Whimsicalwood-Lettering

My first full-time job was working as a survey draftsman. In addition to learning the skilled use of drawing instruments with ink on linen and drafting film, hand lettering was used extensively on plans and maps.

For this lettering on plans and maps a pointed nib dip pen was used, mostly a Gillotts 303 nib. The lettering style used on plans featured a sans serif, mono-line, upright, printed letter form, in contrast to the swelling line of copperplate style writing.

I became very comfortable with the use of this type of nib and continue to use it for drawing. As part of our kit we were also supplied with a range of Mitchell square cut nibs which we never really used.  

Chancing upon a book by Edward Johnson in a library, I soon found a use for the square cut nibs and I began practising 'Foundation Hand' as an interest in calligraphy developed. I have found this early interest in calligraphy, though not pursued with the earestness required to become really proficient, was to be a great help in designing hand drawn lettering.

Hand-lettering with graphite and various black pencils contrasts in method with pen and ink work as it relies more on the tone and tonal contrasts of regions in a drawing. Whereas ink pens define shaped areas with line and shade regions of them with grouped and mingled lines.

The methods of pen drawing that building up tone are hatching and stippling. Though the effect of stippling is unique and beautiful it is much more time consuming than black pencil work.

During my years working as a biological illustrator I used the stippling technique almost exclusively. I would like to do some stipple ink drawings again but time is the problem.

Hand-drawn lettering with an emphasis on the use of tone would combine well in a poster-like work having a purely pictorial intent as an art work using calligraphic forms as elements in the drawning.

Hand-Lettering and Calligraphy