Lessons
Class Introduction
04:19 2Tools & Materials
07:45 3How to hold the Brush, Posture & Body Mechanics
07:46 4Learn Basic Strokes
06:39 5Basic Strokes: Picket Fences
06:05 6Basic Strokes: Tapered Strokes
04:14 7Basic Strokes: Pressure and Release
04:53 8Basic Strokes: Transitional Strokes
06:24Lesson Info
Basic Strokes: Picket Fences
So let's do some really simple strokes. And basically, I mean, I just call him Picket Fences, quite honestly. So let's start out here and again while we're doing these strokes. I'm still gonna be coming around and really helping you guys out with this, because again, the physicality of lettering is absolutely critical for you all to learn and to really get used to. This is where good lettering comes from. It's not really so much of, you know, like the styles that you see and what's in your head. If you can't execute what's in your head physically, then you're kind of dead in the water. And so this is why I spend so much time on this particular aspect of it, just kind of kinesthetic. So it's really important it keeps you from being frustrated. It's really good for you to spend as much time on this is possible in the beginning. So you develop good habits so that, you know, a year or two into the game, you know, you're you're able to progress at a much more rapid pace. All right, so picke...
t fences. So what? We want to try and do here with Picket fences is we want to experiment with different wits, different lengths going, you know, kind of side to side strokes, horizontal strokes and vertical strokes and the poor. The whole purpose of this is to try to get a consistent width of the stroke all the way throughout the stroke. So, for example, if we're going to do, like a really thin stroke, just gonna focus on that being really thin. Then I move into maybe a thicker stroke. And as you can see this, I'm moving my wrist. So try getting some really thick strokes and really watch that consistency. And with all the way down from top to bottom, try doing some, you know, side with vertical. You'll notice that as soon as I make a vertical stroke of my hand actually goes from this from this to this. So it almost kind of moves either from like a scraping motion to affront motion like this. Because that's how we get thick verticals, horizontal strokes. So do some horizontal strokes here. Try doing them in different lengths, you know, going all throughout the entire page. I really want you to do ones that are extremely long as much as possible because this gets you used to using your arm for the entire movement and so doing thes particular strokes. What really makes this a very powerful exercise, especially in the beginning, is what I really want you to pay attention to. As much as possible is your posture how you're sitting on the page, how you're making these strokes go slow with these, there is no need to rush through it. I see a lot of people kind of flicking the brush sometimes like this. I haven't seen you in do it yet, but I've seen it before. And with that, you're kind of going a little bit too fast. And you're not really taking the time to really get the goal of this whole exercise, which again is consistency and with and so on. Right, Take a quick little peek and see how everyone's doing. Very nice. Ah, yes. Here's another thing to these Don't have to be necessarily perfectly straight up and down. They could be at an angle, whatever is comfortable to you. Because, of course, all of our letters air usually done in angle Anyway, So take your time and, uh oh, lovely, very nice, perfect practice. Some long ones question. Oh, yeah, When I'm pulling down, I find that I'm running out of ink or my typist changing shape. Oh, and I feel the need to want to rotate it. Is that correct on my stroking? I'm so glad you brought that up because we need to talk about reshaping the tip. Now, with natural brushes, you have to reshape the tip of the brush with the synthetic ones. You're in a little bit more luck. You don't have to do too much of that. But here's what I do is like I said, always make sure. I mean, you know, and I watched this barrel filled with ink, and I try to get as much income here is possible, and that will usually keep it from getting to be too dry. But to reshape the tips, Just simple thing. Just simply turn it around, kind of, you know, rotated in your hand like that, and you'll be able to get a nice, strong tip there. If you're having a hard time getting a consistency and stroke, make sure that you're keeping the brush on its side, because if you're doing too much like this, or you're kind of on top of it here. That's when you're gonna have issues with getting consistency and some of these other things. Yeah. Does that help? All right, man, another question. When people are doing this at home, what are some of the things that they should be looking for as to whether they're doing it properly? So I think, you know, as long as you have consistency and wits in these strokes and you know, you are turning in two different ways, you know, you're able to look at the page and you go, Yeah, you know, like from one end of a stroke to the other end, it's the same whip. Then you're doing really pretty good, yeah.
Class Materials
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Ratings and Reviews
lynny
Wow!!! Great class, terrific presenter! Easy to follow, professional, enthusiastic, fun!!! Most CL presenters have at least one of those attributes, but not all. CL Management: have potential new presenters learn from Laura's class. Only one suggestion: Laura's constant hair interference gets really tiresome and irritating. She frequently tosses her hair over a shoulder, and moves her hair behind her shoulder with her hands, and "fights" her hair being in the way during the whole presentation. Very distracting. Laura obviously loves how her very long hair defines her personality, and I'm not suggesting that is a bad thing. But for these short presentations, perhaps Laura would consider corralling all that hair with a loose ponytail, behind her back? That said, I bought the course anyway, as she is an outstanding teacher.
Debbie Smith
I loved loved loved this class. So wish I had been there in person. Although I'm not so great with the brush lettering, Laura was so perfect in her teaching and I definitely have some ideas to put into practice.
Shawn
This class was amazing it had high energy lots of details . It shared new ideas on where I could use such beautiful lettering I'm super excited to use it in my business and on my note cards! Buy it!
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Lettering