Typeface

Typeface on T Tuesday

I learned lettering and calligraphy

in high school, using a 'dip' pen with a

wide nib and India ink.  We practiced and 

practiced the Old English style, until I was

very tired of it.  It was the most complicated

and had the most strokes to each letter.

Now that we use computers for lettering

fonts, it might seem unnecessary to know

hand-lettering styles, but I do enjoy being

able to draw or write almost any style

that I desire in my art journals.

Mixing up the letter styles is fun...and inventing

your own design is too!

Above, lettering 'borrowed' from the Harry Potter

movie series.  I see a resemblance to the 

Old English letters in the lower case lettering...

Above, an example of some lettering done

with a felt-tip calligraphy pen.  Basically that

just means the pen tip is a 'chisel-shape, '

rather than a thin point on the end.

When holding the pen at an angle as you write,

on the down-stroke of each letter you get a

wider stroke than on a horizontal or diagonal.

If you've ever examined the instructions for

calligraphy, some of the diagrams show tiny

arrows instructing the calligrapher in which 

direction to make the strokes for each letter.

It sounds complicated, but once you've 

learned the basics, it's similar for all styles

of lettering.  Above, Speedball textbook, 20th edition, 

copyright 1972. I probably bought this book in

1973, and have used it off and on ever since.

 These days, styles can be much

freer and you can get creative with spacing

and size of letters to suit yourself.  Well, I'm 

not doing a formal document or award, so

I pretty much suit myself!

When I make letters with shadows, I always put

the shadow on the right, as though the 'light source'

is coming from the upper left.  A habit formed during

 that practice in high-school.  When you are focusing

on the lettering, however, it is rather easy to

spell something incorrectly!  I try to double-check

before I ink it.  But the beauty of collage and

art journal pages, is that I can paste something

right over top of a mistake!

 I will be linking up with Elizabeth for her weekly

T Tuesday link party.  

and showing a beverage container...

do you ever have soda for breakfast?

just wondering...