Glossary

This is a growing list of calligraphy terms I regularly use when I’m sharing information. I listed this first on the Learn page so that you would have some understanding as you start to go through the articles. As always, I am open to answering questions and clarifying other calligraphy terms you may come across elsewhere!

A photo of a pointed calligraphy nib on a white background. The title in the top left-hand corner reads, "Parts of a Nib" in black text. There are more calligraphy terms pointing to different parts of the calligraphy nib.
rule updraw guidelines on a page
baselineline the letters rest on
x-heightheight of the lower case letters
ascending linestrokes that extend above the x-height
descending linestroke that extends below the x-height
minusculeslower case letters
majusculesupper case letters
upstrokea stroke written from the baseline upward
downstrokea stroke written toward the baseline
nibsmall metal instrument for writing calligraphy
tinesthe 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.
pen anglethe angle to the baseline to hold the writing edge of a broad pen
guidelineslines on a page that regulate letter size and slant