Featured Typism Member—Tania Hearn

Our first featured Typism member for 2022 is Tania Hearn, an Australian lettering artist who designs colour typefaces and animations. We asked Tania some questions about her passion for lettering and she kindly shared her work and inspirations with us in this interview.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your passion for lettering

Seeing handwritten letters come to life is my passion.

Some of my past projects have included lettering on skin, walls, marble, wood, suitcases, blackboards and more. Crafting ambigrams that challenge the brain is also a fun passion project.

I completed my Honours year in type design at the University of Newcastle and fell in love with the colour font technology provided by Glyphs software. I believe colourful handcrafted typography creates a connection between the artist's hand and the viewer's mind. For me, this connection began in my childhood, receiving handwritten letters from my grandmother. That innate feeling of being connected to someone through their written words inspired me to start calligraphy and hand-lettering.

When travelling, I seek out creative workshops that feed my soul and provide an opportunity to learn new skills. I also enjoy teaching a variety of lettering workshops to pass on my tips and techniques.

How did you start out as a lettering artist or designer?

My mother owned a set of calligraphy pens and I loved watching her write beautiful cursive, broad-edged letters that flowed so elegantly. I took up calligraphy lessons through a private tutor before joining the Gold Coast Calligraphy Club, Brisbane Club, and Buderim Club.

At that time, I had no notion this hobby/passion could be a career until I started my design degree at Griffith University's Queensland College of Art and met like-minded creatives who were turning their calligraphic and hand-lettered projects into painted murals, books, animations and more.

How do you hone and refine your skills?

Several ways — by attending workshops, practising, reading about letter shapes, and teaching myself via online tutorials. Attending calligraphy clubs and joining their group projects has also been beneficial — you can learn so much by collaborating with others. I am left-handed and was fortunate to have the guidance of an elderly left-handed tutor early on. I learnt to use a slope, which improved my posture and hand position. I don't do as much calligraphy anymore, but those early lessons refined my understanding of letter shapes, stroke width, pen pressure and paper layouts.

What's the best advice or tip you've received so far on your lettering journey?

To keep learning. Whether it's animating in After Effects, fonting in Glyphs, hand-lettering in Procreate, writing on bleedproof paper, or painting a 6ft wall, every medium and skill provides a new avenue to express your lettering style and hone in on your favourite methods. 

Tell us about your creative habits and rituals

I sketch my designs in an A4 pad to keep everything in one place. Being able to refer back to ideas can often spark new ideas. For more expressive colour work, I have a desk laid out with pencils, watercolour paper, brush pens and a smooth Rhodia pad so I can get the hands moving at any time of day.

The only daily ritual that I 'simply must do' is exercise every morning—it's a habit that wakes me up, gets the creative juices flowing, and makes me feel good. It sets the tone for the day ahead!

Tell us about your top three lettering projects so far

As part of my Honours degree, I designed a colour font using the emerging technology provided within Glyphs. First painted by hand then image-traced, each colour layer was imported to Glyphs, then refined as a complete letter before adding contextual alternates and diacritics. 

An ambigram addiction took over my life between 2019–2020 and I produced a collection of 23 ambigrams, either animated or tactile creations. The most intricate was a 40cm x 40cm quilled ambigram of the word Garden that looks like a Baroque garden. It took three months of morning quilling sessions to finish and frame. 

Featured in Calligraphy Crush Magazine was a 3D project of a fibreboard suitcase covered in acrylic paint and the quote, "Let's Get Lost Together". Travel is a passion of mine and it seemed to inspire others too, because I received many questions about it afterwards. The magazine had seen the project on my Instagram page, so I urge everyone to experiment with different mediums — you never know what might come of it!

What are your time and energy management strategies?

In addition to having a calendar to map out the month ahead, I write a list at night of what I want to achieve the next day. The feeling of crossing each item off the daily list gives me a sense of achievement and helps me stay organised.

Exercise helps me stay focused and energised. I often go for a night walk to wind down, listen to the Typism podcast and take in the wonders of the night sky. 

What is your favourite aspect of the Typism membership or community?

The Typism community is a supportive hub of like-minded creatives. I can sum it up by the Ken Keyes quote, "Everyone and everything around us is our teacher"—I love how supportive Typism members are towards each other, and so willing to provide guidance when needed.  I also enjoy the membership access to key learning resources from industry leaders.

What are your plans and dreams for the future of your creative practice?

Along with teaching online lettering workshops, I plan to expand my colour font portfolio, complete mural collaborations, and develop lettering-focused products. 

A dream is to partner with a dark chocolate brand that needs a colour font in exchange for a lifetime supply of dark chocolate.

What do you currently struggle with most when it comes to your lettering?

Shiny Object Syndrome.

I have many creative ideas in my mind that I would love to see produced in real life. When I look at the list of options, I freeze at where to start. This is usually remedied by concentrating on what I enjoy doing most and want to achieve.

Who are currently your favourite lettering artists?

Gosh, where to start?

Ulrike Rausch and Mark Van Wageningen for developing and promoting the field of colour fonts.

Jonathan Ball, Michael Moodie, Gemma O'Brien, Jeremy Friend, Ian Barnard for combining illustrations with a variety of lettering styles to create dynamic designs.

Mark Caneso, Tamara Arkatova, Mika Melvas, Sebastien Sanfilippo for type design.

Lex Wilson, Sophie Elinor Brown, and Mat Voyce for making letters move.

Kristen de Palma, and Damiano Monti for chalk lettering.

Kristína Uhráková, Wayne Thompson, and Tom Boulton for introducing new techniques to letterpress printing.

Maria Montes, Luca Barcellona, and Pokras Lampas for calligraphy.

This list is endless.

Who would you like to see interviewed next on the Typism podcast?

Delphie Joy—her playful approach to exploring your personal lettering style would resonate with many. She has proven experience in branding and a deep understanding of mental health issues, which is showcased throughout her lettering products and projects. As a mother of four boys, her podcast episode would help others who may struggle with time management.

Wes Franklin—he has grown his lettering business into branding, murals, and logos. He has a natural communication style that is friendly, and a lettering style that feels consistent and inviting.

Thank you so much for sharing your lettering passion with us Tania and that fantastic list of inspirational lettering artists.

To see more of Tania's work, you can follow her on Instagram or check out her online folio.

To learn more about the Typism Membership, click here.