Lettering FAQ and START HERE thread

[cyxodus]

All new letteres should start with this post.

Lettering Software
Illustrator (http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/main.html)
Freehand (http://www.macromedia.com/software/freehand/)
CorelDraw (http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pfid=1047024307335&pid=1047025934319)
Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) - Free but not pro grade
Photoshop - Don't even think about it

Comic Fonts
Blambot (http://www.blambot.com/) - Free fonts
Comicraft (http://www.comicbookfonts.com/home.html) - Pay fonts
Comic Sans - Again, don't even think about it

Templates
Jason Arthur's
Illustrator 10 (http://www.jasonarthur.com/temp/ja_lettering.ai)
Illustrator CS & CS2 (http://www.jasonarthur.com/temp/ja_lettering.ai)

Ninja Lettering's
Illustrator 9 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/downloads/NL_Template_0406_AI9.zip)
Illustrator 10 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/downloads/NL_Template_0406_AI10.zip)
Illustrator CS (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/downloads/NL_Template_0406_AICS.zip)
Illustrator CS2 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/downloads/NL_Template_0406_AICS2.zip)
isometric grid (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/iso-grid.rar)

Epic Comic's
Epic Template (http://www.jasonarthur.com/temp/epic_lettering_template.zip)

[Kep!]

Nice stuff. Similar to what I was putting together, so if you don't mind, I'll repost / stick it.

[cyxodus]

Thanks but it's nothing compared to what I know you're working on.

[innocentboy]

hmmm ...

[Kep!]

Slack cutting if you please... OY! What a move!

[ArchonX]

This has probably answered before (sorry), but I was just curious as to what are some of the more popular fonts being used in professional comics today?

[Jason Arthur]

That's a tough question to answer with any certainty.

A lot of pro letterers use their own fonts. Some use a wide selection of Comicraft and Blambot fonts.

When you're starting out I'd suggest using Blambot and Comicraft fonts and then learn to make your own fonts over time.

My first real font was Jack Armstrong from Blambot and then I bought Comicrazy from Comicraft. Then I bought Wildwords and HushHush along with some sound effects fonts from Comicraft during their New Year's sale.

Nowadays I primarily use one of the 5 dialogue fonts that I made from my own hand lettering and one of the 3 sound effects fonts I made. I still use Blambot's Twelve Ton Goldfish and Comicrafts' Battlecry font for occasional sfx, but for dialogue it's almost always my own (unless the client requests a certain one).

-- J

[Lovecraft13]

The link for Ninja lettering: Illustrator CS2 doesn't work. In fact, many of the links are dead.

[Kep!]

I'm getting to this as I can...really. I have lots to add and no time to add it. Keep on me, I'll get it rolling.

[cyxodus]

Go away for a semester and everything breaks down. I'll fix the links.

[cyxodus]

==Updated Links==

Ninja Lettering's Single-page Template

Illustrator 9 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_SinglePageAI9.htm)
Illustrator 10 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_SinglePageAI10.htm)
Illustrator CS (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_SinglePageAICS.htm)
Illustrator CS2 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_SinglePageAICS2.htm)

Ninja Lettering's Double-page Template

Illustrator 9 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/downloads/NL_Public_DTemplate_AI9.zip)
Illustrator 10 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_DoublePageAI10.htm)
Illustrator CS (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_DoublePageAICS.htm)
Illustrator CS2 (http://www.geocities.com/cyxodus/Download_DoublePageAICS2.htm)

[Kep!]

Faboo! Thanks Payton!

[paul brian deberry]

none of those links are working

[cyxodus]

I'll have to fix that.

[paul brian deberry]

to quote kep!

Faboo! Thanks Payton.

[dhyatt]

Looks like you have your hands full.... :whistlin:

[cyxodus]

For some unknown reason I began to experience some major trouble with using my balloon creation action. I tried for hours to figure it out but I couldn't. I finally got everything to work again by deleting Illustrator's preference file.

Deleting Illustrator's preference file instructions

on mac:
apple/command + alt/option + shift, held down on launching illustrator will reset the prefs...

on windows:
command + alt/option + shift, held down on launching illustrator will reset the prefs...

[Jason Arthur]

I nominate this be added to the Start here thread (since this was a problem for me early on in my lettering career).

-- J

[Kep!]

Agreed!

[Calloway]

None of the template links work.

[Jason Arthur]

Do these spam things ever work?

Seriously? What's the f'in point?

-- J

[NickGuy]

i dont have illustrator or any of those other programs...:(

any hand lettering tutorials out there?

[Jason Arthur]

i dont have illustrator or any of those other programs...:(

any hand lettering tutorials out there?

Absolutely:

http://blambot.com/handlettering.shtml

-- J

[NickGuy]

cool, thanks! The only other hand lettering tutorial i found was very tongue in cheek and actually made fun of hand lettering rather than how to do it. thanks alot!

[Jason Arthur]

cool, thanks! The only other hand lettering tutorial i found was very tongue in cheek and actually made fun of hand lettering rather than how to do it. thanks alot!

You can also check out the DC Guide to Coloring and Lettering at your local library. It's got some good stuff about hand AND computer lettering.

-- J

[cyxodus]

Also. check out my site for some hand lettering links. www.NinjaLettering.com

[NickGuy]

You can also check out the DC Guide to Coloring and Lettering at your local library. It's got some good stuff about hand AND computer lettering.

-- J
actually, my local library doesnt have it :( I went out and bought Klaus Janson's DC Inking book and im glad i did because its a great book. Never got to read the penciling or writing one, but i might pick up the lettering one if i can find it...or order it offline.

[NickGuy]

Also. check out my site for some hand lettering links. www.NinjaLettering.com


wow essential info! Thanks! bookmarked for sure! :thumbs:

[eDKeener]

I just downloaded InkScape and found it quite easy to use. Only problem I'm running in to is it only saves .svg format. Anybody know an easy way to convert from .svg to .jpeg?

-ed

[khperkins]

I just downloaded InkScape and found it quite easy to use. Only problem I'm running in to is it only saves .svg format. Anybody know an easy way to convert from .svg to .jpeg?

-ed
Use export bitmap in the File menu. Inkscape can only export a png though, so you'd have to use Photoshop or Gimp to convert it to a jpeg.
Also go into preferences and change the export default dpi from 90 to something like 300or 600 (depending on how you'll be using the bitmap).

[eDKeener]

Cool..I'll give it a shot when I get home. Thank you for the tip!