‘The Draw Of Lettering’ is a wordplay which translates to the fast growing attraction hand lettering has garnered over the last several years while literally portraying the process of illustrating custom letterforms to create hand lettered art.
Along with gathering work from some of the finest hand lettering artists from around the world, Matt asked me if I would be willing to not only include some of my own pieces, but to design the title graphic for the show. I was honored to have been given the opportunity to create this custom lettered piece and it was a pleasure to work alongside Matt to produce one of the most alluring exhibitions the University has showcased to date.
I illustrated vintage-inspired characters for the word ‘DRAW’ to depict 1930's marquee signage which hotels and theaters utilized to make their façade easily visible to call attention to the establishment; or, to draw people in.
I went through several iterations before I landed on this playful execution for ‘Lettering’ in which the second story ‘g’ swash is pretty much hugging her children (or letterforms) that precede her.
The final sketch of the title graphic that I drew before scanning it in and digitizing it.
Matt Laumann and I painted the title graphic mural together which took us approximately 8 hours to complete from start to finish.
Showcased artists include: 55 Hi’s, Bob Ewing, Chad Michael, Chris Piascik, Claire Coullon, Colin Tierney, Dan Palacios, Danielle Evans, Drew Melton, Eric Friedensohn, Ian Barnard, Jeff Sheldon, Jen Mussari, Jessica Hische, Jon Contino, Joseph Alessio, Lauren Hom, Linzie Hunter, Luke Ritchie, Mary Kate McDevitt, Matt Vergotis, Neil Secretario, Ryan Hamrick, Scott Biersack, Scotty Russell, Sean McCabe, Sean Tulgetske, Simon Walker, Terence Tang, Tom Lane, Winston Scully
The exhibition was on view from August 24th–October 2nd in the School Of Design Gallery at Stevenson University.
For more photos of the opening reception you can view here.
* All videos and photography are courtesy of Stevenson University.