecialwordsassociatedwiththeshape.Usingtheprofileofalovedoneandputtingwordsinthatdescribethemwillsurelybringtearsofjoy.

MATERIALS

Pencil

Paper

Brushpen

Step1

Findanimagewithaclearoutline.

Step2

Drawortraceonlytheoutlineofyourimagewithpencil.

Step3

Filltheshapewithanywordsyoulike.Someideasofwhattoincludeare:

physicalcharacteristics,purposeitserves,rolesyoumightseeitin,

aliases/synonyms/nicknames,quotes/songlyrics,whereit’scommonly

found,howitmakesyoufeel,andassociatedwords.Hugtheoutlinewith

wordstopreserveitsshape.Oncetheinkisdry,erasethepenciloutline.

Step4

Useaframetosilhouetteyoursubject.

embossingEmbossingisafunfinishtoanyproject.Youcanaddtexture,shine,andsparkletobothsimpleandelaboratedesigns.Thereareanumberofembossingtoolstoexplore,andIencourageplayingaroundwithwhatintriguesyou.Embossingpenshavereallyopenedthedoorforopportunityindesign.Embossingpenscanbefoundwithbrushtips,hardfelttips,andevengluerollertips.Differenteffectscanbemadewithdifferentpowderfinishes.Projectmoodscanbebetterinterpretedbythecolorpalette.Unlikelymaterialscanbetransformedbytheunexpectedembossedembellishments.

MATERIALS

Embossingpowder

Embossingpens

Aheattool

Cardstock

Step1

Firstuseapenciltocreateyourlayouttoeliminateunbalancedcomposition,

andthendrawtheword(s)ordesignyouwillbeembossingontoyourpaper

withtheembossingpen.

tip

Don’tinktheentiredesignifit’slargeormoreintricate—youdon’twanttoriskitdryingoutbeforeyou’refinished.

Step2

Layembossingpowderovertheentiredesign,ensuringnoareasareleft

exposed.Afterthedesignhasbeencovered,liftthepaperandpourthe

powderoff.Thepowderwillremainonlyontheareaswheretheembossing

penwasused.

tip

Don’twastepowder.Useascrappapertocatchthepowderknockedloosefromyourdesignbeforeit’scured.Pullthepaperendstowardthemiddleandcreatealightcrease/funnel,thenpourthepowderbackintoitscontainer.

Step3

Whileholdingtheheattoolabout11/2inchesawayfromyourpiece,youwill

seethepowdercuring.Thiswillbeobviousbecauseyouwillnoticechanges

incolor,shine,sparkle,andtexture.Asyouseethefirstpartlift,“chase”the

embossingbyholdingtheheattoolatanangleandmoveitacrossthe

designanditwillliftasyougo.Onceallofthepowderhasbeencured,you

arefinished!Somepowderwillstick,justuseacoarse,drypaintbrushto

sweepitaway.It’sthatquickandeasy.

tip

Goingoveradesigntwotothreetimeswillmakeitextraraised.Prettycool.

CommonUh-ohsandFixesMypapercurlsorwarps:

Turnthepaperoverandheatthebackside.Dependingonthethicknessofthecardstock,thismayneedtobedoneseveraltimes.

Thepowderorpaperburns:Movethetoolassoonasyouseethepowder

cure.Maintainadistanceofabout11/2inchesbetweenthepaperandheat

tool.

I’malldone,buttheembossingisuneven:Thiscanoccuriftheinkwasn’t

wetenoughwhenthepowderwasapplied.Fearnot—thisisaneasyfix!Just

repeattheprocessovertheareasthatneedit.

Thereispowdereverywhereafterembossing:Loosepowderwilltryto

stickonyourprojectlikecrumbs—whereyoudon’twantit!Turnyourpaper

overandlightlytaporflickthebacksideoruseacourse,drypaintbrush

andalightsweepingmotiontodustofftheloosepowder.

Variations

Combinationscanbechallengedbyexciting,newideas.Forexample,ideas

include:• blackonblack• whiteonwhite

• clearonlyfortextureeffectandwatercolorresistance• orange

onpink,redonblue,yellowongreen,etc.

Thereareavarietyofmaterialsthatcanbeembossedsuchasthefollowing:

• paper

• vellum

• envelopes

• notebooks

• terra-cotta

• ceramic

• wood

• glass

envelopedesignEnvelopedesigncanbesomuchfun.Rememberthatguidelinesareyourfriend,andenvelopedesigniswheretheyreallycomeinhandy.Youcanusearulerandlightpencillinetomarkwhereyouwantyourguidelines.Usethefollowingexamplesforsomeinspiration.

Example1

Simpleletteringwithalong,edge-to-edgenameline.

Example2

Useapenciltocreateanarchedguidelineforthename.

Example3

Enclosethenameandaddressinabanner.

Example4

Useapenciltocreateaguidelinetofollowtovarytheheightofyourletters.

Example5

Addadeliveryinstruction.

createabotanicalalphabetusingfauxcalligraphyLet’sgetyoufamiliarwithsomeveryeasy,interchangeablefloraldoodles.Grabapieceofpaperandfollowalong!

