Modern lettering, artistic and practical; a thorough and practical text-book for use in schools and colleges and for the self-instruction of architects, artists, decorators and sign writers; the construction of pen and ink designs for commercial uses; advertisements, letter heads, business cards, inscriptions, memorials, resolutions, etc

Front matter

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Preface

A number of books have been written on LET- TERING. Several new works of this kind, containing some very good features, were published recently. That most of these books, from a practical standpoint, are worse than useless, is a well-known and deplorable fact. In constructing the letters of the alphabets, the designer has too often departed far from the original outlines, thus misleading young students of lettering. Letters and numerals designed for the use of architects, on plans and specifications, are likewise inadequate for the purpose, being either stiff and ill-spaced, lacking in beauty, or too highly embellished. Too many scrolls and flourishes make it difficult to decipher a letter easily, which is a grave fault, as legibility ought to be the artist's first consideration. Only plain letters, that can be quickly made and easily read, should be used by architects. Engineers and builders with them have no trouble in making out their meaning, and are not nearly so liable to make mistakes.

One branch of the art of lettering, in particular, has received but scant attention: the designing of attractive advertisements is virtually a class in itself. It constitutes a special field, and a most interesting and remunerative one.

In the following pages the author has endeavored to supply such information on the subject as has been gained by many years of experience in this line. Practical suggestions are given, simple methods employed. The difference between correct and faulty styles of letters, good and poor spacing, harmonious and bad grouping of words and phrases is shown by artistic examples. The result aimed at is the construction of plain and neat designs, of novel, individual ideas in advertisements, lettering of quality, instead of the stiff, monotonous types and faulty spacing as generally employed, or exaggerated styles, that cannot be read.

The printer is limited to the use of existing types; the designer of letters is bound only by the limits of his own imagination. If his creative or inventive powers be boundless, he should be wise enough not to let his fancy lead him to extremes. Aim for beauty rather than striking or crying effects.

In no department of the graphic arts is good taste being sinned against so frequently and persistently as in the art of lettering. At almost every step we are offended by coarse violations of the art; and this is true not only of commercial lettering, but also of architectural inscriptions and those of memorial tablets, claimed to represent masterpieces, and intended to impress future generations.

Doubtless one of the causes of this lamentable lack of judgment is the fact that certain authors of books on mechanical drawing do not realize the importance of good lettering, and treat the subject as a side issue only. The results are mathematically correct but, consequently, stiff, awkward letters, drawn with painstaking care, but devoid of harmony and beauty. The other extreme is as bad, if not worse. We are drifting into a craze for " fancy," " snappy " lettering called by representatives of this school " modern." While sometimes executed with no little skill, this style of lettering is of no practical value, because the average person cannot read it without difficulty. More artistic ability is required to construct a plain letter correctly than to create a most phantastic " modern " hieroglyphic, but it demands study and practice to cultivate the taste necessary to produce the former.

This book does not merely present a collection of alphabets and designs, but may be considered a guide into the realms of letterdom. The construction of letters is taught by a system of easy lessons, and rules are laid down for the proportions and spacing of the different characters, in their relations to each other. At every stage of the development practical examples are given. From step to step the text is accompanied by illustrations, explaining important good points and also mistakes to be avoided.

Good letterers are exceedingly scarce, and there is a growing demand for competent exponents of the art. Keen competition of tradespeople has brought about in recent years a marvelous display of posters, signs and labels, and an extraordinary mass of advertising matter in the newspapers and magazines. It is necessary now to make your "ad" stand out prominently among a hundred others. Thus the art of designing novel and conspicuous advertisements is becoming more important every day. It appeals to the creative talent of the artist. Correct, well spaced lettering is wanted. In addition to this the principal words of the subject matter must be distinctly brought out, so that the reader can see at a glance what the advertisement may offer. The producer is eager to sell his goods, and the advertisement must tell the story. Advertising is as essential as the merchant's display of goods. But the announcement should not flare out brutally, aggressively. The advertiser, when he lifts his voice, must not shout offensively, but should temper his language by artistic effects.

The young student of art or architecture also, who takes up the study of lettering seriously, will find in this method everything necessary to acquire proficiency, if he be but willing to do his part, by working out the problems and following the suggestions here offered.

