Nate Piekos: The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

January 20 – February 10, 2022

Gallery Reception: January 20, 2022 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM                                   

The Department of Art and Art History is pleased to host the exhibition Nate Piekos: The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering.

This exhibition looks behind the curtain at the way word balloons, cover logos and sound effects are crafted to guide the reader’s experience of comics.  From the early days of T-squares and ink pens to the digital age of pixels and tablets, comic book letterers have breathed life into the text elements and graphic design work of everyone’s favorite comic books.  The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering is the first exhibition of its kind to focus on the design and lettering process, and features work from Nate’s recently released and critically-acclaimed book of the same name.  In addition, a large collection of graphic novels that feature Nate Piekos’ lettering and graphic work will be available in the gallery for visitors to enjoy firsthand.

Rhode Island native, Nate Piekos has been a freelance letterer in the comic book industry since his first project with Marvel Comics over twenty years ago.  He’s worked on such popular titles as GREEN ARROW, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, FIGHT CLUB 2, MIDDLEWEST, and many others. He’s the creator of one of the industry’s most popular font websites, Blambot.com, and he has designed logos for the X-MEN, and Charles Schulz’s PEANUTS.  Nate continues to work on high-profile projects for virtually every major publisher in the comic book industry, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Image Comics.

Nate Piekos graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design from Rhode Island College in 1998.  His font and logo designs can be seen worldwide.  He’s the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2010 Rhode Island College Alumni Honor Roll Award for Success in the Field of Design, the 2010 Eagle Award for Best Letterer, and the 2020 Ringo Award for Best Letterer.

Nate Piekos: The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering will be open to the public from January 20 – February 10, 2022.  On Thursday, January 20 the campus community and the general public are invited to attend a gallery reception for the artist.  This reception will run from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the Hamilton Gallery.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is located in the Antone Academic Center on the campus of Salve Regina University.  It is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy Avenues.  Its exhibits are open Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 to 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays 11:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays noon to 4:00 p.m.  The gallery is closed on Mondays.  We invite you to visit us.