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Fraktur Calligraphy
Rating: 4.7 out of 5(25 ratings)
154 students

Fraktur Calligraphy

Traditional calligraphy using a 3.8 mm parallel pen or a 4 mm broad nib
Created byMary-Jane Roussel
Last updated 10/2021
English

What you'll learn

  • Write Fraktur style letters in calligraphy, both upper and lower case
  • Use a 3.8 mm parallel pen to create hairline serifs
  • Write a quote in Fraktur style calligraphy
  • Find peace and serenity while writing in calligraphy

Course content

5 sections • 21 lectures • 1h 13m total length

  • Introduction3:39

    Trace the history of fraktur calligraphy within black letter and gothic styles, detailing textures like textura quadrata and rotunda, and origins in imperial chancery in the sixteenth century.

  • Some technical information3:19

    Explore key technical parameters for fraktur calligraphy, including pen angle 40 to 45 degrees, x height, ascender and descender spaces, and spacing guidelines, with notes on hairline and thick strokes.

  • Exercises I3:04

    Explore fraktur calligraphy exercises that teach the 45-degree pen angle, tracing letters inside outlines with a parallel pen, and forming serifs and ascender shapes through stroke order and direction.

  • Exercises II3:10

    Master fraktur calligraphy exercises II by practicing a 3.8 mm pen at 45-degree angles from x-height to baseline, with hairlines, thick strokes, crescents, and serifs.

Requirements

  • You'll need a 3.8 mm parallel pen or a traditional 4 mm nib or marker for calligraphy

Description

Fraktur. Just looking at the word itself allows us to guess its meaning, since it so ressembles the English word “fracture”. And that’s exactly it! Fraktur letters are “broken up” into bits with lots of angles and curves in them.

Fraktur falls into the category of Gothic styles of calligraphy, along with Textura Quadrata, Blackletter, Old English and their many variants. Credited to Albrecht Dürer and Hieronymus Andreae, Fraktur first appeared in the 16th century and was used regularly right up until the Second World War, especially in German-speaking countries. Even still, certain newspapers and ad agencies use Fraktur-style letters in printed paper titles, logos and advertisements.

Even if we tend to think of the gothic styles as being quite strict, the Fraktur has immense possibilities for decoration, fantasy and embellishment. What’s more, many letters have several different forms and styles. Variety is the spice of life!

This course was designed for a 3.8 mm parallel pen, although a traditional 4mm broad nib will do just as well. A pointed pen is not suitable for this type of calligraphy.

P.S. If you're a complete beginner in calligraphy, this probably isn't the best course to start will. Try the Simple Gothic Hand or the Foundational Hand first, then come back to this one.

Who this course is for:

  • All persons interested in traditional, broad nib calligraphy, of any age.

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