MATERIALS

Qualitypaper

Pencil

Pen

Step1

Useapenciltocreateyourletters.

Step2

Addflowersalongoneoftheedgesorinoneisolatedareainyourletter’s

frame.

Step3

Useinkoverthepencillines,butbecarefulnottogoovertheflorallines.

Step4

Applyweightlinesonthedownstrokes,ascoveredinthefauxcalligraphy

segment.Again,don’tdrawthroughyourflowers!

Step5

Eraseyourpencillines.

Alldone!Youcankeepyourdesignasis,oryoucanaddpatternsorcolorto

thewhitespaceinsidetheweightlines.

bannerdesignBannersmakefortheperfectillustratedtouchwhenaddingthemtoyourletteringpieces.Theycreatestatementsandcanbeusedinanumberofwaysincludingenvelopeaddressing,logos,slogans,labels,greetingcards,andsomuchmore.Bannerdesignsvaryfromsimple,basicstylestomoreornate,flowingflags.

Thefollowingshowsomebasicbannerstogetyoustarted.

photographandshareyourwork

Ifyouplanontakingphotographsofyourwork,it’simportanttobeawareof

what’snecessarytocreatehigh-qualityimages,butalsowhereyoucancut

corners.Thefollowingisaneasy,budget-friendlyguidetoassistthe

amateurphotographerincreatingeye-catching,swoon-worthyimages.The

bestimageswillbecrispandclearwithplentyoflight.I’veexperimented

withatonofdifferentwaystophotographmywork.I’vetriedaddingfilters,

fullydigitizingit,andusingprops,andI’vealsoexperimentedwithsomuch

lighting!Thelastthingyouwantistohaveanamazingworkofart,onlyto

haveitmutedbydarklightingthatdoesn’tshowcaseitinallofitsglory.

Also,whenyousetuptotakepicturesofyourwork,staytruetoyou!Don’t

compareyourworktoothers.Thereisroomforyou!Peoplewanttoseea

reflectionofyouandyourstylebecauseit’swhatmakesyou,you!

Lighting

Lightingis,handsdown,themostimportantaspectinproducingimagesof

professionalquality.Ifyou’vegotyourlightsourcecovered,therestfalls

intoplace.

Best:LargewindowsthatletinnaturaldaylightGood:Studiolighting(umbrella,softbox,ringlight)Okay:DaylightlightbulbsPoor:Warmlighting(fromregularhouseorapartmentbulbs)

CameraWithtechnology’sincreasinglyprogressivedesignandfunctionality,anon-complexphotoprojectnolongerdemandshigh-techequipment.

Best:DigitalSLR+photoeditingsoftwareGood:2015+SmartphoneordigitalcameraPoor:Disposablecameraorwebcam

tip

Useaflexiblearmmountwithasmartphonetocapturevideoofyourartprocess.

PhotoComposition

Creativityhasanopportunitytoreallyshinehere.Considerthefollowingkey

pointswhencapturingyourimages.Whatistheimagegoingtobeusedfor?

PhotoCompositionandUsage

ANGLE FRAMING ACCENTS

OnlineStore Headon Perimeter,atadistanceFlowers,frame,coloredortexturedwall,trinkets

SocialMedia Any!Lowandflush,tilted,above,side,headon

Any!Lowandflush,tilted,above,side,headon

Flowers,trinkets,nature,twine,coffee

BlogIncludemultipleimagestofullyfeaturethepieceinprocess

Includemultipleimagestofullyfeaturethepieceindifferentsettings

Minimal,coloredortexturedwalls,supplies

Portfolio Headon Perimeter None

Prints Headon Perimeter None

EnhanceYourPhotosApplyingeditsdigitallyallowsforadditionallightingadjustments.Belowarethemainareastofocuson.It’samazingwhatadifferenceasmallbumpinbrightnesscandotolivenupanimage.

tip

Sometimesphotospickupalotofwarmth,soyourphotowilllookneutralwhenit'sadjustedmoretowardthecoolside.

WhiteBalance

Brightness

HowtoComposeforInstagramIabsolutelyloveInstagramforitseyecandy!You’llnoticeonmyfeed,@thepigeonletters,I’mconstantlyexperimentingandchanginghowIpresentmywork.Idon’tsticktoacolorschemebecauseIthinkit’smuchmorefuntoshowmultiplefacetsofmywork.Don’tgetmewrong,however;ifacolorschememakesyouthehappiest,thenthatwillreflectinyourworkandthat’swhatpeoplewanttosee!

