The key to success here is to set up on a tabletop or desk where you have plenty of room to spread out and attach all of your USBs to connect your tablet and pen to your computer. So if it isn’t obvious: don’t set up the way I did in the above photo! I know setting up a comfortable working space may seem obvious, but I always have to learn the most simple of lessons the hard way.
Now that we have the supplies out of the way, let’s talk about how to actually letter in Illustrator. I’m definitely not! How to Hand Letter in Adobe Illustrator Seriously – don’t go blow $300 on a tablet – unless you’re a professionally trained fine artist. It’s $40, so it won’t break the bank, it has the bells & whistles you need for lettering, most importantly: a stylus with a pressure-sensitive tip. There are a lot of them out there, but I personally own and use this Huion Tablet. You will need a drawing tablet for this tutorial. Which leads me to my next point… Digital Drawing Tablet As long as you have the ability to create a new brush that is pressure sensitive, and partly that option will come through your tablet/stylus. That said, this tutorial does work with Illustrator CS6, and I’m assuming with even older versions than that.
And I have to admit, there are some incredible innovations in the software that my old CS6 version of Illustrator just can’t stand up to.
The con is that you pay monthly, but the pro is that you have the latest, greatest updates in the software at all times. Adobe Illustrator SoftwareĪs you know, everything’s a subscription service these days, including Adobe Illustrator.
(Hopefully you catch the sarcasm here ?). If any of you reading this were thinking of arguing that you want to letter with your mouse or your finger & the track-pad on your laptop – just, no.įirst of all, I personally possess excellent dexterity when it comes to drawing with a mouse, but even with my superior skills, there’s no way in Hades it will ever pass as art. So here are the items you’re going to need to letter in Illustrator if you don’t have them already: Tools for Hand Lettering in Adobe Illustrator Therefore, today I’m going to tell you exactly what tools you need to get started hand lettering in Adobe Illustrator and then show you exactly how to do it. (Apart from lettering with a real ink pen + paper, then doing an image trace in Illustrator – should I make a tutorial on that?! Comment below if you’re curious.) Ok, actually I’m just going to empathize with you, because I actually do have both of those things now.Īt one time I didn’t, and so figuring out how to hand letter in Adobe Illustrator was my only means of creating digital lettering. However, I can totally sympathize with those of us who have invested in Adobe for all these years and either on principle of the matter, or for lack of funds currently, don’t have an iPad that supports Apple Pencil, much less an Apple Pencil at all.
If you want to jumpstart your new lettering hobby, check out my completely Free Hand Lettering Guides. if you want to letter and potentially sell your digital creations, that is.Īnd honestly, you don’t need any fancy courses to learn how to hand letter. I’ve been a faithful user of the Adobe Creative Suite for more than 10 years now, but even I have to admit: apple pencil + procreate = unparalleled combination. Honestly, I attribute this to the creation of the Apple Pencil and the ever-popular Procreate App for iPad. Good news! If you want to learn how to hand letter, the barrier to entry has never been lower. If you click through & make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you.