Process Video #1

Hi everyone,

With 2025 come updates on my paid subscriptions. Some of you may not know but you can become a paid subscriber to this newsletter and get some benefits:

Over the 2 first years of paid subscriptions, I tried to focus the membership on writing paid posts, delivering also WIP and final fonts for every subscriber. But with the experience, I realise that it is already difficult to write weekly so writing a second post is almost impossible.

So this year, I would like to introduce you to Process Videos. Spending more and more time on Substack, I realised that what I like the most from paid subscriptions is behind the scene stuff. And I thought I would like to spend more insights on how I work, what is my process, what are the successes but also the fails. And globally how I learn from all of this.

I share already a lot about these subjects on that newsletter. But I think Process videos go further. You can see what I do, how I do it and I will try to share details, vocally in the video or here in text. And last, but not least, you can leave comments and ask questions, so we can have a discussion and maybe I can help you to try what I practice in my videos.

All of this is will be available for Paid Subscribers. So if you are interested, just check the following page. This is just 5€ a month or even less if you pay annually.

So today, I am happy to share for free the first process video to you, and give you some explanation on the process here:

Process Video #1

In this video, I wanted to show you how I design letters. Having some experience in drawing letters really helps me here because I don’t sketch letters before I cut them. I cut them directly and see what happens. I am totally freeing myself from the outcome. I cut, see where it goes and relax about it. Again, my experience allows me to know where and when to cut but even if you don’t have experience in lettering or type design, cutting letters is fun. You discover shapes, spaces, lines, curves. This is totally fascinating.

So here I did cut the first word, “Make” in script, which is even more complicated because letters are attached and you need to know where to link them… before you cut to far away and cannot come back ;-)

The first times you do it, you will make mistakes, but after some time, it is just like calligraphy, you know how to link, where to link.

For the second word, ART, I decided to take another style and go with shapes. Shapes with 2 layers so it makes it more recognisable. Also I cut letters next to each other so it helps me with the style and positioning.

Then I glue everything.Don’t think too much about that part. Use the glue you have, don’t hesitate to put enough glue. If you use a varnish glue, you can seal the cutouts on the top too.

The last part is about filling the counter shapes of both words. I go classic for the script one, even if I try to make the forms a bit edgy. And for the Art word, I use shapes again that overlap the first one but I don’t go precise, I try to keep it readable but also shapy and fun.

And this is it!

Doing that kind of exercise is really meditative and relaxing. I don’t try to be perfect. Actually not being perfect is even a feature. Having edges and rough curves gives the overall a more human feeling. This is what I like about it. Also, for those into psychology, I feel more like playing with my kid than my adult or parent. I feel free.

I hope it talks to you and that you want to try too. And again, if you want more of these videos, don’t hesitate to become a paid subscribers. Today maybe more than never before it is important for artists to multiply sources of revenues. With that kind of content, I hope I can convince you to follow me a step closer to learn more but also to support actively my work.

Plaiday by Kika Macfarlane

To finish today’s newsletter, I would like to share with you a newsletter that I follow and that I recently decided to support by becoming a paid subscriber.

Kika MacFarlane is an illustrator that shares great insights on creative life but in an illustrative way. Check out for example her last post about finding your creative spark:

She also started a whole comic adventure where each week she shares bit of the whole comic. This is all about the outdoors and the illustrations are so cool!

But what is even cooler is that by being a paid subscriber, I get to receive by mail a printed version of that comic:

I can’t wait to get it soon!!

To finish I would like to share with you a project she did do recently and that I like pretty much:

This is all fun right? Please don’t hesitate to subscribe to her newsletter and maybe become a paid subscriber some time in the future :)

This is it for today. I hope you like the video and the inspiration. I would be more than happy if it would give you ideas to try cutout lettering or just collage illustration.

Have a nice week.

Francis