The skeleton
Two descending strokes into two bottom points, with a middle peak between them that rises to somewhere between half and full cap height. Draw the two bottom points first, evenly spaced — if they are not evenly spaced nothing above them will be right.
What happens when you inflate it
Three vertices, three places to close. The middle peak is usually the first to go, and once it fills in the letter reads as a single solid triangle. Keep the two lower wedges and the upper valley all open at the same time, which may mean thinning the diagonals considerably.
What usually goes wrong: Taking the middle peak to full cap height. A peak that reaches the top turns the letter into a row of triangles; W needs that middle vertex to sit visibly lower than its shoulders.
Letters W sits next to
W is at home with V, M, A and N. It is also the widest letter in the alphabet, so it usually sets the letter spacing for the whole word — space a W as though it were two V letters.
One thing to try
Make the two bottom points different heights in handstyle. Level points look like a diagram; a small difference turns the letter into something with weight and movement.
How to draw the letter W in four steps
- Sketch the skeleton. Two descending strokes into two bottom points, with a middle peak between them that rises to somewhere between half and full cap height. Draw the two bottom points first, evenly spaced — if they are not evenly spaced nothing above them will be right.
- Inflate the strokes. Three vertices, three places to close. The middle peak is usually the first to go, and once it fills in the letter reads as a single solid triangle. Keep the two lower wedges and the upper valley all open at the same time, which may mean thinning the diagonals considerably.
- Check the neighbors. W is at home with V, M, A and N. It is also the widest letter in the alphabet, so it usually sets the letter spacing for the whole word — space a W as though it were two V letters.
- Add your own twist. Make the two bottom points different heights in handstyle. Level points look like a diagram; a small difference turns the letter into something with weight and movement.
Questions about the letter W
How wide should a graffiti W be?
Widest letter in the alphabet, roughly one and a half times the width of a V. It has three vertices to fit, so squeezing it is what causes the counters to close.
Why does my W fill in so quickly when I inflate it?
Because three vertices close at once. W survives inflation only if the diagonals stay thin — thin strokes, wide stance is the rule for this letter in every heavy style.