Uncial Calligraphy Tips: Z

Series Summary

Calligraphy is the art of stylistic writing. It is also known as the practice of giving an artistic form to letters and signs. It is considered a skill and is often taught in art classes or craft seminars. The skill set learned in calligraphy classes ranges from practical usage to artistic interpretation. In the latter form, function takes a backseat to artistic expression. Practical uses for calligraphy include fancy invitations, font design, logo design, maps, and documentation of other sorts. Depending on the area you are in, different types of calligraphy include East Asian character calligraphy, Indian calligraphy, Persian calligraphy, Islamic calligraphy, or Western calligraphy. There are many different tools used in calligraphy but the two most important are the paper and the pen. In this series of instructional videos, you will learn more about the art of calligraphy. Our expert explains the history and demonstrates Western calligraphy. You will learn more about the resurgence in popularity and the functionality of this style of writing. Watch as our expert demonstrates each letter, number, and symbol used in common calligraphy. Get instructions for changing colors of ink during a calligraphy project. See examples of upper and lowercase letters written in this style of calligraphy. See different examples of calligraphy styles and get ideas for projects. Get recommendations on types of paper and pens or markers used for creating beautiful calligraphy pieces in these expert videos.

Video Transcript

"Alright, we're at the end of the alphabet and we'll do the last letter which is the letter Z. Again, the Z doesn't occur very often so we won't get much practice with it and sometimes I think that the Z is an odd letter for this hand because it has so many straight lines and we really don't think of the straight lines as being part of the Uncial Hand. So one way to tailor it to fit the other letters is to include a bit of swing to writing the Z. So we might say we make some curves where there would normally be straight lines. So, sometimes you'll see a Z that actually has a curve like this. Not a very typical American Z though. So, with the Z, you have some options and because I believe the Z occurs once in every one thousand letters in English, of course if you're transcribing another language that won't apply, but we won't get much practice with the Z."