Introduction

PAGE

Water Color, White Sheet Gelatine

PAGE

19 19

PART I The Drawing Materials

The Drawing Board 9

The T-Square 9

The Triangle 10

The Set of Drawing Instruments . . 10

(a) The Compasses 11

(b) The Ruling Pen 12

(c) The Bow Spacers .... 13

(d) The Dividers 13

Lead Pencils 14

Pencil Pointer IS

Writing Pens iS

Thumb Tacks IS

India Ink . , . 16

Flat Rule 17

Drawing Paper 16

Cross-Section paper 17

Transfer Paper 18

Tracing Paper or Cloth 18

Irregular Curves 18

Brushes 18

Rubber 15

Ink Eraser 19

PART II Practice Work Position in Drawing, as to Light . . 19

Practice Work 19

The Guide Lines (with illustration) . 22

Copying the Letters 22

Method of Procedure 23

Ellipses 30

Mechanical Construction of Letters and

Numerals {with 3 construction plates) 31 General Rules for the Construction of

Letters 50

Antique Roman 51

French Roman 54

Ornamental Roman 54

Block 54

Square Block 54

Ornamental Block ..... 54

Plain or Condensed, Round ... 55

Plain, Square 55

Plain, Spurred 55

Roman Italics 55

Modern Gothic ....

German Gothic ....

Modern Uncials ....

The Lower Case Letters :

Modern Roman, Lower Case French Roman, Lower Case Antique Roman, Lower Case Ornamental Roman, Lower Case Plain, Round, Lower Case .

Plain, Square, Lower Case .

Plain, Spurred, Lower Case Block, Lower Case Ornamental Block, Lower Case Roman Italics, Lower Case Modern Gothic, Lower Case German Gothic, Lower Case

Modern Script

Freedom of Treatment

PART III The Alphabets, Practical and Artistic

Their History, Description and

Proper Use

The Roman Alphabets 85

The Classic Roman Capitals {with plate) 85

Modern Roman (with 3 plates) ... 89 French Roman (with 2 plates) . . .89

Antique Roman (with plate) ... 92

Ornamental Roman (with plate) . . 92

Roman Italics (with plate) .... 93 Plain or Condensed, Round and Square

(with plates) 93

Plain, Spurred (with plate) .... 96

Block (with plate) 96

Ornamental Block (with plate) . . 97 The Lower Case Letters (with five

plates) 97

The Gothic Alphabets

Modern Gothic, or Old English (with plate)

PAGE

German Gothic (with plate) . . . 100 Modern Uncials or Church Text (with

plate) loi

The Numerals (illustrated) .... 112 The Architects' Single Stroke Alphabets, comprising 3 alphabets, upper and lower case (with plate) 112

PART IV The Proper and Artistic Employment of Lettering

Arrangement of Letters, Composition, Spacing, Balance, Harmony (with plates) 116

PAGE

Grouping of Words and Sentences (with

plate) 117

The " Ad " (with plate) 120

The Border 121

Adapting Ideas (with plate) . . . 124 Letter Heads and Business Cards, Title Pages, Book Cover Designs, Newspaper Headings 125

Designing Memorials, Resolutions, etc.

(with plate) 128

Conclusion 134

Alphabetical Index 135, 136

LIST OF PLATES

Example of Grouping . . . Frontispiece

I The Guide Lines ....

II Mechanical Construction of

Letters and Numerals (i) .

III Mechanical Construction of

Letters and Numerals (2) .

IV Mechanical Construction of

Letters and Numerals (3) .

V Modern Roman (i) VI Modern Roman (2) VII Modern Roman (3) VIII Classic Roman IX French Roman (i) X French Roman (2)

^GE

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

PAGE

Antique Roman 53 XXIV

Ornamental Roman ... 57 XXV

Century Roman .... 61 XXVI

Roman Italics 65 XXVII

Plain, Round 69 XXVIII

Plain, Square 71 XXIX

Plain, Spurred 73 XXX

Block 77 XXXI

Ornamental Block .... 79

Architects' Single Stroke Al- XXXII

phabets 83 XXXIII

Modern Script 87 XXXIV

German Gothic 91 XXXV

Modern Gothic (Old English) 95

Modern Uncials Lower Case Letters (i) Lower Case Letters (2) Lower Case Letters (3) Lower Case Letters (4) Lower Case Letters (5) Example of Composition .

