How to Determine Calligraphy Style

There are hundreds of calligraphic typefaces used all across the world every single day. Most of these typefaces can be categorized into on of the primary typeface categories. Determining the type of font or calligraphy used on a piece of text can be quite easy once you understand the basic features of each primary type.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Gothic Calligraphy

1. Look for font faces that appear dense with very sharp angles with no rounded corners.
2. Be aware that the pen is held at a 40 degree angle for making all strokes of the character.
3. Know that each character is created from multiple strokes of the pen, wherein all joins meet, but do not overlap.

Roman Calligraphy

4. Look for vertical letters with rounded corners. Roman type fonts are quite often very open with a hint of being circular no matter what letter is being formed.
5. Be aware that the pen is held at either a 20 or 40 degree angle.
6. Know that each portion of the letter is created using a separate stroke of the nib.
7. Consider that all strokes either meet smoothly, or overlap, giving the letter a solid flowing, although somewhat blocky appearance.

Text Calligraphy

8. Look for heavy flourishes. These overly stylized fonts tend to have a medieval or flowery appearance.
9. Be aware that the pen is typically held at a 30 degree angle, although the wide variety of fonts included in this category, makes pen angle a difficult determining factor.
10. Know that letters are commonly created using single strokes of the pen, with overlapping lines.

Tips & Warnings

• Gothic fonts include such common faces as Algerian, Engravers and Rockwell.
• Roman fonts include such common faces as Arial, Eras and Tahoma.
• Text fonts include such common faces as Copperplate, Florentine and Viner.
• These are the three primary types of European calligraphic fonts used. Other cultures, such as Chinese and Arabic, have their own specific primary styles, which are very distinctive due to the shape and form of the specific letters found in their languages.