The glossary is here to give you some understanding of calligraphy terms as you begin to learn and practice. Once you’ve given this page a scroll, take a look through my calligraphy articles.
Guideline Terms
guidelines
lines on a page that regulate letter size and slant
to “rule up”
draw guidelines on a page
x-height
height of the lower case letters
baseline
line that all the letters rest on
Writing Terms
stroke
a shape made by the pen
upstroke
a stroke written from the baseline upward
downstroke
a stroke written toward the baseline
pen manipulation
twisting the pen as you write, or changing the writing edge of the pen to make a stroke or shape
Lettering and Calligraphy Terms
minuscules
lower case letters
majuscules
upper case letters
ascender
strokes that extend above the x-height (h, l, k)
descender
strokes that extend below the x-height (g, j, p)
serif
a decorative ending to a stroke
Pen Terms
nib
small metal instrument for writing calligraphy
tines
the writing edge of a calligraphy nib is divided into sections. These sections are called tines. Ink flows between the sections from the nib to the page.
penstaff
the handle that a nib fits into
pen angle
the angle to the baseline to hold the writing edge of a broad pen
Interested in learning calligraphy, but not sure where to start?