Calligraphy Book
Calligraphy Book
Calligraphy Book
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OR.
EDITION
GOOD LETTERING
IS AS ESSENTIAL IN MAKING
EFFECTIVE POSTERS AS IT IS
IN DISPLAY ADVERTISING
ANYONE WHO CAN WRITE CAN LEARN
TO LETTER ,fOR NO UNUSUAL TALENT
IS NEEDED. STUDENTS WHO INVEST
SUFFICIENT TIME TO MASTER THE
FUNDAMENTALS AS PRESENTED IN
TfllS MANUAL
WILL ENJOY RICHER.
RETURNS Q^, THEIR INVESTMENT
THAN CAN B^' DERIVED FROM ANY
SIMILAR INVESTMENT IN THE ALLIED
ARTS. NO ART COURSE SHOULD
BECOMPLETE WITHOUT A WORKING
KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASIC ALPHABETS
AND THE TOOLS 9EST SUITED TO
THIEIR PRODUCTION/
steady em|)loyment few occufiations offer the
opfjortunities enjoyed by poster artists who are
LETTERIMG
BRUSHGS ARE
HELD BETWEEN
INDEX FINGIIR.
AND THUMB TO
GIVE AROU'NG
MANIPULATION
illiisrrailons and mcihoiib of instruction apponrin^in this lxx>k copy i iv];'lu 195!i! by Ross i\Goc/it^^
'Publisked tn llSA huVuni 'hnlSo. cfCamJen,l,J{cu>Jcrscif^ MlYubluiiUonri^hia reserved * AiiWuj'acuireri cf S}\(dball froduct$ - ^Pens, Inks/Text'dooh^ QnoUum. CuU rs.cte.
^volution of Jjetter Styles
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Merchandising depends so much upon sho-cards for quick turnover that we seldom see displays
without them. Supplying this demand has created profitable positions for experienced letterers every-
where. The fact that skilled letterers can do about fifty per cent more work with the pen, explains why
most of the cards are pen-lettered. It is quite a feat to letter a mass of copy on a sho-card with a brush
and keep it uniform yet the artist cannot ask more for a brush masterpiece than he would get for a good
pen job. When the work appears uniform, easy to read, and is ready on time, the customer is seldom
concerned with how it was made.
The following will acquaint the student with the different style pens and their use.
The StyleSpeedball pen was the first tool of its kind, designed to produce square poster letters
"A"
single stroke. Style "B" pen was next developed for single stroke round Gothics. Then came
The
created by the ^Jalians
the vogue for the graceful Roman and Italic alphabets which were originally
of this flexible
with hand-cut reed pens. This called for a lettering tool that would duplicate the strokes
reed. The Style "C" Speedball pen was the first to successfully meet these
requirements. The next period
saw the development of bold poster Roman alphabets. These were first made with the round tip
pens,
building up all thicker elements with additional strokes. This "building up" took so
much extra time
that sho-card men asked for a tool to produce these thick-and-thicker
alphabets as easily and quickly
as the Style "C" pen did the thick-and-thin letters.
Style "D" Speedball pens proved satisfactory. The oval marking tips made them remarkably easy
to handle. The newest Speedball pens are trade marked "Flicker." Their ink reservoirs are hinged.
Both upper and lower feeders "flick" open simultaneously so they can be wiped clean. Flicker pens
equipped with
and their feeders are both made of pen steel, tempered to give longer service. FB-6 is
reservoir ink retainers.
ruling flanges for drafting work. All Speedball pens are equipped with triple
The main reservoirs load with a dip and handle a generous supply of ink. The ink is fed to the auxiliary
reservoir above the tip -as it is used, which also acts as an automatic check to
prevent blots by spreading
the ink evenly over the entire surface, thus insuring perfect strokes at any
speed.
To successfully handle any tool, it is helpful for the operator to become familiar with its limita-
the size and style of pen
tions as well as its potentialities. In making letters by hand, choose
that will produce their elements with the fewest strokes. There is a
Speedball pen designed for each of
the different alphabets. It is never clever to try to form letters with a
pen or brush not adapted to their
or a wasteful expendi-
production. Such efforts are generally misdirected and usually result in a failure
ture of time and effort. Besides the Speedball pens every letterer's kit
should include two or more red
are too large for the pens.
sable sho-card brushes, sizes 10-12 and 14, to take care of the letters that
Sho-card colors prepared for brush use will work satisfactorily in pens when thinned to a free-
—
flowing consistency with a little of this solution water, nine ounces; alcohol, one
ounce; gum mucilage,
one ounce; and a few drops of glycerine. Diluted sho-card colors must be kept well stirred to flow
freely from the pen. Do not prepare a large quantity because they work best
when freshly mixed. When
using white or opaque colors or inks, brush pens occasionally with a wet toothbrush to prevent the
feeders from getting clogged with dried ink. Crusted pens should be scraped
or brushed clean before using.
