ROMAN LETTERING
The Roman alphabet is certainly one of the most beautiful of all
the alphabets that we possess. It is, however, strictly speaking,
not a pen-formed alphabet. The fine forms of the Roman capitals,
as exemplified in the well-known inscription on the Trajan Column,
were most certainly the result of the evolution of chisel forms. The
pen-formed letters that came after were evolved from these Roman
capitals.
At first the type of letter used was practically the same as the chisel
form. Writing with this type of letter must have been extremely slow
work, compared with the simpler pen-forms that came into use later. It
is impossible to write, in the true sense of the word, when using Roman
letters. Although in the case of the early square-capital writing these
letters were constructed in a fairly simple fashion with a slanted-cut
pen, it is very difficult to write with any speed in this manner and at
the same time produce a well-finished letter. For general purposes it
is better to form the letters as shown in Fig. 15.
These are constructed in quite a different way from the types already
shown, the difference being that while they were formed with simple
pen-strokes as in ordinary handwriting, these are built up.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.]
For the purpose of illumination, Roman lettering is not by any means
ideal. It is much better to select a true pen-formed alphabet; but
for modern usage, such as the various branches of commercial work,
Roman lettering is used a great deal. It possesses one very great
advantage, that is, its legibility. As the man in the street has his
daily newspaper printed in a form of Roman lettering, he is therefore
more familiar with this type than any other. The greater bulk of
the commercial art of the present day aims to attract the attention
of this individual, so that it is necessary that it should be just
what he can understand. To letter a popular advertisement in a late
Gothic lettering would be foolish in the extreme, as he would, in all
probability, experience difficulty in deciphering it. The thing to aim
at, in this case, is to do it so that he cannot help seeing it. The
most important thing, in the eyes of the advertiser, is not so much the
design of the poster as the goods advertised, and the lettering calling
attention to these must be clear, distinct, and prominent. Lettering,
therefore, that is based on the Roman type is best for this kind of
work.
Illumination, in general, appeals to a different type of individual.
Something is required that is away from the ordinary. Also as
illumination is so inseparably bound up with writing, it is almost
essential that a true pen-formed lettering should be used.
The Roman capitals, as shown in Fig. 15, are based, to a great extent,
on those used in the Trajan Column inscription. It will be found
that the more practice that one has in forming letters with simple
pen-strokes, as already shown, the easier it will be to form the
letters by building them up, as in this case.
For general purposes the easiest way to form Roman letters is with a
pen cut with a medium point and a fairly long slit. The outward strokes
should be made first, then the ones that come inside the letter.
The serifs are then added, the outline filled in, and the letter is
complete. The lower-case letters given are a type that may be used in
conjunction with the capitals. Apart from the utility of this alphabet,
the student will find that forming these letters in this way will be
extremely good practice. He should also practise forming them with
a brush. For this purpose he should use a small, but firm, sable
water-colour brush. Construct the letters in exactly the same manner
as when using the pen. After a good amount of practice in this way he
will be surprised at the dexterity he is acquiring with the use of the
brush. Then, using a larger brush, he should endeavour to form large
letters in this way. This will be extremely useful for writing large
notices and announcements.
For work where very accurate lettering is required, such as high-class
commercial art, title-pages, etc., the outlines of the letters should
be produced by means of tee-square, set-square, and compasses. The
serifs also should be carefully drawn. In this case it is not wise to
go straight ahead with the pen, without drawing first carefully in
pencil.
The letters given in Fig. 16 are a type of Roman lettering made with
simple direct strokes of the pen. These will no doubt be useful, as
they may be very easily and quickly written. They should be very
helpful for writing quickly announcements, notices, etc.
A few notes may be useful to the student with regard to the
characteristics of the various Roman capitals.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.]
The letter A is sometimes pointed at the top, being generally formed in
this manner in inscriptions, but for pen- and brush-formed lettering
it is preferable to finish it in the way shown in Fig. 15. It should
be noticed that in the letter B the top part forms an angle with the
upright, while the bottom part curves into the stem. The same thing
applies to D, E, and L. The serifs on the lower limbs of E and L should
point outwards, while the serifs on the other limbs of E are quite
straight. This also applies to F. It is best to make the cross-bar in H
form angles with the uprights rather than curving into them. The form
of the letter J may be varied, the tail may be curved round, but it is
as well to avoid the ugly shape that is in general use. The tail may
project below the line considerably, if it is felt to be necessary, but
care should be taken not to exaggerate this too much. The same thing
applies to the tail of the next letter, K. In the letter M the two
outside strokes occasionally spread outwards, and in the form used in
inscriptions the top serifs are missing. These, however are generally
added to the pen- or brush-formed letter. The same thing applies to the
letter N. The letter O is not quite a circle; it is sometimes made in
the tilted form, _i.e._, as formed with the slanted-cut pen; when this
is the case all the corresponding curved letters should be treated in
the same way. The curve of P does not always touch the upright stem
below. The tail of the Q may be lengthened occasionally, as also is
the case in the letter R. The letter S often leans slightly forward,
but this tendency should not be accentuated too much. The top part of
this letter should be made slightly smaller than the lower part; this
applies also to all letters similarly divided in the middle. In the
letter T the top generally forms angles with the centre stem instead
of curving into it. For general writing the curved type of U should be
used in preference to the V which is used in Latin inscriptions. W is
formed by crossing two V’s.
The student is strongly advised to study some of the best historical
examples of Roman lettering. Some of these are detailed in the next
chapter.