Then you already are… you have entered the path
Learning how to master…
SHAPE: MICRO DETAILING
I learnt how to recognise and deliver balance and (profile) shape characterisation for furniture and accessories design from an apprenticeship as a typographic designer and sign-writer.
Task: draw ‘C, E, O’ (or whatever) with pencil and eraser a 22cm height Helvetica, Franklin, Bodoni, Univers and Gill, accurately and you have the basis for the first rung of exceptional detailing skills. Then repeat at different sizes a few dozen times.
Checking
Then check the forms by drawing a box around each letter, 25mm off and not touching and drawing the void space.
Above: here we see how the void between objects draws the forms by default. Apply this method to check accuracy and ‘follow’.
Image above: ‘2 Pears’ by British artist, Euan Uglow. Lower image: type layout drawing – I used these a lot in signwriting – above there are some minor errors around the cascade of the curves… like the relationship between the internal curves and the external and where they converge into straights. Thanks to brad.sussex@gmail.com
Analysing Shapes and Voids
APOLOGIES FOR LOW RES IMAGE BELOW –
THE TICK MARKERS LOWER LEFT INDICATE A BULGE THAT COUNTER BALANCES THE OPEN AREAS OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND TOP RH QUARTER SECTION.
THE HELVETICA ‘e’ HAS A SLIGHTLY HOOKY FEEL BECAUSE OF THE COUNTER BALANCES, ESPECIALLY NOTE THE PULL IN TO THE DESCENDING TOP RIGHT QUARTER COMPARED ALSO TO THE OPPOSITE UPPER LEFT QUARTER WHICH FEELS MORE LOADED.
ON THE BOTTOM LEFT QUARTER THE SECTION IS FULLER BETWEEN THE MARKERS – THESE ARE COMPENSATIONS FOR THE VISUAL BALANCE OF THE LETTER. ALSO NOTE HOW LIGHT THE CROSS BAR IS.
Special thanks to Roger Leworthy, Giorgio Morandi, Chris Chamberlain and Euan Uglow.
Nick Garrett 