BY JOEL ALFRED ISRAEL

7D

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 Table of Contents
Introduction
Intro ……………………….……………………………………………….………………….1
. History……………………….…………………………………………………………………. 2
Tools…………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Copperplate
Intro……………………………………………………………………………………………....4
History……………………………………………………………………………………………5
Tools……………………………………………………………………………………………....6
Foundational hand

Intro ……………………….………………….…………………………………….…………..7
. History……………………….…………………………………………………………………...8
Tools……………………………………………………………………………………………...9

Italics

Intro……………………………...………………………………………………………………10
History………………………………………………………………………………………...…11

Tools……………..……………………………………………………………………………….12

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………….13

Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..14

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 Introduction
Calligraphy is an art based on writing. In Calligraphy, you have to design letters in a fashionable way.

It is also designed by Media Claude as “the art of giving form to signs in expressive, harmonious and
skillful manner.

There are 2 types of Calligraphy.

 Modern Calligraphy: -
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the
letters may or may not be readable.
 Classical Calligraphy: -
Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a
calligrapher may practice both.

Fun Fact :
• Calligraphy is made from 2 Greek
words –
• ‘Kallos’ meaning ‘beauty’
• ‘Graphien’ meaning ‘ write’

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 History

 Classical Calligraphy: -
Ever since man learnt to write, he has been searching the best and beautiful way to
write. In those days, till the Revival, there was no difference between writing and
calligraphy. So, since the Sumerians invented writing, they also invented calligraphy. But
the Romans are the ones to really bring calligraphy to the masses.

 Modern calligraphy: - After printing became popular from the 15th century, the
production of illuminated manuscripts began to decline. The modern revival of
calligraphy began at the end of the 19th century, influenced by the philosophy of William
Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Edward Johnston is regarded as being the
father of modern calligraphy. Johnston's interest in the art of calligraphy made him
invent the broad edged pen.

He began a teaching course in calligraphy at the Central School in Southampton

Row, London from September 1899, where he influenced the typeface designer and
sculptor Eric Gill. . He has been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship
and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings – his handbook on the
subject, Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering (1906) was particularly influential on a
generation of British typographers and calligraphers, including Graily Hewitt, Stanley
Morison, Eric Gill, Alfred Fairbank and Anna Simons.

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 Tools

Pens
Fun Fact:
The basic tools for a calligrapher are a
In the 19 century, dip pen
nib, a penholder and a paper. The
appeared. It was similar to a
calligraphic pens have nibs that are quill.
either flat, rounded or pointed. The
rounded and pointed nibs are flexible. There is no ‘best’ or ‘no.1’ tool, it depends on you and the type
of art work.

The common tools are:

 Quill
 Dip pen
 Brush pen
 Brush
 Fountain Pen Ink

Writing ink is a water-based ink. High quality paper is mostly only used in finished work. So,
parchment on vellum is often used. There is no ‘best’ or ‘no.1’ ink, it depends on you and the
type of art work.

Writing Surface

As for the writing surface, you could use a: -

 Normal table: - The most commonly used is a study table.
 Slanted table: -
It is very
comfortable

 Light box: - A
light box
provides a very bright surface for you to use. The bright
surface is designed to shine through two pieces of paper
and allows you to trace content from the bottom piece of
paper on the top piece of paper.

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 Copperplate

Copperplate is one of the most famous types of calligraphy. Its original name was ‘Round hand’, till it
was used as another name for ‘Foundational hand’. It was also used as an umbrella term for various
forms of pointed pen calligraphy.

Fun Fact:

Fun fact:
• It is called copper plate because the text
written was to be engraved laterally inversed
on a copper plate to be printed in copybooks.

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 History

When the Spanish Armada, in 1588, was defeated, it gave England control of the seas. With this,
England’s trade was on the rise. To record all this, there was an increase in the need for scribes. By the
start of the 18th century, the age of the English writing masters was in full power. John Ayres was one
of the most important and successful writing master of this time. Many writing masters published copy
books. Sir Ambrose Heal’s book was the first place where the term ‘Copperplate’ was used.

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 Tools

The tools which are used in this style are

 Grid paper - Grid paper is also known as a guide sheet. You use this under a calligraphy sheet
as a guideline.
 Light box – It is a light emitting, slanting glass table used for making the guidelines more
visible.

 Pen holder – It is used to hold the nib. You can choose from two different types – straight or
oblique pen holder.

oblique pen holder 1

 Copper plate nib –. Fine hairlines are produced when the pointed nib is just touching the
paper and no pressure is applied to the
nib. Shades (thick strokes) are produced
when the scribe applies pressure to open
the nib. For a straight holder, you need an
elbow nib. For an oblique pen holder, you
will need a straight nib.

 Ink – You need different inks based on

the pen and the project done.

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 Foundational Hand

It is commonly known as round hand, so I will also call it this. It is a classic, rounded, upright style,
familiar in many typefaces. It is designed to be a very clear, round and readable calligraphic font. It can
be easily designed with a flat pen and a slanted angle. The wide gestures are ideal for beginners. It has
been in use for centuries.

