A modern person is surrounded by advertising from virtually all sides: these are posters, banners, advertising on TV and radio, and many other native ways that experienced marketers use. One of the latest fashion trends, which is very fond of designers, is called lettering. What is it and why is it gaining more and more popularity every day? Let's get it right.
Interesting story
Everyone is familiar with the concept of calligraphy, because it arose a very long time and accompanies a person throughout history. Now calligraphy is considered an attribute or even a whole separate type of art. However, in the distant past, the art of writing beautifully had practical grounds. The monks copied huge manuscripts and created real masterpieces using the most sophisticated calligraphy techniques.
Calligraphy arose in ancient Greece, in translation this word means "beautiful handwriting." Greco-Roman writing had its own characteristics and distinctive features from the East Asian alphabet. When writing texts, various tools were even used, for example, the Greeks wrote with a pen, and the Chinese used ink and brushes.
In contrast to calligraphy, lettering (what it is, we will analyze a little lower) arose in the last century as a bright and effective tool for advertising any product. However, now he has managed to become a trend in modern art, to which an increasing number of designers, type artists and art artists are turning.
Differences of lettering from calligraphy
Many mistakenly assume that these two concepts are the same in meaning. However, lettering, the writing of which is drawn by designers, and calligraphy are two completely different ways of writing letters. If there are certain rules and restrictions in calligraphy, then in the second case there are no boundaries, the artist has the right to create any masterpieces and embody his wildest ideas.
The word "lettering" in English means "write a letter." The main feature of this direction is that it is a whole drawing, which consists of letters and other graphic signs.
Characteristics of Lettering
The alphabet, written in this style, has no analogues, therefore, in no case can be considered lettering as a font. After all, a font is a ready-made set of letters written in a certain way that are reused many times. In lettering, each letter has its own unique slope, thickness, and dynamics.
Perhaps another difference between calligraphy and lettering (we consider fonts to be a separate tool) is that only small letters are present in calligraphy, any additional lines and any small drawings are forbidden. And in the last, each letter is made out in a unique way, complemented by a wide variety of pictures and signs.
Who is doing this?
So, we examined the basics of lettering: what is it and what are its differences from the usual calligraphy. However, there are still many questions, for example, what kind of people are engaged in lettering?
Theoretically, absolutely anyone can do this, and no matter for what purpose. There are many specialties associated with lettering. Here are the most famous:
- a typographer who develops not only fonts, but also design styles in general;
- marketer-designer creating real masterpieces of advertising;
- an artist who creates for the sake of art;
- tattoo artists, who are the youngest specialists in this niche.
All of these people are united by a love of magical lettering, the alphabet (Russian or foreign - it doesn’t matter at all, because a text written with love will be beautiful in any language).
Creative Tools
Ancient calligraphers wrote with pen and ink. Interestingly, would modern artists be able to create masterpieces using only this primitive? Let's see what kind of devices pleased the 21st century of high technology.
There are a huge number of different "Pribluda" for creative natures who decided to do lettering. For beginners and for professionals, there are tools. So, here are the most popular stationery that will come in handy for us:
- Windshields are tools equipped with a cartridge. They remind you of an ordinary brush, only they do not need to be dipped anywhere. They have many different nozzles, shapes, even the tip material can be different. The color scheme is presented in a wide assortment. According to the type of brushpens, they are divided into three types: water-based, alcohol-based and gel-based.
- Reifers, kolapen - these are all tools resembling a regular piece of iron with a sharp end. They usually come with a drawing set. It is very convenient for them to draw graphic lettering. Fonts are obtained in the Gothic style.
- Markers and electronic pens from the manufacturer Molotow are the most modern products for the design and drawing of graffiti.
- The foam parallel is a metal handle with a replaceable cartridge. Its distinctive feature is that it has an original design: instead of a flat pen, it has two plates. Thanks to them, a more saturated outflow of ink is obtained.
There are a huge number of other tools for drawing and lettering. The Russian alphabet implies a greater variety of spelling of letters than the Latin one, therefore, domestic artists have a wider range of tools and auxiliary gizmos.
For what purposes is lettering used?
Perhaps the most useful and practical side of lettering is its use in logos and advertising banners. You must admit that a striking design and original text made by hand with intricate letters and inscriptions will surely attract the attention of most people.
Of course, in addition to advertising and marketing, lettering has many other areas. Many artists draw texts for aesthetic pleasure, some even organize entire exhibitions of painting in the style of lettering. In the Russian and Russian-speaking market of freelancer services, there is a large rating of the best designers who are engaged in the design of any things in the style of lettering.
In the past century, many entrepreneurs have used this technique. For example, bright and unusual signs were hung in front of bakeries, butchers and other various shops, on which the text was drawn by hand. Thanks to this technique, more people became a regular at this establishment. In the modern world, something similar happens. For example, you can often find a chalk board in a cafe, on which the text and its design changes weekly. It is believed that calligraphy and lettering “revive” any brand, and make the room more comfortable and pleasant.
How to learn lettering?
The art of writing beautifully is not an easy task, requiring a lot of patience and time. Training can take from a couple of weeks to a whole year, in general, it all depends on the initial skills and talent. In any major city, there are lettering courses for beginners, in which all the subtleties of this direction are studied in great detail. The ideal option is just courses or an individual master trainer who will teach the most basic drawing techniques.
Many newcomers who are now professionals in this industry have studied lettering on their own. Thanks to the huge number of informational articles, master classes and video lessons on the Internet, you can easily learn a new profession. The main thing would be a desire!
Lettering Basics
What is it, what is it used for? We have already examined these questions; now it is worth studying the basic techniques and drawing techniques separately. So, the basic principle of lettering is that before you start drawing, you need to think about the future picture. It is best to imagine a ready-made image in your head and follow it.
After creating a sketch or sketch, you can begin to design and draw the smallest details. It is they who make the whole picture holistic and original. Here are the very first steps in learning lettering:
- Apply the rules and principles of drawing in practice. Train by drawing small fences, curls and just straight lines with and without slopes.
- Having perfected mastery in one rule, you must immediately proceed to the next. Many masters say that to achieve success in lettering, the alphabet can only hard work and painstaking. We will only add that you need to draw every day, even if only a little.
- Try new tools every time, master a variety of strokes.
- Be sure to visit the forums, exhibit your work. It is a collective discussion that makes it more clear where the mistakes were made. In addition, if you plan to earn a living by lettering in the future, you need to make acquaintances with the right people. They just often appear at various exhibitions, art meetings and forums.
Creative Gadgets
Technology lovers should try drawing in special tablets that are designed specifically for creativity. They are equipped with all the necessary tools, a variety of auxiliary functions are programmed in them.
Perhaps the best gadget is a graphics tablet from Wacom. The brand has a whole series of such “toys”. Everyone chooses a model convenient for him. In any case, the tablet makes the work less painstaking, because the built-in editor programs make it easier and faster to draw. In addition to tablets, a professional logo designer will need a computer, photo editor programs (Photoshop), a scanner, a printer and, of course, paper. It can be matte or glossy. Some even draw on thick paper (cardboard, wallpaper).