Here's a brief explanation of how i turn typography sketches,into digital.
The same goes for any work i do that involves, heavy or minimal sketching.
Im not much of a hand drawn artist, but when i sketch, no matter how terrible it is, i know exactly how i want the results to look like. So as long as i know what the destination is, getting there is no problem. Adobe programs are so advanced and if you use your tools correctly and efficiently, you can create the most craziest shit!
The reason i chose to use this abstract example is because its symmetrical, and easy to hand render.
I took inspiration from death metal logos, punk logos, gothic architecture, the Book of Kells, Blackletter fonts and ambigrams.
i'll start drawing the logo straight onto paper. i drawing the letters from influences.They dont need to be perfectly drawn or measured,i use Illustrator to do all of that. for the most part,i'll Spend a lot of time on the sketches, creating at least 3 or 4 that im happy with as these sketches will determine how good the logo is.
Some letters are more difficult to make symmetrical than others,but i typically use backwards letters if necessary or make 2 thin letters symmetrical to one wider letter. i try to keep the first and last letter symmetrical.as much as possible i try to keep it very legible and keep the widths of the letters as consistent as possible. It helps to understand the basics of typography.
Some letters a more tricky than others to make symmetrical. It is sometimes a good idea to start with the most complex letter, then draw a flipped version of it to use as a template. i then try to fit the other letter inside the template as best as possible. Sometimes the first letter will still need to be modified to get a balance between the 2.
Here are some examples of sketches where I have had to make 2 letters symmetrical with each other. The green area’s are where the template was drawn from the other letter. Once you have drawn around that it should then be erased.
Once i have some sketches im happy with,i scan it in.
Now this is where the hard work really is. after i scan the file, i then take it into Illustrator and drag down rulers wherever things need to be on the same level and wherever i need straight lines.
i take the Ellipse tool and draw circles wherever there are curves in the logo. in every case, its good to be thorough. The more i am, the smoother everything comes out.
now i'd Select the pen tool, change the fill color to black and make the stroke transparent. i'll draw in the shapes, using the guides and circles to help me.i usually just do it shape by shape, and not worry about making everything join.
This is where i use the opportunity to change any parts of the letters to make them look better. Making sure any symmetrical letters are perfectly symmetrical by drawing one side, and duplicating it.
Now that i have half of the logo complete,i draw in all of the other letters using the blue outlines as a guide. i always end up to a Compromise between the 2, this can be gnarly,what i find that works best is to just find a balance of keeping it symmetrical and legible.Then i'll Keep working and editing at this until i get all the letters the way i want them.
usually, when i sketch and hand render, i try to as much as possible to stay into illustrator. But in most cases, i'll take it to to photoshop to add depth, with textures,strokes and grunge brushes.
Total time= roughly 6-7hrs depending on the job.
Thanks for hanging out! Cheers!
