Typo Magazine - Back To Basics

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TABLE OF CONTENT

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What Is the Difference Between Lettering & Calligraphy?

08

Lettering Artists & Calligraphers to Follow Right Now!

11

9 Tips & Tricks for Using Procreate

14

Beginner’s Guide to Calligraphy

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COVER STORY - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LETTERING & CALLIGRAPHY?

COVER STORY

What is the difference between

Lettering & Calligraphy?

by LETTERING DAILY/ www.lettering-daily.com

Are you confused about the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy?

Perhaps you didn’t even know that a difference existed between the two.

Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will take a closer look at how exactly hand lettering differs from calligraphy.

>>> TYPO MAGAZINE Spring 2021 5

COVER STORY ♦ LETTERING & CALLIGRAPHY

A

lthough both hand lettering and calligraphy are visual art forms related to letters, their main difference is the method used to create the letters. Hand lettering focuses on drawing and illustrating the letters. Calligraphy, on the other hand, is the art of beautiful writing.

These terms are often used interchangeably. However, they are quite different from each other. In other words, the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy lies in the process and not the end result.

Let’s have a closer look at these art forms to better understand the whole story.

WHAT IS CALLIGRAPHY? Calligraphy is a visual art form primarily focused on beautiful writing. Calligraphy is commonly created using specific tools such as a pointed nib, a broadedged nib, a brush, etc. The emphasis here is on the writing aspect, meaning that the letterforms are usually executed in a single motion.

When we say calligraphy, we have to think of it as an umbrella term that contains many different styles of writing. First of all, calligraphy can be divided based on worldwide cultures such as: • • • • •

Western calligraphy (the Latin alphabet) Chinese calligraphy Japanese calligraphy Arabic calligraphy Indian calligraphy

For now, I solely focus on Western calligraphy. With that in mind, let’s have a quick overview of the different styles of Western calligraphy. With Western calligraphy we should consider two major groups – Traditional and modern calligraphy.

Traditional calligraphy

Includes the calligraphy styles developed throughout the history of the Latin alphabet, which dates approximately since 600 BC. To name a few traditional calligraphy styles:

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Wall lettering by @alexjfowkes > V Italic Calligraphy by @trishiba

• • • • • •

Roman capitals Uncials Insular minuscule Blackletter (Gothic) styles The italic script Copperplate calligraphy

Modern calligraphy

The easiest way to explain what modern calligraphy is – any calligraphy style that doesn’t follow the strict rules of traditional calligraphy.

Another way that calligraphy differs from hand lettering is by using specific tools for writing.

You can use a pointed nib, a broad-edged nib, fountain pens, brushes, etc. That all depends on the calligraphy style you are working with.

WHAT IS HAND LETTERING? Hand lettering is a visual art form that primarily focuses on drawing and illustrating letter forms by hand (hence the name). Unlike calligraphy, where we write the letters, with hand lettering, we are drawing the individual letter forms. In hand lettering, the letters are most commonly drawn or sketched with a pencil and then outlined with various pens and markers.

In contrast to calligraphy, for hand lettering, you don’t really need a specific tool. In fact, you can do hand lettering with pretty much any writing tool that you have.

Hand lettering is based on certain rules we use in both calligraphy and typography. However, there are so many different ways you can stylize your letters. If you want to learn and improve your hand lettering skills, you will, without a doubt, benefit tremendously by having even just a rudimentary understanding of typography and calligraphy.

WHAT IS TYPOGRAPHY? Typography is a visual art form that arranges letters (fonts) in a clear, legible, and visually appealing manner. It involves selecting typefaces, sizes, line lengths, letter spacing, kerning, and more.

Typography using movable type can be dated all the way back to the 11th century. However, a defining historical moment was the invention of the mechanical printing press machine by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439.

In the current digital era, typographers mostly work with premade computer fonts. Like the one you are reading right now.

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COVER STORY ♦ LETTERING & CALLIGRAPHY

V Brush lettering by @michael_moodie

It’s also essential to distinguish type designers, which are the ones creating these insanely precise letter forms. Interestingly enough, these letter forms are initially sketched on paper and then later digitized and polished to perfection, not only individually but also in combination with different letter forms, etc. This is an extremely elaborate process that can take months or even years to complete.

Fun fact – The creation of one of the most popular and used typefaces in the 20th century –‘’Futura’’ took three years to complete!

UNDERSTANDING OTHER TERMS Since this is an article about the different terminology, I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to shed some light on other commonly used terms.

Brush lettering This is a popularly adopted term that, in most cases, refers to calligraphy created with a brush pen.

