The consistent look of this lettering is all in the details. It looks deceptively simple but it does take careful attention to get it just right:

JEREMIAH: Day #1 – Bulging Rectangles – Intro

Getting the curved sides for these letters ‘just right’, is not as hard as one might think – thankfully.

Begin by using a pencil and making a box for each letter. Most will be two units wide by four units tall. (the letter ‘I’ is one unit wide while the ‘M’ and ‘W’ are four units wide.) Then draw the letter shape by making the corner start just on the inside of the dot and bulge to the outside of the dots and back into the corner on the inside of the dot. Repeat for all lines.

Note that there are a few straight lines (crosspieces on ‘E’, ‘A’ and ‘H’) and a few overhangs (center of ‘E’ and upper left of ‘M’). Tomorrow we’ll see more of these but these will get you through this introductory word.

JEREMIAH: Day #2 – Bulging Rectangles – Alphabet 1

Review of the process of making the Bulging Rectangles Font: Begin by using a pencil and making a box for each letter. Most will be two units wide by four units tall. (the letter ‘I’ is one unit wide while the ‘M’ and ‘W’ are four units wide.) Then draw the letter shape by making the corner start just on the inside of the dot and bulge to the outside of the dots and back into the corner on the inside of the dot. Repeat for all lines.

Note that there are a few straight lines (crosspieces on ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘H’, ‘J’, ‘X’, and ‘Z’ plus uprights on ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘M’, ‘Q’, ‘T’ and ‘Y’) There are a few overhangs (center of ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘Q’, ‘X’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ plus the upper left of ‘M’ and ‘N’).

Because of the unique construction of this set of letters you’ll need to match them with numbers and punctuation. So those are included as well. Study those for the straight lines, and overhangs that make them fit with the alphabet.

JEREMIAH: Day #3 – Bulging Rectangles – Alphabet 2

I wanted you to have something to use as a lower-case with the main alphabet so I developed a similar bulging half-size font. After I put this together, I realized that it works very well on its own as well.

The general shaping is done the same as on the larger font but the size of the letters is 2x2. The exceptions are, again, the ‘I’ at 1x2 and the ‘M’ and ‘W’ at 3x2.

JEREMIAH: Day #3 – Bulging Rectangles – Alphabet 2

I wanted you to have something to use as a lower-case with the main alphabet so I developed a similar bulging half-size font. After I put this together, I realized that it works very well on its own as well.

The general shaping is done the same as on the larger font but the size of the letters is 2x2. The exceptions are, again, the ‘I’ at 1x2 and the ‘M’ and ‘W’ at 3x2.

JEREMIAH: Day #5 – Bulging Rectangles – Bible Page

Use either, or both, of the alphabets to journal a scripture in Jeremiah in your Bible. I had a fairly short block of text to write so I was able to use the taller letters quite effectively.

The shape of these letters made me think of how you could hold them in two hands (especially the M and W) so that led to the pairing them with the binoculars from the Drawing Room.

I did use the smaller letter set for the scripture reference at the bottom of the page.

Wrapping up another week of lessons! Keep practicing.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I find it hard to believe that this is week 30 of this progressive learning of lettering series. But, because many weeks (like this one) contain more than one alphabet, I have totally lost track of the total number that have been taught. Here are the daily lessons for this week:

ISAIAH: Day #1 – Quirky Prints – Intro

We are going to work with a couple of quirky print styles this week. In this introductory piece you will find the book of Isaiah written out in each using an all-caps and an upper- and lower-case.

The styles are similar with their curled ends but the letter forms often change up. The first letters are closer to standard print and the second alphabet adds open circles to the line ends and hash marks on the long lines.

ISAIAH: Day #2 – Quirky Prints – Alphabet 1

This is the full alphabet for the first of our quirky prints.  Get relaxed with those sweeping curls on this casual style.

Although the sample shows the lower-case smaller, the actual size of it is ½ of the full letter height. I made them smaller to conserve space on my paper! Also, note that the letter forms sometimes break out of the confines of their normal baseline and ascender lines. To demonstrate this, draw in a baseline and ascender on the sample.

In use on a project, this is a good alphabet to bounce off the baseline for added interest.

ISAIAH: Day #3 – Quirky Prints – Alphabet 2

The second alphabet is similar to the first but many of the letter forms are changed (see the ‘a’ in both alphabets). In addition, the curls end in little open circles as do many of the other lines. We also add two or three hashmarks on the letters for a little ‘zippiness’.

I used black and red pens to differentiate between the capitals and lower-case letters. AND you get a set of numbers to go with them.

