Your new calligraphy pen (or maybe even your old calligraphy pen) shouldn’t sit idly with nothing to do. So far we have explored two popular scripts, the Foundational Hand and the Uncial Hand. We will now add another alphabet to learn and practice.

Roman Capitals are a majuscule script. In other words the letters are only formed as capital letters.

A Roman Capitals alphabet sampler is supplied at the bottom of the page but first, here’s a brief history of the origins of Roman Capitals and some rules and tips to remember when forming the letters.

Origins of Roman Capitals

Going back over two thousand years to Ancient Rome and the letters inscribed in stone and marble by the master craftsmen of the time gives us the origins of this classic alphabet. Roman Capitals are probably the most important examples of letters that would come to greatly influence Western calligraphy.

The Roman Capital letterforms are based around the circle and the square and can be divided into four groups: circle within the square, three quarter width, half width and whole square.

Today’s Roman Capitals are not quite as opulent as the letters of ancient times with smaller, more elegant serifs now a feature.

Using Your Calligraphy Pen

When you form your Roman Capitals you need to ensure that your calligraphy pen maintains an angle of 30 degrees. When forming the diagonal strokes you alter the angle to 45 degrees and for elegance in the serifs go for an angle that is even flatter than 30 degrees.

The letters should be formed with some space around them so make sure you are conscious of not crowding them too closely together.

Roman Capitals rely on the geometric widths relative to the circle and square for their elegance. The widths are based on which groups the letters are formed. It is important to have a good understanding of how the letters are constructed before attempting to construct the whole alphabet.

The calligraphy pen nib you would be looking at using would be an edged or broad pen to write this script.