Indices : “How To” Section : Drawing Characters
Some Basics
Q: any suggestions of appropriate exercises, books, websites would be fantastic.
from this thread, a list of sites put together by Randy Jones:
Notes on Type, Handwriting and Lettering by Gunnlaugur SE Briem
typeworkshop.com by Underware
http://typophile.com/articles/typefacedesign110/index.html
Sketching Type from the LettError Wiki
Some Elements of Proportion and Optical Image Support in a Typeface [PDF] by Mark Jamra.
Form and Proportion in a Text Typeface: A Few Guidelines by Mark Jamra.
Also, for using FontLab Leslie Cabarga’s Learn FontLab Fast is indispensable, and Logo, Font & Lettering Bible is very helpful.
Karen Cheng’s http://Designing Type also has useful comparisons of proportions of letters in different type faces.
Q: is starting entirely by hand/pen a better choice?
A: http://www.typophile.com/node/4822
The more uninteresting a letter, the more useful it is to the typographer
- Piet Zwart
From the FontLab group at MSN
Using Illustrator to Draw Typefaces
Discussion:
Advice to Designers Sketching Type
How Do You Develop Hand Lettering Aesthetics?