dealer. They are made in all the brilliant colors of the rain-
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Hold the pen firmly between the two first fingers and thumb i close to the working tip as tiie holder will i)erniit
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Dip the pen deeply enough into the ink to fill the reservoir
^) wipe off the surplus by drawing pen across edge of bottle
VAVAY^VAVA
ABCDEFG
not show the finished letters
strokes together so that ^overlaps 'do
in
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comlincci wilk a slraigki. line lo (orm a single sinako- pause JigliUy al iLirjunclioo wilioul
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lifltng |)cn Id insure a wc
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LETT
VWXY&ZS II
ROUND GOTHIC WITH f-6 I SPE6DBALL PEN
Aim try iheiv half-inch high with size 3, and a quarter-inch high with sizes 4 and J5 pens.
STYLE C'SPEEDBALL PEN
15
r
Style C'Speedball Pen Roman
A rapid le5ible alphabet for Artists and Sho-catxi Writers.
a bed eft
hiiklmn •,A0-
67 8 90,
16
Condensed Bold Roman Italics, D Speedball Pens
RBCOemHUK
LmnopoRSTU
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GOTHIC ITALICS WITH F-B-4- SPEEDBALL PENS
A BCDEFGHIJKLMN
OPQRSTUVWXVZ
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qrsstuvwx(^dkyu
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how Serifs change the alphobei ^
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ABorsiuvwxiz CD
UVWXVZ&WSR
.$123^5® A678909
CtothicText w'nh a stifle ^paedball Pen
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BCD $I23i^S67390^ X "^GC
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Sprinp;
Sports / A ;
stj/led
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for
PAIpER
Carnival DRIVE
^gata event for save|)jour
The seasons smart magazines
jsteppinj^ dancers.
[These fiprf^usly
sumrnkft news papers
pkyled dance and seRuicefiBL£ rags- bottles
jdinner Qswns are TLU€£DS Ano
coat hangerS/
Bring \ihem
18 50 ^ressShof)- Jim
3'^
MONDAY
OCT.35^9§m
m y» • ' ^ f ^ ^Manuscript
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rstluvwvwxU^ZffOA
^ X
'Bold rtoman. Italics -style X)'pen
AncviEFqwjKLMM
OPQKSJTUVWVXSfZ
Ma
j
Autumn
SHIRT^
famotis Wands \
and ikejoy
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pB$ $3<>f \seri^ic&\
KIMN
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24
abcdef^kijklmn/i
0 p q rs A t iiv w Xyz r&-
^ni^idey sfiaciK^ adds ckardoter to this alpkaiei
ARCHITfCTS
RxLf)icl , Single stroke alf>habets
5^ DRAFTSMEN
BS
with or B'6 Speedball
ABCDEFGHIJKM
LNOPQRSTUVW
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abcdefqhijklmnopq
( a , U -Ira- r> ^ ' .
1
rs t u V wx u z ,(y at$r9Ry
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ABCDEFOHlJKLMNOPQR5?T
26
UVWX YYZf12345678903'^ A bolder pen is not so well suited to this style of letter.
mm
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27
cSpeedMl 9iik^Sijk E)
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28 Sketch letters first with pencil and then ink ivith B-5 or B-6 pen.
THE ROMAN ALPHABET
Roman is by far our most beautiful alphabet. It radiates a dignified atmosphere of reliability,
elegance, and refinement desirable in many classes of advertising. It is especially adapted to conserva-
tive publicity and the advertising of quality merchandise. Roman characters furnish the most stable
foundation for individualistic conceptions or type innovations in both vertical and the Italic styles.
The Roman alphabet is an evolution of ancient Egyptian writings. Its development has been
traced back some five or six thousand years through the writings of the Greeks, Phoenicians and
Persians. The on the base of the Trajan Column in Rome (circa 114 A.D.) records its
inscription
best early development. Roman lower
case came as a later development, about the fifteenth or sixteenth
century, and has been subjected to improvement or modification by type designers ever since.
The way the original reed pen was shaped and held by the early Italian scribes accounts in some
measure for the varying order of the thick and thin strokes as they appear in the diflPerent letters. For
example, the two vertical strokes in the letter N are thin, while in the letter H they are thick and in the
letter M they are thin and thick, etc. This irregular order made the Roman capitals very tricky and diffi-
cult to produce with speed and was one reason for the origination of the French half-uncial, a speed
writing which appeared in the fifth and sixth century. This half uncial was a faster, more legible style of
writing used in the revision of many church books. It was a cross between a crude anticipation of our
present-day Roman lower case and the unfinished Roman capitals as we know them today.
