Master Robert Whitcome of Brandywine taught me how to break down gothic letters into vertical strokes and diamonds.
It was an eye opening moment when he showed me the trick of making the vertical strokes first. Master Edward MacGuyver gave me my first tips on alternate methods for forming letters in Gothic. So I'd like to present alternate instructions for drawing Gothic lettering, hopefully making this script easier to learn for the beginning calligrapher.īefore I begin, credit must be given, as there are two calligraphers who taught me much of what I'm about to pass on: Their method helps write faster, but it is harder to be precise and get those critical details right.įor a beginner, that can make this script extremely frustrating. Oddly, the calligraphy books I've read focus on how to draw each letter with the minimum number of strokes.
There are two details about this variant of gothic that are extremely important to get right: perfectly vertical strokes and precise spacing between those strokes. It's also very difficult to write well, especially for a beginner. Gothic Textura Quadrata is an absolutely gorgeous script, dense and architectural it is a wonderful example of how letters can be art in their own right.
