Lettering and Numbering Techniques PDF

LETTERING AND NUMBERING Letter Styles Styles - Gothic - Roman - Italic - Text Letter Styles They were all made with speedball pens, and are therefore largely single- stroke letters. If the letters are drawn in outline and filled in, they are referred to as “filled- in” letters. The plainest and mo...

LETTERING AND NUMBERING Letter Styles Styles - Gothic - Roman - Italic - Text Letter Styles They were all made with speedball pens, and are therefore largely single- stroke letters. If the letters are drawn in outline and filled in, they are referred to as “filled- in” letters. The plainest and most legible style is the gothic from which our single-stroke engineering letters are derived. The term roman refers to any letter having wide down ward strokes and thin connecting strokes. Roman letters include old romans and modern roman, and may be vertical or inclined. Inclined letters are also referred to as italic, regardless of the letter style; text letters are often referred to as old English. Classification of Letters Extended and Condensed Letters To meet design or space requirements, letters may be narrower and spaced closer together, in which case they are called “Compressed” or “Condensed” letters. If the letters are wider than normal, they are referred to as “Extended” letters. Light Face and Bold Face Letters Letters also vary as to the thickness of the stems or strokes. Letters having very thin stems are called Light Face Letters, while those having heavy stems are called Bold Face Letters. Technique of Lettering “Any normal person can learn to letter if he is persistent and intelligent in his efforts.” While it is true that “Practice makes perfect,” it must be understood that practice alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by continuous effort to improve. There are three necessary steps in learning to letter: - Knowledge of the proportions and forms of the letters and the order of the strokes. - Knowledge of composition- the spacing of the letters and words. - Persistent practice, with continuous effort to improve Guide Lines Extremely light horizontal guidelines are necessary to regulate the height of letters. In addition, light vertical or inclined guidelines are needed to keep the letters uniformly vertical or inclined. Guidelines are absolutely essential for good lettering and should be regarded as a welcome aid, not as an unnecessary requirement. Make guidelines light, so that they can be erased after the lettering has been completed. Use a relatively hard pencil such as a 4H to 6H, with a long, sharp, conical point. Single Stroke Lettering The salient features of this type of lettering are: - Greatest amount of lettering on drawings is done in a rapid single stroke letter i.e. either vertical, or inclined. -The ability to letter and perfectly can be acquired only by continued and careful practice -it is not a matter of artistic talent or event of dexterity in hand writing Order of Strokes They are necessary to have legible and accurate letter styles. In the following description an alphabet of slightly extended vertical capitals has-been arranged in-group. Study the slope of each letter with the order and direction of the storks forming it. The proportion of height and width of various letters must be known carefully to letter them perfectly. The I-H-T Group The letter I is The Foundation Stroke. The top of T is drawn first to the full width of the square and the stem is started accurately at its midpoint. The L-E-F Group The L is made in two strokes. The first two strokes of the E are the same for the L, the third or the upper stoke is lightly shorter than the lower and the last stroke is the third as long as the lower. F has the same proportion as E  Order of Strokes The V-A-K Group V is the same width as A, the A bridge is one third up from the bottom. The second stroke of K strikes stem one third up from the bottom and the third stroke branches from it. The M-W Group M may be made in consecutive strokes of the two verticals as of N. W is made with two V’s. The O-Q-C-G Group The O families are made as full circles and made in two strokes with the left side a longer arc than the right. A large size C and G can be made more accurately with an extra stroke at the top.29 The D- U-J Group The top and bottom stokes of D must be horizontal, fail line to observe this is a common fault with beginners. U is formed by two parallel strokes to which the bottom stroke be added. J has the same construction as U, with the first stroke omitted. The P-R-B Group The number of stokes depends up on the size of the letter. The middle line of P and R are on centerline of the vertical line. Order of Strokes for Single Stroke Gothic Letters (Uppercase) and Numbers Order of Strokes for Single Stroke Gothic Letters (Uppercase) and Numbers Proportion of Width and Height for Single Stroke Gothic Letters (Uppercase) & Numbers Proportion of Width and Height for Single Stroke Gothic Letters (Uppercase) & Numbers Order of Strokes for Single Stroke Gothic Letters (Lowercase) Order of Strokes for Single Stroke Gothic Italic Letters (Uppercase) Spacing of Letters Uniformity in spacing of letters is a matter of equalizing spaces by eye. The background area between letters, not the distance between them, should be approximately equal. Some combinations, such as LT and VA, may even have to be slightly overlapped to secure good spacing. In some cases the width of a letter may be decreased. For example, the lower stroke of the L may be shortened when followed by A. Words are spaced well apart, but letters with in words should be spaced closely. Make each word a compact unit well separated from the adjacent words. For either upper case or lower-case lettering, make the spaces between words approximately equal to a capital O. Avoid spacing letters too far apart and words too close together. https://youtu.be/L7tHjdRIoAk