This font also looks great when bounced off the baseline.

ISAIAH: Day #4 – Quirky Print 1 – Writing Scripture

Today we will practice using one of the new alphabets to write scripture. I used the first form introduced and kept it more formal by maintaining the baseline.

Note the change in the letter ‘Y’ where I shortened the main ‘v’ of it. Remember, you can always make an alphabet your own by editing the letter forms to suit yourself. Just remember to use them consistently throughout your piece.

ISAIAH: Day #5 – Quirky Print 2 – In Your Bible

Whichever of this week’s alphabets you did NOT use yesterday will be used today in your Bible. This alphabet 2 combines nicely with a casual script, a sketchy double-lined print and a controlled formal script.

I used different coloring on the various parts of these letters, echoing the colors in the drawing.

Quirky letters, indeed! Right?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Here is a nice departure from the standard lettering!

COLOSSIANS: Day #1 – Icon Blocks – Intro

This week we are going to have some fun experimenting with the insertion of little icons into Basic Block Letters. The block alphabet I am using is a casual mix of upper- and lower-case letters.

For this sample I have used tiny fruits to substitute for the holes in letters that usually have one and as an added layer on other letters.

I colored in the fruits as well as the base letters.

COLOSSIANS: Day #2 – Icon Blocks – Alphabet

You can see in this full alphabet how the icons fit into the design of the letters. In case you find it difficult to distinguish the fruit shapes as they are layered, I included a line of them separately.

It is often useful to have a number style included but I would not use the icons on these.

When using the letters in writing of text, keep in mind that you can use whatever fruit you want on whichever letter. No rules! Also, keep in mind that the fruit on the letter B can be colored as either a lemon or a lime. The fruit on the letter I can be a slice of lemon or an orange. The same is true of the fruit on the E. The fruit on the C can be an apricot, peach or a red or purple plum. There are many colors of apples, so pick your favorite.

COLOSSIANS: Day #3 – Icon Blocks – Other Icons

Fruit is not the only icons you can use on your block letters. Try a few words using the icons shown below. What other icons can you think of to use?

COLOSSIANS: Day #4 – Icon Blocks – Word Layouts

This lettering style is a very nice one to overlap and let them bounce around off the baseline.

In the first sample I overlapped the letters – always with the letter to the left tucked behind. I also changed the icons to buttons and then added little ‘stitches’ around the letters. This might be fun to use with Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

On the second sample I still overlapped the letters but I kept the baseline more consistent. When the second line was penciled in, I made the tops of those letters conform to the bases of the letters above. This set got the wonky stars icons.

COLOSSIANS: Day #5 – Icon Blocks – Bible Page

For my Bible page I reverted back to the original design with the fruit filling. I did overlap my letters and let them bounce off the baseline. I combined the Icon Block lettering with a plain script that would not compete for attention.

The fruit in the illustration can be found in the Drawing Room tutorial(s) for the week. There you will learn to draw the apple, the pear and the grapes!

I had a lot of fun with these Icon Block Letters. How about you?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Okay, the ongoing debate – do we call this book Song of Solomon or Song of Songs? It depends on what translation one is reading from! Both are acceptable. Now, on with the lettering:

SONG OF SONGS: Day #1 – Half Blocks – Intro

The fonts we will learn this week are what I call ‘half blocks’. They are kind of a cross between a block letter and a basic oval print with serifs. The x-height is over half the total height of the capitals.

Note that the loose ends of the ‘basic oval’ portion end in a curl (like last week’s letters) and the serifs have added little bits on them. The capital letters have four graduated dots alongside them and the lower-case have three dots. These are always along one side or the other of the block portion of the letter.

The letters can be colored in a number of ways which we will explore throughout the week.

SONG OF SONGS: Day #2 – Half Blocks – Alphabet

Here is the full alphabet for the half blocks. Note the finishing curls on the single lines, the extensions on the serifs and the dots next to the block side of the letters.

I colored these to distinguish between the upper- and lower-cases.

SONG OF SONGS: Day #3 – Half Blocks – Décor Options

There are a lot of ways to customize these letters. A few are shown below:

1)      Use two values of the same color to fill in a blend from top to bottom, with darker on the bottom.

2)      Use two colors to create a blend from top to bottom. As before, use the darker color on the bottom.

3)      Less decorating: Leave off the extensions on the serifs and don’t add the dots.

4)      Leave off the dots and the color. Fill the block portions with ‘S’ curls to look like wrought iron.

5)      Move the dots inside the block portions. A coloring option is to use two hues and alternate letters.

