Hand Lettering Workshop with Mike Meyer

I had a life changing experience at the end of February. I bumped into a post by Better Letters on IG advertising a Mike Meyer’s sign painting workshop and I remembered I wanted to take it as far back as 2019. Back then I thought it was kind of expensive and also, what did I really know about sign painting, etc. Then of course COVID happened and I realized that maybe I DIDN’T have all the time in the world to ponder about what opportunities I was going to go for.

I am so glad that I decided to LIVE for once. The class was wonderful and it opened my eyes to so much. I've had a fire in my belly to paint murals for quite some time but wasn’t sure exactly how to start. I grabbed the Teachable course by Lauren Hom which is really good so far, but 2021 was nuts re: postponed weddings finally being executed so I’m still not done with it.

Regardless, this class was offering me a chance to put a brush in my hand AND get world class info, tips, tricks and best practices from a legend. To watch Mike just go paint on walls was jarring (not sure why I guess i can chalk it up to never having seen the sausage made quite that up close and personal).

Mike painting on a distressed brick wall inside of Right Way Signs.

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They kept referring to the sign painter movie during the workshop but I’d never even seen it. I couldn’t wait to find out how to stream it and I found it here: Sign Painter Movie Stream Link. I also did a YouTube video detailing the supplies that I purchased and how I outfitted my studio in order to practice.

Please enjoy and I’ll see you in the next blog!
—ct

Lettering Love by CT: New Year New Goals

Review of 2021
Happy New Year guys! It’s 2022 and I’ve been slowly preparing myself to do another deep dive into my lettering. I hope you guys have fresh goals and a vision regarding what you want out of this lettering discipline.

I purposely spent the end of ‘21 and the first couple of months of 2022 to purging my office. FINALLY ready to cut ties with clutter that had been holding me back from having a really functional studio. I have zero excuses now with a couple of clean desks, organized lettering tools and paper and sketchpads for days.

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This year, I’m no longer going to hoard supplies that go unused (if this is you too, then please heed my warning, stop buying things you don’t need). Nope, this year, I am determined to use the supplies I already have and fill up sketchbooks. The time is now. I let the solitude of the pandemic put pressure on me and also derail me from what was shaping up to be a great year of development for me.

Then ‘21 came and I was bogged down with a high volume of weddings because so many couples had to postpone in ‘20. Everything that was so diligently being built in ‘20 literally got abandoned because of the crush of orders in ‘21. I was super grateful, don’t get me wrong. It felt good to make money from my art again but it was also pretty overwhelming.

New Focus
This year I am being super judicious about the jobs that I take. I can do a lot of things, but at this point in my calligraphy and lettering career I only want to do things that bring me joy. So far that’s on-site lettering installations, watercolor painting, building up both of my Etsy shops and reviving my Calligraphy by CT YouTube channel.

I also scored an iPad (finally) on Black Friday 2021. That lovely piece of equipment is a whole vibe. I’m planning on taking a couple of SkillShare classes so I can get up and running on it. So many possibilities there!

So anyway I’m expecting to do great things this year and so should you. I’ll be back here soon more regularly. Right now, its all about developing habits that will set me up for success in this lettering game. I miss doing it daily and that’s really what you have to do if you’d like to see progress.

See you in the next blog!
—ct

Outlander Inspired Lettering

Ok so I’m JUST now discovering the time travel thriller “Outlander” which premiered in 2014.

I had FOUR seasons to binge on Netflix and THEN discovered its a product of Starz so I was able to check out season 5 as well. This is BEAUTIFULLY shot series that is drowning in 18th century styles. Baroque, Victorian, even the hand calligraphed letters get nice air time/zoomed shots.

It has COMPLETELY inspired my lettering and like I say all the time, you need a muse to keep going and developing. I’ve been wanting to refine my Victorian lettering for sometime now and this is a perfect vehicle to do it. Not ALL of these will be posted to my IG account, but the most important part is the EXPLORATION that’s motivated. Remember that you learn something new with each layout you compose.

