Lettering and Illustration: Composition, Techniques, and Application
A course by Sindy Ethel & Alan Rodríguez (R3DO)Designers, illustrators and lyricists
A course by Sindy Ethel & Alan Rodríguez (R3DO), Designers, illustrators and lyricists
Learn to combine letters and illustration in an effective way
In this course, Sindy and R3do will teach you techniques to work with lettering and illustration and help you that both disciplines coexist harmoniously in your designs.
Through the creation of a tourist guide based on the obligatory stops to taste the local gastronomy, you will learn to compose your designs in an effective way using layouts and reticles.
What will you learn in this online course?
29 lessons & 15 downloads
Creative process
6 minutes, 31 seconds
Inspiration, research & Moodboard
7 minutes, 27 seconds
Color palette
6 minutes, 12 seconds
Layout: Space, content and hierarchy - Part I
17 minutes, 41 seconds
Layout: Space, content and hierarchy - Part II
4 minutes, 50 seconds
Composition and hierarchy tips
13 minutes, 14 seconds
What's included in this course?
To begin, Sindy and R3do will show you how they approach their designs and how they have worked together on different projects; sharing with you their work process from the conception of the idea, the direction of art, the sketching, the creation of the layout and until the final execution: effects, finishes ...
They will reveal all kinds of tips, both lettering and illustration, which will be of great help to solve complex design projects.
You will learn how to order the images that will serve as a base and inspiration to create your designs and select the color palette.
Then you will sort the elements in a layout to create a meaningful composition and you will understand why it is essential to establish a structure, following criteria of space and hierarchy, that gives meaning to all the elements.
Once the layout is defined, you will immerse yourself with Sindy in the world of lettering and you will know different techniques, analogous and digital, to draw letters and vectorize them. In addition, it will give you tips to select the type of letter that best suits your design.
R3do will teach you how to illustrate from the lettering, how to select the most appropriate illustration style for your design and some very useful tips for those who dominate less the field of illustration. Thanks to the brushes, textures and shading you will give your designs a more complete final finish.
Finally, you will combine the illustrations with the lettering in a single composition.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Based on the recommendations you would give to a friend when it comes to eating and going out at night, moving like a local in your own city, you will design an illustrated tourist guide that reflects the essence of your city, neighborhood or country.
Making use of the lessons and advice of Sindy and R3do, you will design and illustrate a set of three small compositions that you can share together or individually.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is aimed at students and professionals, lovers of lettering, typography and illustration. To make the most of this course, prior knowledge of lettering or typography is also necessary; also basic notions of illustration are recommended.
Requirements and materials
You will need pencils, fountain pens and brush pens. A notebook for sketching and paper albanene. It is also necessary to have a computer with Photoshop and Illustrator as well as a digitizing tablet.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Gostei muito do curso, aprendi umas técnicas novas bem interessantes para usa-las em meus projetos. Super indico o curso a todos os interessados.
- 1 year ago
Muy bien explicados todos los pasos, me ha gustado
- 1 year ago
Me encantó!!
- 1 year ago
Uno de los mejores cursos que he comprado!
- 2 years ago
los profesores muy buenos
She has worked as a digital designer for agencies such as Grupo W, CP + B in Colorado and Vault 49 in New York. Her passion for lettering and typography has led her to work with brands such as Pepsi, Santa Clara, Baileys, Volkswagen, HP, Adobe or Sprite, among others.
To shape your letterings, you are inspired by Japanese cuisine and culture. He likes to know new places and takes advantage of his trips to take references that he includes in his designs.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Alan Rodríguez (R3DO) has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for studios such as Tixinda, Grupo W and Vault49 in New York.
Currently working as a freelance illustrator, collaborating with brands such as Adobe, Budweiser, Baileys, Google, Volkswagen or HP, among others. Although his personal work, inspired by Latin American folklore and Native American art, is what allows him to experiment and unleash his creativity.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Art direction
- Creative process
- Inspiration, research & Moodboard
- Color palette
- U3
The Layout
- Layout: Space, content and hierarchy - Part I
- Layout: Space, content and hierarchy - Part II
- Composition and hierarchy tips
- The layout of our project - Part I
- The layout of our project - Part II
- Self-criticism and analysis
- U4
Lettering
- Illustrating based on lettering: different processes - Part I
- Illustrating based on lettering: different processes - Part II
- Tips for choosing letter styles
- How to vectorize letters
- U5
Illustration
- Illustrate from base letters
- Choose the right style of illustration
- Tips & tricks: Resources for non-illustrators - Part I
- Tips & tricks: Resources for non-illustrators - Part II
- Brushes, textures, shading and other useful resources - Part I
- Brushes, textures, shading and other useful resources - Part II
- U6
The final art
- Execution from the layout - Union Pool (lettering)
- Execution from the layout - Union Pool (illustration)
- Execution from the layout - Best Pizza (lettering)
- Execution from the layout - Best Pizza (illustration)
- Execution from the layout - Milk Bar (lettering)
- Execution from the layout - Milk Bar (illustration)
- Join the illustrations and the letters in our design
- Final finishes
- FP
Final project
- Lettering and illustration: Composition, techniques and application
What to expect from a Domestika course
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FAQs
You’ll learn to blend lettering, calligraphy, and illustration both by hand and digitally, crafting custom compositions for branding, editorial, packaging, and creative projects, while integrating visual references and advanced techniques in composition and color.
Yes, this course is designed for those with basic knowledge of graphic design, typography, or illustration who want to deepen their skills in advanced lettering and graphic composition techniques.
Basic knowledge of graphic design, typography, or illustration is recommended, but you don’t need to master advanced techniques before starting.
You’ll need pencils, paper, tracing paper, markers, a computer with Photoshop or Illustrator, and internet access. A graphics tablet is also recommended for digital exercises.
You’ll create personalized lettering compositions, illustrated mini-guides, posters, flyers, illustrated packaging, and branding and visual identity pieces, combining manual and digital techniques.
You’ll be able to design original letters and layouts, apply sketching and digitizing techniques, do photo retouching, create moodboards, and use visual references for editorial and branding projects.
You’ll learn to merge lettering with illustration to produce expressive, custom pieces using both manual and digital methods, tailored for editorial, packaging, and branding projects.