The Amazing Letters of James Lewis

This British artist’s lettering projects certainly stand out, literally and figuratively

If you are interested in typography and lettering, it is very likely that you have stumbled upon some of James Lewis' videos on Instagram or TikTok. This British artist has become one of the most viral lettering artists on social media thanks to his amazingly precise and totally hand-drawn 3D characters.

Learn more about his work watching his Domestika Live chat. James (@jamesllewis) makes a live logo painting and also discusses the impact that working from home can have on creativity.

Lewis became interested in calligraphy at age 14, bored with video games and frustrated by the poor quality of his own handwriting. He started by watching some calligraphy videos and imitating the work of other artists. Soon, his new hobby became a passion.

His newly discovered love for art led Lewis to study graphic design at the University of South Wales. His style has evolved from simple calligraphy to hand lettering and, in recent years, to three-dimensional lettering and illustrative typography, which catapulted him to fame on social media.

If you still don't know him, here are some of the projects you have got to see:

The Snaffling Pig Co.

The logo design for this famous British gourmet snack brand is one of Lewis's best-known works.

Snaffling Pig was one of the business ideas that got funding in the famous British TV show Dragon's Den. After securing that initial investment to expand the business, Snaffling Pig needed a new brand image. Lewis opted for this hand-drawn design that is expressive yet refined, and that you can spot today on the shelves of almost every grocery store in the UK.

Versa

Lewis says this typeface is the answer to the most commonly asked question he gets from the fans that watch his videos. They want to know how to get similar fonts to the ones he draws by hand for their own projects.

For that, Lewis created Versa. It is a three-dimensional typeface with 17 styles that can be superimposed on each other to achieve all kinds of effects and designs.

You can license and download Versa here.

Quaint

Almost the opposite of Versa, Quaint is another font designed by Lewis. It's hand-drawn, with a grunge aura and a variant that simulates the effect of being stamped. A perfect typeface for creating vintage-looking posters and signs.

You can license and download Quaint here.

Rolls-Royce

Lewis was the first artist to receive permission from the luxury car manufacturer to paint on the body of one of their vehicles. In December 2019, he painted the logo on the hood of one of the latest SUV models.

3D Lettering

Lewis's preferred technique is hand-drawn 3D lettering. He achieves results that it’s hard to believe did not come from a computer, masterfully combining perspective, precision, and colors.

Illustrative Typography

By using several layers of paint with different textures and colors, Lewis manages to create intricate designs full of symbolism.

Logos

Lewis's most popular designs on social media are reinterpretations of well-known logos with a bright style and his characteristic use of perspective and 3D. In this video, you can see some of them.

If you want to learn how to use brush pens and lettering brushes to create letters, words, and phrases, check out James' course Introduction to Brush Lettering.

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