The dialogue is full of English, Scottish and Gaelic dialects so the possibilities are endless. If you are questioning what you can use as a muse for your lettering, if there is something inspiring you and layouts seem like they are POURING out of your pencil as a result… THAT’S your muse! I’ll be back soon, happy lettering!

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Use a Sketchbook to Explore Letterforms

The biggest challenge you might face after you get accustomed to creating lettering layouts may be what lettering styles to use where… Victorian, faux calligraphy, serif, sans serif, etc.

I believe that between creating lettering layouts, the process of letterform exploration should be ongoing. I recommend designating a sketchbook JUST for this task.

This is my sketchbook that is restricted ONLY to explore letters… No layouts, no drawings, just letters and letter decoration…

This sketchbook will give you an opportunity to do three things:

1. Help your hand/eye coordination as it pertains to letter construction.

2. Take lettering inspiration that you find and create alphabet exemplars from them. The more you do it, the better you’ll become.

3. Have a library of lettering styles to refer to where you can go for inspiration as you pull together lettering layouts/compositions.

I’ll see you guys next time, happy lettering!

—ct

Fox Themed First Birthday Chalkboard

I did my first birthday chalkboard! I really, really wanted to do one of these, they are so adorable every time I see one. This job was referred to me because the calligrapher that was slated to do it wasn’t into illustration. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do so I started looking up fox photos and came up with some “lockup” logo options that I would use as a focal point for the board.

The client wanted a “Foxy One” theme…

After the client selected the lockup she liked, I got all of Gabriel’s information… All his “firsts”. I’ve seen boards PACKED with this info but you have to be careful that each block of type/info is neat and legible or it can quickly turn into a mess!

I do it with powder chalk and there is a LOT of erasing involved!

After this I ink the board with Posca chalk markers. There are a ton out there and I can say I like Bistro brand as well but Posca’s are absolutely perfect for chalkboard surfaces. I’ve yet to try some of the newer brands but I would say that I’ve tried Versa Chalk and Chalk Ink brands and they dry out much too quickly. If there is a remedy to this, I’d love to know, let me know in the comments!

The thing with Posca brand markers is that they dry quickly so you need water and a small roundhand brush if you’d like to blend the inks like I did with the leaves. You can really get some nice effects with this method.

…And this is the final. I was pretty proud of this one since it was my first of this kind! Hope to do more of these!

TypeTober 2020

Ahh, I finished a challenge guys! SUCH a big accomplishment for me!

Some collaborators on Instagram wanted to put together a challenge for lettering as an alternative to the ever popular #Inktober annual challenge. I actually penned a blog regarding how you can use Inktober to get better at something.

So refreshing to have a lettering focused challenge and they were all one word prompts. This was easy and also HARD! I did a story highlight this time to curate the prompts which motivated me to finish because I wanted to be able to go back and look at what I did. This is something that you can try to make sure you keep going.

Here are the prompts from Oct 1st through Oct 31st! Follow me @letteringlovebyct

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Thanks to the collaborators of this challenge!

—————————
@h_inx
@nolalettering
@fancyandwonder
@paperplaneletters
@eskay_creates
@thecreativedump
@Gina.letters
@allboutcreativityy
@zainabs.quill
@krafted_spellz

Chalkboard Layout Demo

I’m getting the LLBYCT channel going! Check out my video showing how I tackled a 24” x 24” client supplied chalkboard! From sketch to layout in powder chalk I discuss how to approach the blank space, breaking it up spatially to create a visually pleasing board.

I did some sketches and the client was happy with one of my design solutions out of the gate so I had clear direction on what I needed to do.

Please like and subscribe and there is plenty more to come!

—ct

Starting YouTube Channel / Lettering Love by CT / New Resource

I am THRILLED to announce the start of a new chapter in my online lettering life! I have finally started a YouTube channel JUST for hand lettering… I already have a channel for my Calligraphy by CT company but I usually struggle about posting too much lettering there, although my audience still appreciates that kind of work.