As Roman letters became standardized and were adapted to printing, their most noticeable modi-
fication was a slight spur, or serif, added to the terminals, increasing both their beauty and legibility.
A study of present-day styles shows that most of our alphabets were created simply by changing the
design of the serif or by adding a few ornamental touches to the body of the letter (see pages 4-12-31).
For descriptive copy or for words of special emphasis, Italics can be employed eflPectively. Italic
letters are simply slanted vertical letters. In Roman Italics it will be found that the thick
and thin
elements follow very closely the natural stroke of the writing hand using a chisel-tipped or flat
flexible pen. DiflPerent shaped tips and oblique holding account for most of their accepted variations.
It is interesting to see how cleverly the old scribes took advantage of the natural action of a reed
pen in the designing of their book alphabets. They wasted no strokes and did little patching up, a
good example for any of us to follow. Letterers must choose the tool best suited to the production of
each diflPerent style of letterif they want to be successful. No practical craftsman will use a stiflP, blunt
pen to imitate were created with a flexible, chisel-edged pen, any more than a jeweler will
letters that
try to engrave a ring with a pocket knife. Choosing the right tool for a job is half the battle. It is poor
business to work under unnecessary mechanical handicaps. Bold letters are best made with pens having
broad bent-up marking tips, while thick and thin letters are made with flexible chisel-end tips. The pen
best suited to the job will, in most cases, form the diflPerent elements that make up the letter in a single
stroke without retouching. Built up or outlined letters are about the only exception to this rule.
each letter. Next make several pages of the full alphabets, both lower and upper cases, combining a
smooth arm movement with a flexible manipulation of the pen. Letters should be one inch high at
first, ruling three guide lines for each line of copy. Keep the serifs as uniform as possible and strive to
equalize the space between (he letters as you work. Good lettering should appear even and never spotty.
The illustrations on page 69 oflPer a solution for this problem.
Next practice words and group them into geometric blocks as they would appear on a sho-card.
Round out the circular letters and never unnecessarily crowd a word. Where bolder letters are desired
a Style D Speedball will produce heavier elements with less strokes you can
(pages 12, 18, 19). When
produce these letters with a large pen, try them proportionately smaller with the other
and then sizes,
make a few simple posters with this alphabet, using the block system of layout shown on pages 84 to
89. Arrange your copy on the card so it will be easy to read. Simple blocks of copy always simplify
a layout.
Suitable pictures to illustrate the postermay be clipped or copied from magazines, adding a few
touches of color to take away the "stuck on" eflPect. For pasting, rubber cement is preferred because it
does not curl the clippings or warp the card, and can be easily rubbed oflp if smeared on surface of print.
30
.ROMANS
ABCDEFG AB C JDISFG
HIJKLMN
TUViEjXVZ
m
MI Baa
Ml WM MlMK
1 'ROMAN'' 1
1 ABCDEFG 1
1 HIJKIMN 1
I PPQRswl
1 TUVeXYZ 1
ABCDEFG
HIJKtMN HIJKIMN
OPCtRSW
TUV0XYZ
1 (/
niassitfePouietr^
ABCDEFG
HlJKLmn
OPQRSTU
UlOXVZabcd
efghijklmnopqrsluuiDxyz,
'I'/j/s l'o\/cr u'js painted in yellow, blue, purple and grey. Lettered with brush.
m%i Jlilj JEVK
A II WW AZX
«]Z345ig78»
IH Style A Roman." h
kjlpqrtey
mnoiiwxz
3uilt tip style H 'Ramans
jvieiropblitan Poster
abcdetg^UKlnmop
ABCDEFGHIJKL
MNOPQRSTUW
38
39
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Iffmaoali pens
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23 ABCDEFGHIJKL %l
45 MOPORSrUVWyZ 89
41
mf4 Ki e«
V —
01
CO
46
TOT6M
CAF€
GASOLINE
47
52
^*fH^ iNflo^
55
56
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Rough -in those letters with a 2)-/ Speedball - spatter a<Jd the tintspot and finish with a fine pen
59
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61
Use a size12 red sable sho-card brush with any good poster color. Dip into color and then shape brush
finger manipulation will produce clean cut strokes. Do not overload brush. . Most sho-card
64
on palette to get a sharp working edge A smooth arm movement combined with the necessary
colors need a little writer and sometimes more mucilage added to make them fiouf freely from the brush.
