An Italic Calligraphy Handbook

Letters are like stories; they have beginnings, middles, and endings, and each part deserves equal attention.

Does the page look well-balanced? 2. Are the margins adequate? 3. Is the meaning or mood of the words expressed well? 4. Have contrasting elements been used effectively? 5. Is there a feeling of overall harmony? 6. Is only one element truly dominant on the page? 7. Are the eyes first attracted to the lettering rather than to empty white space? 8. Is there a feeling of life and energy present?

On the facing page, you will also notice a set of “Old-Style” numbers, that is, numbers that are written at various heights, rather than all sitting on the baseline.

HISTORY OF CALLIGRAPHY-ITALIC

Treasury of Calligraphy; 219 Great Samples, 1522-1840. Edited by Jan Tschisold.

Higgins Eternal Ink, Engrossing or Calligraphy Ink are all good basic black inks for use with dip pens.

Osmiroid makes colored inks for fountain pens, and Winsor & Newton, as well as Pelikan, make colored inks that can be used with dip pens. Dr. Martins is a brand of concentrated liquid watercolor that comes in a great variety of colors.

Pelikan is another brand of black ink worth trying, as is Waterman’s or Stephen’s.

Rather than invent a new set of capitals, the Renaissance writers of Italics borrowed the classic capitals that the Romans had brought to perfection by 100 A.D.

The very first printed book on lettering, the Alphabetum of Damianus Moyllus of 1480, was an analysis of the Roman capitals.