Calligraphy Alphabets And Historical Handwriting

Isn't 'calligraphy' almost the same as 'historical handwriting'? Yes and no.

There were several forces at work in historical scripts which we don't usually feel in calligraphy today, unless we're professionals earning our living by it. One such force, economy, pushed towards smaller, simpler letterforms written faster and more efficiently. Another force, the client's desire for a display piece, pushed towards larger and more elaborate letterforms carefully drawn and highly decorated. Historically, scribes always had to take into account client budget, deadline, legibility and fit-for-purpose.

Ongoing demand for luxury letterforms at economical prices helped bring into being new alphabets -- smaller, more cursive, easier-to-produce versions of the grand scripts. Ultimately, the printing press took over mass production, and client status perhaps began to be reflected more in bookbindings than in script.

Today, the practical, business side of the written word is taken care of by machine alphabets and hardly at all by our (often nondescript) personal handwriting. Calligraphy is a leisured luxury: using nibs, inkwells and parchment to produce books is almost unimaginably laborious and time-consuming compared with digital print-to-demand. Yet calligraphy flourishes as an art and hobby, and the practice of reproducing calligraphy alphabets is still the foundation of a good hand.

A 'calligraphy alphabet' is an alphabet intended to be handwritten for aesthetic effect. It is modelled on the most successful historical alphabets but its purpose and context have changed significantly. A calligraphy alphabet today may not even work as an alphabet per se; some modern calligraphers have created alphabet display pieces the individual letters of which are impractical to use for writing out a text.

'Historical handwriting', by contrast, is the script which was used during a given period in time for the practical production of documents and books. It can nearly always be thought of as 'the best that could be done in the circumstances'. Sometimes 'the best that could be done' was a spectacular Book of Kells. Sometimes, too, it was rushed, sloppy, wavery, cramped, irregular - the historical equivalent of a bad photocopy - and nevertheless remains as a faithful example of its kind.

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There are many examples of both calligraphy alphabets and historical handwriting online, some with guidelines on how to write them yourself along with references to further resources. A good place to start is http://www.calligraphy-skills.com 's first training page on the basic skills which apply to any hand.


Harriet Shead writes on arts, education and healthy living. She is an amateur calligrapher with a particular interest in gothic scripts.

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Calligraphy History And Origins

The history of calligraphy is as long as man has been putting ideas down in one form or another onto a surface. Written language originated as pictorial drawings and glyphs used around the world by various cultures. The Egyptians raised this to a detailed art with their hieroglyphic form of writing. The written alphabet was created by the Phoenicians, and later adopted by the Greeks and Etruscans. Alphabets continued to be passed from one culture to another. By the first century, the Romans were carving letters into stone, painting them on walls, and had developed a cursive form for daily use. Written language continued to flourish until the fall of Rome.

Calligraphy, literally translated, means "beautiful writing". During the Dark Ages, monks laboriously copied texts to reproduce and preserve literature, religious texts, and other manuscripts. Their work was carefully proofread by Elders and they were provided with distraction-free working environments to minimize mistakes. Calligraphy was used to create a uniform look to the manuscripts. Works from this period are well-known for their ornately illuminated calligraphy.

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century, while making book production easier, did not put a stop to the use of calligraphy. Carefully handwritten script was used for invitations, letters, and formal correspondence.

When copperplate engraving was invented in the 17th century, calligraphy went into a decline. By the 19th century, new forms of pens made the art of calligraphy almost impossible, as the rounded tips were not the right shape to draw the fine turns and curves required by calligraphic rules. William Morris, the British poet, re-introduced the flat-edged pen and brought back the art of calligraphy, founding a society in England in 1922 that promoted fine penmanship and calligraphic skills.

With the advent of the computer and the ease of use of graphic programs, it is easier than ever to print script. Calligraphy continues to flourish, however, with more societies devoted to the art than ever before. Today's calligraphic artist tries to convey the beauty of the words through the art of the lettering.

Calligraphy writing also enjoys a long history in Asia and the Middle East. Arabic and Asian calligraphy forms have long been appreciated as works of art and beauty. Calligraphic artists in the Asian and Arabic schools believe that the beauty of the word comes through the drawing of the character, and both forms have strict rules outlining how each character should be drawn that have been developed over thousands of years.

Sean McDowell writes extensively about all types of calligraphy products and runs a website about calligraphy pen sets. For more information visit http://www.calligraphypensets.com/ 

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An Insight On Some Modern Tools And Techniques Used In Calligraphy

While entering the world of visual arts, it is hard to forgo the art of fancy lettering. Truly, calligraphy is an art that gives expression to signs and symbols. This art has been in place since ages in different cultures but has not lost its appeal. That is the reason why modern calligraphy is quite vast which ranges from hand-lettered inscriptions and designs to fine art pieces. In older times, the tools used for calligraphy were quite simple and there was no concept of drafting tables or drafting chairs at that time. However, the times have changed now. The tools employed today are much too advanced.

As we all know, the basic tool of calligraphy is a pen. The calligrapher may require a pen that is either flat or round-nibbed along with a brush. There are several multi-nibbed pens and steel brushes available for decorative purposes. Although, people make use of felt-tip and ball point pens as well, the work from such pens do not have angled lines.

The ink that is employed for calligraphy is water based, and so it becomes less viscous than the oil based ones used for printing. The paper or sheet used for this art is the one having a good consistency of porosity. A paper or parchment with such a quality will enable fine lines to be made on it.

Plus, the light boxes and templates offer you to make straight line without the need of pencil markings that can detract you from the work. Another option is a ruled paper that can either be applied for a light box or a direct use. The spaces in the ruled paper are marked both a quarter and half an inch; however the inch spaces are more frequently used.

As for the pens, they are available from different stationary sources. Whether you wish to buy the traditional nib pens dipped in ink or the calligraphy pens that have built-in cartridges, all are accessible in the market. The latter, however, is more preferred as it removes the need to continually dip the pen in ink.

As for the techniques, the western calligraphy has some special features. You might have noticed the illumination of the first letter of each book or chapter in medieval times. When comparing with the Chinese and Arabic calligraphy, the western calligraphic script has strict rules and shapes. The writing followed a special type of rhythm and regularity, and the style displayed the geometrical order of lines on the page. Each character has a precise stroke order and the calligrapher cannot defy that style.

It is mainly the irregularity in characters, size, style and colors that make calligraphy appear so beautiful. At times, it may not seem fully legible to you, but will be certainly meaningful to a viewer who has an eye on such works of art.

Recently, calligraphy tends to flourish in the form of weddings and event invitations. Moreover, we find its usage in logo design, religious art, cut stone inscriptions and memorial documents. Calligraphy is also employed in props and moving images for film and television along with any other work that involves writing.

Connor Sullivan usually buys his children's drafting tables online. He also ordered the drafting chairs online as well.

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