CommonHashtagstoKeeponYourRadarHashtagsareawaytoorganizephotosonsocialmedia.Ifyouincludeahashtagonyourpost,it’slikeaddingacategorytoyourphoto.Itwillautomaticallyshowupwithotherphotosthatusethesametag.Checkoutthefollowing:#moderncalligraphy

#brushlettering

#lettering

#handlettering

#modernscript

#handwrittenfont

#handdrawntype

#typographyinspired

#typematters

#pointedpen

#typespired

#calligrafriends

#artstagram

#qotd

#letteringchallenge

#letteringchallenge

#thedailytype

#craftsposure

#goodtype

#letteringco

#calligraphymasters

#typeinspire

#dslettering

#typegang

#makersvillage

#creatorslane

#handletteredabcs

#calligrabasics

#learnlettering

#learncalligraphy

conclusion

Lookathowfaryou’vecome!You’vejumpedintoletteringandarenowin

fullswingandreadytocreateprojectsofyourveryownwithyournewfound

knowledgeinbaseshapes,fundamentalsofbalanceandweightlines,brush

pens,bouncelettering,andadditionalenhancementstomakeyourletters

pop.Notonlythat,butyou’vedabbledinaddinginsomespecialeffectsto

takeyourworktothenextlevel.You’rebasicallyapro.Thankyoufor

choosingtoincludethisbookaspartofyourjourney.

furtherreading

MySkillshareclasseschannel:skillshare.com/r/thepigeonletters

Noteworthyblogs:

www.thepigeonletters.com

blog.tombowusa.com

www.theinkyhand.com

Shop:www.thepigeonletters.etsy.com

YouTube:youtube.com/c/thepigeonletters

Instagram:@thepigeonletters

acknowledgments

First,Iwanttothanktheamazingartcommunitythatexistsonmanysocial

mediaplatforms.Socialmediahasallowedconnectionslikeneverbefore,

andI’mthrilledthatsomanyofyouhavechosentohavemeaspartofyour

learningjourney.

I’dliketothankmywife,LauraDean.Withouther,Iwouldhavenevertaken

theincrediblyscaryleapintowhatisnowsucharewardingcareerbydoing

whatIloveeverysingleday.

IwanttothanktheteamatSkillshareforopeningthefirstdoorforme.I’ve

alwaysbeenpassionateaboutteaching,andteachingonaplatformthat

valueskeepingcreativityaccessibleismyjam.

Iwanttothankmyagent,CarrieHowland,forconvincingmethatIcouldbe

biggerthantheboxIdidn’trealizeIwastryingtokeepmyselfinsideof.

Lastly,IwanttothanktheteamatTenSpeedPressforbeingsuchastaple

inbuildingmybookintosomethingevengreaterthanIenvisioned.

Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou.

abouttheauthor

Peggyisaself-taughtartistwhois

proudtoofferanon-conventional

methodofaccessibleeducationto

anyonewhowantstothriveinthe

artscene.Shebelievesthatmore

thananythingartisabout

empoweringoneselfandbeing

proudofsomethingyou’vecreated

withyourhands.Sheisanaward-

winningeducator,andheruniqueapproachhaslandedheraninterviewon

theTodayShow,amongstseveralothernewsoutlets.Livingherpassionhas

allowedhertospendmoretimewithherfamilyinthePacificNorthwest,

surroundedbythemostbeautifulnatureintheworld.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UV W X Y Z

index

A

alphabet

botanical

styles

ascenders,2.1,4.1

bannerdesign

baseline

bounce,2.1,4.1

brushpens

learningtouse

typesof

B

bunting

C

calligraphy

characteristicsof

definitionof

faux,2.1,6.1

historyof

letteringvs.,itr.1,itr.2,2.1

processof

toolsfor,itr.1,itr.2

usesfor,itr.1,itr.2

capheight

collaboration

composition

crossbars,2.1,4.1

D

descenders,2.1,4.1,4.2

downstrokes,2.1,2.2,3.1

E

embossing

entrystrokes

envelopedesign

exitstrokes,2.1,2.2,4.1

F

fauxcalligraphy,2.1,6.1

finetippens

flourishes,2.1,2.2,4.1,4.2

G

guidelines

H

hairlinestrokes,2.1,4.1

handguards

hashtags

head

I

imperfections,valueof

inspiration,sourcesof,itr.1,6.1

Instagram,6.1,6.2

L

lead-instrokes,2.1,2.2

left-handedletterers

lettering

calligraphyvs.,itr.1,itr.2,2.1

characteristicsof,itr.1,itr.2

processof

termsfor

toolsfor,itr.1,itr.2,1.1

typographyvs.,itr.1,itr.2

usesfor,itr.1,itr.2,itr.3

letters

formationof

strokesin

stylesfor,3.1,4.1,4.2

Seealsoalphabet

ligatures,2.1,4.1

M

meanline

moods,2.1,4.1

N

networking

numbers

P

paper

photographs

Pinterest

placecards,watercolor

practicesheets

R

resources,itr.1,bm.1

Rhodiapads

roadblocks,avoiding,itr.1,3.1

S

serifs,2.1,4.1

shoulder

silhouettewordcollage

stem

strokes

basic

inletters

Seealsoindividualstrokes

swashes,2.1,4.1,4.2

T

tail

tools,itr.1,itr.2,1.1

touchpoints,2.1,2.2

typography

characteristicsof,itr.1,itr.2

definitionof

letteringvs.,itr.1,itr.2

processof

toolsfor

usesfor

U

understrokes

upstrokes,2.1,2.2,3.1

V

variety,practicing

W

watercolorpaper

weight,adding

wordcollage,silhouette

words

made-up

practicing

rulesformaking

X

x-height

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UV W X Y Z

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