Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Art and Craft of Comics Lettering


Came across a great online interview this morning with comics letterer Thomas Mauer who resides in Germany but who works predominantly on American comics. We have a love of fonts and a great respect for the art of lettering and this article reveals Mauer's process and gives advice and tips to professionals and non-professionals alike. Mauer says (and we know this to be true because we've been distracted by bad lettering on books):
Lettering is supposed to be like the musical score in a film, guiding the reader across the page, but being invisible in the grand scheme of things. If you don’t notice the lettering, the job is well done. This means that the style has to fit in with the artwork.
Check out: Christian Beranek's Life of High Adventure #11: Interview with Lettering Samurai Thomas Mauer. The artwork is from "The Bounty Killers" story in the Outlaw Territory Volume 1 anthology (story by by Steve Grant and art by Shannon Eric Denton and John Cboins published by Image).

No comments: