Lexicon

These terms are described in relation to
the calligraphic process

airbrush a hand held tool which ejects a fine spray of ink or paint under air pressure, not to be confused with hairbrush
alignment lining up type, drawings, photographs, calligraphy, etc either top, bottom, left or right
alphabet an arranged set of phonemic abstract symbols used to write a language
angle the angle of the pen or nib to the writing surface
anti-clockwise the direction of the curved stroke of a letter which moves counter to the clock hands, as in 'u'
arch the curved part of a minuscule letter that starts from the branch, as in 'n'
arm the horizontal limb of a letter, as in 'r'. 'U' is armless
armenian bole an iron oxide used as colouring agent in gesso
ascender that part of a minusculeletter that rises above the x height or waist line, as in 'b'
axis the imaginary centre line of a letter form, usually an 'O'. May be vertical, horizontal or obligue, not political
ball a terminal in the shape of a ball usually found in the copperplate script
bank paper a thin writing paper, usually less than 60 gsm
base line the imaginary or drawn line on which all letters rest. Writing line
batarde or bastarda. A cursive gothic
beak a form of two-stroke serif shaped like a beak
beard the stroke that drops from the jaw as in some cap 'G's
blackletter a descriptive term for the gothic letter form. Also textura
bleed that part of words or pictures on a page which is cut off when trimmed. The spread of ink or paint into the fibres of a writing surface. Nothing to do with blood
body height the height of the main part of a minuscule letter without ascenders or descenders. Similar to x height
bold a heavier or denser version of a hand or face, as this word. Nothing to do with personality
bond paper a writing paper which is more opaque than 'bank' paper
book hand any common letter form used in books before the age of printing from movable type
border a continuous decoration usually placed parallel to some text, not a lodger
boustrophedon literally 'as the ox ploughs'. Describes alternative lines of writing running in opposite directions
bowl the curved parts of a letter that surround a counter, as in 'p'
bracket the filled in section of a serif
branch the first curved part of a letter that joins the stem, as in 'n'
brush an instrument used for writing, drawing or painting made of hair, set in metal on wood. There are many types.
broadsheet generally a large sheet of paper printed on one side only
built up letter those letters that have been composed by using more strokes than its construction, as versals. Lettering
burnish to rub down and shine a metallic leaf onto a ground with a burnisher
calligraphic gestural, written marks
calligraphy literally, beautiful writing. (kallos beauty + graphia writing). The art of written as distinct from drawn forms
camera ready art a 'paste-up' ready to be scanned or photographed prior to printing
cant the angle of the nib, may be left or right oblique, or square cut, not as in 'I cant do it...'
capital capital letters, cap, cas, upper case or majuscules, as THESE WORDS
Carolingian minuscules the first lower case letters named after Emperor Charlemagne, 9th century France