Mutilation, Freak Letters

Modernized Letters Examples of Spacing .

Model Advertisement Reconstructed Border Design Example of Engrossed Me

morial

PAGE

99 103

119 123 127 131

^33

INTRODUCTION

" Lettering, the art of designing the letters of the alphabet, for various commercial, mechanical and artistic purposes, largely used in architectural work, sign painting, advertisement designing, engraving, printing and book-plate and book-cover making. It may be said that practically all the lettering now used in architectural offices in this country is derived, however remotely it may seem in some cases, from the old Roman capitals, as developed and defined during the period of the Italian Renaissance. Composition in lettering is almost too intangible to define by any rule. All the suggestions that may be given are of necessity laid out on merely mathematical formulae, and as such, are incapable of equaling the result that may be obtained by spacing and producing the effect solely from artistic experience and intuition. The final result should always be judged by its effect upon the eye, which must be trained, until it is susceptible to the slightest deviation from the perfect whole. It is more difficult to define what good composition is in lettering than in painting or any other of the more generally accepted arts, and it resolves itself back to the same problem. The eye must be trained by constant study of good and pleasing forms and proportions, until it appreciates instinctively almost intangible mistakes in spacing and arrangement. This point of "composition" is so important that a legend of most beautiful individual letter forms, badly placed, will not produce as pleasing an effect as an arrangement of more awkward letters, when their composition is good." — Americana.

" Lettering, the art of designing the letters of the alphabet."

The shaping and spacing of well proportioned, harmonious letters is an art. The pleasing effect of good lettering on the eye trained to beauty is not second to that of a fine painting, or the lines of classical architecture. The student of the art of lettering should aim at the highest standards only, to cultivate a taste for the beautiful.

" The letters used in our time are derived from the old Roman capitals."

Therefore, in beginning the study of the forms of letters, we should go back to this source.

"As developed and defined during the period of the Italian Renaissance," the letters of the Roman alphabet have since been somewhat modified. But in many instances letterers have departed so far from the originals, as to lose sight of the most beautiful features.

The unchanged original characters are seldom used for any but architectural work. To the student of lettering, however, they afford an eternal standard of highest quality, and the earnest seeker of good forms should ever return to the beauties of their classic outlines.

The Modern Roman, French Roman and Antique Roman letters have been universally accepted. They are by far the most legible and most handsome styles of letters that can be employed on all occasions, where space admits of their use, without crowding. The neat appearance of a composition of several lines in Roman letters of different size, graded according to their importance^ is evident even to the less cultivated eye.

" Composition in lettering is almost too intangible to define by any rule. All the suggestions that may be given are of necessity laid out on merely mathematical formulae and as such are incapable of equaling the result that may be obtained by spacing and producing the effect solely from artistic experience and intuition."

The eye should be trained to see. Of course, rules must be laid down for the beginner, in order to teach correct proportions. Later on these proportions will be arrived at instinctively, without employing any definite rule. The same is true of good spacing. This point of supreme importance is brought out by comparison. Balance your spaces. As each letter occupies different room in space, so the distances between the letters must of necessity be different. The study of the suggestions as to spacing, here given, the copying of examples as they occur and much practice work is excellent experience and leads to perfection.

'' The eye must be trained by constant study of good and pleasing forms and proportions, until it appreciates instinctively almost intangible mistakes in spacing and arrangement."

The problem, concisely stated, is SPACING AND ARRANGEMENT. As the mind is educated and the mental understanding gradually developed, the manual skill will doubtless follow. The letters should be copied and recopied, until the proportions and outlines are understood and the ability to reproduce them is acquired. But the arrangement of a group of words, the composition and the spacing cannot be thus mastered. The student's eye can only be trained by degrees. As he advances in his chosen line of work, he will get at the meaning of the mysterious word "spacing" almost unconsciously. Once the lessons in spacing have been comprehended, the eye will unerringly detect any mistakes.

After having learned the lessons in this book, experience alone is requisite to more fully develop the ability to arrange letters pleasingly.