67
BALANCING THE LAYOUT
It is a very important subject for
eement of "copy."
"Layout" the printers' word ^^.^ poorly arranged. Copy containing only a few
is
spaced,
Xr^ive
is
if
of many phrases sen-
even good lettering, correctly ^ ^ut. But copy consisting
handled when it has been carefully divided into
is
words, and perhaps an illustration,
illustrations can
oe r^^erf ^^^^ ^^^.j
tences, paragraphs and ^^^^^^^
is ui
appropriate blocks before any attempt ^ ^^^^^ words, illustrations, border orna-
The quickest way to learn how blocks. Group the word blocks into
to
^^'I'^^^^ijJen's building
they
ments and color masses as though ^^J'^J"
a sin^,
^ord is a block in itself), and then balance all
sometimes ^^^^^ ^^^^^j^^ according to their size an and attrac-
larger phrase blocks (though ^^^^^
"^^sscs wi
pictures, spots of color or decorative problems because, instead of a lot of individual
tion. It is easy to see how this
scheme ^^"'""'^^^^ By keeping the blocks simple in
jj^^o a given space.
words, there are only a few masses
or S^^^P;,
^pd
•
effective manner. By making a dummy layout
shape it is not difficult to arrange
them in a p ea ^
^^^.^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^
^^^.^ satisfied with the
'^l^^^'
on paper and cutting out the different 3.g4.89.)
layout before applying the ink.
(See page -
should not all be done in the same size letter-
copy to go on a car difference in the size of the
If there is considerable ^ ^^^^
look iiKe ^.^J^^^^^^-^
ing. This would make the poster of the various words or phrase blocks. Less
lettering naturally depends upon the ^^/''^^^y^ r f- alphabet harmonizing with the style of letter used
important blocks are often lettered with 5"^^^'^ j ^d the best of taste to mix Gothic letters with the
gene^Ily
forth; resr;fth;;;p7. It -s not
Roman and Text on the same sno-cara, p
styles
'-^^Z^^'
r^^^. balanced upon the true center of a card, with
which
Strange as it may seem, layouts f^^-^^j^.^eavy. This is just another of the many tricks our
appear D
margins an
equal maiginb
equai around, generally
all aiuuuu, of balance maKe make uu
an iu5uiili.iv(_
instinctive i.iiuiL lu cumuci-
effort to counter-
with u a go
•
^^^^ or
nod sense
eyes play on us. Artists or letterers Professionals have learned from experience that
act this effect by placing the copy
higher I'^j^
a point that is about five per cent above the
are Daiaiu-c
the most pleasing and effective lay<)uts usually measured by the eye,^it is called
.
panel. f
actual center of a well-proportioned .-^^^^ center, your layout problems will be
„ , . .
„cad lettering.
*an good^
ft,.- m^^^^^ Many beginners who can make a fair
Good spaang .s more jmpo^t""*
alphabet have tremble w.th letter
T ^T^l^^ ^^^ ^ A
^P?,^'"f;';.fbfabided page of lettering properly done has an
^n^h^'' ^^^^^
etn'^clrovTr
. 68
Simplified spacing guide for different letters.
m
L J
This lettering chart illustrates how different combinations should be spaced. The full space as
appears between two straight letters is shown by the stippled block marked "A." Block "B" illustrates
it
the dividing area between two circular letters. Note how the letters cut into it. Block "C" shows how
the area appears between a circular and a straight letter. Block "D" shows the area between an irregular
and a straight letter. Block "E" shows the area between an irregular and a circular letter. Note that
the extra space at the top and bottom of a circular letter approximately equals what the letter cuts out
of the dividing area — and the irregular letters offer a similar example that requires closer fitting
p T" I c: A L
The examples shown here illustrate how the different combinations work out in use. In the word
"Spacing" letters of the same size and shape are spaced both ways. Note how legibility and unity
are destroyed by the mechanical arrangement. Using a "yard-stick" to measure the width or distance
between different letters seldom produces pleasing results and is generally detrimental to legibility.
The yard-stick spacing of "Minatown" shows what happens when letters are all fitted into Hke
areas with the same distance between them. Note how spotty the different letters look, especially the
M, A and W and how unrelated the irregular letters appear. By making the M, N, A, O and wider W
and fitting the irregular letters optically to compensate for their shape an even tone is obtained over all.
^^^^^^^
,XARD STICK SPACING vs LETTERS + SPACES OF LIKE WIDTH - POOR UNIT 7
A mm
I*.
