Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Calligraphy Every Day 13: Bookhand

Out of all 365 + possibilities, Bookhand is my very favorite calligraphy style.  You'll see versions of it here again and again over the year, but its versatility is not its only virtue.  I love it because it is simultaneously complex and simple.  
Practice in groups: Rounded letters o d p q b c e; arched letters u n h m r t f j; straight letters l i k; diagonal letters w v x y z; individual letters a g s.  You can also take note of the affinity of d/p q/b u/h and other letter pairs that resemble upside-down versions of each other.   

I've analyzed Bookhand several times in my instruction books, such as Learn Calligraphy, but the basic key to understanding it and practicing it is to get the proportions right.  The family groups listed in the caption make this clear.   
 

2 comments:

  1. Doesn't look like bookhand to me. It's half foundational and half bookhand.

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  2. I've never consciously modeled my lc letters on Foundational--it always seemed kind of internally inconsistent. To my eyes it seems to blur, rather than clarify, the distinctions between letter families.

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