C518 Creating Lettering Art for 2D and 3D Wall Art and Signs

Five Day Class
Intermediate/Advanced
Design, Lettering

This class will focus on creating lettering compositions for the production of 2-D and 3-D wall art and signage in media such as decals, wood, Plexiglas, metal, etc. We will begin the class in the traditional way: working through exercises with our calligraphic tools. However, we will always keep in mind the limitations (or should I say, ‘possibilities’) of our final product. The exercises will focus not only on the lettering but on layout, composition, how the letters are joined, and the negative space that is created. Principles of design will be discussed throughout, helping us solve problems for our final production. In the first part of the class, we will all work together on various exercises. The second part of the class will be more individual instruction as each student begins to develop his or her specific piece. In the final part of the class, we will create small prototypes with Foam Core–a substance which can be cut, sanded, and painted. Creating prototypes will help us work out design and production details for the end product. Depending on each student’s design, the final layout can be turned into a production-ready file to send to a manufacturer of the student’s choice, to be cut in any of a broad range of materials. We will also discuss how to deal with various manufacturers and some of the production issues that may arise.

OPTIONAL

If students have access to the Adobe Creative Suite–specifically Illustrator–they may bring their laptops to create their final art files. If students don’t have the skillset to create their own production-ready file, an optional $50 fee can include the instructor’s time to create the file for them.

OR—the instructor can create digital vector files of your design to be used by manufacturers for a $50 fee.

JULIE WILDMAN is a highly regarded professional in the fields of graphic design, commercial lettering, calligraphy, and workshops. She graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from Columbia College in Chicago and worked for many years with two Chicago design firms. She currently works as a freelance lettering artist and designer from her home studio near Chicago. Her calligraphic interest began in the late ‘80s after a friend gave her Timothy Botts’ look Doorposts, and she saw the written word illustrated in such a way as never before. About ten years later, she had the privilege of taking a year-long class with Reggie Ezell and was hooked. She joined the Chicago Calligraphy Collective soon after and embarked on a lifelong journey of studying letters. Since then, she has exhibited in juried shows throughout the midwest and the US, including the Newberry Library in Chicago. In 2007 and 2014, her pieces “Psalm 117” and “An Alphabet Book,” respectively, won the Newberry’s Purchase Prize Award and became a part of the Library’s permanent collection. She enthusiastically shares her love of “beautiful writing” with young and old by teaching calligraphy for staff development classes, on-site promotional events, community programs and personal growth workshops throughout the Chicago area, US, and Canada. And now, with online Zoom classes she has been teaching students from 20 different countries and counting.