I am so excited to come back with this series with such a talent.  Today, I am interviewing the lovely Julianna Swaney of ‘Oh, My Cavalier’, an artist who’s career I have been following for many years. In fact, Julianna is the only artist on Etsy that I have ever bought a print from, not that there aren’t other incredible artists but I can never make up my mind, but when I saw Julianna’s work I bought it not even knowing where I would put it-her work just moves me. I started to really pay extra attention when I noticed that she started to add more and more lettering to her work and then I saw she was commissioned by another favorite artist to do the lettering for her book. It made my heart swell to see that she was garnering more well deserved exposure. Many of you may know Julianna’s work, but if you don’t I hope she becomes one of your favorites too.

//JULIANNA SWANEY INTERVIEW//

Where are you located?

Portland, Oregon

How did you get started in lettering?

I’ve incorporated some handwritten text into my artwork for a long time. It wasn’t until a few years ago though I started getting requests from people who liked the writing they saw used in my drawings and wanted to commission me to do lettering for them. Now a big chunk of the work I do is hand lettering. I’m all self taught, and I definitely still feel like I have a lot to learn, but I love it!

What are some of your favorite supplies (inks, brushes, nibs, paper)?

For most lettering I really prefer the simple Micron pen with a 01 or 005 tip. They dry quickly and never seem to bleed. I sometimes wonder if I should try different pens in case I’m missing out on something better, but when I do that they always disappoint me and I go back to the Micron! If I’m doing calligraphy my favorite nib is the Speedball Hunt Globe No. 513 with a Sumi ink. For paper use a smooth bristol since it keeps things nice and crisp. I don’t need to use anything fancy since I’m usually just scanning the lettering into the computer.

Can you name some of your inspirations?

I’m definitely not the first person to do this but I love to look back at older sources for inspiration, especially to advertisements and ephemera from the 19^th century. I personally have a collection of  antique trade cards from the late 1800’s that use wonderful and interesting type, and then of course I’m always searching out images of similar things on the web. One of my favorite websites sites for finding amazing type is the Duke University Library’s historic sheet music collection.

Can you go a little into your process of how you work on a project?

I’m someone who has to see something on paper before I can tell if it’s going to look good or even work, so I usually do tons and tons of sketches, ranging from rough to pretty finished. If I’m working with a client they never see half of the work I do!  I pick out the best ones and we go over them together and narrow in on what they want, sometimes combining sketches, before making a final draft in pencil. Then I go over that in ink and scan it into the computer for final touch ups. If I’m incorporating some watercolor I do that separately on watercolor paper and combine them digitally.

Any recommendations of books or classes for lettering enthusiasts to further their studies?

Well, I think what’s been most helpful for me is looking though collections of typography and just practicing hand drawing different styles using those as guides. A good one is Vintage Type & Graphics by Steven Heller and Louise Fili.

Do you have some favorite projects you would like me to mention?

Yes! The one that really got me started lettering for other people was the book Menagerie by Sharon Montrose, I did all the text for the book. Also I’m pretty proud of two recent branding projects:  What Delilah Did, a cross stitch designer in the UK and Ben & Colleen Wedding Photographers.

Any advice on what not to do?

Many tears have been shed because I impatiently went at some recently inked text with an eraser. It should be obvious, but I constantly have to remind myself: make absolutely sure all your ink is dry before trying to erase any pencil lines.

Name one random talent you have that people may not know?

Okay, this is very random but I have knack for finding four leaf clovers.

P.S. Julianna also has a charming blog with a lot of her behind the scenes like this post on her calligraphy practice!

I had a client send me artwork this week for a custom stamp and the lettering was fabulous, a little girly, but not too much and it definitely looked hand done, so being the lettering-phile that I am I inquired if she created the lettering herself in which she said no it’s a font.  After a second look I realized it was the Anna Clara font that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have to say it looked so good. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a sweet, hand-lettered font that looks very authentic.