PART I— THE DRAWING MATERIALS The Instruments and How to Use Them

The instruments and materials necessary for this course are as follows: —

Drawing board, T-square, Triangle, Set of drawing instruments, Lead pencils, Erasing and cleaning rubber, Thumb tacks, Writing pens and holder, Pencil pointer, India ink, Ink eraser. White water color, Set of brushes. Set of irregular curves, Flat rule. Sketching and drawing paper, Cross-section paper, Tracing paper or cloth, Transfer paper.

The Drawing Board should be of clear pine, with a cross-piece at each end, to prevent warping. Do not use one smaller than 1 8 by 24 inches, 20 by 26 would be better. The cost is about one dollar. Make sure the edges are perfect and sharp. Run your fingers along them and reject any board that feels rough or shows the least dent or projection. An accurate drawing cannot result unless the edge of the drawing board be perfectly true and even. The T-square is guided along the edges of the board, and should work freely and smoothly. In selecting a suitable drawing board, try a T-square on it to insure perfectly square corners. At least the bottom and left edges should be exactly square. Lay the Tsquare on the top of the working surface of the board, with the T-square head pressed against the edge and move along, up and down, until the blade of the T-square is even with the corresponding edge of the board. This may also be considered a test for the accuracy of the T-square. In use, the left and bottom edges of the drawing board are the " working," or "sliding" edges. The board is laid flat upon the table, or it may be raised slightly at the top. As you face your drawing board, the lines running from left to right are called horizontal, those from the top to bottom edge of the board, vertical lines. When, after long use, the drawing board becomes full of holes and uneven, it may the restored to usefulness by first cleaning and smoothening with sandpaper, and then glueing on a sheet of thin cardboard.

The T-square is laid across the drawing board, with its head resting against the edge. The blade must be long enough to reach over the whole of the board. Use a T-square with a fixed head and black rubber blade. It can be bought for about $1.50. The edge of the T-square must be absolutely straight and smooth, or else a correct drawing cannot be made. When drawing long vertical lines, rest the head of the T-square against the lower edge of the drawing board, keeping it firmly pressed in position with the left hand. For horizontal lines it is held against the left edge of the board, as above described. Along this edge the head of the T-square is slid up or down, as the case may be, and all horizontal lines drawn from left to right, guided by the upper edge of the blade. For the short vertical lines, as they occur in lettering, the triangle is used. Never use the right hand to move the T-square. Do not guide a knife along the edge of the T-square or triangle when cutting. When not in use the T-square should hang safely against the wall. A hole is provided for this purpose at the end of the blade. Never stand it up or lean it against the wall or furniture, lest the blade become permanently bent, or warp out of shape. By resting it on the floor it is also liable to be stepped upon and injured or broken.

The Triangle or Set Square is used for lettering principally to draw the short vertical lines. It is laid on the drawing paper, above the T-square blade, resting on and pushed along its upper edge, as needed. Amber or Xylonite (transparent) triangles should be used in preference to the black rubber ones. You may observe your pencil lines and marks through them while working, and it is easier to keep them clean. Note, also, that you get them with bevels on the inner edges. These can be readily lifted with the finger nail, thus saving annoyance or accident. A 30° by 60° triangle, 6 inches long, can be bought for 40 cents. Do not use any so-called " lettering" triangles. In drawing vertical lines, the triangle is manipulated as follows: with the fingers of the left hand hold the head of the T-square in position, pressed against the left edge of the drawing board. With your right hand place the triangle above and resting against the upper edge of the Tsquare blade, so that the right angle of the triangle is to the left. Now move the fingers of your left hand along the T-square blade, pressing slightly to the right, while sliding towards the triangle. As you reach it, hold it with first and middle fingers, firmly pressing it down to the edge of the T-square blade, at the same time keeping hold of the T-square blade with thumb, fourth and fifth fingers, while drawing line with right hand. This seemingly difficult and awkward manipulation will become easier with constant practice. Run your eye along the edge of the T-square or triangle when drawing lines. Keep your pen or pencil inclined at the same angle frorr. beginning to end of line. This is very important See that your arm and elbow are free to move anf that there are no obstructions or tools, which migh hinder your movements, lying about your drawin board, before starting to draw the line. Lines ar nearly always drawn to the left of the triangle, th^ being the lighted side. While working thus wit the triangle try to encourage a habit of occasional] running your left hand to the head of the T-squar pressing it against the edge of the drawing board, assure correct position. Use your hands only, ar never resort to thumb tacks or weights to hold square or triangle in place.