chancery hand an italic that was used in the Papal chanceries characterised by the forward serif, also called cancellaresca
character any single letter or unit used in typography, lettering, hand writing or calligraphy
clockwise the direction of the curved stroke of a letter which moves in the direction of the clock hands, as in 'n'
club a form of swelled serif made by a compound reverse movement, not as in RSL
coated a paper, or stock, which has been surfaced with china clay. Can be glossy or matt
Coit pen the brand name for an ambidextrous flat edged metal pen
composition the design, layout or organisational balance of an area
comprehensive an accurate highly finished visual of a proposed work usually sub-mitted to a client for approval
condensed a letter form that has been compressed vertically, or elongated
connective the end of a hook which points towards the next letter, as in 'd'
construction the basic strokes of a letter, as 'A' having three
copperplate letter forms that achieve their 'thicks' and 'thins' as a result of pressure as distinct from angle. Based on the 18th century engraving technique on copper
copy original information to be set in type, lettered or written
counter the wholly or partly enclosed negative space within a letter, as in 'e' or 'a'
crop to cut off the unwanted edges of a photo or illustration
cross stroke any unsupported basic horizontal letter stroke, as in 'f'
crossbar any supported horizontal letter stroke, as in 'A' or 'H'
cross-over a serif that crosses over another stroke, as in 'N'
crow quill a fine pointed flexible NIB used for fine lines and copperplate
cuneiform the wedge shaped writing used in ancient Assyria, Persia and Sumer
cup a concave serif
cursive a less formal or informal style of writing, often with joined letters. An italic type
curved stroke a calligraphic stroke that is not straight
cushion a suede pad on which gold leaf is placed and cut in preparation for gilding
deckle edge the natural feathery edge on hand or mould-made paper
demotic the democratic or common form of the Egyptian heiroglyphs
dent the curve or hollow on the outer edge of a serif
descender that part of a minuscule letter that falls below the x height or base line, as in 'y'
design the concept and organisation of a work
diagonal the angled or oblique stroke of a letter, as in 'N' direction the route or path of a letter stroke
dished a concave shaped terminal
ductus the sequence in which individual strokes used in the construction of a letter form are written
dummy a mock-up or model of a proposed book, not as in spit the dummy
ear the small addition to the top of a letter, as in 'g'
elbow pen holder or nib which is shaped to increase the slant or nib angle (for copperplate scripts)
emboss the raising or lowering of letters or designs from a paper background by hand or machine. Bas relief
exemplar a model hand created as an example for copying
face a term describing a typographic alphabet
felt-tip water or spirit base marker pens made from compressed felt. Softer than fibre-tip
fibre-tip water or spirit base marker pens made from compressed fibre fillet the curve to round off the angle of a serif
finished art term for art ready for reproduction. Includes specialised artwork
fishtail the two-stroke top of some gothic hands
fixative a sealer used to protect a medium or surface
flamed stroke a thickened curved or straight stroke
flat a horizontal terminal
flourish the decorative extension of a brush or pen stroke usually extending from a letter form, as in 'Calligraphers do it with a flourish'
font the term for typeface used with computers but referring to variations within the family
foot the lower part of the body of a letter
format the overall size, shape and style of a work
foundational hand the hand designed by Edward Johnston early 1900's from Winchester script of the tenth century
fountain pen any barrel style 'fillable' pen
fractur a gothic hand characterised by the forked or fractured ascenders
french curves curved template line-guides made from clear plastic, formerly wood, not as in female
gesso a ground used as a raised base for gilding. A mixture of plaster, lead, sugar, glue, etc.
gild or gilt the application of a thin layer of gold, as in 'Calligraphers do it without gilt'
glair specially prepared egg white. Used as an additive to gesso, flat base for gilding or as a binder for paints
gold leaf finely hand-beaten gold in sheet form used in gilding. Generally 23 ¼ or 24 carat
Gothic a pointed or fractured arched perpendicular letter style form eastern Europe. 12th century
gouache designer or poster colour. An opaque pigmented colour that comes in various forms and qualities. Excellent for calligraphers
grain the direction and length of the fibres in a paper
graphic design the concept and organisation of graphic material, usually for printing
grid the formal underlying framework or architecture of any system or book, usually devised for consistency
ground the base on which any work is done
gsm grams per square metre or gm2. A method of describing the 'weight' of any paper
guide lines preparatory lines drawn on a surface which positions the writing. Lines - writing or base, waist, capital, ascender, descender
gum arabic a gum used as a medium to bind inks or paints
gum sandarac a resist used in powder form on a writing surface to repel water-based inks. Stops bleed
Gutenberg a German genius who invented printing from movable type in 1450. Produced the first printed bible in textura, being the current hand
gutter the vertical space between blocks of text or between two adjacent pages
haematite the superior mineral that is used to burnish gold
hairline the finest line that can be produced by a pen
halftone a continuous tone converted to 'line' through a screen
half uncial a pen hand around 600 CE evolved from the uncial and the forerunner of minuscules
hand any script written by hand
handwriting a personal, informal written cursive script used for communication, developed around 1500 CE
hanging indent the extension of the text into the left margin
head the top part of the body of a letter
head serif the top serif of a letter form
height the vertical measure of a letter form
hieratic the cursive form of the hieroglyphs
hieroglyphs sacred writing used in ancient Egypt using ideograms to represent ideas or meanings, as distinct from phonemes or sounds
hook the curved part of a serif leading from the hairline to the fillet, as in 'n'
horizontal any stroke which is parallel to the writing line
horn a small spike at a junction
humanist script letter forms from the Italian Renaissance based on tenth century minuscules
ideograms a picture or symbol representing an idea or meaning as distinct from a sound
illumination the use of metal or bright colours to decorate a written work. Usually gold leaf
indent a space left at the beginning of a line of text
initial letters usually decorated letters placed at the beginning of some text
ink a coloured fluid dye, pigment, etc used with a brush or pen for making marks
inner space the negative area within a letter form
interspace the area between letter forms
inverted arch the curved part of a minuscule letter that starts from the branch, as in 'u'
italic usually sloping hand or type originating from Italy. Less formal and more cursive than roman. Based on the ellipse, as these words
jaw the 90 degree angle found on the capital 'G'
junction the meeting point of any two strokes in a letter form, as in 'f' or 'R'
justify  text    which   is   spaced   to  a   particular   measure,   aligning left  and  right,  making  all   the  lines   the  same  length   just  as   the above two lines are.  The last line is a...
u    m,       f   o    r    c    e        j    u    s    t    i    f    i    e    d        l    i    n    e
kern now, the reduction of space between two awkwardly spaced letters, such as 'L T', 'A W' or 'ra' in 'calligraphy'
Latin script writing using the 26 letters you are now reading. Originally used by the Roman Empire it is geographically the most widely used script in the world
layout the two dimensional organisation of graphic elements within an area
leading pronounced 'leding' the extra space inserted