A lot of engrossing business is done in this style. It was the modernization of the English Caroline
minuscule calligraphy. The foundational hand influences can be easily seen in the sans serif font
designed for the London Underground, and in Eric Gill’s Perpetua font as well as Gill Sans.

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 History
During the Renaissance, writing masters of the Apostolic Camera developed the italic cursiva script.
When the Apostolic Camera was destroyed during the sack of Rome in 1527, many masters moved to
Southern France where they began to refine the renaissance italic cursiva script into a new script, italic
circumflessa. Italic circumflessa was further adapted into the French style Rhonde in the early 17th
century.

By the mid-17th century, French officials were flooded with documents written in various styles at
varied levels of skills. Officials complained that many such documents were beyond their ability to
decipher. France's Controller-General of Finances took proposals from French writing masters of the
time. After examining the proposals, the Controller-General of Finances decided to restrict all legal
documents to three hands, namely the Coulée, the Rhonde, and a Speed Hand.

In England, Edward Cocker had been publishing copybooks based upon French rhonde in the 1640s. In
the 1680s, John Ayres and William Banson popularized their versions of Rhonde what had become
known as English round hand style.

Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, English writing masters including George Bickham, George Shelley
and Charles Snell helped to spread Round Hand's popularity, so that by the mid-18th century the
Round Hand style had spread across Europe and crossed the Atlantic to North America. George Snell
was particularly noted for his reaction to other variants of roundhand, developing his own Snell
Roundhand.

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 Tools

The tools which are used in this style are

 Grid paper - Grid paper is also known as a guide sheet. You use this under a calligraphy sheet
as a guideline.

 Light box – It is a light emitting, slanting glass table used for making the guidelines more
visible.

 Pen holder – It is used to hold the nib. You can choose from two different types – straight or
oblique pen holder.

oblique pen holder 2

 Nib –. Fine hairlines are produced when the pointed nib is just touching the paper and no
pressure is applied to the nib. Shades
(thick strokes) are produced when the
scribe applies pressure to open the nib.
For a straight holder, you need an elbow
nib. For an oblique pen holder, you will
need a straight nib.

 Ink – You need different inks based on

the pen and the project done.

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 Italic
Italic script, also known as chancery cursive, is a semi-cursive, slightly sloped style of handwriting
and calligraphy that was developed during the Renaissance in Italy. It is one of the most popular styles
used in contemporary Western calligraphy and is often one of the first scripts learned by beginning
calligraphers.

Italic script is based largely on Humanist minuscule, which is based on Carolingian minuscule. The
capital letters are the same as the Humanist capitals, modeled after Roman square capitals.

The Italian scholar Niccolò de' Niccoli found the Humanist minuscule lowercase forms too slow to
write.

In response, he created the Italic script, which has features and techniques of a quickly written hand:
oblique forms, fewer strokes per character, and the joining of letters. Perhaps the most significant
change to any single character was to the form of the a now ɑ.

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 History

Italic script is based largely on Humanist minuscule, which is based on Carolingian minuscule. The
capital letters are the same as the Humanist capitals, modeled after Roman square capitals. The Italian
scholar Niccolò de' Niccoli found the Humanist minuscule lowercase forms too slow to write. In
response, he created the Italic script, which has features and techniques of a quickly written hand:
oblique forms, fewer strokes per character, and the joining of letters. Perhaps the most significant
change to any single character was to the form of the a now ɑ.

Under the influence of Italic movable type used with printing presses, the style of handwritten
Italic script moved towards disjoined, more mannered characters. By the 1550s the Italic script had
become so laborious that it fell out of use with scribes.

The style became increasingly influenced by the development of Copperplate writing styles in the
eighteenth century. The style Italic script used today is often heavily influenced by developments made
as late as the early 20th century. In the past few decades, the italic script has been promoted in
English-speaking countries as an easier-to-learn alternative to traditional styles of cursive handwriting.

In the UK this revival was due in part to the 19th century artist William Morris, in the 20th
century it was Edward Johnston's book Writing & Illumination & Lettering (1906) and Alfred Fairbank's
book A Handwriting Manual (1932).

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 Tools

 Broad edged pen – You can either use a fountain pen or a dip pen.

 Ink / Cartridge – If you are using a fountain pen, you have to use a cartridge. Otherwise use ink.

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 Conclusion
Calligraphy is important as it shows the perfection that we seek. Just as we evolve, so does our
definition of perfection. Each person is different. That’s why different calligrapher’s different styles. The
style of England’s calligraphy is different from the style of the Chinese calligraphy. When cultures mix,
so does the styles and the preferences. Round hand is an example of this.

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 Glossary
 Quill - A writing instrument made of a flight feather. The tip is carved into a nib.
 Nib – A part of a writing instrument, a writing tip.
 Pen holder – A tube of plastic or wood used to hold a nib.
 Dip pen – A pen made up of a nib and a pen holder. It is called a dip pen because you to dip it
in ink.
 Broad edged pen – A nib / pen whose writing tip is flat.
 Water-based ink- Water based ink is any ink which uses water as a solvent base to carry the
pigment.

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