Illustrated Lettering: Creativity and Expression
A course by Alex Trochut, Designer, Illustrator and Typographer
Explore different expressive styles to bring your letters to life
Alex Trochut is one of the world's best-known and most recognized figures in the art of typography, having worked for clients such as Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola.
Lettering is Alex's expertise, and in this online course, he teaches you how to create expressive letters and bring them to life by exploring different artistic styles. Discover the potential of words as a visual medium and explore the limits of language, blending text and image into a unique form of illustrated expression.
What will you learn in this online course?
21 lessons & 16 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Alex and his creative journey through the world of typography, along with his heroes and biggest influences. He also gives you an overview of the course and what it entails.
Continue with a brief introduction to script lettering, its history, and some key concepts. Then, choose the word you want to work with throughout the course.
Once you've decided, dive into the first illustration style: inking. Look at a variety of examples to get some ideas and create a sketch in pencil. Then vectorizing your design in Illustrator before adding light and volume using blending modes.
Move on to the next style and experiment with op-art illustration, an artistic trend that revolves around creating optical effects to give the illusion of movement.
Finally, Alex shows you the ribbon illustration style, his personal favorite which, as the name suggests, is inspired by the waving movement of a ribbon. Look at some examples before digitizing your own strokes and enhancing them in Illustrator.
To wrap up, Alex teaches how to give your letters another dimension in Cinema 4D. Through a series of exercises, learn how to model 3D letters and render your composition using OctaneRender before doing some fine-tuning in Adobe Photoshop to export your project.
- 100% positive reviews (139)
- 3,295 students
- 21 lessons (2h 42m)
- 16 additional resources (7 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe IllustratorWhat is this course's project?
Create an expressive lettering composition to apply to a poster, album cover, or the support of your choice.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to express themselves and have a good time designing letters.
Requirements and materials
Basic notions of Adobe Illustrator required to take this course.
As for materials, you need a pencil, paper, markers and brushes, as well as a computer with Illustrator and, optionally, Cinema 4D.
Reviews
Alex Trochut
A course by Alex Trochut
Alex Trochut was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1981. He studied at the Elisava Escola Superior de Disseny before setting up his own studio in Barcelona. He currently lives in New York where he works as a designer, illustrator, and typographer for a wide range of clients including Nike, adidas, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, and Coca-Cola.
His creations have been recognized internationally and featured in magazines and publications around the world. He has given talks and has been honored by the Art Directors Club, the Type Directors Club, Creative Review, Cannes, Clio, D&AD, and more.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Hello!
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Some of my heroes, influences and references.
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What we will do in the course
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U2
Preproduction
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Script Lettering, brief introduction
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Basic theory
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How to give different characteristics to our lettering
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U3
Inking style
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Examples
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Approach in pencil
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Vectorization
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Application of light and volume
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U4
OpArt Style
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Examples
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Pt1 vectorization
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Pt2 vectorization
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U5
Ribbons style
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Examples
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Vectorization
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Calligraphic and freestyle creation
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U6
3D Script Style
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Examples
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Vectorize for Cinema 4D
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Modeling pt1
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Modeling pt 2
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Postproduction
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FP
Final project
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Introduction to illustrated lettering techniques
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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
You’ll learn to design both hand-drawn and digital letters, experiment with styles like script, ribbon, op art, and 3D, adapt typography to clients, apply inking and shading, and combine illustration with typography for creative and professional projects.
This course is aimed at those with intermediate design or calligraphy skills, but it starts with foundational techniques so you can steadily build your skills and explore various styles and tools.
You’ll need paper, pencil, tracing paper, markers, brushes (like brush pens or Tombow), access to illustration and 3D modeling software (Illustrator, Photoshop, Cinema 4D), and a willingness to experiment.
The course covers styles such as script lettering, Chicano, Gothic, ambigrams, Victorian monograms, op art, ribbon, typographic collage, 3D, and applied typographic illustration techniques.
Yes, you’ll learn how to create 3D words and letters using Cinema 4D, combine them with traditional styles, and apply lighting, materials, and post-production techniques for professional results.
The course includes plenty of practical exercises to develop expressive lettering, digital calligraphy, sketching, inking, vectorizing, and both manual and digital editing.
You’ll learn how to analyze a client’s visual identity and tailor typographic designs to their personality, context, and needs, creating personalized and cohesive proposals.
Adobe Illustrator
Excelente curso para adentrarse en el mundo del 3D.
Excelente curso con semejante profesor!!!
Brilliant! Practical, clear and highly professional.
Excelente curso, el paso a paso muy didáctico.
Alex Trochut es un referente en el mundo del diseño gráfico. En este curso aprenderás algunas de las técnicas que ha empleado para hacer algunos de sus trabajos más icónicos. Es un curso más bien técnico, pero muy recomendable!