Tuesday, March 31, 2015

lettering with makewells: painting letters




Hello - Megan from Makewells here! I'm back with a post introducing my favorite aspect of hand lettering: adding color!
In the last few lettering posts, I've talked about the infinite possibilities there are with drawing letters. Now, with the addition of color, the variations are going to continue to grow. 

To get started, below are my favorite paints to use when I add color to my hand lettering pieces:

This is the one area of lettering where I do tend to splurge a little. You can use any combination of acrylics and watercolors, however, my favorites are: 
I primarily use titanium white and mix it with my watercolors to give them a little more of an opaque body. Golden's High Flow acrylic series is wonderful if you are trying to achieve smooth brushstrokes. 
Dr. Ph. Martins Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor and Radiant Concentrated Water Color -(link: http://www.dickblick.com/products/dr-ph-martins-hydrus-fine-art-liquid-watercolors/
Oh how I love these little bottles of magic. The colors are absolutely striking - super rich. 
These are very affordable and I have just about every color. They're very versatile. 
I'm not a "purist" by any means when it comes to painting, so I mix these three paints together all the time to achieve the colors and consistency that I'm looking for. Remember, it's all about what works for you (and your budget!). So find paints that work for you and splurge only if you want to. 
As for brushes - I typically stick with very small, synthetic, round bristled brushes for lettering. I have been using Blick Master Synthetics recently and love them. 
If you plan on adding paint to your hand lettering, getting started is no different than drawing. I always start with sketches!

Once I'm happy with my initial concept, I'll redraw in pencil very lightly (I sketched darker above so you could easily seeon Strathmore Vellum Surface Bristol Board.  (link: http://www.dickblick.com/products/strathmore-300-series-bristol-board-pads/) This is my favorite surface to work on because of how smooth and sturdy it is. 
Next, I do a first "wash" of paint just to block in the shapes of each letter. 


When the first layer is dry, I'll usually go back and erase any pencil lines before going in for more detail.



I love adding dimension to letters by adding shadows and highlights. 


I'll blend and fade colors as well to add even more interest.



And just like drawing letters, it takes a lot practice. Developing your own unique style is half the fun!



I love adding embellishments to certain words/letters as well. Sometimes all it takes is a few polka dots!



Sometimes I'll give a letter/word a washy drop shadow.



Or go back with a super fine brush for detailed lines and patterns.




For practice, if you've worked your way through the 1 Letter 100 Ways exercise, try mixing up the alphabet in all sorts of styles and colors:



Make sure to show us your work by hashtagging your photos on instagram #redefinecreativelettering. I'll be back soon with some tips on crafting phrases!

Meg

Makewells Instagram: @makewells
Makewells Website: http://www.makewells.com

21 comments:

Marguerite said...

So many possibilities and so a gorgeous effect! Lovely!

Erum Tasneem said...

this is LOVE!
xx
Erum
My Blog!

Unknown said...

Loving the lettering series! So helpful!

Carin Winkelman said...

Just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful series.

Chantal Vandenberg said...

Wonderful lettering!

CathyB said...

How I wish I could do this. I'm left-handed, therefore my letters slant left and not right. It just isn't as pretty!! :(

CathyB said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the lovely series. Looking forward to many more!

Stacey said...

Love this! Thanks for sharing your talents.

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

LOVE x 18!

Kelley~

Andria said...

Such beautiful work! I aspire to such gorgeous lettering.

HAZEL said...

So pretty!! This would be great for birthday cards :)

Unknown said...

Gorgeous post! These would look amazing framed.

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Ursula Markgraf said...

Oh, this looks so fun! Will have to try this! Thanks for such an awesome post!

Terri said...

I really love this series! These drawings get more and more beautiful with each post. Right after I graduated from graphic design and illustration school, hand lettering became huge. And I wish we had practiced it even just a little bit in school. So I love that you share your pencil sketches and favorite supplies and process with us! I've always wanted to know how to make my own lettering and handwriting unique and beautiful, and now I'm motivated - thank you!

ricardokeith said...

I loved your post. Wonderful lettering shared by you here. I really wish if I could do this with my son. You have great talent dear, do you also paint for Aboriginal Art? I would love to see some more paintings from you.

Start Business in Delhi said...

I am extremely impressed along with your writing abilities, Thanks for this great share.

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lindawan said...

A couple posts back, Megan suggested thinking of lettering as drawing rather than penmanship. That was a revelation that totally broke through a mental block. I decided to use her lessons to design their T-shirts for their second birthday and am quite proud of the results.

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Hastypearl said...

Just bookmarked Meg. Great add! Laura

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