Usually, the first thing people think of when they think of calligraphy is what is commonly referred to as the italic style of writing. That, and ‘gothic’ which actually refers to several styles in one family, sometimes referred to as ‘blackletter’. Most calligraphers can do several hands but usually have a favorite. My favorite depends on what day of the week it is!
The hands I am most comfortable rendering are foundational (which is where one should start, in my opinion), textura or a form of blackletter, copperplate, spencerian (yes, they are different!), uncial and gothasized italic. My regular italic depends on my mood and I have to warm up to write it consistently enough to be happy. I also like doing the ‘fun’ letters like versals and stylized letters for special projects. Of course, brush lettering is another style that can be very versatile, depending on the occasion.
Here are some old photos of envelopes I have done at different times using different fonts. I will post more samples as I get better photos!
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- Copperplate
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- More copperplate
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- Uncial
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- Typical Italic
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- Curved Italic
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- Spencerian
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- Script lettering
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- Blackletter (Textura)
