Half Uncial

Half uncial or the Semi-uncial is a form of the uncial letterforms.  It is a cut-down version of the full uncial style, and it has characteristics of the medieval, rounded scripts.

It is similar to the uncial in that it has evolved from the Roman cursive type of letters.  It was first used approximately 2^nd or 3^rd century and continued to be used until about the 9^th century.  The half-uncial had connections with the Celtic and monastic locale.

There are many variations of the half-uncial letters.  There are the Roman half-uncial, the Celtic half-uncial and the English half-uncial to name but a few.

The half uncial is characterize by chunky, and very rounded and broad style that we see during the earlier medieval scripts. 

How Do I Write the Half Uncial Calligraphy Style?

The half uncial style cannot be written quickly, you have to take your time writing this style.  When you look at the way the style is written, you will notice that the letters have very rounded and broad characters.  A couple of words written in this style will take up quite a lot of space, so bear this in mind when choosing this style, and make sure you have plenty of space planned when mapping out your work on the paper.

The secret to writing successful half-uncial letters, is to hold your calligraphy pen nib at quite a shallow angle, almost at a vertical position, but not quite.  Try writing this style carefully, but keeping your calligraphy pen at a consistent angle.  Incidentally, this style is great for left handed calligraphers, so if you are left handed, this style is great for left handed beginners.

Half Uncial Letters

Use Indian ink and a broad nibbed pen, and start practicing writing the letterforms, studying the shapes of the letters carefully, as shown in the illustration below:

Ensure you draw your horizontal guidelines straight and true, to keep your work looking even, for pleasing results.  Next, map out the rounded letters by drawing the letterforms carefully in faint pencil before writing with your calligraphy pen.  Study the letterforms carefully before finally drawing the letters.  Remember to make sure you leave plenty of space for sentences, because the letters are quite round and fat and take up a lot of room.

You may choose different colored ink for pleasing effects.

The half-uncial letters can be used for flyers, posters and large notices, because the letters are quite rounded, broad and legible.