
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.
practice lower case x, a, and q on page three, starting at forty-five degrees, using curves, rooftops, serifs, and wave shapes with hairline strokes and the dissenters line.
Explore two versions of the lowercase g and three versions of the letter o, starting above the x-height, using rooftop strokes, horizontal motions, and wave-like right sides for fraktur calligraphy.
This lecture explores lower case variants in fraktur calligraphy, detailing two e variants, t and c wave forms, and practical stroke order, spacing, and rooftop shapes for balanced word endings.
Practice fraktur calligraphy of lowercase letters, focusing on ascending strokes for l, b, and h, forming triangles and waves at the right side, with pen tilts.
Master page seven of lowercase fraktur letters by exploring D, p, and ss variations with crescent shapes, waves, and hairlines, then refine two p forms and finish with a downstroke.
Explore the uppercase fraktur module with one simplified version of each letter in alphabetical order, using forty-five degree strokes and the dotted x-height to baseline guideline.
Explore the construction of uppercase fraktur letters K, L, M, and O, detailing main stems, curves, rooftops, diagonal strokes, hairline endings, and x-height considerations.
Practice your calligraphy to gain hours of peacefulness and serenity as you refine your letters. Thank you for joining this course; I hope to see you again in another class.
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.