Lettering Art: A Step by Step Guide

[@BrannonSG]

"Eyes are a great way to lead someone around the composition." -- Great tip.

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you liked it!

[@Nicciolai]

For me, this was really useful to see the process and the time taken. I worry that I am not getting enough done in the day, but seeing your video and a few others, I'm learning that getting just one or two things done, or even a part of something is actually a productive day as they can take a while to do. Thank you

[@chris-piascik]

Glad it was helpful! I always feel like I’m not getting enough done. Someday I wonder if I’ll ever get over that.

[@Matr2114]

Now this makes me feel better😅 I felt like I was the only one who never felt like I’ve done enough in one sitting/session to consider it productive. But now I can chill tf out a bit haha. Happy Designing🤙🏾

[@shivasharanart]

Doesn’t make sense. Why do you have only 50k subs. This is a gold mine for artists. So underrated. Appreciate the work 👏🏽

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you so much 😀! To be fair my channel is still pretty new (1.5 years)

[@theoldwaywasbetter6384]

@@chris-piascik I 100% agree with this. I cannot believe you don't have 1,000,000+ subs. I am definitely subscribed now. These videos are invaluable. Thank you for making them. Thank you for sharing your process.

[@wesjfaria]

Totally!!! This guy is my every day teacher!

[@wesjfaria]

I’m sharing your work here in Brazil 🇧🇷

[@lambo_drives]

73.6k 4 months later… oh… here’s another (sub) 👍🏻

[@dianalisarobinson3714]

Definitely the longer videos. 😊

[@chris-piascik]

Thank youuuuuuu

[@VanessaThompsonIllustration]

I just found your channel and I really like the way you teach. I can’t wait to learn more. I would like to create digital art eventually and your videos seem like a good fit for what I want to learn. Thank you! Happy holidays!

[@chris-piascik]

You can do it!

[@davidallara7320]

Super informative for your process. Learned a lot, thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks! Glad you think so!

[@EmilyCate2650]

I just found your channel today and I’ve watched several of your videos. I really enjoy them and the way you teach, especially this one where you show the whole process in depth, step by step! Please, keep them coming. 😀

[@skarnl]

Thanks for showing your progress ... it's always inspiring to see how other artists create their work and are (also) sketching - sketching - sketching - dabbling - tweaking - adjusting ... until the final piece is finished. And also learned a bit more about Fresco at the same time. Thanks. Really enjoy these longer insightful videos 👍

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks! Glad to hear’

[@freakazoid9849]

so cool! yes to more videos like this. thank you!!!

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you liked it!

[@kylable]

I really enjoy handlettering since middle school. Now, I just graduated and I still have a love for it but I feel like I did not really improve a whole lot considering the amount years of passed. I came across these videos and I found a gem! Great way to get that fire burning again

[@chris-piascik]

Cool, glad this was helpful!

[@sunshinecommentswoop4902]

Loved seeing your process, thank you!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks for watching!

[@odysseyofthelinecalligraph4195]

I like how you gave your drawings voices, hehe. It’s playful and fun😊

[@chris-piascik]

Haha thanks, I can’t help myself.

[@ishbeck]

For someone like me who has no drawing talent whatsoever this is simply magical. Thank you Sir, you have an amazing talent! Keep it up, your stuff looks AWESOME!

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you so much 😀

[@andremesquita5356]

Really helpful! TY so much

[@chris-piascik]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kofheartsdesigns]

really good! watching all, liking all, commenting all! : )

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you!

[@paul_subtirel]

Yes, Love the long form content❤

[@elleesse1521]

Incredible. Incredible. Incredible. Thank you.

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lipibackup164]

You won a fan! This is an inspiration for me! Incredible work, man :)

[@chris-piascik]

Glad to hear it!

[@markdorlas1330]

Chris, this was awesome! It has actually been kinds of an intro to Fresco for me. If you manage to hold the attention of a fellow adhd-person, that’s a good sign. Really helpful and inspiring. I will now look for more of these vids on your site. Thanks!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks so much!

[@leonatsiara]

Thank you Chris for your fantastic videos! I discovered your channel just a few days ago and can’t stop watching your videos. I love the long videos and your detailed creating process.. You’re an amazing artist! ⭐️😊🥰🩵 We love your videos!🍁🍂🍁

[@UchuujinSama]

Just wonderful to watch, thank you! ❤

[@koljak9395]

Fantastic! Loved to see the whole thing come together in near real time- it really did demystify lettering a little for me. And seeing how playful the process is, makes me want to go play with those letters, too!

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you enjoyed it! It should be fun i think!

[@tiffanyleighty816]

All of your videos are great! Would love more of these.

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks so much!