6)      Collapse the blocks and extend the internal lines outside the letter confines. Blend color side to side.

SONG OF SONGS: Day #4a – Half Blocks – Concave

This alphabet was introduced at the end of yesterday’s lesson. It does not have the dots or the serifs and we have collapsed the block portions into concave bars.

In the alphabet shown only a few of the lines are extended outside the confines of the letters. Note that you can play with the ending curls, too. See how you like them compared to the first alphabet.

SONG OF SONGS: Day #4b – Half Blocks – Casual

Here is a more informal version of the half block letter. Note that the bars are still collapsed but instead of the extensions outside the letter confines we get very loose with the basic oval portions. See how they cross over into the bars in a very casual manner.

When you are using this alphabet in a written piece and have two of the same letter together in a word, find a way to change the form of one of the letters so they look more spontaneous.

SONG OF SONGS: Day #5 – Half Blocks – Bible Page

For this Bible page I used the original half block alphabet all in caps and moved the dots to be internal decoration. This was combined with a faux-brush script to maintain a formal look.

The blend of yellow to green within the letters echoes the coloring of the lily of the valley from the weekly Drawing Room tutorial.

I’ve always been a little confused by this book of the bible, but there is beautiful imagery to journal.

Ddd

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Gonna have to WORK it this week…

ECCLESIASTES: Day #1 – Related Curls – Intro

We’re going to go all out this week and learn THREE alphabets! Why? Because they are all based on the Basic Oval Print and they share many of the same decorative elements. There are enough changes to make it obvious that they are separate styles but close enough to demonstrate how little changes can have a big impact.

The nice thing in knowing all three of these alphabets is that you can see where you could borrow a letter form from one to use with the decorative elements of another. For instance, if you like the shape of the ‘a’ in the 2^nd and 3^rd you could borrow it to use in the 1^st.

Practice with these three and we’ll visit the full alphabet for the first one tomorrow.

ECCLESIASTES: Day #2 – Related Curls – Alphabet 1

This alphabet is curlier than the other two with at least one, but sometimes two curls per letter. I usually replace the star on the ‘I’ and ‘j’ with little curled dots.

This sample shows very round bowls on the letters but we are actually going to use oval bowls so it looks more like the other two alphabets used this week. The x-height is just slightly taller than ½ of the letter height.

Note that some of the curls are a continuation of a round part of a letter so they are curved all the way around. Others are an extension off of a straight part of a letter so they start with a little corner and then dip into a curl. Note also that these are SMALL curls, not big swoops like the ‘Leading Loops’ font learned not too long ago.

ECCLESIASTES: Day #3 – Related Curls – Alphabet 2

This alphabet retains a few of the loops from yesterday’s piece but many of them have been converted to serifs. None of these letters has more than one curl.

In addition, every letter has one (and only one) vertical line doubled – always on the left side. Again, you could dot the ‘I’ and ‘j’ with curls if desired.

The x-height is exactly ½ of the letter height.

ECCLESIASTES: Day #4 – Related Curls – Alphabet 3

This alphabet retains some of the curls from the first two alphabets and adds some shaping to the oversized serifs. X-height is slightly over ½ of the letter height.

The most notable feature of this alphabet is the triple lines on the verticals. These may sometimes be on the right side of the letter (unlike yesterday’s). There are also some unique letter forms like the ‘f’ and ‘g’.

Because this is a more complicated style, there is a step-by-step guide at the bottom for drawing and inking.

ECCLESIASTES: Day #5 – Related Curls – In Your Bible

Today, use one of the three alphabets from this week’s lessons on a page in your bible. The three styles are closely enough related that they do not mix together well. If you want to combine with another font, use something very plain.

I used alphabet #3 for this page in Ecclesiastes. As an optional feature, I added color to the triple-bar section of the letters. This page was decorated with the ‘Hibiscus’ from the Drawing Room lesson of the week.

Wow! Three alphabets in one week. What a bonus.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 8:28 PM PDT

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One alphabet for two books. In order to fit all 66 books into 52 weeks of the year, a few were combined. This is one such week.

THESSALONIANS: Day #1 – Wedged – Introduction

We explored a few alternatives to the Basic Block Lettering when it was first introduced early in the year. All of those were significant departures from the base form. Now, I want to show you how to make some minor changes to the font and still create a very unique alphabet.

We’re going to do this a step at a time so you can learn how design edits are initiated and become a participant in the design process.

For today, practice with this introductory word to get a taste of the end goal.

