Lettering. Calligraphy. Typography. I have previously interchanged these words to describe the illustration of words within my artwork. Predominately because I didn't know how to differentiate between them. This may come across as a disappointment to some of you, particularly any illustrators, reading this. Or perhaps, you are similar to me and are unsure about the differences between these terms.
Knowing that my lack of appreciation for these terms is associated with me not taking the time to understand, I started reading around lettering. And learned that the term 'lettering' acts as an umbrella term for the way letters are drawn against the way they are written. At first, this sounded relatively odd. Simply because I would associate letters with writing as opposed to drawing. It was only through looking at examples, I could see how each letter is sketched individually and so, acts a separate illustration. The penny dropped and the muddled thoughts started to sunder.
"Lettering is the art of drawing letters; Calligraphy is the art of writing letters; Typography is the art of using letters."
Reading this definition by Ian Barnard, it felt quite unusual as to why I was confused in the first place. But, I guess that's what makes a moment of realisation. I could see how typography describes a system of letters and so, the words seem as though they were created with prefabricated letters. Whereas, calligraphy is closely associated with the practice of writing with pen and handwriting style. Where the differences appeared clearer in my mind, I knew the best way to test this was to experiment!
To experiment, I had to decide on my subject. It felt important to share something - whether it was a word or a few lines - that speaks to me. Since, it is only then I can incorporate my outlook on the words.
Being someone who enjoys reading, I started looking at passages and, in particular, poems that made me want to read it twice or more. This urged me to think about how the words could be arranged to form an illustration.
One of them was by Ellen Everett.
let us live like flowers
wild and beautiful
and drenched in sun
I copied this into in my notebook and surrounded it with thoughts that came to mind. Once I felt that all these thoughts were shifted onto the page, I began to read them slowly and became aware of how they arise from two main categories. Nature and self.
To begin with, I thought about my immediate reactions to the poem. This mainly consisted of a full heart and a reminder to flourish. Together, these responses and the word 'sun' within the poem left me thinking about sun rays.
Sun rays. This represents spreading energy and, to me, imitates how our energy is influenced by the people around us and vice versa. To build on this concept of dispersal, I thought about how the words would look if they encircled a centre yet appeared to be moving away. To discover how these ideas would cohere, I started sketching.
I felt a little surprised by my attempt to incorporate typography since letters such as 'b' and 'd' were difficult to use along a curve. However, the way in which these letters curve allows them to appear as though they are swinging - in a similar way to how flowers sway in the wind.
Where my intentions to use a line drawing of sun rays was to prevent attention being drawn away from the words, something about it didn't mimic the elegance and power of the poem. Additionally, the bold letters didn't reflect how I read the words slowly in my mind. Knowing that this illustration didn't make me read it twice, the way I initially did, compelled me to make changes. So, I went back to my notebook in hope that I'll get new ideas.
Perhaps it was the desperation to change my illustration, but I found the word 'sunflowers' gleaming at me.
Completing the sketches above, I felt a wave of calmness run through me. The delicate lines representing the structure of the petals provide an authentic atmosphere. The simple yet somewhat sophisticated typography resembles the grace and weight associated with the words - something that was missing in the previous design.
By now, I'm sure some of you aren't surprised that I used colour pencils to create this illustration. The overuse of vibrant yellow and warm tones of orange and brown mirrors the idea of being 'drenched in sun', and strictly speaking the concept of radiating positive energy. The brown, purple and navy marks within the centre depict the seeds and its contrast to the bright petals adds a sense of depth to the illustration.
When reading the poem, I found myself pausing after the word 'beautiful', exaggerating 'drenched' and almost waiting to say 'sun'. I wanted to replicate this within my illustration as I felt it placed emphasis on these words and left me smiling. So, I used this as method to decide on how the words would be arranged within the sunflower.
Having read this poem several times now, I have become more and more interested in the word 'live' and how it serves as a reminder to enjoy the present and simply, to breathe. This concept of thinking about how specific words make me feel and allowing this to control my decisions in my artwork has been very pleasant and has proved to me how words can be drawn!
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