Week 33: Fan Gurl
I'm a fan of fan brushes
Heeyyyy it’s me!
Thank you for all the kind messages last week. It was actually very cathartic to share my feelings and struggles. Also, it was great to hear from some of you that are going through the same thing. Hang in there!! We’re going to get through it.
This week I started with some brush lettering. I used a myriad of different brushes that I’ve been hoarding and an old Crayola water color palette. I grabbed a stack of paper and got to work. I didn’t have any rules or guidelines — just worked on brush handling and rotation. I am not great at brush calligraphy of any kind so half the battle is not judging myself as I am going. I discovered that it helps to use fun colors and weird brushes because it just feels like play time.
After I got through my stack of paper, I sketched some test words with different pieces of the brush lettering that I liked. I ended up with this brushy/blobby word. I was really into the vibe. It came from using a fan brush and focusing on brush rotation. After I was happy with the sketch, it was time to digitize AKA the part that I currently dread. It actually isn’t that bad when I have a decent drawing to start from. The rest of the design is basically production work. Although, when making fonts that are rounded and curvy, you do have to constantly check proportions, weight, spacing, point placement, etc. The s was especially difficult because it’s hard to get the weight distribution correct when you’re working with a bolder style.
In the end, it looks a little like Cooper Black meets brush lettering and I’m not mad about it. I only had time for the lowercase this week but I think it’s still fun and usable. It has a retro and trendy vibe that’s always a pleasure. Overall, I am pretty happy with how this week went. I just need to get better about posting my process on Instagram so y’all can follow along!! Have a great weekend!
5 Things I’m Into This Week:
The song Chaise Longue by Wet Leg. I found their music this week and I really like the vibe.
The show, The Great, on Hulu. I was in the mood for another period piece and this one is really funny.
Shameless plug for the weird collar I finished last week.
Last weekend, I decorated the house for the holidays. This is the first time in my whole life that I had the desire to do it and it was actually really fun!
Similarly, I found this alternative holiday playlist via tiktok this week. I haven’t had a chance to listen to all of it but I think I’m going to like it.
Sincerely,
Your Number One Fan