How to make your own "split Monograms"

[acourtjester]

Making Monogram Fonts in Inkscape

Select the font letter you want to convert and increase the size for easy viewing. Using the box command draw a thin box across the letter and high light it hold down the shift key and high light the letter. Click on path and difference this will cut the letter where the box is so there are 2 pats to the letter. Then with the 2 parts high lighted click on path and then break apart.
This separates the 2 parts of the letter. Click on the top part and move it up with the box command draw another thin box. Using the fill and stroke click on fill and fill the box. Then copy and paste to create 2 thin bars. Make the bar long enough for the name you are going to put in. Move one thin box to just touching the top part of the letter and while high lighted hold the shift key and high light the top part of the letter. Click on path and then combine this will weld the bar to the letter top. Go to the left border and click on the line and move the guide over to the first bars edge and then move the second bar to touch the bottom of the letter. Hold the shift key and high light the bottom of the letter click on path then union to weld the bottom together.
Now type the name you are inserting and size it and move it to touch the bottom of the bar. With it high lighted hold the shift key and high light the top part and click on path then union.
While it is high lighted hold the shift key and high light the bottom and click on path then union to weld the completed monogram.
Tip you must weld (combine) two parts by touching them together but you cannot weld anything inside another item this is why you need to break apart the letters parts.

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[little blue choo]

I did one like that and noticed it really threw off the perspective of the letter so if I do one now I actually take out enough of the letter to allow for the space the name takes up. If done that way the letter looks natural after it's finished.
I hope that makes since.

Rick

[acourtjester]

yes some letters will need to be done with a eye on the perspective, like A,V,W, any letter with a slant. as you mention a simple fix but being able to make you own split letters from fonts of your choice is a plus

[Joe Jones]

.That is not the way to make a split letter sign.

Joe

[acourtjester]

Please tell us how you do it

[motoguy]

I've made a few custom split monograms as well. I agree with with both acourtjester, and lil blue choo...the process acourtjester shows is the process/mechanics of performing the split. I also agree with lil blue choo, in that the letter needs to be "sectioned" more than just split. Rather than splitting the letter with a line, it sectioned with a rectangle, approximately the size of the text to be inserted. Ortherwise, the letter just looks weird when complete. It looks sliced and stretched.

Compare this (rough and dirty), with the example above:

[Joe Jones]

"Fonts" are designed the way they are for a reason. They have a shape and a perspective that, when altered, fails to maintain the characteristics of that font.

Letters with straight vertical edges and no center horizontal features ( D,I,J,L,T,U) can be done that way, but even then, the perspective of the letter is distorted by adding height only. It makes the shape of the letter seem disjointed and skewed.

Adding text to the center of a letter is done by replacing the segment of that letter with the text, not by cutting it in half and shifting the bottom down.

Perhaps I may be inspired to make a video of the process at some point in the future, but if you ever worked for a sign shop (I have worked for several over the years) and you produced a split letter like the one in the original example above, you would find yourself looking for another job.

Joe



.

[Joe Jones]

I've made a few custom split monograms as well. I agree with with both acourtjester, and lil blue choo...the process acourtjester shows is the process/mechanics of performing the split. I also agree with lil blue choo, in that the letter needs to be "sectioned" more than just split. Rather than splitting the letter with a line, it sectioned with a rectangle, approximately the size of the text to be inserted. Ortherwise, the letter just looks weird when complete. It looks sliced and stretched.

Precisely!