TYPEFACE// Illustrating Handwriting

This project is all about creating a typeface based off of my own handwriting for use in comic books or 'graphic novels'. This was an idea I have wanted to try out after coming across some Frank Miller comics over summer. Some of these use fairly lightweight handwritten typography, and I thought it would be interesting to turn this style into a working font. Saying this I want this to be a short brief because I really don't know how the outcomes will look and investing too much time into this would be unwise.  

So here I have taken a selection of my own handwriting and scanned in the most interesting shapes for each character individual. These are seen on the top row, the second and third rows are two other fonts, one inspired by Friday 13 called 'Friday 13' and that other is Mistral. These are acting and guides to the construction of the letterforms, so that the forms I use don't become too illegible.

This is a rough first impression of my handwriting in a digital format, so I have used illustrator to trace out the shapes I use to construct letters by hand. What is interesting is the way my handwriting has developed; I write mostly in upper-case by hand, and it is evident here that this has changed the way I write as I have become faster and faster at it. For examplee most letters are constructed with one or two lines/ strokes maximum resulting in some unique letterforms that I want this typeface to utilise.

The next step is the hardest and will take a few more days probably, I have to standardise the letterforms and reduce them down to make a more coherent/ consistent set. This will mean creating a grid to work to and ensuring that point size and line widths are respected so all the characters sit within the same scale-frame. This image is the first step of that process, the important task is to ensure that the characters do not loose too many unique features during this.