Letters Pray: in his words

That’s the question on every designer’s mind: how do I get the kind of work I do really will? If only we had a simple answer (that’s a blog post for another day). What we can tell you is that professional lettering artist and illustrator Letters Prayalso known as Andy, seems to have cracked the code for himself.

Andy’s love for glyphs started in 2015. After getting an iPad Pro, he was hooked and fully committed to his art. His career is thriving, but Andy’s secret is that he doesn’t exclusively freelance. He works full-time at a creative agency, which allows his personal lettering practice to thrive on the side. In turn, his clients come to him because they already like his style, which means he can work on projects he really connects with, such as creating the coverage for our community calendar. It’s like hitting the creative jackpot.

We caught up with Andy to learn how he balances career and passion, what inspires him, and his tips for budding letterers.

Who is Letters Pray? How did you start?

I’m Andy. I’m from London but now live in Bristol.

At uni I was very involved in making notes and making my notebooks look engaging and cool. This habit spilled over into my work life, and I found myself missing things in meetings because I was busy perfecting flourishes or practicing calligraphy. But I really got into lettering and illustration while working in a very boring job.

I started by doodling on bananas and sharing silly things on my lunch break Instagram. I was excited by what I saw on the platform, browsing other artists and being inspired by all the amazing art they were making, so I decided to get better.

I find something so satisfying about letters. The idea is that we have these shapes that everyone recognizes, but there are infinite ways to reimagine them.

I learned by buying materials and trying them out, practicing different styles and approaches, watching videos and experimenting. When I got an iPad Pro was when my journey really began, and I wrote every spare second I had.

Once I started sharing my experiments on Instagram, I found a whole community of artists who were doing the same kind of stuff, just on a much higher level! From there – I think around 2015 – it became an obsession. I find something so satisfying about letters. The idea is that we have these shapes that everyone recognizes, but there are infinite ways to reimagine them.

You currently balance a full-time agency job with freelancing. How was that trip?

I can be picky about what jobs I work—and when I take them. I end up only working on projects that I know I can fit into my schedule, and I know it will be a project that I get something out of.

I took a break from my 9-to-5 job in 2019 to travel, and I did some freelance work on the road to support myself. The trip was interrupted by the pandemic, but I continued working as a freelance illustrator and letterer until 2021 when I started working again at a creative agency.

Since I also work a normal job, I can be picky about what freelance work I take on. When I was just freelancing, I basically took anything that came my way because I needed the money. I ended up taking jobs I shouldn’t have, either because it was an area I wasn’t skilled in, the timings were unrealistic, or the budget was too low. I learned a lot, but it was difficult.

I still take the odd freelance lettering project when they come up. I love doing freelance work, especially because my clients come to me because they already like my style. Which means I’m probably going to enjoy doing the job! I can be picky about what jobs I work—and when I take them. This means that I end up only really working on projects that I know I can fit into my schedule, and I know will be a project that I get something out of. Whether it’s a style that I like to work in and can add to my portfolio, or the chance to use a new process, technique or software that I want to gain more experience in.

You’ve mentioned Instagram a few times, and your feed is pretty full of beautiful work. What role does it play in your practice?

For a while I made it a rule to share something on Instagram every day. That was how I learned to get better and make stuff that people liked. Over the past few years, I have significantly limited my Instagram usage and now I don’t post much at all.

I still find it useful and it’s definitely been an incredible tool for me in the past because that’s where most of my clients have found me, and sometimes still do. And I love connecting with other designers and artists there, sometimes to collaborate or just to support each other’s work. But I have to say that my mental health and concentration levels have greatly improved since I stopped using it so much.

I’ve noticed that you work analog from time to time and use a physical sketchbook and pencil to start. What is the value of going “back to basics” so to speak?

When I’m working on a client project, I’ll almost always start on my iPad and keep the whole process digital because I can work much faster that way. But recently—and this kind of coincided with me taking a step back from Instagram—I’ve been drawn back to working in physical media.

I went on a bit of a relearning journey that involved challenging myself to make something that pleased me as much as something I made on an iPad.

The first reason I did this was because I realized that I had become so reliant on the “undo/redo” cycle that comes with digital, that I had basically forgotten how to draw letters by hand. I went on a bit of a relearning journey doing a lot of sketching, doodling, trying things out and challenging myself to make something that pleased me as much as something I made on an iPad. Most of these I keep to myself, but sometimes I like to share some of these experiments online, if I think they’re good enough!

What are your must-have tools?

Of course, my must-have tools are my iPad and Procreate. I’m pretty traditional in that sense. My favorite brushes come with the app: the ‘Flat Brush’ is probably my most used, and then ‘Spectra’ and ‘Tamar’ for textures. Other than these I have a few packs of True Grit Texture Provision which I use a lot.

However, I like to experiment. I’ve recently been trying to learn a bit of blender and I always enjoy messing around with pattern making software like iOrnament just for fun and to get the juices flowing. I also use the Affinity suite a lot in my workflow. I find their iPad apps very intuitive. Other than that, it’s great to always have a pencil and sketchbook handy.

The most important thing is to get used to all the possible hand gestures. For example, hold down two fingers to undo a series of actions. I also use the output layers as PNGs when making a layered AR piece, and this has been very helpful.

At the end of the day, I don’t think I need AI to help me get inspired when there’s so much cool crap in the world created by humans or nature.

Any trends you see taking off in the next year?

When it comes to trends, you can’t really say no to AI. I think over the next year we will increasingly see the impact of AI on design and illustration. Both in the sense that people use it in their work, but also react against it.

It is what it is. It obviously represents a seismic shift in what ‘image making’ means in 2023. I haven’t used it much, but I can imagine it being an interesting or fun idea tool. But at the end of the day, I don’t think I need AI to help me get inspired when there’s so much cool crap in the world created by humans or nature.

That’s a good way to put it. As we near the end of our chat, where can a creative start if they want to start with letters?

Oof, that’s a tough one. I would say that you should first get a good understanding of how letters work. There is a book called Home Industries Letter Manual by Ken Barber it’s a very good introduction with handy exercises in it that show you the ropes.

Always try to make something you love. If you like it, you’ll want to make more, and if you make more, your style will continue to develop and evolve into something personal to you.

Find artists you like, and more importantly, work out exactly what you like about their work. Take inspiration from them, but don’t copy them. Find things that please you and channel them into your own work.

And remember: inspiration doesn’t even have to come from other writers. It can come from anywhere. I think the most important thing in developing a style is to always try to make something you like. If you like it, you’ll want to make more, and if you make more, your style will continue to develop and evolve into something personal to you.

We love it. So what inspires you, Andy?

My inspiration comes from completely random places. Sometimes I’ll see a texture on a lamp post that I want to incorporate into a piece I’m working on. I find inspiration in tangible things. Street art is a big thing. Cracked old shop signs.

I’m also a massive movie nerd. I will often take a film’s tone or aesthetic and base a letter piece around it. Classic movie posters are a big one, especially the amazing scenic posters by artists like Drew Struzan. I also love matte paintings, concept art and graphic novels. I recently bought a great book called Anime architecture which I could browse for hours and find things that excite me.

And of course all the amazing artists I follow on Instagram. Oh, there are many! @biksence is one of my favorites. @matvoyce kill it with his movework. Also The High Road Design that you always made me laugh I would also like Melisa (@girlsnguts) a special exclamation. She’s an illustrator I mentored through Creative Mentor Network last year, and she brings such insightful humor and vibrancy to all her work. Look at her!

Thank you very much, Andy!