Lessons
Intro & Sample Projects
09:40 2List of Words & Creating the Map
03:32 3Low Contrast Sans Serif with Width Variation
10:06 4High Contrast Serif
13:56 5High Contrast Script
16:59 6Any Style You Like Using Only Straight Lines
06:06 7Unicase with 3D
12:30 8Serif with Inline Stroke
08:13Chiseled or Beveled Sans Serif
16:49 10Slab Serif with Drop Shade
08:08 11Representational Letters
04:09 12Heavy Weight with Pattern
03:48 13Light Weight Script: Italic or Upright
06:48 14Reverse Stress Lettering
06:49 15Varied Baseline or Cap Height
03:19 16Bifurcated Tuscan With or Without Spurs
08:55 17Varied Weight Strokes
04:17 18Final Embellishments
11:00Lesson Info
Bifurcated Tuscan With or Without Spurs
Your next prompt it's another sort of it almost ends up feeling like western in the end but it's another real favorite of mine um and it is going to be a bifurcated tuscan so the easiest way to build out these letters um it's going to be to start with a serif already and then essentially what you're going to do is split the saref so if I just start out I might just do a bunch of eyes for you guys um something to start out with a chunky saref here just I can see basically where it goes um and maybe I wanted to tape her a little bit on the sides and then in the middle I'm just gonna have it dipped down so we find it it's easiest to start with this geometric construction underneath to follow and then you're going to draw this letter for him on top of it s so it's called abi for kate id tuscan because it splits into uh you can however, to a try for kate id test skin where you're actually going to split it into a third so start the same way as before and we're gonna look at doing coming in ...
and again I'm gonna do this one late so you're going to add a third bit that comes up in the middle so this would be a trifle hated tuscan um and this lettering style works wonderfully if you want to do some little in line strokes and that um or it can end up looking you can add some spurs onto the side and it could look like some crazy circus lettering like this there's a lot of weight to keep on dressing up uh this style of lettering um gets a little irritating and I have yet to find a single tea and one of these typefaces that really does it for me I'll show you a couple different options I don't love any of them. Uh, so you should just do whichever one you you prefer what I typically will mostly d'oh um again I'm starting with a quick light sketch of almost a slab sarah version and then I'm just going to draw my letters on top of it so bottom in the tea totally straightforward so when it comes to the top of the tea either you could just split it once in the middle, which is what I tend to dio um or you could get a little fancy. Yeah, I'm totally straight forward at the bottom of the sides but here you can come down and across um so you can do this version and it's it's better to be looking at these things when they are solid, so I would strongly encouraged you teo look online, see what examples you confined of stuff um like this look a whole bunch of different typefaces where they've they've done this already if you're having a difficult time with some letters I always first thing I always check is what someone's t looks like in any in any situation where I see this still waiting to find something that feels comfortable this feels most comfortable to me but um you can even have this one come down in the middle too sort of depends what vibe you're going for um another one that I want to touch on very quickly is also something like the s and I really don't do much with the s that's different um I'll probably have it dipped down at the top but there's not much more I am doing here unless I'm also decorating it like I did with this first I and there is some sort of break on it in the center of this fine um but your ass is might not end up looking all that different ah where you're really going to see the differences you know um is in the letters that don't necessarily have the rounded forms but all these letters with the straight horizontal tze and verticals um so with only two spaces left go ahead and pick one of these to do your bifurcated taschen I'm gonna pick the longest word thing that I have on here so far which is fantabulous and I'm gonna have it running um, in this sort of roller coaster wave throughout this space, that's left here. I did, um, the spurs last because it was a little bit easier for me to quickly and easily follow the midline of the letters. Once I had everything finished and in place, rather than adding them as I went, yeah, yeah, okay, so I've gone through, and I've done a fantabulous, um, with a bifurcated test skin, and I added some little spurs on the edges of all of my letters. So if your letters were looking like they still need a little something extra, once you're done, you might want to go through and add something in the middle. Okay, so once you're ready to go ahead and do that, I will see you for your next prompt.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
DOlores RUsso
I like the way Annica tells you what you are going to do, then she demonstrates it and then you do it yourself. She knows her subject well and her lesson objectives are clear and to the point. How do I know.?..I'm a teaching mentor also an art teacher and sign painting/lettering artist. I watched this hand lettering class in order to review and to learn how someone else approaches this "not very interesting subject" as some previous reviewers have suggested . I happen to find it most interesting. I love being able to write and communicate using my art and teaching skills. One reviewer criticized the way Annica instructed with "um" and a clicking noise. But the one criticism that really stood out was the F-word which unfortunately seemed to take precedence over all else for some. Granted you wouldn't want to illustrate a word that children or parents might interpret as being acceptable. A good teacher would not demonstrate that but observing Annica I can see she is a beginning teacher who might need a little guidance. So consider this "guidance" Annica - you are a teacher and you represent all of us teachers. We aren't in our 20's or even 40's - we've been in the trenches and we know that beginning teaching is very challenging. But you must remember that you are a model for children that we hope you expect to grow up to be good decent human beings. Some adults need that guidance as well. And yes, children will already know these words (pay attention parents) but it is not up to you to teach it to them. You, the teacher, are to teach to the highest professional level. As for the "um" and the clicking noise at the end of a sentence - that is something you can correct easily - try to record your lessons and listen. Remember - you represent the most respected of professions, your language must be accurate, acceptable and reflect the knowledge of your subject area, You did a good lesson in hand lettering and covered the most important concepts for a beginner to know. It's a shame that some of the reviewers refused to watch the rest of your lessons and some of them even complained about your silence as you did the letters. Perhaps a little more understanding on their part could have been more beneficial, particularly since one of them was a gifted educator (my Masters also), and did not recognize the cognitive mind working and literally submerged in your lettering skills. This is a fine class and I hope you continue to do more. You are organized, give a lot of information and demonstrate impeccably. Good luck...from your Mentor Teacher.
Heidi
This class was exactly what I needed to re-gain confidence in hand lettering. I majored in illustration 10+ years ago and while I did take a typography class in school, it's been many years and I was feeling rusty and nervous about hand lettering. This class refreshed my memory on various typography principles and gave me ideas on various styles I can reference to create my own lettering. I love the format where I can watch her example and then try it for myself - it's like training wheels and works perfectly for me as a visual learner. Annica is obviously a pro at what she does and she's also really good at explaining what she's doing and why. I am really happy with this class and thankful to Annica for sharing her knowledge and experience.
a Creativelive Student
Rating this is difficult because there are positives and negatives. I watched the course and enjoyed it, but there isn't enough information and education to validate purchasing it. For a graphic designer or someone who knows typography and wants to have a fun challenge around hand drawn lettering, it's fine. However, it's not a course for absolute beginners because the presenter speaks about typographic principles and assumes the audience knows the names of the parts of type when giving directions and doesn't provide enough explanations. There is no history given as to why letterforms are drawn the way they are, whether as traditional hand lettering, calligraphy or even in sign painting, other than the passing recommendation for viewers to research this. All of the comments here are correct. I too was surprised to see the F-word in a featured piece and the lack of contrast when watching her draw was a problem. CreativeLive needs to vet new presenters and perhaps have them do a dry-run of the lessons to critique them. Additionally, her"umms", "super" and "super fun" fillers are tiresome. I think the presenter is talented and has a lot to offer but this felt more like a design challenge rather than an educational course. It would have been useful to primarily show professional applications rather than so many self-directed projects. There is another hand lettering /calligraphy course I watched part of previously that was a better "101" course, to which this course would be an appropriate follow-up.