3 Simple Tools That Will Make Your Lettering Life Easier
Erykah Badu wrote a song about me once. True story.
The first time the notes found my ears, I knew she had me pegged. She sang, “Bag Lady, you gon’ hurt your back, dragging all them bags like that…”
When your job requires that you drag your weary sack of bones into work at the crack of dawn, never to emerge again until the cows go home, you can acquire a pesky habit of heaving all manner of random tote bags about your person to get you through the day. And, before you ask, Yes. I need them ALL.
I don’t know. Maybe, deep inside, all teachers are certifiable closet hoarders.
Fortunately, if I were to ever be forced at gunpoint before being stranded on a lonely island to strip my traveling set of lettering accessories for my drawing tools down to only those that made life easier for me, I could narrow those items down like nobody’s business.
Now, I’m not counting the ones I actually draw with…My mark-making supplies like my ipad, Pentel pencils, pens and markers are going nowhere. But, there are a few extra supplies that really make an impact in my final lettering projects that I would never be without. Bonus, they’re ultra-portable too. Note: I’m not being paid to share any of my opinions on these products or ideas about how to use them.
a Tombow Mono Zero eraser - Don’t bring a gun to a knife fight. I don’t know where all these weapon analogies are coming from…but they work! Sometimes, using a typical eraser just takes off too much and I have to spend a lot of time getting the feel of the letter back when it was only a small section I needed to get to. The Tombow Mono Zero Eraser gets into some of the tightest of places for me so that I don’t obliterate an area that otherwise works. That makes a real difference when I’m practicing the details on my letterforms and cuts time down when I have so little of it to begin with. They come in both round and rectangular shapes and are refillable too!
an eraser shield - Now, even as an art major in school, I never used one of these. I mean, if it wasn’t on the already burgeoning supply list, 21-year-old Stacey wasn’t about to spend another dime. But, these little babies come in so handy to help easily create cleaner-looking work. I use it sometimes to slim a letter down for more consistency, if I just need to have a clean edge in a small area, or if I need to get to a tiny, annoying, stray stroke in the most crucial of spots.
a rolling ruler - This ruler rolls across the page for quick and easy, parallel guidelines. Mine is very “loved” with many of the measurements long since rubbed away with use. But, for portability’s sake, a 6-inch ruler or protractor will do too.
They won’t make your bags any lighter. But, they’ll definitely make your lettering life a little easier!