[@PabloEsguerra-lz9dz]

I just started following you and your channel is amazing! I love your videos🎉

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you so much!

[@faap107]

Dude, you are the "S"uperman of lettering. Love watching your stuff. Learning lots! Keep'm coming @chris-piascik

[@chris-piascik]

Haha thanks so much!

[@user-ih2fq1ck2q]

thanks for this video, I followed your process and the stuff I made looks so much better than everything before!

[@chris-piascik]

So glad to hear!

[@neon.neutral]

This was fantastic. Might i suggest showing the final a bit longer and more in depth? We want to revel in the final illustration!!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind!

[@JosMichel]

Thanks for share it whith us!

[@chris-piascik]

You bet!

[@mariacruse6195]

Yes, very helpful. Loved this.

[@chris-piascik]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MphoBoshoga]

Wow this was such a great video man🙏🏾. I really enjoyed seeing creative process unfold in this video

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@markopazyniak]

Thanks for sharing all those tips! Very helpful. I'll try to use your approach in further projects.

[@chris-piascik]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ajonrich7760]

Dope!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks!

[@_Mister_Bot]

Loving it - Thanks

[@AlizaChana]

Love this and your channel. You help make things make sense!

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you! I’m so glad it’s helpful.

[@jimmydrock]

Love this and love these type of videos!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks so much!

[@swtsyrfrnd]

You're the best!

[@chris-piascik]

😊😊😊😊

[@dplj4428]

This can be podcast when i daily walk.

[@Bildpixel]

love your Content, keep up the great work 💪🏻

[@chris-piascik]

Appreciate it!

[@onnaquest]

Very helpful!

[@chris-piascik]

Glad it was helpful!

[@onnaquest]

@@chris-piascik as always, thank you!

[@izblab]

The longer videos aren’t bad I enjoy them more when they’re planned.

[@jonathoncunningham]

I like you 🙌🏼

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you 😎

[@TheChameleon2008]

Great video bro and its a real shame adobe doesnt have a normal priced sub for the fresco app tho and those other plans are just nuts.

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks, Fresco is free for everything I did in this video. Also it’s only 9.99 for the premium version, which isn’t necessary for a lot of people.

[@craigster87]

I would love to know how you got your tool bars the way you do. plus how you get what you called thumbnails the way you do. do you have a video already?

[@Meirecabral]

So cool… which textured brush is that?

[@Zynanimations]

Please where did you get your table cover from I love it

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks, it’s available in my shop. chrispiascik.myshopify.com/products/doodled-pattern-desk-mat

[@DANYALLAYNAD]

24:48 how come you used a pixel brush and not a vector brush? I just came from watching your video on why vector brushes are better for scaling etc

[@chris-piascik]

There’s more control with a pixel brush and most things don’t need to be infinitely scaled. As long you’re working at a high enough resolution pixel brushes are totally fine for most things.

[@lexyrae28]

The only change I’d make is the angle on the tail of the “d” in good to match the angle of the arrow and the “h” in each. Other than that, very nice work!

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks for the suggestion. There are a lot of little triangles formed in the different negative spaces that I thought provided a nice visual rhythm, which is my I did the tail of the d the way I did. I think your suggestion would likely work as well. I was also trying to find a balance between playful, shifting baselines, and overall shape that all fits together.

[@lexyrae28]

@@chris-piascik ahh that makes sense! It’s beautiful work, I can’t wait to see what you do next!

[@kaylenedawnbuteaufitnessbu2282]

That was fun to watch. If you're looking for a new idea for a video, I've got one for you. There are absolutely no videos of people using fresco for urban sketching. I would love to see that. I go and sit at u-shaped bars and draw people while they're watching sports, playing on their phone, or talking and they never know. I like trying to draw them realistically and then maybe I'll work on caricatures of them, but when I try urban sketching, I get lost on where to start. Just a thought.

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you !! I'll keep that in mind!

[@thomasgibbs4053]

Love this! Thanks for sharing!! Out of interest, why did you not use the vector brush for the final inking? (Or did I miss something?)

[@chris-piascik]

Vector is really only needed for very specific situations. I work large enough that pixel based art is more than adequate. Because there’s so much more control and ability to incorporate texture more naturally I typically work in raster brushes unless vector is really needed. Which is rare.

[@thomasgibbs4053]

@@chris-piascikthanks so much for the response! I’m sure I saw a vector brush vid recently which is what threw me off

[@clarenscourtois8927]

I really like your apporach

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you!

[@Americal1970]

That was great, I learned what I might never have known. Might is probably wishful thinking.

[@chris-piascik]

Glad you liked it.

[@zielonymadafaka]

That is rad! Do you from time to time use a pencil and paper for sketching? Or only iPad?

