Gothic Calligraphy

[will96]

Hello! I'm interested in the Gothic style of writing, specifically Fraktur, and I wanted to know if anyone could suggest a pen that would be good for Gothic styles. I would also like suggestions for books about Gothic and Fraktur styles of writing. Thanks.

[brunico]

Any italic fountain pen or dip pen will do. A Pilot Parallel 2.4mm would be my first suggestion for learning: you can use the corners of the nib to make hairlines, and it's broad enough to show your beginner errors clearly but won't be as difficult to wield as the 6.0mm the guy's using in this video. (Larger lettering is harder to do evenly and consistently, even if you free up your arm to make the larger movements comfortably.)

 

 

I've read a fair bit about Fraktur via Google, but I haven't followed a course of instruction from start to finish, so I don't have any recommendations to make. Check the stickies at the top of the penmanship forum.

Edited October 19, 2013 by brunico

[smk]

The Art of Calligraphy by David Harris has the exemplar and ductus (order and direction of strokes) for Fraktur.

 

Lessons on Gothic Batarde on WetCanvas (starting here) are a great introduction too as they provide instructions on spacing and other elements of the hand.

 

The 2.4 mm Pilot Parallel pen suggested by brunico would be excellent for learning any hand that requires a broad edge. Don't use anything less than 2mm for practice since you won't be able to see certain elements clearly at smaller sizes.

 

Please do share your practice and progress with us.

 

Salman

 

ETA: Fraktur has many variations, you can experiment with them once you learn the basics. The example from Luca Barcellona shown in the video is different from the one shown by David Harris but the principles of the hand (arched counters, inter-letter spacing etc.) are similar.

Edited October 19, 2013 by smk

[will96]

Thanks for the help guys.