Gothic Blackletter Script

[caliken]

Even although some of the letters are a bit florid, the wide, square aspect of this version of Blackletter and the generous inter-letter spacing, make it easy to write and to read. It's the opposite of the visual density usually associated with Blackletter and I find it refreshingly attractive with its openness.

 

Any opinions?

 

caliken

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/BeAware602.jpg

Edited December 23, 2011 by caliken

[fast14riot]

Very nicely done. Personally I have never been a fan of that style due to my only exposure to it is tattoos and gang related vandalism, some of which is pretty well done!

 

But, as you state, it is very readable and bordering on elegant. A nice example.

 

 

-Xander

[myyrkezaan]

Very nice; attractive and easy to read. You say its easy to write,bit it's way out of my league .

[caliken]

You say its easy to write, but it's way out of my league .

IMO Gothic Blackletter is the easiest of all scripts to write.

 

It's deceptively easy - much easier than it looks as it's comprised mainly of straight strokes with the nib at a constant angle. Give it a try!

 

This was the script which started off my interest in lettering.

 

When I was 13 years old, I took German at school and I remember being knocked out with the sheer beauty of the typeface in our first textbook "Heute Abend".

I couldn't understand why nobody else in the class was as impressed as I was!

It started off my life-long love of lettering and calligraphy, and as a result, I've always had a special affection for Blackletter. I vividly remember the day it all started for me, 60 years ago.

 

Ken

Edited December 24, 2011 by caliken

[myyrkezaan]

You say its easy to write, but it's way out of my league .

IMO Gothic Blackletter is the easiest of all scripts to write.

 

It's deceptively easy - much easier than it looks as it's comprised mainly of straight strokes with the nib at a constant angle. Give it a try!

 

 

Says the master of pen and style .

 

I will add it to my list, but currently I'm working on my handwriting and deciding on either Spencerian, Business, Vertical (which look Spencerian) or one I saw today that looks like vertical italic cursive.

 

 

[estie1948]

Beautiful as is all of your work. It is easy to read and appealing to the eye. I am inspired to attempt it. Thank you for posting your fantastic work.

[sniper910]

Very nice ken. Althought I've been spending most of my calligraphy time lately practicing my copperplate, I still love gothic style. So uniformed and expressive. To further my interest in gothic writing and instruction, do you have any books you recommend?

[caliken]

Very nice ken. Althought I've been spending most of my calligraphy time lately practicing my copperplate, I still love gothic style. So uniformed and expressive. To further my interest in gothic writing and instruction, do you have any books you recommend?

Thanks sniper910.

 

There will be, I'm sure, good books devoted to Gothic Blackletter script, but I'm afraid that I don't know of them. Most of the better general calligraphy books, have sections on Blackletter.

I'm sure that others will have the information you need.

 

Ken

[fuchsiaprincess]

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful script, Ken. It is also the script that initially got me interested in calligraphy.

 

May I please ask, how do you write the 'fork' at the top of the 'l', 'h', etc.?

 

Thank you!

 

Regards,

Soki

[caliken]

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful script, Ken. It is also the script that initially got me interested in calligraphy.

 

May I please ask, how do you write the 'fork' at the top of the 'l', 'h', etc.?

 

Thank you!

 

Regards,

Soki

With the nib held at the normal angle, I do the main downstroke with the curve to the right at the top. I then turn my hand so that the nib edge is at right angles to the downstroke. At the top of the downstroke, with the edge of the nib, I draw a short, upwards hairline and then pull a little angled stroke down to the right, into the body of the original downstroke.

 

It sounds complicated, but it's really much easier to do, than to describe!

 

Ken

[fuchsiaprincess]

Thank you very much, Ken! Do you have an example of the full alphabet? I would love to revisit this beautiful script.

 

Warm regards,

Soki

[sniper910]

Thanks Ken. I was just curious. Black letter seems to be the most well known type of calligraphy and I've always been drawn to how uniformed the letters are, but never knew there were so many different variations

[caliken]

Do you have an example of the full alphabet?

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/blackadderalphabet601.jpg

Edited December 28, 2011 by caliken

[Purrr]

It's a really pretty script!

However, the two letters X and Z looks a bit out of place. Every other capital has more elaborate decoration. They, the letters X and Z, just look modern compared to the rest of the capital letters.

Please, don't take what I've written wrong - I only try express what I'm experiencing when I look at that complete alphabet. I only wonder if I'm the only one that has these thoughts.

[fuchsiaprincess]

Do you have an example of the full alphabet?

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/blackadderalphabet601.jpg

 

Thank you very much, Ken!

[gibsona9]

Ken, very nice, readable style... But I confess I am still addicted to the dense style of medieval blackletter. The more ink, the merrier, ha!

Edited December 29, 2011 by gibsona9

[sniper910]

Thank you so much for the example Ken!

[caliken]

But I confess I am still addicted to the dense style of medieval blackletter. The more ink, the merrier, ha!

 

Do you mean like this?

 

Ken

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/NarrowBlackletter400.jpg

[hughdrbf]

Ken,

 

Simply incredible your capability and capacity to adapt and enhance at will.

 

Amazing.

 

Hugh

[sniper910]

here's my first try at gothic blackletter after about 6 months of just concentrating on my copperplate. seems i've gotten a little rusty