Illustrated Lettering with Manual and Digital Techniques
A course by Lygia PiresGraphic Designer and Visual Artist
A course by Lygia Pires, Graphic Designer and Visual Artist
Compose a creative image from start to finish by exploring color, texture, and lighting
An illustrated lettering piece is far more than just letters and words. It's composition capable of deconstructing shapes as we know them to create visual poetry. Award-winning designer Lygia Pires, who's created pieces for brands like L’Occitane, Bauducco, Louis Vuitton, and Timberland, shows you how to explore the limits of illustration and lettering to create a striking work of art.
In this course, learn to compose illustrated lettering step-by-step, working with colors, shapes, light, and shadow. Using both manual and digital techniques, Lygia teaches you to bring to life a lettering composition powerful enough to tell a visual story.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 27 downloads
Basic Letters and Typographic Concepts
13 minutes, 50 seconds
Deconstructing classic letter shapes
8 minutes, 27 seconds
From idea to mood board
9 minutes, 8 seconds
First sketches
10 minutes, 19 seconds
Working with layers
10 minutes, 41 seconds
Refining your sketch
10 minutes, 23 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know your teacher, Lygia Pires, and hear about her career before she entered the world of lettering and illustration. She also shares her main artistic influences and sources of inspiration.
Begin by familiarizing yourself with the differences between calligraphy, lettering, and typography, then deepen your understanding of the shapes that make up each letter in order to deconstruct them later. Lygia introduces different ways to start your illustrated lettering using her own work as an example, before exploring some exercises to get your creativity flowing.
It's time to put pen to paper! Define your concept and put together a mood board to reflect your vision. Next, Lygia shows you how to draw your first sketches as thumbnails, taking into account key concepts like hierarchy, balance, harmony, visual weight, and contrast.
Now build on your initial sketch working with layers. Lygia then teaches you to refine your piece and transfer it to Procreate where you can draw and add color to your design using the software's range of brushes and effects.
Lastly, put the finishing touches on your piece to balance the composition and hear some final tips on presenting and sharing your work on social media.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Make a poster inspired by the name of your favorite song with a combination of lettering and illustration.
Who is this online course for?
Designers, illustrators, students, and anyone interested in the world of lettering and illustration who wants to learn to compose pieces that tell stories.
Requirements and materials
You don't need any specialized knowledge of lettering or illustration to take the course.
In terms of materials, for the manual side of things all you need are some basic drawing items including a pencil, eraser, sulfite paper, wax paper, tape, and a ruler. For the digital part, you need an iPad with Procreate installed and a compatible Apple Pencil, as well as a computer with Adobe Photoshop.
Reviews
- jenny_val29PLUS3 months ago
Excelente curso.
- 3 years ago
Excelente curso. A Lygia é uma ótima professora e profissional.
- 3 years ago
É um curso muito bom!
- 4 years ago
Excelente curso. A Lygia explica muito bem...estou gostando muito.
- 4 years ago
Estou gostando – o único problema é que a professora esquece que nem todo mundo tem iPad para usar o Procreate...
She also teaches calligraphy and lettering courses across Brazil as well as online since 2015. Her work has been published in the Australian book Typism in editions 5, 6, and 7. In 2020, she received the Communication Arts Typography Award of Excellence and the Type Directors Club New York (TDC 66) Certificate of Typographic Excellence.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Understand to deconstruct
- Basic Letters and Typographic Concepts
- Deconstructing classic letter shapes
- From idea to mood board
- First sketches
- U3
Creating a project with illustrated letters
- Working with layers
- Refining your sketch
- Importing the sketch and starting work
- Contour and shapes
- Applying colors
- Light, shadow and texture
- U4
Finishing your project
- Finishes and final details
- How to publicize your project
- FP
Final project
- Illustrated Lettering with Manual and Digital Techniques
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.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
This is an intermediate-level course, perfect for those who already have basic knowledge of lettering or illustration and want to refine their skills by combining manual and digital processes in Procreate.
You’ll need basic drawing supplies (pencil, paper, eraser), tracing paper for sketches, and a tablet with the Procreate app installed. Other digital drawing software can be used as alternatives.
You’ll learn how to blend lettering and illustration, design original posters, apply layering, textures, and colors in Procreate, polish your compositions, and prepare your work for portfolios and social media.
The course teaches you to start projects by hand with traditional sketches, then move them into digital form using Procreate’s tools to enhance, color, and finalize your artwork.
Basic drawing skills and an interest in illustration are recommended, but the main focus is developing lettering combined with your own creative style, guided through both manual and digital workflows.
Yes, the course covers techniques for creating posters inspired by music, psychedelic art, and styles like Art Nouveau, blending illustration and lettering into expressive designs.
You’ll learn how to create mockups, organize digital portfolios, and produce professional posts for platforms like Behance and Instagram to boost your visibility and recognition.