Vintage Lettering: Custom Compositions From Scratch
A course by Mark van Leeuwen , Lettering Artist and Type Designer
Learn the fundamentals of typography to create an original typeform composition by hand and bring it to life in Procreate
Sending a message is always better when done with style. Lettering artist and type designer Mark van Leeuwen believes that typography alone can take viewers on a visual and storytelling journey. Inspired by the typeforms of the 60s and the 70s, his work has been used by clients like Cadillac, Etsy, Apple Music, and DJ Tiësto.
In this course, Mark takes you through his creative process when designing vintage typography. Learn lettering techniques step by step and bring them to life in Procreate. Rediscover the bold and daring typeforms of the past, and make them your own by adding a modern twist.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 11 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (32)
- 1,356 students
- 15 lessons (2h 3m)
- 11 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a vintage-style typographic composition from scratch.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in exploring type design and lettering, from artists and designers to curious minds and creatives.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of Procreate is helpful, but not essential.
To take this course, you need basic drawing tools like a pencil, paper, and a ruler. If you want to digitize your composition, you need an iPad and Apple Pencil, or similar tablet and stylus, as well as access to Procreate, or similar.
Reviews
Mark van Leeuwen
A course by Mark van Leeuwen
Mark van Leeuwen is an Italian-Dutch freelance lettering artist and type designer based in Berlin, Germany. Over the past decade, he has worked with independent clients, agencies and a number of international businesses, creating logo designs, posters, murals, books and album covers.
His client list includes Cadillac, Etsy, Apple Music, DJ Tiësto, Jägermeister, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Adobe. He has been featured in numerous publications including AIGA Eye On Design, Goodtype: The Art of Lettering, Rizzoli, and Yearbook of Type. He is also the recipient of the CommArts Typography Annual Award, both in 2020 and 2022.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Lettering Basics
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The Materials I Use
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Introduction to Lettering
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Typography Basics
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Drawing Letters
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Styling the Letters
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U3
Creating a Lettering Composition
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Gathering Inspiration
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Sketching a Lettering Composition
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Moving to Procreate and Drawing the Lettering Skeleton
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U4
Finalizing a Lettering Composition
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Styling, Contrast and Weight
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Refinement
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Finalization
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U5
Finishing Touches
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Effects
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Adding the Final Touches and Preparing for Social Media
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FP
Final project
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Introduction to lettering
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
Basics Courses: Specialized training where you master specific software tools step by step.
Specialization Courses: Learning paths with various expert teachers on the same topic, perfect for becoming a specialist by learning from different approaches.
Guided Courses: Practical experiences ideal for directly acquiring specific skills.
Intensive Courses (Deep Dives): New creative processes based on artificial intelligence tools in an accessible format for in-depth and dynamic understanding.
When do the courses start and when do they finish?
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
What do Domestika's courses include?
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
Have you been given a course?
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Un excelente curso. El trabajar desde la estructura lo hace pertinente. Con buenos ejemplos va uno aprendiendo.
Overall, such an enjoyable experience. Big thanks to Mark van Leeuwen for this well-constructed course. Very interesting and informative about hand lettering. Highly recommend!
She explains the process well and there’s lots of ideas to follow from for practice.
A good and easy course for beginners.
Excelente curso para aprender técnicas e estilos diversos de letras. Eu recomendo muito para quem esta iniciando no lettering.