I have been getting some great questions recently from friends and subscribers about how I make my sketches. So this week I want to address some of those, break down my process, and share a few simple techniques I use to make better sketches.

First, what makes a sketch?

In the context of lettering, a sketch is basically just a rough version of a final drawing or idea. Often times we see the work of others in "sketch form", but for all you know, it may be the 20th tracing.

I'm sure you've heard it before: There's nothing new under the sun. Everything we make and consume is made based on the previous experiences and other creations.

This past week I had the opportunity to attend the TYPO conference in Berlin. I wanted to share a few of my favorite moments and what I took away from the event.

Prior to attending, the only other design conference I had been to was Creative South earlier this year, which had a very different vibe. There were about 4 times as many attendees at TYPO as there were at Creative South. That's over 2000 type geeks under one roof! While it was inspiring to see so many passionate people, it was much less of a tight knit family, and more like a chaotic mini-society. I mean that in the best way. One thing was for sure, we were all there because we were curious and hungry to learn.

It may seem obvious, but creativity does not come out of thin air. We need experiences to draw from our memory.

The good news: You are already doing this step without thinking about it. We're constantly taking in the world around us and filtering it through our creative brains. 

The bad news: We see so many new things every day that we rarely stop to notice the details. 

As creatives, our eyes are trained to notice things out in the world that most people take for granted or just don't see. Today I want to share a story about a tree that ended up taking me across the world.

Last spring I was up in Connecticut visiting my grandfather. We were walking on our way to an ice cream shop and something caught my eye.

Before my eyes was this beautiful tree.

Euphoric. That's the only word to describe how I feel right now. My body is sore form traveling, my eyes heavy from lack of sleep, but somehow I feel refreshed. My head is teaming with ideas and inspiration.

I get a lot of people asking questions about my personal lettering work. Questions like...

    - How do you get started on a new piece?  
    - Where do your ideas come from?
    - How do you choose what style to draw in?
    - What are the steps you take to refine your final lettering piece?
    - What tools do you use?
    - Do you have any tips for someone just learning the basics?