On my new YT channel however it can be more of a “no holds barred” approach to the discipline and that is pretty exciting! I have so much to share with you and can’t wait to show up for you there.

Check out my intro video and I’ll be back soon with more juicy content!

Faux Calligraphy / For Beginners / Instant Download / Calligraphy eBook

This was a fun little title I penned. “Faux” or fake calligraphy is one of my “go tos”as far “coupling” letter styles. Also a lot of flexibility available when constructing faux calligraphy letterforms so it a chance for you to “level up” if you already employ this style! Treat yourself to this little indulgence!

If you liked this post, Pin it to Pinterest!👇🏽

5 Actionable Ways to Improve Your Hand Lettering / Lettering Tips / Lettering by Hand

Is your lettering feeling a bit stale? In a rut? Feel like you are NOT improving? I hear you. Lettering can be tricky and depending on what you are doing, your process can feel stagnant.

I want to share with you FIVE WAYS to improve your hand lettering. You can incorporate these actionable steps TODAY.

GO SLOWER
This is one of the most obvious steps but its true. A lot of times we want to hurry up and get done, fill up our feeds, move on to the next prompt in our challenge, etc. Good lettering requires a significant time commitment. If you have a simple quote, a one word design, or a two word phrase, ok you should be able to get that done more quickly than a longer quote with 2-3 different lettering styles and multiple design elements. Just make sure that you are not rushing through the process because whatever bugs you in the pencil phase will make you sick once you’ve finalized your piece in ink/paint/etc.

BE READY TO ERASE
Hand lettering can be brutal as you will more often than not have to do things more than once. Even the most seasoned letterers have to go back over what they’ve done. If this bugs you think about your finished product. Your finished piece will be much better because you committed to taking these extra steps during the construction phase.

USE TOOLS
Free handing it is fine for preliminary sketches, thumbnails, etc. However as you are finalizing your sketch, pull out some tools in order to really refine it. Your lettering/design solution will look more professional and if you are posting on social media, it’ll have a better chance of being re-posted by lettering accounts that curate strong pieces.

LOOK AT YOUR LETTERING IN UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS
Turn your layouts upside down and critically review them. Its amazing how different they appear. Things that your brain would normally organize all of a sudden turn into independent shapes and if something is off it will SCREAM at you. Anything that is not really symmetrical or off balance will be crystallized especially… Another hack is to take a pic with your phone and review your lettering that way. This is another method that will indicate more clearly than a normal review where problem areas lie…

SPEND AS MUCH TIME STUDYING AS YOU DO LETTERING
Even though everyone is always saying, “letter more, letter daily, every time you letter you learn something, etc.” While ALL this is true, you STILL need to make sure that you are studying. You should be able to name a lettering reference that you are getting through right now. Studying books by letterers you admire as well as ephemera and old school references will only give you a larger frame of reference when you are doing your own pieces. I snagged a GREAT tip on a quicker way to letter victorian style letters while studying a book about another topic. You seriously never know what hacks/shortcuts/visual stimulants you will find. Find the time to STUDY YOUR CRAFT!

If you liked this post, Pin it to Pinterest!👇🏽

Virtual Graduation Text Invite / Virtual Grad / EDITABLE Graduation Invitation

Hi guys!

Based on the times that we are living in there are NEW events that are starting to prop up now. There are virtual prom celebrations as well as virtual graduation parades/celebrations.

I’ve released a line of text message templates that you can use to get ideas and also personally edit if you’d like to use these for your OWN unique events!

SHOP GRADUATION TEXT TEMPLATES

Take care til’ next time!

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Handwriting Worksheets / Practice Sheets / Instant Download

Hi guys,

Wanted to share a quick printable that I did for adults to practice their handwriting. GREAT worksheets in case you’d like to get a better feel for writing prior to graduating to calligraphy and hand lettering worksheets.