THESSALONIANS: Day #2a – Wedged – Review Blocks

As the first step in this design overhaul, you will want to review the root form of the Basic Block Alphabet. However, our new alphabet will need an altered form to begin with. We want a letter that uses elements of 3 units high by 1 unit wide.

First, write out a new alphabet based on those dimensions. This will be your template for the redesign.

When you have that done, move on to the next graphic.

THESSALONIANS: Day #2b – Wedged – Changing Font

Using the ABC graphic below, note how the Basic Block is transformed. Column 1 is the base letter; column 2 substitutes the vertical for a wedge that is the 1 unit width at the top and narrows to a point that is centered on the base of the element; column 3 shows the final result. Note that, when the vertical has a curved top, like in the letter C, the wedge is vertical on the inside edge, slanted on the outside edge and follows the curve at the top.

Use your practice piece from graphic 1 to see how many of the forms you can get right.

The graphic at the right demonstrates a lower-case alphabet that uses narrow wedges (1/2 unit wide) to modify the verticals of the Basic Round Print. Try creating a full alphabet for this as well.

We’ll get to see both of these full alphabets tomorrow so you can evaluate how well you did.

THESSALONIANS: Day #3 – Wedged – Alphabets

So, how well did you do yesterday? Check your invented alphabet against the one shown here. If there are deviations between them, which forms do you like better? If you like yours, then GO WITH IT!

If you didn’t do the exercise yesterday, you can copy out this version and adopt it for the rest of this week’s activities.

THESSALONIANS: Day #4 – Wedged – Use in a Phrase

Today, we’re going to use the new ‘wedged’ font to write a scripture on practice paper.

I made a couple of additional variations to my letters to add interest. On the upper-case letters I drew a horizontal line at the mid-point and divided that in half and in half again. The result, more attention-getting word art.

I simply used a filled wedge on the lower-case letters.

Imagine what this would look like if you were writing a patriotic message and colored those upper stripes in alternating red and white while coloring the bottom half and the lower-case with blue! What other fun color combinations would you like to try?

THESSALONIANS: Day #5 – Wedged – Bible Page

Here we are at Friday again! Today we are using the new font in our Bible to write a scripture in the books of 1^st or 2^nd Thessalonians. I combined the upper case with a small script. Did you notice, I also made the tops of the wedges concave? This makes it at little more casual.

I wrote my letters in colored ink and then filled with a lighter color. I did this to keep the lettering from looking too harsh against the gentle coloring of the illustration (which is the hummingbird from this week’s Drawing Room). This is in my interleaved Bible.

And so we wrap up another week of lettering lessons for our bibles.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 7:51 PM PDT

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Seems that many of the Proberbs are ideal for lettering decoratively. We'll take advantage of that in the lessons this week:

PROVERBS: Day #1 – Leading Loops – Introduction

This week we’re going to make enhancements to the basic round print font that will turn it into an elegant style.

For today, we’ll write the word ‘proverbs’ in upper- lower-case and in all-caps. Just work from these samples keeping in mind the very straight uprights and the very round bowls of the letters. Try to make the leading loops uniform and note that your serifs (one per letter) are only on the lower-case and are short and on an angle.

PROVERBS: Day #2a – Leading Loops – Review

There are TWO graphics today as I wanted to provide you with a quick review of the Basic Round Print. Practice writing this alphabet out to note the basic forms before you go on to the enhanced alphabet that shows the changes.

PROVERBS: Day #2b – Leading Loops – Alphabet

Compare this alphabet to the Basic Round Print just shown. Here are the elements that make up the enhancements: 1) capitals have a leading loop (make them consistent) 2) crossbars are curved 3) lower case have angled serifs (just one per letter) 4) x-height is ½ the overall letter height. Note the angle of the crossbar on the lower-case ‘f’ and ‘t’ and the angle on the lower-case ‘e’

Practice writing out this alphabet in pencil until it becomes natural to your hand. Then trace in ink and erase the pencil.

PROVERBS: Day #3 – Leading Loops – Getting There

Use the writing of these phrases to practice writing words and setting the steps to success in your mind.

PROVERBS: Day #4 – Leading Loops – Practice

Use the Leading Loops style to write out a scripture from the book of Proverbs. All this practice will prepare you for tomorrow’s activity of writing in your Bible.

PROVERBS: Day #5 – Leading Loops – Bible Page

This is a font that just seems to be made for writing scriptures. Isn’t it elegant?

With so much of the styling in the leading loops of the capitals, I think it looks best if you capitalize every word.

For my sample page, I combined the Leading Loops style with the ‘Country Church’ from the Drawing Room.

