Capital letter · 13 of 26
Bubble letter M
Bubble M hangs a V between two fat posts and stops it above the baseline, leaving two round notches at the top.
- The font
- Modak. Round, puffed up. Free to use, from the catalogue.
- Step by step
- 1Rough in two upright lines and a V from their tops to a point above the baseline.
- 2Outline the four strokes as one shape, rounding the two shoulders and the point of the V.
- 3Keep both top notches and the gap under the V open; in fat strokes they narrow fast.
- 4Shade the right post on its outside and beneath the point of the V, with highlights on the two shoulders.
- Watch for
- A V that runs down to the baseline leaves no room, and the M comes out as a black square. Stop the point of the V about a third of the way up.
- Mixed up with
Upside down a bubble M is a W; drawn narrow, with the V swollen shut, it is easily read as an N.
- Practise with
- Magic · Max · Music · Mia
01 / In other fonts
M in 4 more fonts
Coiny draws the widest M for its height and Bagel Fat One the narrowest.
02 / To colour in
A page to colour
On US Letter the sheet prints the M 133 mm tall and 145 mm wide, 5.2 by 5.7 inches, with about 162 cm² to colour; on A4, 129 by 140 mm. The alphabet sheets print A to Z or your own name.
One page: the M big and hollow in Modak to colour in, and the same M in the other fonts under it. Crayons, markers or paint; or trace it.
In the print dialog choose Save as PDF to keep a file. The sheet fills one page of US Letter at full size.
Preview · 1 page · Modak
03 / Questions
Bubble M, answered
A 3D bubble letter is its outline drawn twice, the copy a little down and to the right, the corners joined.
Where does the depth go on a 3D bubble M?
On an M the shadow block runs down the right post, under the tip of the V, into the gap below it and inside the right-hand notch.
Why is my bubble M so wide?
An M needs room for two posts and a V: in each of the five fonts shown only W is wider, and Modak’s M is about a tenth wider than its O. Let it be wide, or draw the posts slanting in.
How do you colour a bubble M?
The M has three narrow places: colour the two notches and the gap under the V with a fine tip before filling the posts.