Learn to Digitize Unit 2: ABCs of Keyboard Lettering in Generations
Whew! It’s been a lot of work and now the second unit in the Learn to Digitize series is now shipping! While the title is ABC’s of Keyboard Lettering, this module covers more than just typing letters into the Insert Text box.
It’s Not a Word Processor!
Contrary to popular opinion, creating letters in Generation–or any embroidery program for that matter–is different from typing in a word processor. True, we have a field where we type, but it is important to understand we are creating stitches on the screen that will be sewn as opposed to pixels on the screen that will be printed. And while you can print just about anything you can create on the screen, you can create a lot of designs that are totally unsewable.
Generations makes it easy to auto-digitize letters from any installed TrueType font on your system. Of course, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. ABC’s of Keyboard Lettering will teach you what to look for in a font and what options you have for optimizing them. Lettering is a perfect example of how a little bit of understanding can vastly improve your results.
Continue Your Learning from Unit 1!
This unit expands on your foundation skills acquired in Unit 1: Getting Started with Generations™ with keyboard lettering. Not only will you learn how to create lettering through the Insert Text tool, you’ll expand and apply the concepts covered in Anatomy of A Design and how they apply during the digitizing process.
A lesson is also included to help you understand how needles, thread, and fabric affect your embroidery and therefore your decisions as a digitizer. Digitizing is not just learning how your software works—just because you can create it in the program doesn’t mean it is sewable. By learning to think like a digitizer, you can produce professionally looking designs in no time!
Two PDF e-Books Plus 5 Videos
ABC’s of Lettering is not just lettering, it continues to lay the groundwork to not only teach you Generations, but to become a digitizer. Whether you are a “home digitizer” or a run a business, the principles of digitizing are the same if you want professional looking results. Who wants a sloppy design?
This unit is structured differently from Unit 1. Because the content is so broad and deep, I’ve divided the content into 16 lessons in about 174 pages. Like unit 1, there’s a Quick Start Tutorial to give you a taste of the topic right off the bat. Each lesson covers a separate topic and includes some exercises to build your digitizing skills. Review questions and a final project will give you a means for testing your new skills.
The text is fully illustrated with screen captures; there are well over 200 captioned images in this text. Five video lessons further clarify some of the lessons.
The five videos are keyed to five of the lessons in the text. These videos are short and to the point. Altogether they total about 1 hour of running time.
As covered in Unit 1, there are three primary types of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. This course is designed to activate as many senses as possible to maximize your learning.
Have Your Final Project Evaluated
Distance learning and self-paced learn-at-home courses are great but seldom do you have any interaction. To give you an opportunity for feedback, you can send your final project in for evaluation. To do this, you will need the custom program included with Unit 1.
Goals of the Course
There are three primary goals for the Learn to Digitize Training Series
- Learn how to use Generations to create your own designs
- Learn how to digitize using sound industry standards, or what I call learning to think like a digitizer
- Learning the principles of design
What Makes Me Qualified
I have 15 years of experience in the embroidery industry digitizing embroidery designs and teaching embroidery and digitizing topics. I also have a degree in art. Over the years I’ve written many articles for industry magazines and appeared on various PBS sewing shows. I’m both a home sewer/embroiderer and have been a commercial embroiderer. This course is based on concepts I taught in digitizing theory.
What’s in ABC’s of Keyboard Lettering
Because this is just unit 2 in the series, we will only be looking at creating lettering through the Insert Text tool and then modifying various attributes. Actually digitizing letters from scratch requires more skill with the program and with digitizing concepts so that’s subject for another unit.
Here’s just a quick overview of what’s included:
- Understanding the functions & choices in the Insert Text dialog box
- How to modify text
- Working with text paths
- Understanding type and how to select fonts for best use
- How to find, install, and use TrueType fonts
- Investigating the satin stitch and modifying its attributes
- Understanding tie-offs and trims and how to control them
- Understanding and applying compensation and density
- Enveloping options for lettering
Prerequisites
Each unit is based on information covered in previous units as well as content in my ebook Anatomy of a Design. Furthermore, if you intend to submit your project for evaluation, you must do it through the program included on the unit 1 CD.
This course is based on Generations, which is not included. You will also need to have a suitable embroidery machine for test sewing your designs. Make sure you sew them yourself!
Also, while I do teach some embroidery topics, the course is not designed to teach you how to use Windows or use your embroidery machine.
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to really, finally learn to digitize and not cluelessly punch buttons in your software? Do you want to think like a digitizer? Then join me on this journey!
By the way, if you have software you can’t use, why not think about trading it in for something you can use?
Get It Now
Order your course now and get started. You know you’ve wanted to make your own designs for a long time? What’s stopping you now?
All units ship on either CD or DVD as required to accommodate the content.
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