Arching

Figure A-E Click to Enlarge

One way to snazz up the appearance of lettering is to arch them. Commonly, we see letters arched on the back of Outlaw Motorcycle clubs or in many other places like across the jerseys of our favorite sports players. Arched letters are also seen on the side of beer trucks and billboards. Arching seems to give lettering a degree of magnificence. Done right, this technique can produce powerful results. There are several way to do this. One way, as illustrated in Figure A, is to arch both top and bottom lines using a central point to align with the slant.

Another way, as illustrated in Figure B, is to keep the letters straight up, while maintaining the arch. You can also slant them outward from the center. Figure C shows how you can keep just one line flat while arching the other. For this, I used a “Clarendon” font (with a little stippling), to show how powerful this effect can be.

Figure D shows the “rocker” effect that gives the letters a nice flowing motion. (Make sure with this one that you keep your slanting consistent.)

With Figure E, I show you how it looks with both lines arched, in different directions. This one, particularly, can look even more trick, with the letters leaning from the center outward, as it will give the letters the illusion of “bowing” towards or away from the center, depending on how the letters are “blocked.” There are so many ways to arch letters and these is just a few. It is easy to experiment with arching.

Myself, like the late Mike Malone, have always had a fascination with biker patch designs. Mike made some excellent examples in his book Bull’s Eyes and Black Eyes. It really looks cool to have letters frame images, from above and below, in an arched fashion. I like drawing tattoo convention logo designs like this. Letters in an arched banner look even better.

So, if the basic rules are adhered to concerning spacing, slanting and overall design, you can design a fairly dramatic piece and improve your lettering skills. Remember to hold your pencil light and have fun!

Faithful servant to the trade,

—Uncle Tim

www.uncletimtattoo.com

uncletimtattoo@msn.com