Comments on: The lost art of lettering? http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:53:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: STWALLSKULL » Interesting Links: April 4, 2007 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-115165 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:08:38 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-115165 [...] The lost art of lettering? [...] […] The lost art of lettering? […]

]]> by: John Roshell http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-115127 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:36:13 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-115127 "there’s a faster way if you have Illustrator 10 or above" Here's the ballooning method we've used for the last decade or so, invented by Albert Deschesne: <a HREF="http://www.balloontales.com/tips/layer_method/index.html" rel="nofollow">The Layer Method</A>. It basically involves placing the balloon outline, tail and balloon fill on separate layers, so balloons can be copied and overlapped easily. JG “there’s a faster way if you have Illustrator 10 or above”

Here’s the ballooning method we’ve used for the last decade or so, invented by Albert Deschesne: The Layer Method. It basically involves placing the balloon outline, tail and balloon fill on separate layers, so balloons can be copied and overlapped easily.

JG

]]> by: Culpable y Perdedor » La guerra de la rotulación: Rucka vs Comicraft http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-114047 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:52:46 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-114047 [...] Visto en The Beat [...] […] Visto en The Beat […]

]]> by: Crowley http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113847 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:25:28 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113847 Heidi, Was going to respond to you in regards to balloon placement at The Engine but I'm not logged as a creator there and I'm uncertain how to quite go about changing up that status... but anyhow... In my limited experience thus far... I usually do the placement. The sole exception has been Larry Hama's G.I. Joe Declassified in which Larry laid out where the balloons were to go. For me it was a really eye opening experience... Larry has a very intuitive sense of storytelling and I learned a lot from it. One other thing that has occurred is that on a rare occasion a new, young artist might typically take an issue or two before they realize they need to leave me a bit more negative space to work with. Heidi,

Was going to respond to you in regards to balloon placement at The Engine but I’m not logged as a creator there and I’m uncertain how to quite go about changing up that status… but anyhow…

In my limited experience thus far… I usually do the placement. The sole exception has been Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe Declassified in which Larry laid out where the balloons were to go. For me it was a really eye opening experience… Larry has a very intuitive sense of storytelling and I learned a lot from it.

One other thing that has occurred is that on a rare occasion a new, young artist might typically take an issue or two before they realize they need to leave me a bit more negative space to work with.

]]> by: Crowley http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113840 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:05:05 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113840 Augie, Thanks for the heads up... a Bendis script seems like it would inherently be tough to letter based on placement alone. Also just wanted to toss in that I've never lettered by hand and can't imagine ever doing it... That said... I have nothing but total admiration for those who did it in the past and continue to do it today. Augie,
Thanks for the heads up… a Bendis script seems like it would inherently be tough to letter based on placement alone.

Also just wanted to toss in that I’ve never lettered by hand and can’t imagine ever doing it… That said… I have nothing but total admiration for those who did it in the past and continue to do it today.

]]> by: Richard Starkings http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113534 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:12:35 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113534 Jemas also told editors that upper case lettering made comics look childish. Of course, some might say that grown men running around in their pyjamas looks childish, but NO -- THAT'S not the problem -- it was THE LETTERING! As Heidi noted earlier, what's important is context. Lower case hand styled lettering in TINTIN books = easy on the all-ages eyes; scratchy lower case hand styled lettering in FROM HELL = slightly disturbing and adult. The font in THE PROFESSOR’S DAUGHTER samples Heidi posted is actually a freely available hand lettering font which sometimes goes by the name Felt Tip, but goes by a whole number of other names as well. Ironically, as a pen letterer, you couldn't letter for very long with a felt tip because, well... the tips turned to mush after about two pages! Jemas also told editors that upper case lettering made comics look childish.

Of course, some might say that grown men running around in their pyjamas looks childish, but NO — THAT’S not the problem — it was THE LETTERING!

As Heidi noted earlier, what’s important is context. Lower case hand styled lettering in TINTIN books = easy on the all-ages eyes; scratchy lower case hand styled lettering in FROM HELL = slightly disturbing and adult.

The font in THE PROFESSOR’S DAUGHTER samples Heidi posted is actually a freely available hand lettering font which sometimes goes by the name Felt Tip, but goes by a whole number of other names as well. Ironically, as a pen letterer, you couldn’t letter for very long with a felt tip because, well… the tips turned to mush after about two pages!

]]> by: michael http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113501 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:06:41 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113501 We just talked about this over on the CBR Marvel Forum, Seems like the Marvel editors are really gettin' lazy over there, I mean, I don't even know what they 'edit' nowadays. jk, But seriously. More likely, Marvel wants to save time and money by not doing such basic things. bleah... :( We just talked about this over on the CBR Marvel Forum, Seems like the Marvel editors are really gettin’ lazy over there, I mean, I don’t even know what they ‘edit’ nowadays.

jk, But seriously. More likely, Marvel wants to save time and money by not doing such basic things. bleah… :(

]]> by: Ralph Mathieu http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113477 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:32:51 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113477 I lament that on most original art these days the lettering isn't part of the page (although I guess it saves me money, because a lot of times I'll not buy a page because the words are an important part of what makes me decide to buy a page). I lament that on most original art these days the lettering isn’t part of the page (although I guess it saves me money, because a lot of times I’ll not buy a page because the words are an important part of what makes me decide to buy a page).

