The idea of creating visual art with words is magical to me. When it comes to getting started with your lettering journey, the two main tips that pop up are to draw your letters, not write them and to practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, and when you think you are done practice some more. There have been times that writing the same word over in as many styles you can think of until a design grabs you will take place. Other times, you may feel creatively blocked and need to find inspiration. The craft of lettering is an art form that can take a while to learn but is an essential aspect of the comic book industry, and honestly, they do not get the credit they deserve.
The designs you come up with could be used on cover art, posters, etc. Below are some links where you can find tutorials and other resources.
Books:
Comic Book Lettering: The Comicraft Way by Richard Starkings
Websites:
Lettering.org – Has step by step instructions, worksheets, ruling sheets, and more.
99 Designs – A tutorial guide for beginners.
Hand Lettering for Beginners – Information on finding styles, tools, tutorials, and resources.
Adobe – Includes information on lettering with digital tools.
Blambot – Award-winning letterer Nate Piekos website that has font information and resources.
Twin Comics – Lettering tutorial in Adobe Illustrator.
Videos:
The History and Techniques of Comic Book Lettering – ComicTropes
Top 5 Lettering Rules in Comic Books – Walter Ostile
How to Letter Comics… By Hand! – Terry Moore
Blambot – Nate Piekos
Todd Tip on Lettering a Comic Book Page – McFarlane Toys
Lettering and Speech Bubbles – Frank Rodgers
How to Make Speech Bubbles in InDesign – Comic Book Lettering – Yes I’m a Designer
Chris Eliopoulos Talks Comic Book Lettering – Marvel Entertainment
7 Smart Tips for Fonts in Comics – Whyt Manga
You can also find links for letterers previously done on the Creator Resource site here! Let us know in the comments below what resources you find helpful.
- Lettering Tutorials - December 21, 2020
- Twitter Tips for Creators - January 30, 2020
- Facebook Creator Studio - January 14, 2020
Pat Brosseau https://comicbookletteringtips.tumblr.com/ and Jim Campbell http://clintflickerlettering.blogspot.com/ also serve up good tips and insight on their blogs.