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Hand Lettering Process



Hand Lettering Process | Spruce Rd.

Hand Lettering Process | Spruce Rd.

This week I thought I would share a tip that has helped me a lot on taking my hand lettering sketches to the computer, without losing that handmade quality.

  1. Create a quick sketch using your favorite brush pens, paintbrush or even a sharpie.
  2. Scan your image to the computer.
  3. Open the image in Photoshop and apply “Step 1” of the Handrawn Type action, created from this video by the talented Dave Coleman.
  4. Adjust the brightness/contrast layer created after “Step 1” of the action. Make sure to click “Use Legacy” and get a good amount of contrast in there. The video goes into more detail about this if you want to see it in action.
  5. Play “Step 2” of the action.
  6. Place the image on a texture or background of your choice. Feel free to cleanup any unwanted areas with the layer mask tool. You can also apply a color overlay layer style to stand out against your background.

And you are done! It is a pretty quick + painless solution to scan your artwork into Photoshop, if you are looking for that rough handmade quality. I also use this Photoshop action when creating patterns, or any other design elements. Enjoy!

Photoshop Action  |  Photo from my recent trip to Colorado

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    1. Jamie

      Glad this tutorial was helpful for you Maybelline!

  1. Emily

    Jamie, thank you so much for sharing this tutorial (replied to you on my blog, but my comment section is funky right now, ha!). It makes me feel so much more confident about taking my sketches digital. 🙂
    Your work is beautiful & I love your business name!

    1. Jamie

      So glad it was helpful! I love sharing resources + tutorials that have helped me immensely, no reason to keep them to myself 🙂
      Thanks for the sweet words! Choosing a business name was so difficult! I always get a bit self-conscious about it, so thanks for letting me know you like it!

  2. Place to Visit | Brave Girl Blog

    […] digital, I FINALLY discovered an amazing way to isolate my type after discovering this post on Spruce Rd.. Thanks Jamie! I nerd out big time when I find a tool or technique that makes my process better. If […]

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