]]> by: Christopher Moonlight http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113470 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:11:00 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113470 Eddie Campbell had a few words on lettering, which can be read here: http://eddiecampbell.blogspot.com/search/label/balloons Eddie Campbell had a few words on lettering, which can be read here: http://eddiecampbell.blogspot.com/search/label/balloons

]]> by: The Dane http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113456 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:36:13 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113456 Stan Sakai letters <i>Usagi Yojimbo</i> himself and does a mighty fine job, I think. That guy is amazing. As far as majuscules vs. minuscules go, I don't think I really have a preference. I sort of grew up reading <i>Tintin</i>, so minuscules always seemed pretty natural to me. Jason Lute's works seem to flow naturally here by using minuscules. As well, many of the best webcomics (<i>Penny Arcade</i> and <i>Questionable Content</i>, as well as Stuart Immonen's <i>Never as Bad as You Think</i>) use minuscules. That said, majuscules obviously work fine as well (see 95% of comics). In the end, I think that so long as the text is both legible and fits the art and story it's supporting, it's good lettering. Stan Sakai letters Usagi Yojimbo himself and does a mighty fine job, I think. That guy is amazing.

As far as majuscules vs. minuscules go, I don’t think I really have a preference. I sort of grew up reading Tintin, so minuscules always seemed pretty natural to me. Jason Lute’s works seem to flow naturally here by using minuscules. As well, many of the best webcomics (Penny Arcade and Questionable Content, as well as Stuart Immonen’s Never as Bad as You Think) use minuscules.

That said, majuscules obviously work fine as well (see 95% of comics). In the end, I think that so long as the text is both legible and fits the art and story it’s supporting, it’s good lettering.

]]> by: Jim Keplinger http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113451 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:28:36 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113451 Creating decent balloons is a LOT easier than people think. Here is Richard's tutorial from Balloontales.com (bookmark this site if you want to learn lettering...great tips) http://www.balloontales.com/tips/tvshape/index.html but this is several years old and there's a faster way if you have Illustrator 10 or above that is explained at NinjaLettering (also worth bookmarking): http://letteringbasics.ninjalettering.com/ Creating decent balloons is a LOT easier than people think. Here is Richard’s tutorial from Balloontales.com (bookmark this site if you want to learn lettering…great tips) http://www.balloontales.com/tips/tvshape/index.html but this is several years old and there’s a faster way if you have Illustrator 10 or above that is explained at NinjaLettering (also worth bookmarking): http://letteringbasics.ninjalettering.com/

]]> by: Scott Chantler http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113443 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:08:16 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113443 Augie: "Right now, I’m most impressed with Sean Phillips’ lettering job on CRIMINAL, where he draws his own balloons and then lays the lettering down on the computer." I'm going to be doing this on my next creator-owned project. I don't mind the look of computer lettering, but creating decent-looking balloons just drives me nuts. Augie: “Right now, I’m most impressed with Sean Phillips’ lettering job on CRIMINAL, where he draws his own balloons and then lays the lettering down on the computer.”

I’m going to be doing this on my next creator-owned project. I don’t mind the look of computer lettering, but creating decent-looking balloons just drives me nuts.

]]> by: Jim Keplinger http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113436 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:03:25 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113436 AUGIE: you're right, I posted that activity and failed it myself. It's a MUCH harder mindset to letter in sentence case because you have to consider how the lowercase letters interfere with each other above and below. And yes, I agree that Chris may be the master of this! AUGIE: you’re right, I posted that activity and failed it myself. It’s a MUCH harder mindset to letter in sentence case because you have to consider how the lowercase letters interfere with each other above and below. And yes, I agree that Chris may be the master of this!

]]> by: Jim Keplinger http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113434 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:00:51 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113434 I think the point about the way books are edited post-lettering is worth repeating. Often I have received a script that is not close to publishable and only after they see it on the page do the writers (rarely the editors any more) make the changes. I suspect that rather than laziness (I have NEVER met a lazy editor in my career who lasted more than a couple of issues...its a damn demanding job!) this is due to cut backs on the editing staff, but it also could be to perceived convenience and time constraints. Sadly, as Richard said, often the writer is the last person who should be doing the proofs as they are far to close to the material and completely unable to separate the story from the words. As to sentence-case lettering, I have (forgive me) mixed feelings. I have certainly done it and I feel I have done it well, but I never felt it was more readable. In fact, I feel it slows down the reading a tad because the ascenders and descenders get in the way of the lines above and below. This is subtle, and certainly debatable, but I'll stick with my instnct that it slows down the process. I remember when Bill Jemas made the switch and one of the main reasons cited was that the reason for ALL CAPS lettering was now a non-issue: the printing process had improved so much that even the smallest derivation could be seen...therefore the blockiness of ALL CAPS wasn't needed for readability. While true, I also believe, as a letterer, I can letter faster in all caps...hand lettering that is...so I'm inclined to believe the tradition probably started out of speed and convenience as much as readability. In the end, there will always be a time and a place for sentence case lettering...but I, as both letterer and reader, will always prefer ALL CAPS. I think the point about the way books are edited post-lettering is worth repeating. Often I have received a script that is not close to publishable and only after they see it on the page do the writers (rarely the editors any more) make the changes. I suspect that rather than laziness (I have NEVER met a lazy editor in my career who lasted more than a couple of issues…its a damn demanding job!) this is due to cut backs on the editing staff, but it also could be to perceived convenience and time constraints. Sadly, as Richard said, often the writer is the last person who should be doing the proofs as they are far to close to the material and completely unable to separate the story from the words.

