katelyn lettering.docx

**LETTERING** Lettering is the art of writing or inscribing words on or constructing alphabets in a particular style on something **HISTORY AND ORIGIN** The **history** of alphabetic writing goes back to the consonantal writing system used for Semitic languages in the Levant (people in the same r...

**LETTERING** Lettering is the art of writing or inscribing words on or constructing alphabets in a particular style on something **HISTORY AND ORIGIN** The **history** of alphabetic writing goes back to the consonantal writing system used for Semitic languages in the Levant (people in the same region i.e., Cyprus, Egypt...) in the 2nd millennium BCE. \... Its **first origins** can be traced back to a Proto-Sinaitic script developed in Ancient Egypt to represent the language of Semitic-speaking workers in Egypt. The Egyptian types or type face is known as Hieroglyphics. Babylon had its own form of writing called **cuneiform** **Hieroglyphics** are pictures of things used sometimes as characters or symbols representing an idea without expressing its name and sometime in-group to make up words. The Egyptian types were carved in vertical columns on monuments and tombs, in stone and wood. These symbols were developed by the Phoenicians to an extent and were later advanced on by the **Greeks** and as a result, vowel sounds like **A, E, I, O, U** were formed**.** The Romans added symmetry and dignity to the alphabet to give it a modern outlook and this is why the conventional lettering today is called Romans. It is the **Romans** who developed the letters from **A-Z,** which we use today. All books before this age were hand-written. Due to the increased demand for books, the first printing machine was developed in **1450 A.D.** by **JOHANNES GUTTENBERG from Mainz in Germany. Prior to the printing press (1450s), lowercase letters were called minuscule and uppercase letters were called majuscule. Today, the term "caps" is commonly used to describe print that is all in capital letters.** **CASES OF LETTERS** during the early days of the printing press, letter blocks were stored in specially organized boxes called cases. By convention, the cases containing the capital letters were stored higher than those containing the smaller versions of the letters. All capital letters are known as **UPPER CASES** (majuscule)**,** while the small letters are called **lower cases** (minuscule)**.** The upper projections found in small letters are referred to as **ASCENDERS,** while the lower projections are called **DESCENDERS.** Lower case letters evolved from cursive handwritten Latin scripts used in ancient times. There is no exact date. Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally majuscule) and smaller lowercase (or more formally minuscule) in the written representation of certain languages. **PARTS OF A LETTER** **CLASSIFICATION OF LETTERS**  **THE BLOCKS** Letter within this category is drawn or constructed and not written. They are also known as type face or fonts. Some examples include; - - - - As the name suggests, they are romantic in nature. Their thickness varies as the horizontal strokes are rather thinner than the vertical strokes. They also have ornamental projections called **SERIFS.** Romans are suitable for printing of magazines, periodicals, newspapers, textbooks, Holy books, etc. **THE SCRIPTS (pen lettering/calligraphy)** They are free hand letters which are rendered using a calligraphic pen. Script is divided into two, namely - - - - **QUALITIES OF GOOD LETTERING** A good lettering must possess the following qualities; i. **[Simplicity]**; a good lettering must be as simple as possible so that it will not be boring to read. It must catch people's attention ii. **[Suitability]**; the form or characters of the letters chosen must be suitable for its purpose. Arrangement and emphasis on each letter is also important iii. **[Legibility]**; it is the most important quality of good lettering, the letters constructed must be readable, simple and should be arranged in an orderly manner without losing its beauty. A letter with contrast with the background makes reading easier. iv. [**Good** **spacing**]; letters must have good spacing. It must not be too close or too wide apart. When they are too close, reading becomes difficult likewise when they are too wide apart, they are no longer united. The characters of the letters: their width and weight often determine the amount of reasonable space between them. Letter O and I spaces are different, while O and I can be used as standard for spacing**.** v. vi. **USES OF LETTERING** Letters can be used to do the following; - - - **General lettering proportion** All letter of the alphabet is not the same size or proportion. Each letter has its own characteristic and its therefore unique in itself, this is what makes each of them easily recognized. Letter I is the narrowest of all the letters while letter W is the widest when compared with other letters of the alphabets The general proportion is that all letters have the same height but not the same width. Some of the letters of the alphabet are narrow; others are of full width, some more than full width If square is taken as a standard measurement, letter **M** and **W** are wider than the square and letter I take just the thickness of the stroke you are using for the letters ***The teacher group letters into wide, round, narrow, and medium*** **Grouping** Letters can be grouped into; i. ii. iii. iv. ***the teacher describes block lettering stating the reason for use*** **BLOCK LETTERING** As the name indicates, the shape of these resembles a block or rectangle. They are easy to draw and their clear shapes have made them the most preferred for advertisement. They can easily be condensed or enlarged. ***The teacher illustrates the steps in constructing alphabets*** **CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE** 1. draw two parallel (horizontal) line across your sheet of paper 2. break these lines into square. The squares will be measured 5cm. 3. give 0.5 cm space between the squares. 4. Divide the squares into 5 equal parts of 1cm each vertically and horizontally \(a) (b) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- (c) ------- -- -- -- -- sssss ss ------- -- -- -- -- 5. construct enough grid lines, then draw letter block letters such as A, B, C, and so on in the grid 6. letter M and W will in most alphabets, extend beyond the normal grid line to show that they are both the wider than other alphabets