To be 100% entirely correct, this would actually be brush calligraphy since you are actually writing the letters and not drawing them. Nonetheless, I don’t

LETTERING ARTISTS & CALLIGRAPHERS TO FOLLOW RIGHT NOW

LETTERING

artists &

CALLIGRAPHERS

JOHN STEVENS

to follow right

@calligraphile Traditional calligrapher

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Л Sign painting by @rachelemillar

think it’s necessary to take it that far, and it’s totally fine to call it to brush lettering.

Faux (fake) calligraphy This one can be a bit tricky. I would say that it’s a combination of the two. On one hand, you are technically drawing the letters, but you are doing so to imitate the look of calligraphy (hence the name).

Sign Painting Sign painting is an art form that combines both calligraphy and hand lettering in its own unique way along with specific tools and techniques. It’s an art form that picked up its popularity in the early last century to place advertisements on buildings, billboards, signboards, etc. (hence the name).

ALEX J FOWKES

@alexjfowkes Mural artist

With the rise of the computer and digitalization (80’s), sign painting faced a steep decline in interest.

However, with the Internet and social media era, sign painting, just like calligraphy, is seeing a significant comeback worldwide.

Chalk lettering Chalk lettering is pretty straight forward. It’s hand lettering done with chalk. Most commonly on a chalkboard or wall.

WHY DOES ALL THIS MATTER? The answer to this question is subjective and depends from person to person. As a hand lettering and calligraphy artist, I believe that understanding the terminology and the different art forms is of high importance.

>>>

JOANNA MUÑOZ

@winkandwonder Lettering artist

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COVER STORY ♦ LETTERING & CALLIGRAPHY

These art forms are complex in their own way and they take years of studying and practice to master.

Understanding the basic terminology is kind of like ground 0, and I truly believe that you can only benefit from understanding it.

Perhaps someone who isn’t that invested in this whole world won’t really care that much about the different terms and simply call everything fonts. And you would be surprised to see how often that happens.

The bottom line is – if you want to learn the art of hand lettering & calligraphy, learning and understanding the proper terminology will help you immensely along the way. T

Л Chalk lettering by @stefankunz

A R S G I R L E L A PH C STEFAN KUNZ

@stefankunz Lettering artist

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MARTINA FLOR

@martinaflor Lettering artist

TRICK & HACKS - 9 TIPS & TRICKS FOR USING PROCREATE TRICKS & HACKS

M

any techniques, visual arts remain one of the key areas where technology has embraced the technique and built resource-rich applications to make you draw better. One such application that has become one of the most popular platforms for newbies and professionals is Procreate. Coupled with the iPad, Procreate

by ZAYNWILDER / zaynwilder55.medium.com

has become the go-to software to make a stunning piece of art. However, amateurs may find its huge array of functionalities overwhelming, whereas professionals may not be aware of shortcuts that may speed things up for them. This is why we have made a list of tips and tricks that will help you in using Procreate better. >>> TYPO MAGAZINE Spring 2021 11

TIPS & HACKS ♦ 9 TIPS & TRICKS | PROCREATE

GESTURE CONTROLS

1

Gestures are the fastest way to get the most out of the app. Procreate lets you customize specific gestures that are linked to specific activities. For example, you can customize a three-finger swipe to select a layer. You can add different actions to taps made by your hand and the Apple Pencil. You can find these controls by tapping on the wrench icon and going in Preferences.

QUICKSHAPE

2

MAKING CLIPPING MASK AND ALPHA LOCK

Do you think that your shaky hands don’t make perfect circles or squares? The Quickshape tool can solve this problem. Tap on the wrench icon, select Preferences, and then tap on Gesture controls. You will find the Quickshape feature and by enabling it, you will eliminate the rough shapes as the app will automatically sense the shape and create a smooth object for you.

Alpha Lock is a handy tool that allows you to draw within the boundaries of your shape. To use the Alpha Lock, click on the checkbox present on the layer that has the shape. Create another layer and then draw on it. You will realize that you won’t be able to draw outside the boundaries of the shape with the Alpha Lock.

LAYERING CAPABILITIES

COLOR PICKING

3

Layers are the best way to harness the potential of Procreate. Layers allow you to stack shapes, colors, and images on each other so that you can create a brilliant piece of art the same way that an artist uses layers of paint on its painting. You can combine layers into groups and use them to experiment with each other. Additional functionalities like Clipping Masks and Alpha Locks take advantage of layers.

