Gothic Upper-case alphabet

In this post, I have put together a simple project about how to write upper case Gothic style letters using a calligraphy pen.  There are many variations of Gothic styles, and here is an example, shown in the YouTube clip.

As you can see, the letterforms have extra details added to enhance the appearance of the letters.  I used a broad nibbled calligraphy pen, black ink and I drew some guidelines to keep the letters even.  The letters were about 6 nib widths high.

5 Steps to Write Impressive Fancy Letters

Gothic Black Letters or Majuscule style letters are quite tall, normally they are taller than the ascenders.  In this example, I have drawn diamond shapes using a broad nibbed pen within the letters, which are created by drawing short strokes using a broad nibbed calligraphy pen.  They help to decorate the letters and make them appear grand.  I have also drawn vertical thinner lines, decorations, flairs and flicks drawn within the letters.  I held the pen nib at a constant 45 degree angle.

1)    First, map your work out by drawing faint straight lines on some paper using a ruler and a hard nibbed sharp pencil

2)    Draw the outline of your capital letters with a faint pencil for guidelines

3)    Holding your broad nibbed calligraphy pen at a constant 45 degree angle, carefully draw the letters as illustrated in the clip and draw the ticks at the vertical edges of the letterforms

4)    Holding your calligraphy pen nib vertically, draw the vertical thin lines as illustrated

5)    Draw the diamond shapes carefully by keeping your calligraphy pen nib at a 45 degree angle and draw very short lines so they appear like diamond shapes.  Draw them by the thin vertical lines within the letters

Gothic Upper-case Alphabet

Majuscule Letters in Gothic Calligraphy

Some letters are quite wide, such as the letters S, Z, H, A, and D.  Other letterforms are based on the shape of the letter O.  They are quite wide and fit within a square.  These letters are O, Q, C, G, and T.  Narrow letter are B, F, J, N, U, V, L and Y.

Simple Hints to Writing Gothic Letters

• Use a broad nibbed calligraphy pen
• Keep the nib angle at a constant and steady 45 degree angle
• Draw guidelines with a fine pencil before writing the Gothic letters
• Keep practicing until you are happy with your calligraphy writing