I often mention that I have combined the lettering on a bible page with art from the Drawing Room. I make a drawing tutorial every week for posting at www.Creative-Bible-Journaling.com. This is the drawing room I am referring to.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Now on to some lettering in the Psalms - this one is FUN!

PSALMS: Day #1 – Stretched Novelty Oval – Intro

Now we will be reaching back into the archives for lettering styles taught in 2017 and investigating their roots and the things that make them unique. This week’s font had its roots in the basic oval font. However, the letters are skinnier and taller than the parent style.

Things to note about this style: 1) this is a mixed upper/lower case. 2) all of the elements of style take place in the upper third or lower third of the letters. Nothing happens in the center third. 3) the ‘bowls’ of the letters look like party balloons – an oval with a point where it attaches. 4) the letters are fully upright – no italics here. 5) some possible enhancements can be one set of double lines per letter and/or addition of hearts or other simple elements.

Work on these samples today and we’ll take it further tomorrow.

PSALMS: Day #2 – Stretched Novelty Oval – Alphabet

This is the full alphabet for the stretched oval novelty print. Here’s a review of the things to watch for that were pointed out yesterday:  1) this is a mixed upper/lower case. 2) all of the elements of style take place in the upper third or lower third of the letters. Nothing happens in the center third. 3) the ‘bowls’ of the letters look like party balloons – an oval with a point where it attaches. 4) the letters are fully upright – no italics here. 5) some possible enhancements can be one set of double lines per letter and/or addition of hearts or other simple elements.

If you do use the double lines, you can elect to fill them solid, fill with color or leave them open, as shown.

A set of numbers in the same style are included. These will come in handy when writing scripture references.

PSALMS: Day #3 – Stretched Novelty Oval – Text Block

Select a portion of the Psalms to write out using the font you’ve learned this week. Remember to pencil everything first, then ink the letters and, finally, erase your pencil. Check for spelling, missed letters, or wrong forms while you’re at the pencil stage!

I used a bullet tipped colored marker to draw a line right up against the left side of the tallest vertical on each letter.

PSALMS: Day #4 – Stretched Novelty Oval – Combo

Select another scripture from the Psalms and use your new font in a ‘word art’ piece by combining one to two other fonts with it. I have used an all-caps print, stretched horizontally and a basic script. These three fonts do not compete with one another.

I included a couple of simple illustrations in dashed lines that, with color, guide the eye through the text. Simple color blocking on the feature font ties it all together.

PSALMS: Day #5 – Stretched Novelty Oval – Bible Page

The final activity for the week is to use the new font in your bible. I chose to use a section of scripture in Psalms with a repetitive style and used the same fonts for the same parts of the phrases to build continuity.

When I got done lettering this, there were no natural places for the eye to make the change to a new thought. So, I thickened the letters on the featured font and then used a rainbow color-blocking to break the text into the separate sections.

I combined this scripture and text with the stone tablets from this week’s Drawing Room tutorial.

PSALMS: Day #6 – Stretched Novelty Oval – BONUS 1

I was having too much fun with this font to stop so I dreamed up a couple of further options. Make a copy of your original alphabet and add little curls to dress up the letters. This will give them an even more casual feel. Go for the unexpected like that changed up E and G. What fun is that unique X?

When you have it all figured out, ink it and erase the pencil. Then have some fun writing out a phrase with it.

The last variation I thought of for this font was changing it to a script by introducing letter connections. Start with your basic alphabet and design connections that make sense. Keep in mind that these will probably change as you write phrases with them.

If you want to play further, try adding thickened downstrokes!

This is obviously a font with a LOT of possibilities!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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In one of the Facebook groups I do bible journaling with we were provided with a rough sketch of a stream with a tree beside it.

I drew my own version and colored it with markers for use in my bible as tip-in art.

I can't even remember what book of the bible inspired the original art by Jackie, but I used mine in Genesis.

I added heart stickers to create the flowers.

Ddd

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On to another lettering lesson!

1&2 TIMOTHY: Day 1 – Font Combos – Introduction

In beginning to combine fonts to make blocks of text that seem integrated, there are several options. You’ll find no hard and fast rules here – just suggestions for things you can try. These are just the basics this week. After this you can experiment and soon, you’ll be flying solo.

For the practice piece today, I want you to combine a basic round font with a basic script. I changed up my print to include a left-side doubled line and used all caps.

Scale is important, too. Reserve the large letters for the important words and use smaller, plainer letters for the conjunctions. Note that there are some extra flourishes on the script letters to help them hold their own against the double lines in the print.

