Cinema Lettering
A course by Ivan CastroGraphic designer specialized in calligraphy and lettering
A course by Ivan Castro, Graphic designer specialized in calligraphy and lettering
Discover the expressive capacities of letters by designing a film poster
If something fascinates Ivan Castro - a graphic designer specialized in calligraphy, lettering and typography - it is the expressive capacity of hand-made letters, a phenomenon that is especially striking in the case of film posters, since they are capable of counting great story in a single image.
In the same way that he teaches how to make calligraphy with a brush in Calligraphy and Rock'n'Roll , in this course he gets involved in the lettering to teach you how to build letters, to pay attention to their forms, to make compositions with them and to design a cinema poster in which the main characters are the words.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 17 downloads
Materials
4 minutes, 38 seconds
No Idea of Lettering
12 minutes, 51 seconds
The Expressiveness of the Letter
11 minutes, 45 seconds
Spacing and Construction of Letters 1
18 minutes, 6 seconds
Spacing and Construction of Letters 2
11 minutes, 26 seconds
Composition 1
14 minutes, 59 seconds
What's included in this course?
Ivan Castro will guide you when it comes to embarking on a lettering project. It will explain technical questions about the construction of the letter, composition, spacing and rhythm and analyze the expressive and communicative capacities of its forms.
It will help you explore a new world in the treatment of your lettering projects, encouraging you to experiment with finishes and simple techniques available to anyone.
Ivan will show you examples of relevant movie posters for their use of typography and you will study the composition of graphic elements. In addition, you will know first-hand the opinion of the Spanish film director Álex de la Iglesia on the importance of the cinematographic poster.
To finish, you will get into the creation of the poster of a movie of your choice. You will define the font styles, the placement of the elements, you will draw the definitive label and you will make the final composition with the help of an image editing program.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
You will design the poster of your favorite movie with lettering as the main character.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Designers, illustrators and anyone with concerns about the communicative and expressive abilities of the forms of letters, as well as for moviegoers who want to design film posters based on lettering.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is necessary, although it is advisable to have basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to carry out the final project.
In terms of materials, you will need pencils or pencils, erasers, markers of various thicknesses, a brush, paper, greaseproof paper or vegetable, a set of squares, a computer with an image editing program of your choice and a scanner or one camera of photos.
♫ Music "Tablakamon I" by FANTA
Reviews
- 3 months ago
Muy bien echo :)
- 10 months ago
excelente curso
- 11 months ago
Gostei do curso, não é bem a minha área, mas me será útil. Pois quero trabalhar como design de estampas, e criar minha marca de roupas. Mas mesmo assim me foi ótimo fazer o curso, pois somos a soma de tudo que vemos e vivemos; e com isso aprendemos. Nada se cria do absoluto, tudo é transformado em algo diferente.
- 1 year ago
Vai correr tudo bem
- 1 year ago
Un profesor que sabe lo que hace, da buenos tips y explica de manera coherente cada paso para llegar al proyecto final. Es el segundo curso que tomo con este profesor.
From his studio near Barcelona he works for clients from all over the world, an occupation that is compatible with teaching in schools like Elisava, BAU or Visions and conferences and workshops in different places.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Bibliography and References
- Materials
- U2
Fundamental Principles of Lettering
- No Idea of Lettering
- The Expressiveness of the Letter
- Spacing and Construction of Letters 1
- Spacing and Construction of Letters 2
- Composition 1
- Composition 2
- Finishes
- U3
How to Make a Movie Poster
- Theory of Walking around the House
- Analysis of Posters
- Interview with Álex de la Iglesia
- U4
Let’s Make a Movie Poster!
- We Are Going to Choose a Movie
- Sketching Our Poster
- Drawing the Label
- The Final Composition 1
- The Final Composition 2
- FP
Final project
- Cinema lettering
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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FAQs
Lettering is the art of drawing letters in a personalized way, while hand calligraphy involves writing with fluid strokes using specific tools. Lettering offers more creative freedom and style adaptation depending on the project.
The course is designed for students with basic drawing or design knowledge, ideal for intermediate level. Prior experience with manual or digital design techniques is recommended.
You’ll need hard pencils, mechanical pencils, set squares, tracing paper, Sharpie markers, a Pentel Pocket Brush pen, suitable drawing paper, and access to Photoshop for digitizing and editing.
You’ll learn how to create hand-drawn letters, design custom typographic posters, adjust proportions in Photoshop, compose visual layouts, and apply expressive finishes and textures.
Photoshop is used to scan your work, adjust proportions, clean up strokes, add textures, and professionally prepare final lettering designs adaptable to various media.
Yes, the course covers techniques and considerations for adapting lettering to textiles, keeping in mind resolution limits and simplifying shapes for optimal readability.
You’ll learn principles of hierarchy, contrast, spacing, modular letter construction, texture integration, and the use of visual axes to create balanced and expressive compositions.