Quick Updates
Before we get started talking about lettering, some updates on what’s going on with Pesto Comics…
Newsletter Changes
You may have noticed this newsletter is getting longer with each post and today’s entry is no different.
To try and get around that, I’m going to experiment with something new.
Weekly Updates
I’ll be sending updates every Wednesday at Noon Eastern - starting with the next post on Wednesday July 24th.
These will be much shorter and a lot more focused than what you typically get from me. You’ll still have the quick updates followed by a main feature - but shorter and easier to digest.
Lately, these have been 10-15 minute reads. My goal is to get them closer to 5-7 minutes, but more frequent.
Video Sometimes, Audio Every Time
I’ve come to realization that not everything deserves a video. Though last post had a lot of interesting visuals to share…
…I had a much harder time planning a video for today’s topic. Rather than send something sub-par, I’ll only go for video when the content demands it.
That said, I’ll always read these newsletters out to you and they’ll continue to be published on the podcast player of your choice.
A Video I’ve Been Holding Onto - Coming Next Post!
As an example of why I’m choosing to ramp up the post frequency, I’ve been holding off on posting my recent appearance at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival’s Word Balloon Academy as there has been so much to cover already.
This panel was over an hour long, so adding it to an already long newsletter seemed like a bit much. I won’t just be sharing the video, but some background into how I prepared for it in the newsletter itself. Be sure to subscribe (if you’re not already!)
An Update for Crazy Latte Thing Called Love
Almost Off to the Printers!
I’m harassing my printer for a final quote, but the files are ready to go. The other concern now is if I order immediately, they’ll hit my doorstep while I’m at San Diego Comic Con. I’ve tried working with this printer in the past to delay shipment with Stay Cool. They promised they would withhold shipment for a couple days — and I came home after a weekend away to find boxes (thankfully) waiting for me on my porch.
Instead, I’ll ensure that your comics arrive when I’m home to receive them by delaying the print date by a handful of days.
I Love the Book
Sometimes, you get kind of jaded or bored of your work after reading and revising it for the 158th time in a month. It’s natural.
I’m not feeling that at all with Crazy Latte Thing Called Love. It’s one of my favourite books. I’m super biased, I know, but I’m very happy with it.
I’m still in disbelief that I got to work with Mattia on this. He’s way too talented to be slumming it with the likes of me.
We’ve made something truly worth being proud of here. I’m excited to get it in everyone’s hands.
Missed the Campaign?
If you missed out on the book, don’t fret.
Late pledges stay on until I’ve sent the survey to backers. That won’t happen until the print copies are confirmed. This is the only way to get everything that gets bundled with a campaign - or you can still get individual items later on at pestocomics.com
This is a lot slower than I usually like to operate with campaigns, but late pledges offer the advantage of giving you a last minute opportunity to grab the book with the free digital copy and all the stretch goals we hit (which this time includes the digest-sized copy).
Track Your Comics on League of Comic Book Geeks
I use a couple tools to track my pull list. One for reading (League of Comic Book Geeks) and one for what’s in what longbox (CLZ Collector).
If you use LCBG, you’ll be able to add Crazy Latte Thing Called Love to your pull list:
In fact, you can add all the Pesto Comics comics to your pull box by finding me there!
With that covered…
Let’s Talk Lettering
Bad Lettering Can Destroy a Great Comic
Did you watch the Euros or Copa America? If anything has been consistent, it’s how inconsistent the referees have been.
Lettering is not unlike a referee. If it’s being done right, you won’t notice it.
I’m not going to point any fingers here. We’re all doing our best in a medium that has so many plates to spin simultaneously just to get a book done. Just having something that you can say is ready for the public to see is a small miracle - especially as an indie.
With that in mind, there are some small, basic things that can be done to improve the final product in a big way.
Don’t waste the artist’s efforts
The most obvious thing bad lettering can do is distract from the art. By the nature of putting big bubbles and text all over the place, you’re going to have to cover some of the artist’s work. It’s a given. But if the lettering is done poorly, it pulls the art into the gutter with it.
That can be done in a number of ways. There are rules to follow with fonts, layouts within the bubbles or the bubbles themselves. It’s not something I’ll be able to teach you here in a few sentences, but there are places to learn. (More on that later).
Before all that, the easiest way to make sure your lettering is done right: read more comics. Don’t just read them like you normally would. Pay attention to the lettering. See how it’s laid out. How it flows.
Then steal the best ideas, mash ‘em together and make it your own.
Don’t waste the writer’s efforts either
Lettering has a rhythm to it. Not unlike writing itself.
You may have noticed when you read this newsletter that I make an effort to write vertically.
That’s not an accident.
Sometimes (rarely) you’ll want to have one big paragraph to really slow down the reader. You want them to feel overwhelmed with information. To feel like the information being expressed is of the utmost importance. That if they don’t slow down and pay attention, they might miss something. And you don’t want them to miss something.
But most of the time - you want to make it easier.
So pay attention to how you break up your bubbles and sentences.
It should match your, and the artist and writer’s, intended pace.
Using Tools of the Trade
I’m not usually cheap, but—
I use Inkscape for lettering.