You’ll receive a 14 page multi-page pdf document with 11 practice pages.
11 practice pages are also included as jpegs in a zipped file in case you'd like to download to use on the iPad...

ETSY LISTING

Check it out when you can and I’ll be back soon!

—ct

New Coffee Art Printable Release / Instant Download / Coffee Wall Art / Coffee Decor

Hi everyone! I’m STILL slowly rolling out lettered art printables for my Etsy Shop!

I’m super excited about yet ANOTHER coffee printable! :-) I think these are my faves. I’m hoping that the java community likes these as well. Before Coffee, I Hate Everybody… After Coffee, I Feel Good About Hating Everybody! Sarcastic, but true!

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Check out the shop when you can and I’ll be back here soon!

—ct

How to Hand Letter / Ebooks / Beginning Lettering

Wow, what a different landscape we are in now huh? I have been super busy however as there were so many pet projects that I had before we had to shelter in place here in Chicago.

I’m offering a free brush lettering class hosted on my YouTube (more on that later) and I also managed to create a great resource on lettering! Hand Lettering 101…

This eBook was a labor of LOVE! I taught a hand lettering class and this little digital companion was based off of the physical classroom text. I thought it would be friendlier to someone learning at home. Its got the basics, terminology, an equipment list and more! Great for the beginner and there is no excuse not to get started after this one! Check it out!

If you liked this post, Pin it to Pinterest!👇🏽

Hand Lettering Basics Workshop

I can’t wait to teach it again. We went over how to approach lettering, the passion that you need to have about WHAT you are lettering… Short quotes, longer quotes, design solutions, etc.

I’m supposed to be teaching it again on May 2nd at a local library but with the social distancing that’s going on right now, I’m not sure if that will actually happen. Fingers crossed! I’ll also be releasing some freebies from this resource soon its so jam packed with info!

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Ahhh, a labor of LOVE! I taught my first (well really second) hand lettering class! I taught a holiday hand lettering class right before Christmas last year but it wasn’t laser focused on just lettering it was actually more about the “decor” and design elements that scream “holiday!”

THIS class I really wanted to simply say things that I hadn’t really heard in the classes that I previously audited but thought they should really KNOW! That’s it. That was my goal in putting together the guide and teaching the course.

ImmaBe_Letters: BE SOMETHING!

Ok, so I kind of bumped into a personal project by accident… Lauren Hom of HomSweetHom lore has an online class she opens up twice a year called “Passion to Paid”. Basically turning a passion project into a paid deal. She did this with her book Daily Dishonesty where she turned a Tumblr blog into a printed book. Crazy. She’s got great ideas and great passion.

I haven’t been able to think of anything THAT cool to do, but I DID buy a cheap $3.99 hard bound sketch pad from a discount outlet and I started lettering short phrases. Just a note, I’m a fan of short phrases because they really help you along in terms of composition and becoming a stronger letterer.

Anywho, I got stuck on phrases that began with “Be”. So weird and really nothing behind it except it really gave me a chance to focus on letter construction and a simple declaration. I ended up filling the ENTIRE sketchbook with these phrases and started an IG so that they could be “housed” away from my other lettering!

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Please follow my journey, I don’t know where it ends, but I’m having a ton of fun with this!

—ct

Lettering Improvement + New Goals

Are you excited to begin a new year of lettering? I didn’t let my busy calligraphy/wedding schedule stand in the way of things I wanted to accomplish with my lettering and as a result I feel like I’m more confident tackling layouts and creative projects that I would have normally shied away from.

Examples of improvements I’ve been seeing (only TIME and being critical of your work can provide these results):

A collage that I did for Chicago’s South Side. It was tentative, kind of all over the place with a weak focal point. I was proud of some of the letter construction and thought I did a good job contrasting styles.

