Artful Alphabets: 55 Inspiring Hand Lettering Techniques and Ideas

· Penguin
3.7
3 reviews
Ebook
146
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

Create uniquely artful words with secrets from Joanne Sharpe!

Joanne Sharpe--author of the popular book The Art of Whimsical Lettering--has gathered together 55 of her favorite hand-drawn alphabets for this light-hearted collection. Follow simple illustrated steps to replicate each style...no lengthy instructions or extensive practice required. Any "imperfections" only add to their charm!

Try your hand at letterforms inspired by feathers, flowers, postage stamps, vintage type, doodles, taxi cabs, chalkboards and more. Equally exciting are the variety of media used, from colored pencils and markers to paints and inks.

Looking to add an artful touch to the world around you? These letters are perfect for personalizing anything from family calendars and daily planners to wall art, art journals, cards and one-of-a-kind gifts. You can even use the techniques and inspiration in this book to invent completely original alphabets of your own. With this A to Z guide, there's no limit to the statements you can make!


   • Awesome alphabets--55 in all, ranging from basic block and stick letters to fanciful illustrated fonts
   • Beginner-friendly instructions--Each alphabet is broken down into just a few simple steps
   • Creative variety of tools and media--pens, markers, brushes, inks, paints, colored pencils, fountain pens, cardstock and much more

Ratings and reviews

3.7
3 reviews
Judi E. Easley
October 7, 2019
Artful Alphabets 55 Inspiring Hand Lettering Techniques and Ideas Joanne Sharpe North Light Books, 2018 144 pages Art how-to, Art reference Provided by NetGalley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The cover is wonderfully colorful with a hand-drawn alphabet created by the author. It’s a perfect example of what’s inside for you when you delve into this fun book. While the colors may make you think children, this is not a child’s level book unless you have a protege artist. Ms. Sharpe has created fifty-five different alphabets from her own handwriting for us to see just how this works and to give us ideas to work with and jump off from. All we have to do is pick up the tools of the trade and jump! And she gives us a brief section on what basic tools are needed to do this. She has pictures, pictures everywhere to show you how to do each and every type of alphabet that she shows and the pictures include the tools being used to create the letters so you can see how they are used. Even erasers! I have tried some of the basic ones and find them quite easy to do. Of course, they look very different in my handwriting than they do in Ms. Sharpe’s writing. And that’s the whole idea! Each alphabet is unique because it’s hand-written by each artist. You don’t have to be an “artist” to be an Artful Alphabet Artist. You just have to be willing to have fun! My favorites? Probably #s 8, 14, 18, 19, 22, 24, 26, 35, 40, 41, 49, 50, & 51. Sorry, I like most of them! These are the favorites that I think I could really attempt doing successfully. Which ones could you do? I highly recommend this book for those of you who love to doodle or like to write fancy or would like to try. It’s really quite easy and lots of fun. These alphabets are great additions to any type of journal or planner, invitations, letters, notes or your name inside a book. Add a cheery note over your desk or mirror, anywhere you’d like.
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About the author

Joanne Sharpe is an energetic, whimsical artist dedicated to empowering women to embrace their creativity through online classes as well as national and international workshops that explore journaling, lettering, textiles and mixed-media art. She is the author of the bestselling book The Art of Whimsical Lettering, named an Amazon's Editor's Pick for the Best Craft Book of 2014. Joanne is proud to be a BERNINA Artisan Ambassador, sharing her love of thread and fabric with an audience eager to learn how to bring these expressive media into their own artwork. Her second book, The Art of Whimsical Stitching is a colorful handbook of ideas and techniques for playful art sewing. Get into the coloring groove with her interactive, playful coloring book, The Art of Whimsical Living or combine doodles with hand lettering in Joanne's fourth book Doodle Art and Lettering. Joanne resides in Rochester, New York, with her very supportive husband, and is the mom to a daughter and three sons. She is also a first-time grandma to a precious baby girl. Follow all Joanne's artful adventures at joannesharpe.com.

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