TOO BLACK
^__u.-^_-.u
'
' > '
DARK ' UTOO BLACK '
—
LiOHT
1^^
DARK
- -t— h - - - - HH*- -
' T006IACK DARK
A
69
r
QJ O >
iH o fi K
(ANCO icMX^
70
QRSTUV?W
XYabcdefg;h&Z
Kjlinopqrstuvy
ABCDEFClflllciMN
OPQRSTIIY¥fXyZK
abede^hijklnm
opqtswvwxuyz
m m ^^
1>iSPlAy iTAUCS " style V pen
aabl)cc6clc«ffq3KhiijjkkllminnttOH)qq
rr ssttttuuvvvv &y YZtt>wtt>wxxyyS2t
abc6def9liijlilmnopqr$tui>u>xii}2yvsrfa
ji0Ci>£fOKijKji:mnopCiii5rut)TDx
abcAefshiJhtmnopqrstuvwxtf^ CSZ
ABCDEFGHUKonnmopms tuuvvwmxifz
76
;
^ttflli^h
can be handled
tWtru$e for
A.
77
'o
^ §
80
SUGGEST •ONS FOR POSTERS AND BORDERS
STRENGTH ^
TAPERING LINCS
SUGGESTING m\D BOLD STRAIGHT LINES WITH WIDER BASE SUGCEST SOLIDlTy.^ CURVED LINES -CPMMON BASE NO JARRING ELEMENTS
-
POWER
[
STAGGEREOJAGGEDLY
BROKEN. TAPERED
STRAIGHT UNEJ m&, FOCUSING ATTENTION BY CONCENTRIC OR CONVERGING LINES. JARRING MASSES- LINES tVEW WAY -COHERENCE LACKING
SPACING CONTRAST
POWERFUL
IS MUCH MORE
OF UNIFORM HEADLINES
WITH THE REST OF THE
IMPORTANT THAN
EITHER PERFECT,
LETTERS AND copy AftaANGED IN
SUBCHiOINftTE GROUPS
I
BALANCE THC-SE BLOCKS,
ACCORDING TO THeiR| MAK[ A POSTER ARE THE FIRST AIDS
I STRENGTH IMPORTANCE,
Mta TO A GOOD LAVOUT
HAS LCA«NCD THE SECRET 1
I
AG0Of> INVESTMENT IN
HYLE- COMFORT- LONO WE^«
I
,
Wfect Letters;
«f?!t!f*!
1
SimiSmL
, or ornamental I
]
[ I fL)ccoratiorL9,'
^
SHIES-!
'
STYIIS
;bLu/jliui>.', trie cinl'-i'.'i il •
NEPTUNE KNiTTINlaCa
POOR LAVOUr 8 AOL/ JUMOL-tiD Y^ ss^ .pew OOOD lAVOUr OPTIC x\UV iJAiANCEO
SEEDS
TC«2JL5 FOR A BEAUTIFUt
1 FOR A BEAUTIFUt
mf
SUPPLY co;
SEEDS TQDtS
MAIN XIX*
LET-fERINa
w^sJfe If Irritates
8.S
86
"
llalloweeii
PROFITAILE
ADVAMCfD
AUT.STUKHT
%kments of Cayovi'' h7iamB,%mustratwn,3' ohject,4--capiwtt, S'Cvpj, ^'^^/ '^'^^'f^'^
^
88
89
SPEEDBALL SYMBOLS
DRAMATIZE MAPS
AND CHARTS
CAME
FISH
l4JovC ^ ^
*VAR PRODUCTION
"Pjr
91
SketcKitig Nature with tKe Spcedball t)ca
92
94
95
96
Page
Advertising Layouts and Posters Carnival 57
23, 68, 84-90 Design Poster 41
Advertising Moods 38 Divinity 25
Architects' Alphabets 26 Modern Caps and Lower Case 41
Basic Alphabets and Elements 4 Rope 62
Border Designs 52 (color), 79, 82, 83 Title, Style B 28
Brush Alphabets 51, 63-67, 77 Vanitie 38
Draftsmen's Alphabet 56 Ornamental Penmanship 50 (color), 72, 80
Engrossing 48-52 (color), 72-80 Posters. ,23, 45-47, 51 (color), 81, 84-90
. .
Squeezed Headline 61
Single Stroke, Style C .
yo* • •
^pHt Script
Text, Style A 20 •
ls<3P
Vertical Manuscript 6
Stencil Italics .... .iAV^- • -^^^^
Vertical Script, Style A 27
Stunt ^\y.....^:<S^..l%
How to Hold the P|in or Brush 1
Style
Swash
A
ItaliS; StyWS
n&
M . . .
^
.W^^'>
v- G^'
Initials, Decorari^V '.
58 Vanitie
(in color) 4> Y . . 48, 49, 52 Western
.C>i^}