The incredible Molly Jacques (you may have seen her work coursing through the interwebs) has introduced Icing, a simple upright printed hand with some nice motifs. I love Molly’s work and can’t believe that you can currently get a  font from her that is wonderfully budget friendly.  I also spied a very elegant modern calligraphic font that I am seriously crushing on it’s called Shameless . This font was created by Georgia based Neil Summerour the founder of Positype. I love how feminine it is without resorting to excessive curlicues, it’s definitely on the top of my list of fonts I need to have.  It has an effortless flow and feels very relevant for what today’s modern calligraphy aficionados are currently coveting. I say bravo Mr. Summerour, nicely done.

Well, this little bit of information just couldn’t wait until Thursday, I was anxious that I couldn’t even wait until Tuesday so I am sending out this smoke signal early, because I don’t know if this class will sell out!  Jon Contino is legendary amongst hand lettering aficionados and to be able to take a $20 class from him?  Well, that is just crazy (good) talk. I just found out from my pal Michelle P. that Mr. Contino will be teaching the on-line class above via Skillshare. I have already enthused about how brilliant I believe Skillshare to be, but the addition of a lettering superstar has taken them over the top in my book. I am a bit bummed that the day class launches I will be hitting the road, but you can take the class and enjoy it immensely for me right?  I am so excited about this development I think I may implode.  I hope some of you do take the course, I can’t wait to see what you create in class!

I was originally going to just share a cool free font find today, but realized I have compiled a nice little list of documentaries that the husband and I have had the pleasure of watching lately.  Living in the country we couldn’t get regular cable because we would have had to attach a gigantic satellite dish to the house, so we decided to forgo this luxury and just rely on Netflix instant download. I often find myself in a perpetual state of ‘there’s nothing to watch’ mode on Netflix., so if you seem to be there too here are some of my latest picks.  Let me know if you have seen any of these already or have any suggestions for  future ones, I am a bit of a documentary addict.  So here goes (in no particular order):

Kumare-I probably would have never watched this since new age-y/guru type subjects don’t hold an appeal for me, but I listened to two podcasts that interviewed the writer/director and I was pretty enthralled.  I loved his message, but some people are furious with him. I would love to know what you think!

Queen of Versailles-This is dubbed a riches to rags story, which indeed it is.

Candyman-This is the story of the inventor of the world famous Jelly Belly, it’s both inspiring and heart breaking.

Holy Rollers-Card counting Christians, this story is unbelievable.

The Story of Anvil-This is the ‘real’ Spinal Tap.

And now for that font, I used it in the graphic above, it has three weights (thin, medium, fat), it’s free for personal use but you can buy an extended license if you want to use it for commercial purposes. You can download it here. Enjoy the docs + the font.

If you are into lettering than you may have surely stumbled upon the name Louise Fili at some point.  In the graphic design industry she is legendary. Her New York based firm Louise Fili Ltd. specializes in food packaging and I am sure you may have seen plenty of her work on shelves or pinned repeatedly. Some of the alumni that have come from her studio are the uber talented Jessica Hische & Dana Tanamachi to name but a few.  She is currently getting ready to teach a master class in Typography in Italy, it has limited spaces but I do think it’s worth mentioning for anyone aspiring to be a lettering super star.

For those us mere mortal lettering enthusiasts I highly recommend some of her books, the latest one being Scripts which she co-authored with her equally talented husband Steven Heller. It has over 300 examples of beautiful golden age lettering, it is sure to inspire you to try your hand at some of the pieces.  By the by, that’s a great technique to learn, taking an existing example, tracing it to get the feel and then trying to replicate it free hand.  It’s how Master painters would teach their apprentices, by having them recreate their masterpieces.  It will help you become more familiar with how a piece is created if you try to do it yourself.  Lettering is all about practice. Allow yourself the opportunity to just give it a go and try not to judge yourself too harshly. The other night I was showing some girlfriends how to use the pointed pen + ink, they were hating their work, but the next morning they both agreed that it wasn’t as bad as they originally surmised. I think you will find that as well, if you step away from your work after practicing you will be able to appreciate it with fresh eyes the following day.  Visit Louise Fili, get inspired, buy some of her books or check them out at the library they are great resources.  And remember if you want to get better–practice!