between solid lines of type, as are these lines.

Measured in points
letter spacing the extra space that is added between letters, a s   a r e t h e s e  l e t t e r s
lettering drawn, as distinct from written letters. Usually outlined and filled in
ligature two or more letters joined together, as in '&' (et) and 'ff'. A joining stroke between two letters
light box a light source with a transparent cover which allows the calligrapher to see through card or paper to the work underneath. Very handy
limb any horizontal stroke joining or extending from the stem of a letter form, as in 'F'
line space the horizontal space between lines of text usually measured from the base line. Also leading
link the connecting stroke joining two areas of a letter form, as in 'g'. Also neck
lobe the roundest part of a curved stroke of a letter form, as in 'R'
logo short for logotype. A trademark, emblem or symbol composed of a design or a group of letter forms
Lombardic a 12th century Italian book hand
loop the curved stroke bounding the counter of a letter form, as in 'g'
lower case minuscule, small letters, as the type you are reading now
majuscule capital letters, caps, upper case
margin the negative space at the top, bottom, left or right of the text on a page
medium the second element in the trilogy of tool, medium and ground. Usually ink or paint
metric sizes an international system for paper based on the proportion of 1:1.414 (sq. rt. 2) A3 is 420 mm x 297 mm. A4 is 297 mm x 210 mm (half A3)
mid arm a midway limb joining the stem as in 'R'
minuscule small letters, lower case. Letters having ascenders and descenders, as these letters
neck the part of the letter that connects the two counters as in 'g'. Also link
nib the writing end of a pen
nib width the width of any nib, used for measuring, pen width. The reference point in calligraphy
oblique a diagonal stroke of a letter form, as in 'A' which contains a thin oblique and a thick oblique
ogee a convex, concave curve as in 'S', as in 'Oh, Gee!'
old English an English anti-papal term for the gothic hand
optical centre the visual centre that is a little above the geometric centre
outer space the external area that surrounds a letter form
paint a mixture of pigment and carrier
pantone an international colour system used by designers and printers
paper substance composed of wood or rag fibres used for writing or drawing, etc
papyrus traditional writing or drawing substance made from the sedge family
parchment any skin used as a writing surface made from calf, goat, sheep, etc.
paste-up also called assembly. The process of cutting and pasting all the various graphic components together ready for the printer
patience that human quality that comes in handy when you spill your ink
pen any instrument traditionally with a single split used for writing with ink
pen angle the angle that the nib makes with the horizontal writing line
penmanship a term to describe proficiency or skill in calligraphy or writing
pen width actually the width of any nib, used for measuring, nib width. The reference point in calligraphy
phoneme the unit of significant sound in a language
point a basic unit in the measurement of type. Not used in calligraphy. In Australia there are 12 points to the pica and 6 picas to the inch (so 72 points to the inch, approx). Aust. UK and US .35 mm; Europe .3759 mm
pounce a fine powder used to soak up grease or moisture. Pumice
pressure the downward force applied to a pen or brush when writing
primary colours in pigments; red, yellow and blue. 'Additive' primaries are red, green and blue. 'Subtractive' primaries are yellow, magenta and cyan
printing reproducing an original by means of a photo-mechanical or electronic process. The most common commercial processes are lithography, letterpress, gravure and 'silk' screen. Nowdays it includes the digital 'print on demand' process.
printmaking reproducing an original by one of several autographic processes
pumice powdered volcanic rock that is used to de-grease parchment
quadrata the square capitals of the original formal Roman alphabet
quill a hollow writing instrument usually made from one of the primary flight feathers of a goose or turkey