COLOR PALETTES

4

For people who know color harmony, having the perfect color palette for making a piece is highly important. For others, hunting down the exact shade of color may also become a task. The color palettes can save you from this trouble. Just like a regular palette, you can select colors and add them to the palette so they stay there for your reuse. Procreate has three color palettes named Pastels, Campfire and Ascend, that come pre-installed and you can make your own palette by clicking on the ‘+’ icon.

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Clipping Masks are more like masking tapes that painters use to block out the canvas to fill out a certain shape that is bounded by tapes. Making Clipping Masks is very easy. Draw your shape on a layer and then spread the color on another layer under it. Tap the new layer and select ‘Clipping Mask’.

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It can become impossible to reproduce an exact color, be it from a picture or some other reference.

The Eyedropper tool allows you to catch a color from any reference and use it on the canvas. So you save the trouble from traversing through the limitless color options. You can also tweak the gesture controls to save a particular gesture to the Eyedropper tool. If you are working on a piece that requires constant color correction or referencing, adding a gesture will make things faster.

COLOR DROPPING

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As the name suggests the ColorDrop tool drops a specific color on the canvas and adjusts itself according to the shapes placed on the canvas. To use it, you can select a color from the color-circle present on the top right corner and drag it to your canvas. Be careful as the threshold of the ColorDrop tools might interfere with your shapes. Make sure you adjust the threshold so that spilling is minimized.

BLEND MODE

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Head over to the top-right section and click on the blend tool which is placed between the eraser icon and the paintbrush icon. This tool will help you smoothen your colors into a gradient. So, instead of switching between colors back and forth, using the Blend tools is much easier and faster.

ADJUSTMENT MODE

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If you think that your art piece requires a little experimentation, click on the icon beside the wrench icon.

This will open the Adjustment tabs which will provide you with a plethora of options including Opacity, Depth, Noise, Liquify, Blur, Push, Pinch, and many more. T

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BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CALLIGRAPHY

01

Preparing the Materials INK AND HOLDER

MASKING TAPE

RULER TISSUE

OLD CLOTH

PENCIL

CALLIGRAPHY PEN WATER IN GLASS

NIB TYPES

FLEXIBLE

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02 TIP

Inserting and dipping the nib THE DIPPING DEPTH SHOULD BE JUST BELOW THE VENT HOLE SLIT

VENT HOLE TINES

FLANGE

THE INK SHOULD NOT REACH THE FLANGE

03

Setting up your desk USE A SOFT TISSUE TO CLEAN THE NIB

en lel P ral t Pa Pilo

Pen

h ead br us

nib

Gl ass

m To

ad

B

n Pe

Pe n

w bo

h

s ru

Flat H

ed Sw

g Rulin

n Pe

Bro

ip eT

Oblique holder Flexible nib w/

rush

B ted Poin

WATER AND INK SHOULD BE IN EASY REACH

HAVE A OLD CLOTH FOR INK ACCIDENTS

CALLIGRAPHY REFERENCE OR PAPER FOR TESTING YOUR NIB HAVE A PLENTY OF ROOM FOR WORK

and ...

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

WORK ON A SLANTED DESK IF POSSIBLE TAPE YOUR PAPER TO THE DESK AND GUIDELINE FOR STABILITY

04

Learning how to use guidelines ASCENDER

SWASH

ASCENDER LINE WAISTLINE

X-HEIGHT

BASELINE DESCENDER

DESCENDER LINE

Article Sources: Page 5-10 Max from Lettering Daily (2019), ‘What is the difference beween hand lettering and calligraphy’, accessed November 2020, <https://www.lettering-daily.com/ difference-between-hand-lettering-and-calligraphy> Page 11-13 Zaynwilder (2020, July), ‘9 Tips and Tricks for Using Procreate’,

Image Sources:

accessed November 2020, <https://zaynwilder55.medium.com/ 9-tips-and-tricks-for-using-procreate-13ad84d78665>

Page 6-7 • Le, Italic Calligraphy, accessed November 2020, <https://www.instagram.com/tri.shiba/> • Alex v, Welcome To Squamish mural, accessed November 2020, < https://www.instagram.com/alexjfowkes/> Page 8-9 • Michael Moodie, Brush Lettering, accessed November 2020, <https://www.instagram.com/michael_moodie/> • Rachel E Millar , Sign Painting, accessed November 2020, <https://www.instagram.com/rachelemillar/> Page 10 • Stefan Kunz, Chalk Lettering, accessed November 2020, <https://www.instagram.com/stefankunz/>

Designed by MARCIA KAYO SHIBAGAKI 16 Spring 2021 TYPO MAGAZINE