typography illustration

Drawings, Graphic Design, Step-By-Step, Typography

Typography Illustration: Do your best Part 2

January 22, 2016May 24, 2016 pageredford

Happy Friday! In a previous post I showed some of the steps I take to create a typographic illustration. Now I will show you some of the steps I take to color a piece!

I generally do a quick thumbnail off to the side (or make a photocopy) to make sure the colors I use work in harmony. If you are working digitally, you can easily change the colors in photoshop, but with traditional work, it helps to work out your colors ahead of time.

I decided to use circus-inspired bold colors to match the bold fonts.

Once you have decided on your colors, start blocking them in. I always make sure to have another piece of paper under my drawing to help absorb some of the marker that bleeds through.

I use a variety of pen and marker types for my illustrations. Copic and PrismaColors are favorites of mine, but I also use Sharpies. Many of the colors you see in my finished illustration are a combination of several colors. Another useful tool in my typography illustrations is a chalk marker, which I use for the highlights on letterforms.

The finished illustration!

Illustration, Inspiration, Typography

Typography Illustration: Do Your Best

January 20, 2016May 24, 2016 pageredford

Hand-Lettering is a BIIIG part of my life. It seems like every day I have a new lettering project that I am working on. Some projects are client-driven, while others are ones that I take on myself. This illustration was an exercise in not only doing the work, but documenting it and photographing the steps.

I chose the phrase “do your best” for this illustration because I want to encourage others to strive to do the best they can do with their art.

I wanted to show my followers on Instagram the steps I take in completing the inking of a typographic piece. I always start with a pencil sketch. I generally use mechanical pencils for their precise line and easy erasing.

Once the lines are finalized, I go over them with ink. I use a variety of pen sizes and types.

Start to finish: counter-clockwise from top left.

I wait a short while for the ink to dry and then use a soft, white eraser to erase the pencil lines. This is sometimes the hardest part! Be careful to let the ink dry, though, as it can smear and ruin your drawing!

I added stippling after adding the bold ink outline.

After the ink has dried, you can add other embellishments like hatching, cross hatching, or stippling to add contrast. I think I will color this piece, but I will leave that for another time!