The Drawing Instruments. In purchasing a set of drawing instruments the beginner should bear m mind that good materials are necessary to make a good drawing. Most people labor under the mistaken idea that a cheap outfit will do to start with, and think it time enough to get better tools, when they shall have learned how to use them. A set of fine instruments is a good investment and can be used for all time. Learn to use them at the start, then you can acquire the ability to work with accuracy, which is of prime importance. If you cannot afford a full set of first class tools, it is a better plan to buy a few only at the start, say the compasses and ruling pen, and add bow spacers, dividers; etc., later on. See that your instruments are always clean and bright, and occasionally polish them up with chamois.

The Compasses are used for spacing, measuring and drawing circles and arcs. With the lengthening bar added, the largest curves can be made. Except cor borders, this extension bar is rarely used for letering. Circles up to 12 inches in diameter can be drawn without it. In purchasing compasses, see lat you get one with movable or pivot knee joints nd adjustable legs, also with interchangeable needleoint, pen- and pencil-points. One leg has a steel eedle clamped to it. For drawing circles with pen \ r pencil the shouldered point of this needle should e used. When spacing or measuring, the other end the needle is more appropriate. On the other leg " the compasses the steel point can be removed by osening the clamping screw, and the pencil- or n-point inserted. In doing this, note that the t'j-"aight or inner side of pen is opposite the other I 'j,, and the curved side faces outward. The pencil-point also has an outer and inner surface, and the thumb screw should always be on the outside. Be careful to push in pen- or pencil-point as far as it will go, and secure it with the clamping screw before using. It is important to always have the needle-point even with the pen- or pencil-point, so, after inserting pen- or pencil-attachment, close the instrument, and, loosening the clamping screw, set the needle-point to the length of the pen- or pencil-point, and clamp well. After each sharpening of pencillead always see that it is brought to correspond to the length of the shoulder of the needle-point. To draw a circle or curve, insert needle-point in exact center mark, to shoulder of needle, and push it straight down into the drawing board. Remove compasses and open them, setting the legs to the required radius, and bending the knee-joints. Insert needle-point in hole again and try the distance. The needle-point must be held in an upright position, while doing this, so the hole in the paper may not be unnecessarily enlarged. Never incline your compasses while holding the needle-point inserted. Instead, bend at the knee-joint, until the radius wanted is reached. Also bend the pivot-joint of pen- or pencil-point correspondingly. When drawing circles or arcs with the pen, especial notice must be taken to have the pen-point vertical with the knee-joint, as otherwise both nibs of the pen will not touch the paper simultaneously, and a perfect line cannot result. After filling the pen, as directed under " Ruling Pen," take the compasses by the little handle on top of instrument, and turn, beginning the line at the lowest point, and drawing upward and to the right (never reverse) until the circle is com-

II plete. Try this on a small piece of paper, before beginning on your drawing, to make sure that your pen works well. If a break in the line should occur, redraw line, as before, from left to right. The compasses are held slightly inclined forward, insuring a better flow of ink and making an even, clean line. For lead pencil work always have your lead nicely sharpened before beginning the drawing. The compass-lead should be flattened on one side to a chisel edge, and placed in the pencil holder with this flat, sharp edge toward the outside of the leg. For small circles use the bow-pen or bow-pencil. After reading over these instructions, it would be well to take up your compasses, handle the instrument carefully and study its mechanism, while going over this lesson again.

The Ruling- or Drawing-Pen, also called Right Line Pen, is made of one piece of steel, with a handle of ebony or ivory. It has two tongues, called nibs, connected by a thumb screw. By turning the screw the nibs are brought together or separated, for a fine or a heavy line. As set by this screw, a line drawn by the ruling pen is always uniform in width and in this respect differs from a line drawn by the writing pen, where the thickness varies according to the pressure employed. Ruling pens are also made with spring- and jointed nibs, with three and more blades. The ruling pen is never used without a guide, such as the T-square, triangle or rule. It is held firmly, yet lightly, between the fingers. Handle it as you would your pencil. Proceed to fill the pen with ink. One way to do this is to use a quill, which comes attached to the cork of some brands of fluid ink. Another method is to dip the pen into the ink, as with writing pens. Gare must be taken, however, to always wipe the outside of the pen before using, as otherwise a blot is almost certain to result. Little ink should be fed into the ruling pen at a time. In working with pen and ink, your first aim should be to make sharp, clear lines, and to connect them smoothly and evenly with arcs as well as making sharp corners. Some letterers work in the curves and circles first when employed on a drawing, and the straight lines last. They claim it is easier to run the straight lines to meet the curves flush. But, as many draughtsmen work the opposite way.