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks! I prefer to just use the iPad because it’s just more convenient.

[@zielonymadafaka]

@@chris-piascik you got me so inspired from your work, that now I want and NEED to start drawing on iPad in adobe fresco! Did during your experience have you use iPad Pro or air? I am asking because now I need to buy a iPad and not sure if AIR will be enough? Did you have any issues with hardware and can recommend something for newbie? What is the most important on iPad? Screen size? Disk size? Keyboard? Thanks!

[@nashwaa]

Amazing designs/arts Could you make your ipad screen as a full screen without the background, and less music your voice is enough, thanks

[@christinapaskett8820]

I just found your channel and have been really enjoying your content. I am new to digital art, can you tell me what iPad you're using? Do you have a paper texture screen cover on it? I'm struggling with the slippery screen feel.

[@chris-piascik]

I always used a matte screen protector for the same reason until I got the newest iPad with nano texture. I have a few videos where I discuss my preferred screen protectors, though!

[@christinapaskett8820]

@@chris-piascik Thanks for your response! I'll check out your video about screen protectors.

[@wafahasher]

hey Chris, great tutorial. Can we use the pixel brushes for the final outcome or do they all come out pixelated? Are there any vector brushes that we can use that have the same outcome of the pixel brushes? I downloaded the Megapack and exploring them.

[@chris-piascik]

As long as you are working at a high enough resolution there’s no issue using pixel based brushes. Vector art is really only needed in specific situations. As a professional illustrator I’d say less than 10% of my work is vector. Even if I’m working on something that I don’t intend to print it still is more than big enough to print fairly large because I prefer the brush control I have when using pixel brushes. I tend to work at around 5000pixels wide which translates to almost 17” wide at 300dpi. The vector brushes in Fresco are a bit limited in terms of textures, but if I’m doing something with a lot of texture I prefer to work in pixels anyway.

[@wafahasher]

@@chris-piascik Thank you Chris. I have been practicing Fresco for the past few days and have not opened Procreate since. This is amazing.

[@brianh7305]

thanks for the videos! Getting started in Fresco and they've been a huge help. Quick question, what scenario/illustration would you draw in vector rather than raster?

[@chris-piascik]

Glad they’ve been helpful! Vector graphics are typically used for logos and anything that needs to be infinitely scalable as it’s not resolution dependent.

[@BrannonSG]

Just curious... why use the pixel brush when vector brushes allow infinite scaling? For texture? (Tip: insert vector textured brush plug opportunity below)

[@chris-piascik]

It’s hard to get a truly analog look and feel with vector art, especially since you can’t currently import vector texture brushes into fresco. Also, when you’re using a ton of texture in vector art the files can get a bit unwieldy. Also when I’m working with pixel brushes I tend to work at file sizes that are plenty big enough for nearly any application I may use the art work.

[@ivan0468]

I had the same question thank you for the video it's awesome 🙏

[@delsolVine]

I looked all over the place and I just cant find what app this was made on :/

[@chris-piascik]

Adobe Fresco

[@chrisshaftoe32]

What tablet was Chris using?

[@chris-piascik]

iPad Pro 13”

[@chrisshaftoe32]

@@chris-piascik Many thanks, Chris.

[@dwaiting883]

Great video. There are a few times here or there where you so quickly select an option that you are speaking about, and even slowed down, I'm not sure what you did. Sorry. But your vids are awesome and inspirational - for real. Thank you.

[@chris-piascik]

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback.

[@JoJo-id9ql]

Why does this look like something else? 😂 12:59

[@tyburnjig]

I saw it too and jumped straight to comments. Thanks internet! 👍

[@chris-piascik]

Lololol just had to go look. Whoops. 8==D

[@tyburnjig]

🤣@@chris-piascik

[@chelsdeelambstolionsfitnes3593]

"accidentally became an illustrator" but yet has alll the juice 🤣

[@chris-piascik]

😂

[@MargrietBossink]

Hi Chris, great video, as ever! I am a deaf person with hearing aids. I can hear only with one ear. Music under videos are very annoying, because I can’t hear well wat your are saying. Yes I use subtitles (translated to Dutch). I am asking myself why people place music under their videos. Don’t they find it important what they are saying? Like… in the meantime listen to this music 🎶 😂 Do whatever you want, just want to give you my point to consider. 😅

[@chris-piascik]

Hi thanks, I appreciate the feedback. The music is pretty low as a subtle background but I imagine it doesn’t come across that way for you. I will be mindful of this!

[@MargrietBossink]

@@chris-piascik Thank you, for your kind reaction! Appreciate that!

[@Lukamodricpraviprofil]

You look like Mike Dean

[@clarenscourtois8927]

I really like your apporach

[@chris-piascik]

Thanks so much!