An exciting book has just been introduced into the lettering world titled 'The Joy of Lettering: A creative exploration of contemporary hand lettering, typography & illustrated typeface'. The book is authored and illustrated by lettering artists Gabri Joy Kirkendall and Jaclyn Escalera. Gabri Joy also co-authored one of my favourite books 'Creative Lettering and Beyond'. Gabri Joy runs a successful business specialising in hand lettering and illustration. She has developed skills using a … [Read more...]
Can You Make a Successful Career from Lettering?
For some hand lettering is a hobby, but for others it's more than that. Lettering is a skill that some artists want to make a career from, but is this actually possible? If I had been asked this question two years ago when I was a complete beginner at lettering, I would have said no and that's what I genuinely thought at the time. I did not think it was possible to make a career out of being a lettering artist. I thought maybe an artist could do a bit of lettering commission work here and … [Read more...]
Lettering Legend – Jon Contino Interview
Jon Contino is a New York based lettering artist who has built up a body of work that has caught the eye of many. The style in which Jon creates is very unique and isn't confined to levels of perfectionism that are almost impossible to achieve by hand, and can stop some lettering artists from ever progressing. His skills don't just centre around lettering, he is a proficient illustrator too. Jon combines his lettering and illustrative skills to create original well executed pieces of work that … [Read more...]
Five Easy Tips for Inking Smooth Letter Edges
Applying smooth, bump and wobble free edges to your lettering can sometimes be difficult. Smooth edges are not always a necessity as they can sometimes make lettering look a little less hand made, and that might not be the appearance you are going for. However on occasion you might want your lettering to look like it has been vectored, or maybe you want it to look like it's been brush lettered when you've actually drawn it. This is when being able to apply really smooth edges to your lettering … [Read more...]
More Than Just Reference Mike Meyer’s Morgue File
Mike Meyer has specialised in sign painting for many years and never seems to lack inspiration. Over time Mike has collected material from different sources to help keep himself inspired, and now some of that material from Mike's collection has been organised into a book titled 'Morgue File Book 1'. The book has been published in partnership with Mike Meyer, A.S Handover, Better Letters and Alice Mazzilli. Mike grew up and still lives in a town called Mazeppa located within Minnesota. The … [Read more...]