The re-do! I took another stab at it and really thought it came together in a more cohesive manner. Clear focal point, better sections for complimentary type. Better flow. Just an overall more pleasing creative solution.

Another design solution… Superbowl collage…

2018 Superbowl Sunday collage. I was super proud of this at the time and had been exposed to more and more collage design solutions by some of my favorite letterers. Again just some issues that I immediately identify now that I didn’t before. The complimentary words are done a little tentatively. Need better spacing and clearer sections for smaller type. “Touchdown” competes with “Superbowl Sunday” as a focal point… I could go on!

2020!!! What a difference 2 years makes… Again, I think I just PLAN these layouts better now. My “artist’s eye” is developing! Nothing competes. Clear focal point. Complimentary type has a home…

I want to encourage you as a letterer to simply KEEP GOING. Some things just come with time spent working on your craft and you learn something literally EVERY TIME you letter.

Have great years everyone and I will be back updating you on my progress and projects!

—ct

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Holiday Hand Lettering Workshop

I thought it would be fun to teach a course on hand lettering but make it “holiday” themed. Think wreaths, winter florals, ornaments and MORE! Join me: https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=73883456407

Using Inktober to Improve Something / Make Inktober Work for You / Inktober 2019

What is Inktober?

Inktober is a month long art challenge created by artist Jake Parker that is focused on improving skill and developing positive drawing habits. Every day for the month of October anyone participating in the Inktober challenge creates an ink drawing and posts it online.

First off let me start by saying I can NEVER keep up with Inktober, no matter what year it is. 2019 is probably the best I’ve ever done with 13 prompts completed. I also did an override with the prompts and did my own thing (a lot of people do this). Kind of boring to actually LETTER the prompts i.e writing out the word “Ring” (a ton of letterers do just that), and I thought about something I wanted to get better at doing and the answer was: ding, ding, ding: Florals.

I usually do the same thing all of the time so this gave me more in my arsenal as far as “go tos” are concerned. I strongly suggest that you do the same for Inktober 2020. It will be here before you know it. 5 months from now, Inktober posts will be everywhere and its a safe bet that you will be caught flat footed…

Why not start thinking about what you will tackle NOW? Forget about the prompts unless you are a super talented illustrator. I definitely encourage letterers to dabble in illustration because high quality “illustration” vs. doodles coupling your lettering will help distinguish you from the pack. I’m still thinking about what I will tackle come October, but I recommend that it should be something you’ve been avoiding practicing.

Hashtags to use: #inktober #inktober2020 #inktoberprompts #inktoberlist #inktoberchallenge #inkonpaper #inktoberring #inktoberart

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21st Night - Morgan's on Fulton Window Lettering

Ahhh! My BIGGEST “lettering only” request that I got this Fall was from Kelly and Blue to do the lettering on the window on Morgan’s on Fulton. Three HUGE panels for September 21st… Based on the Earth Wind and Fire classic “…Do you remember? The 21st night of September?”

I only got one picture of it and it was by one of the guests who asked me to pose with it before the reception started.

I had just recently audited a tutorial by The Happy Ever Crafter on lettering on windows and it was a real eye opener. After lettering countless mirrors I just assumed I would follow a layout and letter what I saw.

The method she provides takes a lot of the guesswork out of it and it led me to actually CONSTRUCT THE DESIGN ON LARGE SHEETS OF TRACING PAPER WITH A GRID PATTERN and affix them to the window the day of the wedding. Genius. This removed the need to add dozens of guidelines and also any erasing that would need to go on if you discover that the design is off in any way.

It was a SUPER windy day in Chicago and thank GOODNESS I brought duct tape. I put the sheets up to the window and came on the inside and lettered the window writing backwards.

I only had 2.5 hours to do this, if I’d had more time I would have DEFINITELY added more detail to the floral motif which was there to compliment a “tiki” theme that the couple had employed. Overall, I thought it was great and it looked much nicer in person. Congrats Kelly and Blue and thanks for the work!