Keeping the Art of Lettering Alive

Published on May 3, 2018 in Fonts & Lettering

Since the mid-1990’s, computers and technology have had an increasing effect on the production and publication of comic books. Gone are the days of creating color guides with Dr. Martin’s Dyes, and hand lettering as an artform has become nearly extinct. Computers and the latest version of the Adobe software suite may make these tasks easier, and more people than ever have access to these tools. However, there is still an art to crafting good comic book lettering – even on the computer.

Nate Piekos, the creative mastermind behind Blambot, has been carrying the torch for top-notch computer lettering and font design. Since Blambot’s inception, he has lettered comic books for several publishers including DC and Marvel, as well as licensing his well-designed fonts to companies like Microsoft, Six Flags, and The Gap.

He shares his knowledge and techniques through a series of articles of lettering tips on Blambot as well as process pictures via social media.

Here is an example from Nate’s twitter feed:

In most cases, I butt balloons against panel borders when possible. (As in this scene from DOCTOR STAR.) Not only does it save space and preserve art, it’s the simplest trick in your arsenal to help mesh the lettering to the art. #lettering #comics pic.twitter.com/UhKQWnWEEG

— Nate Piekos (@blambot) April 27, 2018

Look him up. He’s worth following.

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