This continues the presentation of scripts in which you can practice with your calligraphy pen. To date we have taken a look at Foundational Hand, Uncial Hand and Roman Capitals. This article is a presentation of one of the many Gothic Hands. Gothic script includes many variations such as Gothic Textura Quadrata, Gothic Quadrata Prescius, Pointed Quadrata Miniscule, and Modern Gothic Miniscule. Among the gothic majuscules are Modern Gothic Capitals, Gothic Capitals 1, Gothic Capitals 2 and Gothic Versal Capitals…the list goes on.

Gothic Hand

The defining characteristic of Gothic Hand is the extreme density that has also earned it the name ‘Black Letter”.

Scripts such as Gothic Textura Quadrata were named after the shape of the letters on the page. This script then refers to the square shape of the letters and the idea that the written page should look as though it has a woven texture.

When writing Gothic Hand try to remember that it is a dominant hand with letters to be grouped closely together. While constructing your letters try to keep the calligraphy pen at an angle of around 30 degrees. When drawing the hairlines, do so with the pen at a 90 degree or, for the letters ‘s’ and ‘x’, with the left hand point of the pen nib.

Medieval scribes had no official majuscule letters for their Gothic scripts so they tended to borrow from the Roman Capitals and Uncial Hand. Gothic majuscules should be used sparingly because, written in a block, the letters virtually become illegible.

Lettering Charts 

Gothic Majuscule

Gothic Miniscule