SOME FAVORITE LETTERING

naive lettering samples via besotted blog

It is no surprise to anyone that I have a love of lettering, but what may come as a surprise is that I am a die hard fan of naive lettering. I love, love, love the look of an effortless hand, the perfectly imperfect. There’s a very fine line from being wonderfully charming to just plain bad. I can’t quite put my finger on what that slight differentiation is but it is very apparent when I see it. I also noticed a little pattern that evolved, these sort of naive/crude hands were mostly done by illustrators. I am a word person, but I am also a visual person, I suppose that is the draw for me in my fanaticism of lettering, it’s a beautiful marriage of  the two. I love seeing the resurgence of hand lettering and I hope that by showcasing lettering that I love it inspires you to either give it a go, your handwriting may be as good or (bad) as these fine folks or be introduced to more artists that may inspire you. Do any of you like this type of lettering as well? Any favorites I may have left out or I should know about?

Maira Kalman

Oliver Jeffers

Charlotte Farmer

Katt Frank

P.S. I have always liked this font for a simple, charming (legible) naive hand.

Author / Miss Tristan B

Miss Tristan B. is the proprietress of Besotted Brand and one of the writer’s of this delightful blog. She lives in sunny Seattle with her handsome husband, wonderful baby girl and two pups. Her lofty goal here is to make this a creative resource repository and to inspire you to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with your life.

8 thoughts on “SOME FAVORITE LETTERING

  1. There is something so wonderfully personal when it is hand lettered! Being a fanatic of children’s picture books Oliver Jeffers has always been a hit in my house as is the occasional lettering of David Shannon and Richard Scarry. It becomes part of the art on the page. Also, maybe not so hip or trendy, but I’ve always marveled at the steady hand of Susan Branch. She reminds me so much of my mother who happens to have the most beautiful cursive around!

    1. Lisa, I agree it definitely adds another layer when it comes to picture books. David Shannon is great, I also love Julie Mortstad, she incorporates a lot of her lettering into her picture book illustrations and it’s fabulous. I hadn’t heard of Susan Branch before and E. loves ‘I am a bunny’ a Richard Scarry classic!

  2. hello, twin!! i’ve been a fan of bosin forever, too :)

    and yes to all of your artists, and another plug for the wonderful susan branch.

    xx + happy new year.

    jane

    1. Lol, of course you are a fan! You have such great taste Miss Jane! Thank you for the intro via Twitter to Susan, that is really wonderful how the world is so small like that;)

    1. Chiara, I agree Maira’s work is absolutely charming (and whip smart!) Have you heard or watched her Ted Talks? I loved seeing the mag covers and her explain her illustrations and how she got some of the big jobs she did. The best is her discussing how she ended up doing the ‘Elements of Style’ re-work, loved it! Happy New Year to you, thank you for the link I am sure I will love her!

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