Vintage Lettering: Custom Compositions From Scratch

A course by Mark van Leeuwen , Lettering Artist and Type Designer

Lettering Artist and Type Designer. Berlin, Germany.
Joined July 2021

Learn the fundamentals of typography to create an original typeform composition by hand and bring it to life in Procreate

97% positive reviews (32)
1,215 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn the fundamentals of typography to create an original typeform composition by hand and bring it to life in Procreate

Sending a message is always better when done with style. Lettering artist and type designer Mark van Leeuwen believes that typography alone can take viewers on a visual and storytelling journey. Inspired by the typeforms of the 60s and the 70s, his work has been used by clients like Cadillac, Etsy, Apple Music, and DJ Tiësto.

In this course, Mark takes you through his creative process when designing vintage typography. Learn lettering techniques step by step and bring them to life in Procreate. Rediscover the bold and daring typeforms of the past, and make them your own by adding a modern twist.

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What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 11 downloads

The Materials I Use
2 minutes, 2 seconds
Introduction to Lettering
4 minutes, 20 seconds
Typography Basics
12 minutes, 40 seconds
Drawing Letters
13 minutes, 41 seconds
Styling the Letters
11 minutes, 33 seconds
Gathering Inspiration
4 minutes, 50 seconds
  • 97% positive reviews (32)
  • 1,215 students
  • 15 lessons (2h 3m)
  • 11 additional resources (4 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create a vintage-style typographic composition from scratch.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone interested in exploring type design and lettering, from artists and designers to curious minds and creatives.

Requirements and materials

Basic knowledge of Procreate is helpful, but not essential.

To take this course, you need basic drawing tools like a pencil, paper, and a ruler. If you want to digitize your composition, you need an iPad and Apple Pencil, or similar tablet and stylus, as well as access to Procreate, or similar.


Reviews

1,215 Students
32 Reviews
97% Positive ratings

Mark van Leeuwen

A course by Mark van Leeuwen

Teacher Plus
Lettering Artist and Type Designer

Mark van Leeuwen is an Italian-Dutch freelance lettering artist and type designer based in Berlin, Germany. Over the past decade, he has worked with independent clients, agencies and a number of international businesses, creating logo designs, posters, murals, books and album covers.

His client list includes Cadillac, Etsy, Apple Music, DJ Tiësto, Jägermeister, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Adobe. He has been featured in numerous publications including AIGA Eye On Design, Goodtype: The Art of Lettering, Rizzoli, and Yearbook of Type. He is also the recipient of the CommArts Typography Annual Award, both in 2020 and 2022.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Lettering Basics

    • The Materials I Use
    • Introduction to Lettering
    • Typography Basics
    • Drawing Letters
    • Styling the Letters
  • U3

    Creating a Lettering Composition

    • Gathering Inspiration
    • Sketching a Lettering Composition
    • Moving to Procreate and Drawing the Lettering Skeleton
  • U4

    Finalizing a Lettering Composition

    • Styling, Contrast and Weight
    • Refinement
    • Finalization
  • U5

    Finishing Touches

    • Effects
    • Adding the Final Touches and Preparing for Social Media
  • FP

    Final project

    • Introduction to lettering

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Vintage Lettering: Custom Compositions From Scratch. Calligraphy, and Typography course by Mark van Leeuwen

Vintage Lettering: Custom Compositions From Scratch

A course by Mark van Leeuwen
Lettering Artist and Type Designer. Berlin, Germany.
Joined July 2021
  • 97% positive reviews (32)
  • 1,215 students