Whether it was a sneaky doodle or busted out when creating poster designs, there was a time when everyone loved bubble writing. And although you may no longer be in primary school, if you want to create a condensed 'S' shape, then a child's tip may be just the thing.
Lettering artist Ian Barnard has tweeted a super-short video demonstration of how to create a condensed 'S', saying that the tip came from his daughter. Barnard's condensed 'S' is sharper than standard bubble writing. It's got a cool urban edge to it, similar to the ones we see in our favourite graffiti fonts. Check it out below.
A tip my daughter taught me for drawing a quick condensed letter S. pic.twitter.com/RALKDSg7UkSeptember 4, 2019
The condensed 'S' has evoked warm memories for people commenting on the Twitter thread. Bonez Designz remembers it as the 'Superman S':
I remember doing a similar thing for the “superman S” as we called it as a kid.September 5, 2019
Whereas Erica Rodriguez speaks for the crowd that made some small adjustments to make it a dollar sign:
I remember doing this in grade school with dollar signs.September 5, 2019
In fact, according to YouTuber LEMMINO in a video about the 'Universal S' (below), the condensed 'S' has been spotted as far back as 1890, in a book called Mechanical Graphics, so it's clearly a popular choice.
But it's a tricky one to master due to the letter's awkward geometry. So next time you need to draw yourself a geometrically perfect, well-balanced 'S' just get yourself one of the best sketchbooks available, and follow the advice from Barnard's daughter.
Read more:
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
