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Lettering sample using Ames Lettering Guide
Conventions
Abbreviations, Frank Heitzman, AIA, ASIDConstruction Drawing
Abbreviations, The House Plan Shop
Lettering Preview all these first
Old School Lettering 101, Part 04 [making guide lines]: Ames
Lettering Guide (You Tube)How to write like and architect. Doug
Patt. [Here, the lettering is too 'animated'. But the video is good
in the way it shows the use of the Ames guide while writing.]How to
letter with lead. Doug Patt. [Still too animated..and too much
'personality'. Aim for extreme legibility. But good to show pencil
angle, line weight.]How to use [Ames] Lettering Guide,
YouTubeLettering (in Flash), Architectural Drafting Fundamentals,
Instructor: JoBeth Halpin, Triton CollegeExcerpts from Sutherland,
Martha. Lettering for Architects and Designers. New York: Van
Nostrand Reinhold, 2nd ed., 1989
Selection as PDF to look at carefully
Practice (before 'drafted' assignment, below)
1. Practice 'capital' lettering (using alphabet and numbers)2.
Write three paragraphs. This may be a quote, cited.3. Use lined
sheets of paper. Only write on every other line.4. Hand in.
Equipment
Leads: 4H for guidelines and construction lines, 2H (or less)
for lettering. Or what works for you.Ames Lettering GuideMechanical
pencils or 'clutches' (for lead)Use11" by 17" white copier paper
available in the Architecture Printing room just opposite room
202.
Assignment
Construct guide lines:
Use blank paper, 11" by 17" white.Use the Ames Lettering Guide
for light, horizontal 'guidelines' constructed using a sharpened,
hard (if possible 4H) pencil lead.Read instructions, providedBased
on what you will be writing on the sheet (see below), carefully lay
out your page/guidelines to compose your page graphically.On the
circular ('disk'), rotating part of the Ames Lettering Guide, the
numbers, which range from 2 to 10 (on the
English--non-metric--scale) denote the height of letters in 1/32th
of an inch.Have '6' line up with the vertical mark (in
illustration, below, indicated as the letter 'T') at the bottom of
the guide to produce guide lines of 6/32" (or 3/16") for
lettering.Use the two-thirds ratio column (lower column) of holes.
The lines at each end of the arcs will be used as guides for only
writing capital letters, so do not construct an 'extra' line using
the hole in between the two holes bridged by the arc ")", which
would only be included as a guideline for 'lower case'
lettering.Scribe light, sharp, hard-lead lines only locating them
where your lettering will be.
Practice 'capital' lettering (uppercase, block, majuscule):
Review all reading above first.For all vertial lines in letters
use the Ames Lettering Guide and/or a straight edge (triangle,
T-square) using a medium (2H, if possible) pencil lead.Make other
strokes (horizontal, circular, etc.) freehand, either horizontal or
at a slight angle (up to the right )on the 'crossbars'.