1&2 TIMOTHY: Day 2 – Font Combos – The Basics

I decided to let the samples speak for themselves today. So, check out these two panels and note how the work described is being implemented. These are the two most basic formats: 1) a consistent style with various size changes and 2) mixing a basic print with a basic script.

You can write up any phrase you want for your own work, or copy the text from these.

1&2 TIMOTHY: Day 3 – Font Combos – Other Options

When using something other than the basic fonts, try to keep one plainer and one fancier. They should not be similar if they are not exact. (Match closely OR vary widely).

Sample two is a reminder to stick with 2-3 fonts. More than that looks cluttered and mismatched.

Whatever your font choices, try to use each font more than once. Use fonts with flair in styling or size for important words.

Use these or other phrases to write up to demonstrate the principles.

1&2 TIMOTHY: Day 4 – Font Combos – Scripture

Novelty prints are fun to include in your word art. You can bump up the interest on a word lettered in a very basic font by adding a banner to it.

Here is a sample scripture from 1 Timothy 6:12 you can practice on.

To make banners: 1) draw the main block with a slight arc 2) add the little triangles underneath 3) connect the triangles to the main body with flagged ends that also curve downward.

1&2 TIMOTHY: Day 5 – Font Combos – In Your Bible

This scripture in my bible uses just three fonts but looks more complicated than that. I used Faux-brush script, basic round print in serif and a block novelty print. Because these are all from different font families, they do not compete with one another.

Varying the sizes of the matching fonts helps to make it look more complex while consistent use of color throughout also helps with continuity.

Choose a scripture from either 1 or 2 Timothy and make some word art in your bible by combining fonts.

It’s great to learn how to use all these fonts in new and creative ways.

Ddd

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Time for another lettering lesson for use in our Bibles. This time the lessons were in the book of Job. Here are the daily posts:

JOB: Day 1 – Stacking Fonts – Intro

Now that we have advanced through many variations on basic letter structures, we are going to explore combining two styles at a time to create artistic ensembles.

For this introductory piece we will practice with the three letters of the book of Job.

Using pencil, sketch out the three block letters that will become your background. Outline them and color them in a light to medium marker. Erase your pencil.

Now use the pencil again to write one script letter on top of each block letter centering on the vertical. Design smooth connections for the letters. Ink the script letters and add the double lines that change them to faux-brush.

Erase you pencil lines and you have a beautifully designed piece of word art.

JOB: Day 2 – Stacking Fonts – Two To Try

For this piece, start with block letters but extend the line ends everywhere they cross. This is a design option that we did not study in the progressive series. Ink and erase the pencil. Add faux-brush letters over the corresponding block letter sharing the same base line. Also use faux-brush for the alternating lines.

The serif line works because the serifs mimic the over-strokes on the block letters and because we remain in all-caps.

The final line is also faux-brush but in a smaller scale. The repetition or echoing of similar elements are the means by which we are building continuity.

JOB: Day 3 – Stacking Fonts – All Color Combo

For today’s practice piece we are going to switch to a different lettering for the base. We will pencil in some tall basic oval print in sans-serif.

The layered text is no-caps basic script centered in the vertical.

Use a lighter/brighter marker to write the script. Then choose a darker marker to write the print, skipping the lines where they meet the script. This will make them appear to be in the background.

Erase your pencil to see the finished product.

JOB: Day 4 – Stacking Fonts – Novelty Layering

You get a whole different feel by layering ‘architect’ with ‘bubbles’. Pencil in your architect letters in upper and lower case then draw uniform circles in various places on each letter. Inside the bubbles, write the corresponding letter in basic round print in all-caps.

Trace the bubbles and their letters first. Then trace the architect letters only where they appear outside the bubbles.

Erase all the pencil. Color inside the bubbles with a lighter marker and trace the architect letters with a darker value of the same color marker.

JOB: Day 5 – Stacking Fonts – In Your Bible

For this piece, we will use an architect letter style with thickened downstrokes. This is written in color and the pencil erased.

Over the top we will use a basic script lettering, sharing the baseline with the print.

Notice that in all of the examples this week we combined one print style and one script style so the lettering will not compete.

That was a lot of fun, right?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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On a recent cruise to Alaska, we had several hours exploring at Mendenhall Glacier. Magnificent!

Along the trail I spied some blue lupine blooms tucked into a shady spot and snapped a few photos of them.

When I got home I put the pictures through a photo editor with filters for different effects. I especially like this one with a pebbled look to it.