range left
material which is lined up
on the left, producing text lines of
different length, as these lines

range right
material which is lined up
on the right, producing text lines of
different length, as these lines

ream usually 500 sheets of paper
reed pen a light, hollow absorbent pen made from a special water plant
reproduction the copying of original artwork usually by printing
reservoir small device either above or below a nib for holding ink or paint
river the irregular vertical gaps in a text formed by the negative spaces between words. Can you see it?
rococo the fluid, curvilinear rotunda based on the baroque style
roll a style of serif which forms a small curve
roman formal, upright alphabet, based on the circle
rotunda a rounded gothic hand from southern Europe
rough a sketch of a proposed work as a working drawing or submitted to client for approval
round hand a practical slanted hand based on the copperplate style
rubric the beginning of a section of text written or printed with red, originally done by a rubricator
ruling pen an adjustable metal device, used by drafters and artists for ruling lines.
running hand a cursive script with connectives
rustica early 4th century Roman capitals using the chisel edge pen or brush at a high angle
sans serif any letter or type without serifs. Also called 'lineal' in Australia
scribe one who practices the art or craft of writing
script any discreet style of written letters or any cursive style
seccotine fish glue. A binding ingredient in gesso
serif the small strokes at the ends of the main strokes of a letter, as these letters. Some serifs are: beak, bracketed, unbracketed, clubbed, cupped, hairline, hooked, rolled, slab, tick and wedge
skeleton the basic underlying structure or shape of a letter form
slab a form of serif made by a single straight stroke, not as in beer
slant the degree of letter slope from the vertical
small caps small capitals as THESE WORDS
solid type set without leading
sofrim Hebrew term for scribes
spacing the art of visually arranging adjacent letters
speed the speed with which letter forms are written
spread double page spread. Two adjacent pages viewed as one unit
spur a small protruding stroke at the change of angle between strokes of a letter form
square caps early roman capitals using the chisel edged pen
stam the traditional Hebrew religious script, based on the square. Written dexter sinister
stem the basic part of a letter form (gen. vertical) from which a branch, arm or arch may spring
stock another word for paper
stroke a single simple or compound movement of a pen or brush
style collective characteristics or manner of writing. Ancient writing implement
swells the bulging curved strokes of the copperplate script, made by pressure
T-square a rule in the shape of a 'T' used for ruling horizontal parallel lines
tail the final flowing stroke of a letter form, as in 'Q'
tempera usually painting using egg yolk as the binding medium
terminal the end of a non-serif stroke, as ball, dished or flat
text the main 'body' of words without the headings
textura also blackletter, compressed gothic based on the counter being one pen width wide, creating an even texture
tick a form of serif that looks like an angular 'tick'
tooth the surface quality of the writing material expressing its resistance to the pen. Very important for writers and calligraphers
Trajan the Roman column on which the letters were carved in 113 CE and which forms the basis of our roman alphabet and all Latin letter forms
transfer gold gold leaf on a backing sheet
type metal letters. Also photo-setting or fonts on a computer, as these letters
typeface the term describing a family of type as 'Garamond' or 'Helvetica'
typography the design and manipulation of type as used in printing
uncial a rounded European pen hand based on the roman form, used in 'The Book of Kells'
vellum a fine parchment used as a writing surface made from the skin of a calf
versal decorative capital letters originally used at the beginning of verses. The origin of compound calligraphy using built up strokes
vertical perpendicular strokes at right angles to the writing line
visual a moderately finished sketch of a proposed work done as a working idea or submitted to client for approval
waist the fine slimming in the middle of a straight stroke
waist line the imaginary line which defines the top limits of the x height of letter forms
water base inks, paints or markers which have water as the base medium
water colour a transparent pigmented colour soluble in water that comes in various forms and qualities. Good for calligraphy
wedge a form of serif that looks like a 'wedge', as in uncial
weight the relationship between the width of the widest stroke and the height of a letter form. Expressed in nib or pen widths
writinggenerally hand writing but too complicated to define here
writing line or base line. The point of reference and imaginary line on which all letters stand
x height the distance between the writing (or base) and waist line. Similar to the height of the body of a minuscule letter without ascenders or descenders