Ornate pictorial calligraphy review series#

The main purpose of flourishing, however, wasn’t embellishment of written text as it had been before, but demonstration of the penmen’s writing skills. With mass production of the flexible metal pointed pen in the early 19th century, calligraphy flourishing became popular again, especially in the USA.

During this period of time flourishes appeared impractical and redundant, so they quietly disappeared from the writings.Ī few decades later and miles away, flourishing reemerged once again, now as an art per se, what it is even today, and what it will probably remain forever. However, the Industrial Revolution and rapid trade expansion demanded a lot of transaction records, which required handwriting that is quick to execute and easily readable. The custom of text embellishment continued even after the printing machine was invented, so flourishes were used as decoration in almost all printed books, newspapers, posters, and similar printings. A common feature of almost all classic flourishes is their execution by one continuous stroke, without lifting the pen, or (which is less often) a combination of two or more overlapped flourishes, the so-called ‘multiple-stroke flourishes’. Of course, as in any art, there are various combinations of the two styles mentioned.įlourishes can vary in design - from entirely abstract objects to the depiction of figures like people, angels, flowers or animals like dogs, snails, lions, eagles, horses, etc. Angular flourishes are called ‘cadels’ and they are usually associated with capital letters in Gothic calligraphy. They are often combined with curves and loops.

Ornate pictorial calligraphy review series#

Curvilinear flourishes are executed by smooth motions of the pen and consist of curves, loops and spirals, while angular flourishes are distinctive by series of parallel straight lines that meet forming sharp angles and often form square or diamond-shaped decoration. Consequently, there are two main types of flourishes - curvilinear and angular. Since they developed from letter strokes, flourishes were executed in the same or similar style as letters in manuscript. Thin and thick strokes at the same flourish are achieved by alternating low and high pressure of the pen, but never by tracing the same line more than once. Over time, some penmen began to perform intricate flourishes as the main subject of their artwork.įlourishes consist of combined lines, curves, spirals and loops, usually in form of a single, uninterrupted line executed by a quick but graceful movement of the pen. Initially, flourishes were attached to the letters and served as letter decoration, but soon they became stand-alone ornaments, often positioned around the text and between the paragraphs and chapters of the manuscript. In hand-written official documents from that time, flourished capital letters, as well as flourishes above and below the text and at the end of every written line, were rendered as decoration but also served to prevent additional writing to the text. In Europe, flourishing was widely employed for the embellishment of English and German manuscripts. Decorative flourishes, also known as calligraphic ornaments or ornate pictorial calligraphy, developed during centuries of writing and decorating of manuscripts. Flourishes, that are considered a combination of drawing and calligraphy, presumably evolved during a long period of time from extended curved letter strokes executed for embellishment in calligraphy and penmanship, when beauty was an imperative in handwriting. Decorative flourishes were almost inevitable decoration of books and documents for centuries. The term ‘flourish’ implies embellishment of letters and text, as well as stand-alone decorative elements. These vector flourishes are suitable for use in graphic designs and, one might say, they are ideal for wood carving. All the flourishes are colored black, so that you can simply adjust their size and use them straight away it is, however, possible to change the color to your liking by editing it in an appropriate software.