BLOCK LETTERING

There are many ways to create

lettering, most often there is some
sort of grid or lines to guide you.
I often teach the best way to start
lettering is with a framework,
essentially the skeleton of a letter.
However, in this booklet we will
look at using the negative space to
form letters and creating your grid
using shapes.

This method of lettering, called

block lettering, is common in comic
book lettering and psychedelic
lettering. It was used in those styles
because it is quick and it frees you
to get creative with the forms.

This booklet will take you through

exercises and tips to help create
block lettering and how you can
incorporate it into your projects.
THINK
NEGATIVE
Forget everything you know
about traditional lettering. Or
almost everything. This style is
meant to be fun, loose, and a
little weird. Instead of drawing
the letterform, block lettering
uses the negative space to
create the lettering. Imagine taking a block of wood and carving away the wood to
reveal the letter. That’s essentially what you’ll be doing, but with a pencil!

1. Draw a template. The length, height, and shape of the template will determine
the size and shape of your letters, so keep that in mind.

2. Draw lines to create spaces for each letter to live in. Space out the lines to the
appropriate width of the letter, eg. a “w” will need a wider space than an “i.”

3. Draw lines and shapes to carve away the negative space to create a letter.

4. Fill in and refine the letters as needed.

HOW TO SHAPE BLOCK LETTERING
There are many different styles to experiment with when creating block lettering. To
begin, try the most basic styles of shaping the letterforms; square, round, and mixed.

SQUARE
This style uses square and straight
lines to shape the letterforms.

ROUND
This style uses round and curved
lines to shape the letterforms.

MIXED
This style uses square, straight,
round and curved lines to shape the
letterforms. This creates a unique
and retro look to the letterforms.

HOW TO DEAL WITH TRICKY BLOCK LETTERFORMS

In lettering, there are some letters that require more space than others, eg. a “w” will
need a wider space than an “i.” If you are looking to create more cohesion around the
width of letters, below are some work-arounds.

W NS
M
HOW TO SPACE BLOCK LETTERING
This lines you draw as guides for your letters will be the spacing between the
letters. If you use a thin pencil to draw your guides, that will create tight spacing,
if you use a marker, that will create loose spacing. The spacing will determine the
style of the block lettering.

To further exaggerate the tight spacing, in this example, the counterforms are the same
width as the spacing between the letters.

This example uses loose spacing and creates a more forgiving and traditional style of
lettering while using the same technique as block lettering.

You can also play with spacing to help shape the forms of the letters. This take a little
more planning. In this example, I used the “V” and the “A” as opportunities to use
angles and edges to create seamless lettering style.
BLOCK
The goal of block style block lettering is to keep
everything as square as possible and avoid
adding round edges or curves. This will cause
a need for creative problem solving for some
letterforms with new and interesting results.
SHAPES
Push your block lettering even further by drawing a random shape and use the shape to
form your lettering. Embrace the wonkiness, create freeform lettering and just go for it.
BUBBLE
Bubble style block lettering should be round and embracing the curves. Avoid straight
lines and have fun with how the letterforms squish together.
WEIRD
Block lettering allows you to get playful in your
letterforms. Experiment with angled counterforms,
squiggly strokes, and odd angles. Push the
boundaries of legibility and have fun with it.
REFINED
Block lettering can be used in your daily lettering practice. This technique comes in
handy to quickly rough out long words, complicated angles, and creating layouts.

While block lettering can achieve some funky styles, you can use it to help create simple
lettering styles as well. Simply create the block lettering using the steps previously
discussed and refine the lettering as needed for your project.
BLOCK LETTERING DETAILS
Experiment with these different details to incorporate into your block lettering.

COHESIVE
Match the style used to form the letters
to the counterforms. In this example,
all the shapes are triangular.

SQUEEZE
Exaggerate the letterforms by using
extreme contrast in the negative space.
In this example, the foot of the “T”
extends to the full width of the space.

SHAPES
Play with using different shapes to
form the letters.

TEARDROP
To create a retro look, use teardrop
shapes to form the letters and
counterforms.
BLOCK LETTERING WARM UPS
Before jumping in to the assignment, start with
some warm ups. In this section there are exercises to
try to help familiarize yourself with creating block
lettering. In this warm up, choose a word and letter
it in at least 3 of the styles previously discussed.

• BLOCK • IN A SHAPE
• BUBBLE • REFINED
• WEIRD • ILLUSTRATIVE
FILL THE PAGE
This warm up encourages opportunities to create strange letterforms and layouts
by using every inch of space provided. Use the template provided and come up
with your own phrase or words to fill the page.

1. C
 ome up with a phrase or a collection of words and draw lines
according to the letters.

2. E mpty space not suitable for a word or letter? Fill it with an

illustration or some other flourish.

3. Carve out the letters from the lines you’ve drawn and refine as you go.
BLOCK LETTERING IN ILLUSTRATED LAYOUT
The goal of this warm up is to use existing illustrations to create a block letter layout.
You can use the examples provided or reinterpret the illustrations in your own style.

1. C
 reate a concept around the illustration. Is the truck an ad for a new green
grocer, a moving announcement? That will help drive the copy writing.

2. O
 nce the text is ready, create he layout. Fill out all the nooks and crannies.
Then create guides for the letters.

3. Fill in and revise lettering as necessary.

REDRAW VINTAGE PACKAGING
This warm up helps you take reference from vintage sources to guide your layout. Use
the layout and content provided so you only have to focus on how to reinterpret it in a
block lettering style.

1. Choose a vintage label that uses

lettering and a unique layout.

2. Use the copy or play with changing

the copy to better suit your style and
concept to make it your own.

3. Try to make your illustration distinct

from the original. Exaggerate
letterforms, play with new angles,
shapes and other techniques
previously discussed.
BLOCK LETTERING ASSIGNMENT
The assignment for this workbook it to create a design for a can
label using a block lettering style. Use the template provided
and come up with your own layout and copy for the can design.

1. C ONCEPT Choose a delicious beverage and have fun

with it, come up with your own beverage company and
naming.

2. B RAINSTORM To get ideas flowing, create lists, do

research, and gather inspiration that relate to your
concept.

3. WARM UP Before sketching ideas for your project,

do warm up sketches that will help you create a style
of block lettering that best fits your concept. Use the
examples from this workbook to test out different styles.

4. T HUMBNAILS Create small, rough sketches to get ideas

down on paper and start sorting layout options and
concepts. Try to sketch at least 5-10 thumbnails.

5. S KETCHES Choose 2 or 3 thumbnails to sketch in greater

detail. Start with a loose sketch to nail down proportions
and slowly build and revise to the desired amount of
detail. The closer your sketch is to final, the less guess
work there will be taking the sketch to final.

6. F INAL Choose one sketch to take to final. Start by

sketching out the guides and template based on your
sketch. Draw the guides with a drawing tool that will
create your desired letter spacing. Rough in the shapes
to create your letterforms. Fill in the spaces and refine.
If needed, use this drawing to create a refined sketch or
add extra details.
BLOCK LETTERING
Learn the fun art of block lettering and
how to incorporate this technique in your
projects. In this booklet, you will learn
different block lettering styles, warm ups
to help you familiarize yourself with block
lettering and an assignment to use your
new found skills.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Kate McDevitt is an illustrator and
letterer based in Philadelphia, PA. She
has worked on hundreds of lettering and
illustration projects with companies like
Chronicle Books, Pixar, Adobe, The New
York Times, Fox, and Target.

Mary Kate is passionate about all things

letters and this booklet is the foundation
of her process and what she has learned
in her years of experience.

www.marykatemcdevitt.com
@marykatemcdevitt