I overlaidthe text of a scripture over it and used it as art to glue into my interleaved bible.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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This is the last in the series of progressive lessons from basic round print to bounce lettering. I will still be teaching lettering lessons but they will be built on one or more of the lessons from this series.

This week's lessons are built around the book of Esther.

Bounce Lettering – Introduction

Bounce Lettering – Practice

Bounce Lettering – Faux Brush Bounce

Bounce Lettering – Bible Page

As further evidence of what a difference the thickened downstrokes make, take a look at this side-by-side comparison of before and after adding them.

Seriously? Why would you NOT add them?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 11:04 AM PDT

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Using filled double lines on letters is an entirely different animal when used on script as opposed to basic prints. This week the lessons will introduce faux-brush script.

Work on getting the line gap consistent and blending the lines together on the upper and lower curves so you don’t have an abrupt joining.

Draw out a basic script alphabet. Then with a different color of pen mark arrows ONLY along the lines that are downstrokes. If you’ve used some of the alternative letter forms, use the guidelines above to define the downstrokes in your letters.

(Yes, on my sample, I put the double stroke on the ‘I’ on the wrong line. It doesn’t look horrible, so it stays!)

Again, add the double lines to the downstrokes. Then use your pen to color between the lines. You can really see the heaviness of the K and X once you get the fill done. Try it out with one of the strokes as a single line and see if you like it better that way. Mark the one you will use as your personal style.

This sample page also has the addition of the poppies from this week’s Drawing Room.

This sample page also has the addition of the poppies from this week’s Drawing Room.

Not only did the lettering turn out great, but those poppies are really beautiful.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 10:27 PM PDT

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In this week's lettering lesson series we are going to focus exclusively on various slants for script lettering.

Sketch out the letters lightly in pencil, correct until they are exactly as you want them, trace over the pencil with pen and then, when the ink is dry, erase the pencil.

On a project, you will ink your letters and erase the pencil guidelines. On this practice sheet, leave the pencil guides in place for future reference.

Sketch out your angled guidelines along with the letters lightly in pencil, correct until they are exactly as you want them, trace over the pencil with pen and then, when the ink is dry, erase the pencil. I used the extreme slant because it showed more ‘strength’ than the other two alphabets.

Isn't it amazing how the slant changes the entire character of these alphabets?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 10:03 PM PDT

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Ready for the next lesson in the series? Let's dive in to beginning script.

Today, make some practice areas on your paper, marked with even amounts of space above and below the x-height. I have written out two slightly different versions of script that you can practice. As you go, try to identify the things that make this font different from our semi-script and what makes it different from your handwriting?

Another one in the books!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 9:45 PM PDT

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This past weekend I went to a bible journaling retreat in southern Oregon with 13 other ladies from around the PNW and other states.

Several of us taught classes to the others - My contribution was lessons based on my Drawing Room tutorials and Lettering Lodge series. Great success!

Though I don't have anything to show from that, I do have pictures of the final bible pages from the other lessons.

This first page is 2 Corinthians 5:12 in my interleaved bible. Products/processes: gelato background, printed vellum tipin, washi tape borders, napkin technique using Mod Podge. This combined two of our lessons.

Next is also in my interleaved bible in Romans 12:2. 

It uses a watercolored background, Distress Inks through stencil, A doily stamp applied through stencil, pen outlining and lettering.

For Lamentations 3:22-23 in the interleaved bible I used gelatos and baby wipe, lettering with brush pen and pen.

Next up was Psalm 51:10 in the interleaved bible.

First up was gelatos and bubble wrap! Then I drew in the rope with pen, made drips with watercolor and a straw, distressed the edges of the cutout shapes using Distress Ink pads, glued the music hearts and fabric heart only enough to keep them in place while allowing them to be free at the bottom. I made tiny clothespins with skinny washi tape. The bottom steip is Him Holtz tissue tape. Watercolor shading on the clouds.

We then made a tag with a napkin technique that utilized Saran Wrap to aid in placement. Embellished with washi tape, strips of pearls and bling, lace and ribbons.

I haven't lettered on mine yet.

We then were given a variety of papers and pockets to fold and nest. These were then center-stapled to create a 'junk journal'. Materials included strips of torn fabric to attach to big paper clips.

I have not used any of the pages in mine yet.

In 1 Peter 1:24-25 in the interleaved bible I made a Distress Ink background with blender tool, stamped in versamark and embossed with gold, colored with colored pencils and lettered with Micron pen.

And the last one that I did during 'free time' and not from anything we had covered in the lessons.

I did this in Song of Solomon 2:1 in my Journal the Word bible.