Run the pen along the T-square blade, from left to right only. For vertical lines draw the pen strokes upward, when working on left edge of the T-square or triangle. On the right hand side you will find it more convenient to run the lines downward. But when working on the right hand side, change the position of the drawing board, to get a good light. Hold the pen upright, so that both nibs rest on the paper evenly, and with screw head pointing outward. Do not incline your pen to the left when drawing vertical, nor toward the top when running horizontal lines. The point is liable to get too close to the T-square or triangle edge and the ink would spread along it. The rounded shape of the pen-point prevents this, when the pen is held in the proper way. Incline your pen slightly forward when drawing lines, thus assisting in the flow of ink. Rest the little finger on the triangle or T-square blade. Draw the pen along the guide with an even, gentle pressure. Before beginning work on your drawing, try the pen on a bit of paper. A lot of practice is necessary to acquire proficiency with the ruling pen. Practice ruling lines, long lines, short lines, try to make them uniform in thickness, clean, and at even distances from each other. Practice running lines side by side, to the left, to the right, horizontal as well as vertical, until all lines are clear and even. When done with your pen, always clean it with a piece of chamois, or part of old glove, or even a piece of clean, white cotton fabric, and rub to a fine polish. Insert a corner of your cleaning cloth or leather between the nibs of the pen and carefully draw it through towards the point. Repeat with clean edge of cloth, also wiping exterior parts of the pen. Finally polish inside and out. It is of greatest importance that this operation be gone through every day when using the pen and before putting it away. Do not detach the screw. Always have your cleaning cloth handy. The best way is to attach it with a thumb tack to the right edge of drawing board. The pen needs cleaning frequently, while working. In summer especially the ink dries rapidly and thickens in the pen. The nibs should not be opened when cleaning while at work, The cloth can be inserted and drawn through before refilling with ink, without touching the screw. A good ruling pen can be obtained for 75 cents.

The Bow Spacers are an instrument for measuring small distances. With the two needle-points the most accurate work can be performed. Next to the compasses and ruling pen, the bow spacers are the most useful tool employed in the drawing of letters. It has a fine spring which tends to keep the legs of the instrument separated to the distance set by the adjusting screw, and for this reason is more reliable than the compasses.

Open the instrument by turning the adjusting screw on the side of the leg, until the desired width is indicated by the points, then mark on your drawing by pushing the sharp points into the paper. See that the punctures are clearly marked. For spacing equal distances walk bow spacers along the line, lifting the right and left leg of the instrument alternately and pricking the paper with the needle-points. It is good practice to press the legs of the bow spacers together with the fingers, when opening or closing the instrument, thereby saving the fine thread of the adjusting screw. For larger spacing use the dividers.

By inserting the Bow-Pen- or Bow-Pencil-attachments you are enabled to draw the smallest arcs and circles. Take care, however, to insert the appliances correctly into the shank, to push them in as far as they go, and to clamp them well with the clamping screw, before employing them. See that the straight or inner side of the pen-point is facing toward the other leg or that the screw of the pencil-point is on the outside of the instrument. Also adjust the needle-point, until its shoulder is even with the penor pencil-point. Distinguish between spacer-point and the shouldered point of the needle. As to handling the bow-pen and -pencil for drawing circles, see the directions for " The Compasses." When very small circles or arcs are to be made, the needle-point must be pushed back until both nibs of the pen rest upon the paper evenly. For large circles use the compasses. Clean you bow pen carefully while using and afterwards. See the directions for the use of the ruling pen. Separate bow spacers, bow pencils and bow pens can be bought, and the busy artist will save valuable time by using them, and avoiding the changing of the needle-point-, pencil-point- or pen-point-attachments.