I first concentrated on the word "Nevermore" because I might not be able to add in the whole quote, and that's one of the most important word throughout the poem. I was leaning more on calligraphy and tried to make the N as elegant as possible but I got a bit worried that it looked too feminine.
To make it less feminine I tried doing the same kind of lettering as I did for one of my sketches for Moby Dick, but I'm not too sure about this so I went back to trying to make the capital letters really elaborate and entwine so that they form one "illustration". I quite liked how my first version was really sketchy so quickly made a note of it for later before carrying on going down the calligraphy route.
I added in some elements of Blackletter in one of my ideas where everything was in uppercase but I think it's too "strong" for my illustration as I want it to be quite delicate. I then concentrated solely on N because if I find a good style for that I could slowly apply it to the other letters. I quite liked the way Sean de Burca did his swashes on some of his letters and tried it out on some of mine.
I moved on to go back to writing out the whole quote and circled around the letters that needed emphasising, then drew some sketches of possible letter ideas. I want each letter to be kind of joined so that it looks as if all of the words are a part of each other. Once done, I applied them to the whole quote.
I really liked this so I tried to develop it by drawing out the lines, but ended up having a lot of difficulty with connecting the words. I realised that I should probably tackle it word by word so I first worked on quoth before moving on to do the rest. I need to take kerning into account so tried out a number ways in order to make it work.
I moved on from a script type style to serif, having been inspired by the image of a Victorian alphabet and black letter. I find that Blackletter is really difficult to read so I simplified it so that I only kept the element of having an extra line.
I really liked this and moved on to adjust the kerning and character width.
I am a bit stuck now when it comes to type choice because I like both my calligraphy style as well as the Blackletter-serif-style. I had quickly drawn a few compositions to help me figure out what kind of layout the type would be at.
Taking a look at this I think the best way to choose is to actually draw the type in these layouts and then pick which one is more suitable for the illustration.
Critical & Reflective Thinking
As I have just mentioned above, I'm still a bit unsure of what kind of typeface to go for in terms of style because they both have their advantages.
The script writing, for instance, can seem a bit more personal as it's my own handwriting and could thus create the illusion that Edgar Allan Poe was writing it in his own hand. The little flourishes could curl around some of the feathers and I could look at Victorian flourishes for inspiration.
However, it might be difficult to do it at a curved edge because the letters at the end would be much larger than the middle, and the only way it would possibly work is if I went for the layout right at the bottom (number 4 version). It might also make the piece appear too decorative overall.
The serif typeface, on the other hand, is a lot less personal and more strict due to it's upright structure but it works well within this composition. My influences from the Victorian alphabet piece and Blackletter type portrays the gothic appeal that those words hold as well as strengthen the gloomy subject matter. It is much like the typefaces used in gravestones, which would relate to Lenore, the narrator's lost wife.
This typeface style would work better within the composition I have drawn up. It isn't too elaborate either which means that the main focus will still be on the illustration.
I am glad that I have been able to take my time and figure out the right kerning and character widths because it would make the next stage much easier, no matter which typeface I go for as I developed both of them. The script typeface would need a little bit more development I think but I shall leave it for when I get to that stage. I shall carry on this development for future projects because it allows me to focus more on getting the type right.
I have already described my next step which is to create some sketches as close to the final outcome as possible for the typography, and then pick one. The chosen one will then be taken across to Photoshop and applied to my illustration.
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