'In Progress' a book by Jessica Hische
book reviewletteringdesigndrawingillustrationdigitising
For a few years now I have followed the work and art of Jessica Hische because I love the way she presents her work and let’s people in on how she achieved what and why. If I had to choose only very few books to take onto the deserted island (I could never settle for one) one would be In Progress.
Lettering from sketch to printed book cover
The book offers an insight into Jessica Hische’s work and process of working. It is not one of those boring portfolio books where you wade through endless pages of the same stuff without any meaningful texts. Yes you get to see some work here and there but never without being put into context. Often times one learns about the process and the decisions made along the way.
Coffee table book meets tutorial
What I really like about books of this kind is that there is a wonderful mix of illustrations and instructions, sketches and final results all paired with an easy to follow narrative.
If you have ever watched one of the multiple videos on Youtube about Jessica, giving a talk for instance, you can sense that she has the come and see how I did it and try to do it yourself gen baked into her DNA. I never get the feeling that she is an arrogant person, no quite the contrary. This is what you get in the book as well: Helpful advise on how to do certain things like sketching and digitising your work, how to distribute things on the canvas, how the make your lettering stand out (without overusing swashes).
