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Caligraphy Book

This document provides a sample of a calligraphy manual that teaches blackletter and rotunda scripts. It contains 7 chapters that cover the anatomy of letters, tools, exercises to practice each letter, ligatures, minuscule and majuscule variations, and further reading. The chapters progress letter by letter through the alphabet with variations and considerations for construction.

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kirinNarak

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)

476 views63 pages

Caligraphy Book

Uploaded by

kirinNarak

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Blackletter —

— Rotunda

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Book Sample
+
Calligraphy Practice Sheets —
— Sample version
0.Itemzero + A
0.Itemzero + A Blackletter —
—
—
— Rotunda

Have a
look inside

Calligraphy Manuals —
— shop.itemzero.com
—
— Book sample
Organized
on
in 7 chapters Sections
and

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5
a nato m y
et
Introduction

+
tools to g
d
you starte
8 Anatomy

12 Tools
14 First Steps
— Rotunda

+
—
Blackletter —

20 ExErcisEs
—

Letter by letter
22 i, n, u, m
24 o, d, c, e
26 b, h, p, q
28 l, k, r, t, f, j
30 a, s, x, z
32 v, w, y, g

34 alphabEt guidE

38 ligaturEs

40 Minuscules variations

— Book sample
ExErcisEs
54 Majuscules variations

—
Run-down throug

Calligraphy Manuals —
+

—
68

all the letters with

angle of a given style.

— Rotunda
—

x-height
Blackletter —

Overall height of the

—

lowercase letters,
without ascenders
or descenders.
— Rotunda
—
Blackletter —
—

— Book sample
—
Calligraphy Manuals —
Stroke Bowl
The visible mark The fully closed, rounded

—
produced in a part of a letter.
single gesture by
the writing tool.

Small and flexible

Leg
Downward extending
Tail Descender part of a letter that
A curved, often
decorative, sinuous
Part of the stroke that
extends downwards Baseline format. Have it is connected in
one of its ends.
Rotation
In the gesture, it refers

on-the-go and
descending gesture. from the baseline, usually Bottom-most to the progressive
part of the stem. alignment of the change in the angle
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8 descender-less letters. of the writing tool.

practice anywhere
asic
Practice the b
shapes to gain

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control and
Warming-up Basic strokes
Rotunda is highly modular in its construction, where

momentum
(structurally) each module is a single gesture. When com-
bined, these simple strokes build up to the letterforms and
their stylistic variations.
Compared to the pace of everyday writing, calligraphy
is a rather slow activity. Starting sessions by exercising
First Steps

The broad nib sits on the As the stroke direction is As we approximate the
these simple strokes allows one to ease into the proper paper at a 25º to 40° angle for closer to the nibs' inclination, direction to the nib’s angle,
speed, whilst consolidating muscle dexterity and memory the majority of gestures. the strokes get thicker. the strokes become thinner.
— Rotunda

for this lexicon of forms.

—
Blackletter —
—

Getting Started
The nib sits, for the majority of strokes, between 25º and
40º. This means that the stroke will vary in thickness, de-
pending on the direction of the gesture.
— Rotunda

Thin strokes are made by using These thin strokes are usually
Also, the great majority of strokes follow a top-down, only one corner of the tip, and referred to as hairlines.
—
Blackletter —

left-to-right direction: if one is right-handed, this order possible in both directions.

—

minimises friction between pen and paper and facilitates

ink flow. For left-handed people, inverting the suggested
direction is usually helpful. While keeping the same
angle, different directions
produce different
stroke thicknesses.
Although rare, horizontal A recurrent theme in Rotunda Round strokes appear in a
strokes are the base for building is the round stroke, usually variety of situations, as when
connecting strokes and of great used in arches, bowls, connected to vertical strokes.
value to your gesture lexicon. entry and exit strokes.

— Book sample
—
Calligraphy Manuals —
❶ ❷

Get to know Rotu

—
nda
style in-depth,
Round strokes can also be Additionally, when lengthier,
connected to diagonal strokes. round strokes can constitute
a whole portion of a letter.

from newbie to
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shameless flexer
What to pay
attention to

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Traditionally, the h’s
second stroke sits on Different structures
while drawing Structurally, the q can
be thought of as an o,
the baseline and may of the h usually where the end of the
— b, h, p, q

frequently be a curled concern variations of second stroke descends

or rounded stroke. the second stem. into a vertical stem.
Letter by letter

A cusp at the top of

While the first stroke the stem brings a
is similar to the o, the contemporary look.
connection to the stem A diagonal stem may
— Rotunda

can receive a variety resemble the tail of

—

of possibilities. a majuscule Q.
Blackletter —
—

— Rotunda
—
Blackletter —
—

Basic forms
with stroke
directions and
their ductus

— Book sample
Common
The stem connects The b’s structural

—
Calligraphy Manuals —
with a shape similar to variations mainly depend

nd
variations a
the o’s second stroke. on the letter’s width

—
and the connection
of the bowl to the

e
how to mak
bottom of the stem.

While the bowl’s arched The p bowl’s lower stroke The last stroke of
stroke is pretty similar may cross the first stem. the bowl can also be

them
to that in the o, the round and cease into
lower part of the stem the stem, reminiscent
and its bowl connection of the o’s shape.
provides plenty of
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26 room for variations.

Variations,

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e f
variations
g

m e m o re
Minuscules variations

an d so
variations
Straight down,
— Rotunda

more contemporary
—

descending stems are

Blackletter —

common and can be h

—

combined with any of

the previous bowls.
— Rotunda
—
Blackletter —
—

The exit stroke of the

last gesture may curl i
inwards or outwards.

An additional
descender stroke
allows for ornamented

Notes to letterj terminals that can k

— Book sample
accommodate

constructions
more or less
pronounced hooks.

—
Calligraphy Manuals —
and ornaments

—
The letters l and
i usually share
l similar inward and m
outward strokes.
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42
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Majuscules Variations
The double stem on
the left is recurrent
throughout the
A majuscules. You can find
Majuscules variations

it in almost every letter.

— Rotunda
—
Blackletter —
—

— Rotunda

An additional hook,
—
Blackletter —

small thin-stroked
—

circle or double thin

strokes are commonly
added to the counters
to distribute space
and strokes evenly.

Angled top bowls

(curling inwards
B or outwards) can

— Book sample
give B a completely
different look.

—
Calligraphy Manuals —
For counter shapes

—
an additional hook,
small thin-stroked
circle or double thin
stroke are commonly
added to the counters
to distribute space
and strokes evenly.

Majuscule forms,
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simple to complex
0.Itemzero + A Blackletter —
—
—
— Rotunda

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— Book sample
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runs, in
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ste rs by Xe sta
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— Rotunda
—
Blackletter —
—

— Book sample
—
Calligraphy Manuals —
—
Wow! these
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a re also a l i n k.
posters
Containing full set
of practicing sheets,

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adjustable for
different nib sizes

u n d a —
— Rotunda

o t
Get the R y Practice sheets
—
Blackletter —
—

ll i g ra p h
Ca e yo u r
v a t
and ele g a m e .
h y
calligrap

— Standard version
—
Calligraphy practice sheets —
—
More than 400 pages Full latin alphabet
of letter variations in minuscules
and majuscules
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0.Itemzero + A Blackletter —
—
—
— Rotunda

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