Method uses packing tape over a printed image with a white background. This is burnished well and then placed in a bowl of water to soak. When it is thoroughly soaked you lay it face down on a towel and use fingertips to rub away the paper. Soak and rub, soak and rub till all of the white paper is gone, leaving just the image on the tape.

You allow the tape to air dry and it is still sticky. Just place in the margin and trim the edges.

So that is it - the sessions were held over two days so we really accomplished a lot.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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This series on progressive lettering styles is coming right along! This part of the series is focused on moving into semi-script.

Tomorrow we’ll see the many other changes that transform this style.

Today we are using the same upper-case as for the italics.

On work such as this blank page, 1) the lettering can be written on graph or dot grid paper and traced 2) guidelines can be drawn on the page with a ruler and pencil to guide the lettering or 3) use the ghost of the printing on the following page to serve as your guidelines (this is what I did).

I love this lettering style!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 9:27 PM PDT

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Oh, how I wish my blog editor allowed more than one Topic tag! I fear I switch back and forth between Bible Journaling and Lettering for these posts and so they will never all appear together in one search. Grrrr!

In any case, this week I taught lettering again and include the script here for you.

Day #1 – Adding Weight – Intro

This week we’re going to explore options for adding weight to our italic fonts learned last week.

For the sample word, write it in pencil using a basic oval font OR an architect font in italics.

Add a second line along the left side of the letter then ink and erase the pencil.

Day #2 – Double Line Italic – Alphabet

This entire alphabet is based on an italic of the basic oval letter. You can refer back to your own sample sheets from previous lessons to see if you had changed any letter forms into ones you would like to keep for this lesson.

Write out the whole italic alphabet in pencil. Add a second line to the left side of each letter. Ink and erase pencil.

Day #3 – Filled Line Italic – Alphabet

You can use a COPY of yesterday’s lesson for this exercise. The only difference is that we will fill in the area between the double lines. You can use either black or color for the fill.

The reason I emphasize using a COPY is that you will then retain samples from every stage of the progression which can be used to decide what lettering you want to use on a future project.

Day #4 – Wide Line Italics – Alphabet

This style adds weight by thickening ALL the lines on the letters.

Note that the verticals are slightly thicker than the horizontals and that all line ends are squared off.

We are keeping the general letter shapes of the basic oval lettering in their italic forms.

Day #5 – Weighted Italics – Bible Page

The final exercise of the week is to select one of the weighted italic forms learned this week and use it in your bible. I chose a scripture in 1 Chronicles and applied the filled double line style. I used color as my fill.

I added artwork using the Drawing Room lesson for this week ‘Globe’.

Is anyone out there USING these lettering lessons?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 9:28 AM PDT

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Here we are up to week 15 in the series on lettering progression from basic to advanced. We are now starting the transformations leading from print to script - not all at once but in small, incremental steps.

Let's begin.

1 & 2 KINGS: Day #1 – Architect – Introduction

Now that we’ve mastered the basic oval print, we’re going to start morphing it into more styled letters. This page introduces a font called Architect. This is the type of print you would find on blueprints and building designs, but generally only using upper-case.

It is very readable and every letter is distinct so it cannot be mistaken for something else. The slants on the letter forms make it very natural to write quickly.

Today, just practice on these few letters introducing the books of Kings.

1 & 2 KINGS: Day #2 – Architect – Alphabet

Now we have the full alphabet in both upper- and lowercase for the architect font.

Note that the tops of letters as well as the horizontal crossbars are on an angle. The bowls of the letters are based on a slanted oval and the left and right posts of letters are staggered in height.

I think this has become my favorite lettering style to default to, especially for lettering things accompanied with a drawing.

1 & 2 KINGS: Day #3 – Italics Oval Print – Alphabet

We’re going to drop back to the basic oval print again today but turn it into an italic font. Rather than just tipping the bowls, like the architect print did, this sets all the uprights on a slant and the bowls follow them. However, the horizontal marks remain square to the baseline.

1 & 2 KINGS: Day #4 – Italic Architect – Block of Text

Let’s combine the Architect and the Italic today and use them to write up a block of text. Do this by using the letter forms for the architect style but with the uprights on a slant.

I selected a scripture from 1 Kings for my sample.

1 & 2 KINGS: Day #5 – Architect/Italic – Bible Page

Choose with the architect font or the italic oval font or a combination of architect/italic and use it to write a scripture in your bible. I chose 1 Kings for my scripture reference again.

I have added some gems from this week’s Drawing Room lesson.

Keep joining me here every week for the continuation of this series.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 8:23 PM PDT

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