As to sentence-case lettering, I have (forgive me) mixed feelings. I have certainly done it and I feel I have done it well, but I never felt it was more readable. In fact, I feel it slows down the reading a tad because the ascenders and descenders get in the way of the lines above and below. This is subtle, and certainly debatable, but I’ll stick with my instnct that it slows down the process.

I remember when Bill Jemas made the switch and one of the main reasons cited was that the reason for ALL CAPS lettering was now a non-issue: the printing process had improved so much that even the smallest derivation could be seen…therefore the blockiness of ALL CAPS wasn’t needed for readability. While true, I also believe, as a letterer, I can letter faster in all caps…hand lettering that is…so I’m inclined to believe the tradition probably started out of speed and convenience as much as readability.

In the end, there will always be a time and a place for sentence case lettering…but I, as both letterer and reader, will always prefer ALL CAPS.

]]> by: Augie De Blieck Jr. http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113431 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:47:27 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113431 Crowley - Over at the Digital Webbing Lettering message board, there was an exercise once. Three pages of an Ultimate Spider-Man comic along with the actual scripts were used. Chris Eliopoulos was kind enough to loan the board his font for the exercise. Lots tried, most grumbled, nobody aced it. I tried it -- it was painful. I don't know how Chris does it every month, and he probably only has a few hours to do the entire issue. Right now, I'm most impressed with Sean Phillips' lettering job on CRIMINAL, where he draws his own balloons and then lays the lettering down on the computer. Crowley - Over at the Digital Webbing Lettering message board, there was an exercise once. Three pages of an Ultimate Spider-Man comic along with the actual scripts were used. Chris Eliopoulos was kind enough to loan the board his font for the exercise. Lots tried, most grumbled, nobody aced it. I tried it — it was painful. I don’t know how Chris does it every month, and he probably only has a few hours to do the entire issue.

Right now, I’m most impressed with Sean Phillips’ lettering job on CRIMINAL, where he draws his own balloons and then lays the lettering down on the computer.

]]> by: Crowley http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113427 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:39:25 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113427 I try to stay traditional all caps at all times... but our Forgotten Realms books have script font mixed case. That can sometimes be tricky when certain D&#38;D words are capitalized and others are not... I can't really imagine what a pain lettering Ultimate Spider-man is... but reading the mixed case has never bothered me. I believe Darwyn Cooke self lettered in his SOLO issue... that was really amazing, he always has amazing letterers... Jared Fletcher is kicking ass on the Spirit... unfortunately I'm at a loss at the moment to bring the other names to mind. I try to stay traditional all caps at all times… but our Forgotten Realms books have script font mixed case. That can sometimes be tricky when certain D&D words are capitalized and others are not…

I can’t really imagine what a pain lettering Ultimate Spider-man is… but reading the mixed case has never bothered me.

I believe Darwyn Cooke self lettered in his SOLO issue… that was really amazing, he always has amazing letterers… Jared Fletcher is kicking ass on the Spirit… unfortunately I’m at a loss at the moment to bring the other names to mind.

]]> by: mark siegel http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113418 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:11:58 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113418 There are some really useful insights on Eddie Campbell's blog, about THE LAST WORD ON WORD BALLOONS -- I've been sending a number of our young authors to them. There are some really useful insights on Eddie Campbell’s blog, about THE LAST WORD ON WORD BALLOONS — I’ve been sending a number of our young authors to them.

]]> by: Scott Chantler http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113407 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:57:06 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/04/03/the-lost-art-of-lettering/#comment-113407 I use upper and lower case in NORTHWEST PASSAGE, because I like the decidely un-comic-book look of it. No one's ever complained that they found it difficult to read (though maybe they just aren't doing it to my face.) I hadn't even noticed that Marvel had been doing it (though this might have something to do with how often I look at Marvel comics.) I use upper and lower case in NORTHWEST PASSAGE, because I like the decidely un-comic-book look of it. No one’s ever complained that they found it difficult to read (though maybe they just aren’t doing it to my face.)

I hadn’t even noticed that Marvel had been doing it (though this might have something to do with how often I look at Marvel comics.)

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