The skeleton
Draw the stem and the bowl as two separate shapes that share an edge. The flat left side and the round right side need to meet at a right angle at both the top and the bottom — those two corners are what make the letter read as D rather than as a lozenge.
What happens when you inflate it
D inflates beautifully until the two corners soften. Once the top and bottom junctions round off, the letter becomes an egg with a straight side. Inflate the bowl outward from the stem and keep those two corners as sharp as the style allows.
What usually goes wrong: Making the bowl too deep. A D bowl that bulges more than about one and a quarter times its stem width looks like a pocket. Measure the bowl against the stem, not against the cap height.
Letters D sits next to
D locks in well with E, O and R. Its flat stem gives the neighboring letter a straight edge to butt against, which is why it is common in throw-ups: the bowl can overlap the next stem without losing either letter.
One thing to try
In bubble styles, make the bowl slightly taller than the stem. The tiny overhang at the top and bottom keeps the letter from looking like a rectangle with one rounded corner.
How to draw the letter D in four steps
- Sketch the skeleton. Draw the stem and the bowl as two separate shapes that share an edge. The flat left side and the round right side need to meet at a right angle at both the top and the bottom — those two corners are what make the letter read as D rather than as a lozenge.
- Inflate the strokes. D inflates beautifully until the two corners soften. Once the top and bottom junctions round off, the letter becomes an egg with a straight side. Inflate the bowl outward from the stem and keep those two corners as sharp as the style allows.
- Check the neighbors. D locks in well with E, O and R. Its flat stem gives the neighboring letter a straight edge to butt against, which is why it is common in throw-ups: the bowl can overlap the next stem without losing either letter.
- Add your own twist. In bubble styles, make the bowl slightly taller than the stem. The tiny overhang at the top and bottom keeps the letter from looking like a rectangle with one rounded corner.
Questions about the letter D
Why does my D look like an O with a line?
Because the stem and the bowl were drawn as two shapes sitting next to each other, instead of one shape with a straight side. The two corners at the top and bottom are the letter.
How deep should a graffiti D bowl be?
Roughly as deep as the stem is wide, plus a little. Deeper than that and the letter stops reading as a bowl and starts reading as a pocket or a hanging pouch.