Manga Tools :: Part 2: Lettering Manga & Finding Fonts

Even though this is a non-issue for me, I am sure for many people out there the very idea of having to create word balloons and/or add good-looking type to their pages is enough to make them cry. Because it is a challenge to be sure. Here are some of the tools I've been using so far that will hopefully make our (and others') manga lettering a success.

:: Our (or rather my, since Elicia has no clue) Lettering Strategy ::

First off, I plan to do all the typing in Illustrator, since it has the best type tools by far. There are so many briliant ways to manipulate type with that program—some of which I might cover later—that I don't know why anyone would even attempt to do the same thing in Photoshop. Manga Studio's type tools might be equally as great, but this is my first choice by far.

I haven't decided yet if I will do the balloons in Photoshop with the Wacom or in Illustrator with the pen tool—both have disctinct advantages after all. With Photoshop I can get a more natural line matching my drawing style, and can always leave it on a separate layer in case I want to change the balloons later (such as to better translate it in diff languages—but I'm getting way ahead of myself with that idea.) But in Illustrator I can manipulate the balloons just as easily—I would just import the artwork and do all the balloons on a layer above that (there are some great tutorials on how to do just this at ComicBookFonts.) Decisions, desicions.

I still haven't located a comic font I like yet. There are some pretty good ones online—ComicBookFonts' site has some nice free ones I've downloaded and might use for our beginning stuff, but I don't know yet if they are a good fit for our more epic stories. I really want to locate the right font before lettering, because otherwise I'll have to go back and redo it all later, and why set up such a frustration? The same goes for fonts that would be used for our manga logos—I'm picky about fonts so this may take a while until I'm satisfied. =) Believe me, if I find one it'll be such a big deal, so you will definitely hear about it when I do.


:: Lettering/Type Resources ::

I think it's important to know the rules of good type first, and then learn how to add the type to the page after you have mastered the type basics.

There are two books I got in school that have helped me the most in learning the rules of good type, both as a beginner and now as a paid designer. (I refuse to say I'm an "expert," as I am certaintly not that quite yet.) They are The Mac is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams (no, not the comic) and Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works. by Spiekermann and Ginger.

The first is a simple reference to the rules of type and also works as a hande desk reference for typing special characters and such. Apparently there is now a second volume of this out, which I probably must buy, as well as a version for PC people. The second is a slim textbook that is an easy yet informative read. Both are very slim yet pack a ridiculous amount of information.

Adding the type to the page doesn't have to be stressful either. ComicBookFonts has a good glossary of lettering terms and things to watch out for, as well as good reference guides and tutorials on the subject (creating balloons, combining two balloons together, etc.)


:: Font Resources ::

It's always useful to know where to look for good fonts. There are so many places to look, but I will list my fave ones. And sorry moochers, but you have to pay for almost all the fonts at these sites. =) When it comes to fonts you usually get what you pay for; any decent designer can spot a free internet font, since the quality is almost always sub par. But good fonts are worth every penny, I promise you.

When I need a font for a design project, such as a logo or headline font, I always go to MyFonts first. They have a large selection and let you test-drive the fonts first with your own text, and have other nifty features. I've bought a bunch of fonts from them and it is super easy. Plus, if I ever make my own fonts I can sell them at MyFonts if I want. Sweet!

I've been talking about this site way too much lately, but ComicBookFonts is another good place to buy fonts, especially for doing comics or manga. And apparently J.J. Abrams loves them (I think he bought the Alias font from them), so there's a big incentive to check them out right there. =)

I accidentally stumbled acrossWalden Fonts' site when searching for an obscure font style, and they are now one of my fave places! They specialize in high quality historic fonts, and as far as I am concerned nobody can touch them.

House Industries is probably my fave font house of all time. Their fonts all have this fresh, modern feeling but their style is pure retro. Pricey but worth it. I have four of their fonts because they were included for free in a special book that HI put out; I haven't used them much yet but if I ever need to, I will be super excited. =) As a bonus, I got to meet some of their type desingers at a design conference; just a bunch of really nice, laid back, super-talented guys who work there. I was starry-eyed but managed to talk to them and have an informative and coherent conversation. =) I usually embarass myself but managed not to that time; yay for me! I also love their site; it is hard to make a commercial site look good sometimes, especially font sites, but they have done a good job.

This site is one of my newer loves. 2Rebels is a canadian company and their work is really great, some of it quite cutting-edge. I love their site, though it can be confusing to navigate at times.

I loved the original site for Margo Chase, but I guess she's taken it down since she created the Chase Design Group; you can peruse some of her works at their site. She is the talented lady who designed the logo for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among others, and is a master of what I would call haute gothic. Her original site featured a bunch of her fonts for sale, some of which you can now buy at MyFonts if you so desire.

There are also great font books that list hundreds of fonts and where to buy them. I'll list those on a later date.