How To Gain Inspiration
Finding inspiration is like a balancing act. On the one hand, I'm sure you have tons of lettering examples you love and lots of letterers you look up to. But on the other hand, you want to make sure not to directly copy another artist's work. How do you gather inspiration and keep your work original? I have a fool-proof method that I use all the time and I'm going to share it with you! Click play in the following video to see how I gain inspiration and turn in into something that is completely mine.
Tips & Tricks:
- Pinterest is chock-full of inspiration. I highly recommend you start there. Grab a piece of paper and jot down everything that jumps out at you. You're not directly copying an entire piece here—just the components you're most drawn to.
- Gather a good assortment of inspiration. You'll be piecing together your own artwork with these various elements.
- Don't spend too much time on the inspiration gathering step. Just make quick sketches that will jog your memory when you look back on them.
- Once you've gathered your inspiration, put Pinterest away! Going forward, you'll just be using your reference page and your own imagination.
- As you begin to form your word, keep spacing in mind. The spacing should be consistent between each letter.
- Your angles and curves should also all be consistent. Keep working and reworking your design, bringing it closer and closer to a cohesive piece.
- Add in other elements from your inspiration reference sheet, such as little dots and flourishes. Be sure to keep them looking similar.
And you're done! After this method, you'll have a lettered piece that is completely unique to you. Being inspired is so, so important, but it's not okay to copy someone else's lettering. This is how you can be inspired but still create your own beautiful work.
As I mentioned in the video, I've attached a cheat sheet of lettering and type terminology. You can find it in the upper right-hand corner of this lesson. Be sure to download and print it out and become familiar with these terms. Also, if you're using your iPad with the Procreate app, you can download and use my Rad & Happy brushes here.
Now it's time for your homework! Using what you learned in this lesson and the previous lesson, I challenge you to base an entire alphabet on a single letter. Check out the video below to learn more!
ASSIGNMENT: Using the ABC Challenge PDF, complete the exercise in the video above. Start exploring Pinterest and jot down ideas and components that you like.
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