The skeleton
Start with the same open bowl as C, then add the spur: a short bar or inward curl at the lower right that closes the letter back on itself. The spur starts at about the five o’clock position and heads toward the centre. It needs to be at least as heavy as the bowl stroke, because it is the entire difference between G and C.
What happens when you inflate it
Inflation erases the spur by merging it into the bowl. Of all the letters, G degrades fastest under weight. The fix is to open the gap between the spur and the bowl before you inflate, not after — once they touch, no amount of reshaping brings the spur back.
What usually goes wrong: Drawing the spur as a thin afterthought. A light spur next to a heavy bowl reads as a sprout, and the letter becomes a C with acne. Match the weights.
Letters G sits next to
G interlocks most usefully with C, O and L. Because its bowl is open at the top right, it can be connected straight into a following L or E without touching the letter shape at all.
One thing to try
In blockbusters, replace the curved spur with a row of counter shapes, the way real blockbusters do. It is the single change that makes a generated G look like it was drawn by somebody who has seen a train.
How to draw the letter G in four steps
- Sketch the skeleton. Start with the same open bowl as C, then add the spur: a short bar or inward curl at the lower right that closes the letter back on itself. The spur starts at about the five o’clock position and heads toward the centre. It needs to be at least as heavy as the bowl stroke, because it is the entire difference between G and C.
- Inflate the strokes. Inflation erases the spur by merging it into the bowl. Of all the letters, G degrades fastest under weight. The fix is to open the gap between the spur and the bowl before you inflate, not after — once they touch, no amount of reshaping brings the spur back.
- Check the neighbors. G interlocks most usefully with C, O and L. Because its bowl is open at the top right, it can be connected straight into a following L or E without touching the letter shape at all.
- Add your own twist. In blockbusters, replace the curved spur with a row of counter shapes, the way real blockbusters do. It is the single change that makes a generated G look like it was drawn by somebody who has seen a train.
Questions about the letter G
Why does my graffiti G look like a C?
The spur is too small, too light, or too far from the bowl. The spur has to be a deliberate, heavy element — it is doing all the work of identifying the letter.
Does G need a gap between the spur and the bowl?
In flat styles, usually yes — a small counter makes the letter read faster. In bubble styles the spur often connects, and then the counter becomes a closed hole instead. Pick one and be consistent across the word.