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.

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

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!


Hand Lettering Basics Workshop

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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!

Featured
Hand Lettering Workshop with Mike Meyer
Hand Lettering Workshop with Mike Meyer
Lettering Love by CT: New Year New Goals
Lettering Love by CT: New Year New Goals
MV5BNzE3ZTYxZWYtMjQ1Ny00MzFhLWI1MGMtMDZmMzYwYjc1OWQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg
Outlander Inspired Lettering
IMG_0820.JPG
Use a Sketchbook to Explore Letterforms
IMG_7352 2.JPG
Fox Themed First Birthday Chalkboard
2856B8E0-AF93-442A-8C4E-75E19A8679F0.JPG
TypeTober 2020
Chalkboard Layout Demo
Chalkboard Layout Demo
Starting YouTube Channel / Lettering Love by CT / New Resource
Starting YouTube Channel / Lettering Love by CT / New Resource
Faux Calligraphy / For Beginners / Instant Download / Calligraphy eBook
Faux Calligraphy / For Beginners / Instant Download / Calligraphy eBook
5 Actionable Ways to Improve Your Hand Lettering / Lettering Tips / Lettering by Hand
5 Actionable Ways to Improve Your Hand Lettering / Lettering Tips / Lettering by Hand




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!

View fullsize ...Be honest. Think of how much damage can be done through deceit. #immabe_letters #behonest #heythere #makersgonnamake #pencillettering #lettering #handlettering #letteringbyhand
View fullsize ...Aargh it’s SO tough to stay focused, centered and present now. I think I’m all over the place a little. Being driven to almost exclusively selling online is maddening. I am spending hours on my laptop. No sports either? Yes staying pre
View fullsize
View fullsize ...So many brave people out here now. Medical professionals, health care workers, postal carriers, big box retail workers, etc. I’ll never forget. #immabe_letters #bebrave #pandemic2020
View fullsize ...Wow! Thanks for the follows! I got SLAMMED with work. In the hospitality industry, which is getting ROCKED right now with the #pandemic... Be faithful to whatever means something special to you... Your vows, your work, your process, etc. #immabe_l
View fullsize ...I want my work to be different. A good way to ensure that is to limit my scrolling. If I participate in a monthly lettering challenge I won’t go through the hashtag until I’ve uploaded my piece. You can subconsciously get stuck on ano
View fullsize ...Be blessed! I feel blessed and when I don’t I have to remind myself again that I am! Have good days everyone... #immabe_letters
View fullsize ...It can seem kind of tough to find your own style/voice in today’s #handletteringcommunity... I used to wonder “am I copying?” “Does my stuff look like letterer X?” I no longer worry about stuff like that. Everyone hol
View fullsize ...Tea, baths, soft music & creating - all these things help to calm me. I think we are all prone to some form of anxiety, especially as you age. #immabe_letters #becalm . . . #lettering #handlettering #blackandwhitelettering #hand

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

—ct


Featured
Hand Lettering Workshop with Mike Meyer
Hand Lettering Workshop with Mike Meyer
Lettering Love by CT: New Year New Goals
Lettering Love by CT: New Year New Goals
MV5BNzE3ZTYxZWYtMjQ1Ny00MzFhLWI1MGMtMDZmMzYwYjc1OWQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg
Outlander Inspired Lettering
IMG_0820.JPG
Use a Sketchbook to Explore Letterforms
IMG_7352 2.JPG
Fox Themed First Birthday Chalkboard
2856B8E0-AF93-442A-8C4E-75E19A8679F0.JPG
TypeTober 2020
Chalkboard Layout Demo
Chalkboard Layout Demo
Starting YouTube Channel / Lettering Love by CT / New Resource
Starting YouTube Channel / Lettering Love by CT / New Resource
Faux Calligraphy / For Beginners / Instant Download / Calligraphy eBook
Faux Calligraphy / For Beginners / Instant Download / Calligraphy eBook
5 Actionable Ways to Improve Your Hand Lettering / Lettering Tips / Lettering by Hand
5 Actionable Ways to Improve Your Hand Lettering / Lettering Tips / Lettering by Hand

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.

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.

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 co…

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…

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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!


Styling the Alphabet / Letter Archive / Hand Lettered ABCs / 16 Types of One Letter

I’ve been participating in the #StylingTheAlphabet challenge which is a more loose online challenge with no real deadlines, its just multiple iterations of the same letter til’ you get through all 26! Plan to do 16 of each letter… That’s a good basis from which to start.

Its always fun and profitable to do these drills because it FORCES you to think about letter construction BEYOND your normal “go tos.” We all have things that we normally do when its time to construct a certain letter.

Styling the alphabet not only makes you think outside the box, but if you DO come up with something interesting, you can take the next step of deriving an entire alphabet based on that solution. These drills help you to be creative and unique. Its all about making sure your work is standing out… Give it a try…

Hashtags to use: #stylingthealphabet #handletteredabcs #letterarchive #letterarchive_a #letterarchive_b #letterarchive_c #letterarchive_d #letterarchive_e #letterarchive_f #letterarchive_g #letterarchive_h #letterarchive_i #letterarchive_j #letterarchive_k #letterarchive_l #letterarchive_m #letterarchive_n #letterarchive_o #letterarchive_p #letterarchive_q #letterarchive_r #letterarchive_s #letterarchive_t #letterarchive_u #letterarchive_v #letterarchive_w #letterarchive_x #letterarchive_y #letterarchive_z

Some of what I did (I still need to finish!):

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Intro to Brush Lettering at Delish Cakes

I taught an Intro to Brush Lettering class at Delish Cakes in Bloomingdale, IL! Such a wonderful experience, I showed students how to work with both fine line brush pens as well as Tombows!

Alicia and her staff even went as far as trying to duplicate some fonts I wrote out with a piping bag, it was amazing!

Thanks for having me guys, hope to be back soon!

Benefits of Joining a Pencil Lettering Challenge

I recently joined the pencil lettering challenge by Threeologie on Instagram. I LOVE lettering in pencil so this challenge was right up my alley! Using fine line ink pens for me sometimes ruins what I’ve done in pencil. I’m sure that will change with more practice, but definitely don’t want to stop honing my graphite skills in the meantime.

A lot of accomplished letterers use mechanical leads that you can place in holders or even just Blackwing or Ticonderoga pencils but I like the graphite pencils that go from a hard grade (H) to a softer grade (B).

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Here are some of the things I created from the challenge so far!

Benefits of pencil lettering:

  • Depending on what kind of pencil you use, you can recognize dark and light values and influence what you are doing by simply applying pressure

  • Pencil lettering will teach you a lot about values (lights, darks and contrast)

  • SO much detail can be achieved by ONLY using a pencil…

  • Lettering on iPads is amazing however you will realize that there is no greater feeling of control than actually putting a pencil to paper

Hashtags to use: #pencillettering #letteringinpencil #analoglettering #pencilletteringpractice #pencilletters #pencilletteringart #pencilletteringchallenge

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