TypographyHands-on workshop

Drawing Letters: How a Typeface Is Born

Temo K. DolidzeProduct design specialist, entrepreneur
Type design worktable: pencil sketches of the letter a on grid paper, a laptop showing the a as digital outlines, with violet notes like Start with a pencil, Cap height, Counter, Iterate, Spacing matters and Sketch, construct, refine, digitalize

About this workshop

A hands-on workshop about where letters come from. Starting with pencil, paper and a few simple rules, we’ll look at how a typeface is planned, drawn and refined, then take a handful of letters from first sketch to a digital shape you can type with.

Every typeface starts as a set of decisions: how wide, how heavy, how the curves meet the straights. Working the way type designers do, we’ll make those decisions ourselves and see how small choices change the voice of a whole alphabet.

Who it’s for

Designers, illustrators, students and anyone curious about letters, including people who have never drawn one.

No lettering or type design experience needed. Bring pencils and patience; everything else is provided.

What you’ll explore

  1. 01

    Anatomy of a letter

    Stems, bowls, counters and serifs: the parts that make a letter readable, and why they look the way they do.

  2. 02

    Sketching with rules

    Draw a few key letters, like n, o, H and a, on a simple grid and see how proportion and contrast set the tone of a typeface.

  3. 03

    From paper to vector

    Trace your best sketches into clean outlines and learn how curves are built from points and handles.

  4. 04

    Spacing and rhythm

    Put letters side by side, adjust the gaps and watch a word start to read as one shape.

End of day outcome

You’ll leave with a small set of your own letters, from first sketch to digital outline, and a sharper eye for the type you see every day.

Come make it with us

Note

What you need to know

  • Arrive a few minutes early. We start on time and the first steps build everything that follows.
  • Switch your phone off, not just to silent, for the whole session.
  • We work side by side. Keep talk low and avoid extra noise while others are concentrating.
  • Follow the process step by step, even if you know a shortcut. Each stage prepares the next.
  • Stay calm and patient. Good work rewards slow, careful attention.
  • Handle the equipment with care, and ask before you move or unplug anything.

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