I refuse to pay for Adobe Illustrator. I tried Affinity Designer and didn’t care for it.
Yes, there are a few hurdles you have to jump over to get it to work. Inkscape doesn’t know what to do with a TIFF file, for instance, so you have to convert it to an RGB-friendly format.
And yes, all those fancy plug-ins out there just don’t work here.
But I’m not a fancy person. I just make my lettering look fancy with blood, sweat and tears. (Usually just tears).
There isn’t a built-in “bubble” tool
And if there is, it’s probably still not going to get the result you want.
The most common mistake I see is assuming that speech bubbles are an oval shape. They are almost never an oval. Ever.
Leaving your bubble as an oval is a guaranteed way to make your book look amateurish. You don’t want that. You want it to look like it belongs on the shelf in between Batman and Spider-Man.
Paying attention to the shape of your balloons is part of that. Find a style for the book then stick to it throughout.
Never, ever use Comic Sans
I’ll take this a step further and say you shouldn’t use any of the built-in fonts you find in your favourite word processor. These are not made for comics.
Sure, you might be able to turn them into something interesting - but why fight it?
If you’re serious about lettering, you’re going to want to start hoarding fonts. There’s two places I like to go to get these fonts: Blambot & Comicraft
There’s other places that have great fonts for all your non-dialogue needs. If you’re looking for words to go in your bubbles, you can’t go wrong with either of these.
I mentioned earlier that there are rules to lettering. Using the fonts from these companies will make it a lot easier to follow them without having to think about it (and potentially miss your mistakes).
Lettering Feels Like Cheating (as a writer)
I letter my own comics. That means only 2-4 others are going to see the script. I do future-me a favour by writing with lettering in mind.
I mentioned earlier that lettering can really change the pacing of a book depending on how it’s done. I keep this in mind while I’m writing the script itself.
Templates get you halfway
I’m using Scrivener to write my comic scripts. There’s a comic script template included, but it’s really just a converted version of a screenplay template.
This means when you’re writing dialogue, hitting the tab key will give you parenthesis. I use this opportunity to include a (con’t) to break up the dialogue. (This is not the way this was meant to be used, but that’s between myself and the other 2-4 others working on the script.*)
*Unless you got a stretch goal on our campaign, like everyone on Crazy Latte Thing Called Love did. In that case, you get a copy of the script too!
The point of breaking up that dialogue is that I don’t need to think about how the bubbles will lay out on the page too much when the time comes. I’ve already worked that into the pacing.
If you’re a writer too, lettering is the final draft
Even if you hire a letterer, you get one last chance to update the dialogue. Sometimes, you find the artist got the point across so well that you don’t need that soliloquy you wrote to explain what the reader can now see clearly.
Sometimes, you need a little more to get things across.
And sometimes, it would just look better on the page if you found a different way to say the same thing.
All of these options are available to you when you’re lettering.
For me, in particular, it’s the last look at a book before it’s sent to the printer. I can tinker with the size of a bubble for days to procrastinate hitting that export button.
Maybe I’m just a romantic and don’t want to say goodbye to characters just yet. Tinkering with the white space in a balloon is an excuse to stay together just a bit longer.
Or maybe it’s just procrastination.
I’ll never tell you.
Your Approach Is Up To You
Learn From The Best
Oh, well, thank you.
No, I don’t mean me. I’m far from the best, but I appreciate you thinking that (however briefly).
I mentioned the folks from Comicraft and Blambot would come up again. That’s because both have offered excellent resources that give you the most in-depth guides on how to letter.
Better yet, they both have very different approaches to the craft.
I’ve been through both Nate Piekos’ book and Comicraft’s course - and in doing so, I’ve come up with a hybrid method that works for me.
Check out their materials for yourself. Use what works for you. Pay attention to where they repeat one another and consider these the iron-clad rules of lettering.
Or Just Hire Out
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is know your limits. It’s admirable.
Yes, maybe you can learn to letter - but do you really want to?
I learned to flat my books. I got pretty good at it, actually, but it took me forever to get a page done. That was time I could have used to write or letter instead. I’d much rather get talented colourists who know flatters they like to work with and let them manage that relationship.
I’ll keep tinkering with bubbles and fonts in the meantime.
The Art of Lettering
It’s not the most glamorous job. Most normies outside of comics don’t even consider it. To them, the letters just appear on the page after the writer writes them and the artist draws.
That’s not a bad thing.
It’s an opportunity to fly below the radar while getting the respect of those who really know. It’s nice to get the general public to respect you, of course, but it’s extra special when someone who knows what they’re talking about gives you their respect.
It’s earned. So go earn it.
Let me know if this this post was helpful.
How do you feel about getting more frequent updates?
Do you listen to the audio or just read?
How was your week?
What’s Next?
Wednesday July 24
Launching Books on Kickstarter
My talk at Toronto Comic Arts Festival: Word Balloon Academy 2024
Wednesday July 31
California Dreamin’
The weekend at San Diego Comic Con & sunny Los Angeles (plus: inspiring the film school flunkie in me)
Wednesday August 7
Juggling Multiple Projects
Arguably not just for clowns
What’s Coming from Pesto Comics
To The Letter