Digitizing Calligraphy - Creative Process with Clients
Digitizing calligraphy used to be part of my job that I loathed. I found it tedious and unpleasant and felt like my time could be better spent doing literally anything. These days, I find it slightly more cathartic.
A few steps: The first thing I do before I even get to this stage is do a sample sheet of calligraphy for my clients. I don't maintain a universal sample sheet for several reasons - first is that I don't want to be locked into any handful of calligraphy styles, and my styles tend to evolve fairly quickly (which also means I don't want to do a new calligraphy sheet once a month). I also want the client to see what their names will look like in each style, so the list of options I provide to them is of their actual names.
Another trick is that I don't give them all the options in the world. We've discussed their style and overall look and feel, and I put together a list based on that. If they're doing a modern affair, I'm not going to show them Spencerian or super flourished Copperplate. I also don't present clients with font selections that are really close to one another - I can tell the difference, but usually, a client can't. I show them a handful of fonts that are all very different from one another.
Ok, so that was all before I even get to writing. Once I have a selected calligraphy style from the client, I do all their spot calligraphy (also note that at this point, I've also completed and they've approved their sketch, so I know where the calligraphy will be needed so I can avoid needing to go back and do more). We then scan, adjust our levels, and correct any mistakes or bumps (ahhhem....too much coffee...oh let's be real, it's not coffee, it's Redbull).
Once we have all out lines smoothed out, I cut apart each line or section and label each layer. I then start a lettering file that I name VERY SPECIFICALLY as _Client Name LETTERING. This places the file at the top of the client folder and the ALL CAPS makes it really easy to spot. We do the same with our ARTWORK and PRINT files which makes everything really easy to see when I'm putting together proofs and dropping lettering and artwork into a million files.
I hope these tips for a professional calligrapher as well as showing you a small example of what's it's like being a working artist and will be useful to you. If you enjoy my artwork and crave more glimpses behind the scenes, please subscribe to my channel and hit the like button. Also, please leave a comment on the video with questions and requests.
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