LETTERING

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

IMPORTANCE OF ENGINEERING
LETTERING

Lettering

The lettering used in mechanical drawing is a single stroke,

freehand form called single stroke gothic.

It was formulated in the late 19th century when C.W.

Reinhardt worked out a series of strokes for each letter
of the alphabets.

The expression singlestroke means that the width of the

straight and curved lines that forms the letters are the
same width as the strokes of the pen or pencil.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

IMPORTANCE OF
ENGINEERING LETTERING

Lettering

To convey complete information working drawing must

graphically portray the object in various views
accompanied by size description and instructive
specifications in the form of figured dimensions and
notes.

All dimensions and notes should be lettered freehand in a

plain, legible style that can be rapidly executed.

Poor lettering detracts from the appearance of a drawing

and often impairs its usefulness regardless of the quality
of line work.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

PROPORTION OF LETTERS

Lettering

Although there is no fixed standard proportion of letters, certain

definite rules in their design must be observed.

The recognized characteristics of each letter should be carefully

studied and then thoroughly learned through practice.

It is advisable for the beginner to follow the fixed proportions rather

than rely on his untrained eye.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

PROPORTION OF LETTERS

Lettering

Later, after he has thoroughly mastered the art of lettering his

individuality will be revealed naturally by slight variations in the
shaped and proportions of some letters.

It is often desirable to increase and decrease the width of the letters

in order to make a word or group of words fill a certain space.

Letters narrower than the normal letters of the same height are
called compressed letters, those that are wider are called
extended letters.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Proportion Of Letters
The proportion is given by this formula:

where:
C = capital or uppercase letters
N = number or numerals
L = long stem
s = short oval & stem

C=N=L and s=

2
5
2
C or s=
N t=
C
3
6
3

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Lettering

Guidelines
To attain uniform height of letter, very light horizontal

guidelines called capital line, waist line, base line and

drop line are drawn.

In addition, very light vertical and inclined lined are drawn

at random to keep the letters uniform vertical or
inclined.

Guidelines are absolutely essential for good lettering.

They must be drawn very light, so they dont need to be
erased.

Use relatively hard pencil lead such as H with long conical

points.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Guidelines

Capital Lines
Waist Line

Base Line
Drop Line

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

STABILITY
If the width of the lower portion of a certain letters to be drawn equal to the width of the upper portion it will make the letters unstable and too heavy.
To correct this, the upper portion of the letters B, E, F, S, X, & Z, and the numbers 2, 3 and 8 must be reduced slightly to give it a stable appearance.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Styles Of Letters
There are two styles of letters, the vertical and slant.

The slant letters are inclined at approximately 72 degrees.

Vertical letters are constructed 90 degrees with horizontal
plane.

VERTICAL LETTERS

SLANT LETTERS

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Elements Of Letters

Stem letters
Straight line of the letters that is drawn with a single downward
stroke of the hand.

1
3

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Elements Of Letters

Oval letters
The oval is the other element of the letter.
They resemble ellipses.
The oval is the curved lines in a letter that is drawn in
one way or two way strokes of the hand.

12

12

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Properties Of Good Stem

It must be perfectly straight.

It must be tangent to oval and touches exactly the
horizontal guidelines.

It must be uniform in slope.

It must be uniform in thickness.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Properties Of Good Oval

It must be smooth and not pumpkin seed shaped.
It should have no appendages.
It must be tangent to stem and guidelines.
It must be uniform in slope
It must be uniform in thickness.
The width must be uniform throughout.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Methods Of Constructions

Parallelogram method
Used by beginners using all the guidelines like the
horizontal, vertical and inclined guidelines.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Methods Of Constructions
Two line method
Used by semiskilled draftsman using horizontal
guidelines only.

Sight method
Used by skilled draftsman wherein letters are
constructed without guidelines.

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Instrumental Drawing

Geometrical Construction

Working Drawing

Lettering

Lettering

Methods Of Constructions

S
I
N
G
L
E
S
T
R
O
K
E

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

V
E
R
T
I
C
A
L
L
E
T
T
E
R
I
N
G

Methods Of Constructions
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

SINGLE STROKE INCLINED LETTERING

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

Lettering

Lettering

15

Methods Of Constructions
4 2 4 4 2 10

6 3

COMPOSITION OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

In order that a piece of composition may
look well, it must have uniformity in slope, weight,
size and spacing of letters, words and sentences.
Compact and uniform lettering is not only
easily read but is beautiful as well.
Capital letters, numerals, integers and long
stems of lower case letters must have the same
height, short stems and ovals must2 be
the long
stems.
3
In a fractional number, the numerator and
denominator
must have the same height and
2
must be
the integer.
3

COURSE & SECT.

NAME:

PLATE NO:

SEAT NO.

INSTRUCTOR:

DATE:

MAPUA DEPARTMENT OF MULTIMEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES

GRADE