from the base line. Stroke 3, if extended, would
intersect stroke 1 at the top.
I, A, L, T. The letter 1 is the basic vertical
stroke. Inclined strokes 1 and 2 of the A intersect
just above the cap line; stroke 3 is located one
third of the distance up from the base line. The
horizontal stroke of the T is drawn first; the
vertical stroke or stem is drawn from the center.
With both L and T, the horizontal stroke maybe
lengthened or shortened to balance the letters in
a word. If, for example, L precedes A, its
horizontal stroke is reduced slightly; if T precedes
A, its horizontal stroke is extended slightly.
H, F, E. In H, F, and E, the
central
horizontal bar is placed slightly above the center
for stability. In both E and F, the cap line stroke
is four units long and the central stroke is three-
fifths of this length. The base line of E is
one-half unit longer than its cap line.
V, W, M, N. The two inclined strokes of the
V intersect just below the base line. The W is
1 1/3 times the width of a normal letter; note that
it is wider than M. Strokes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the
W intersect below the base line. Strokes 3 and 4
of the M and 2 and 3 of the N intersect on the
base line. Note that the outside strokes of the M
and N are drawn first.
Curved- and Straight-Line
Combinations
The capital letters shown in figure 3-48
are formed by either curved line strokes or
by a combination of curved- and straight-line
strokes.
O, Q, C, G. The O and Q are complete circles;
C and G are not the full width of the square
because they are not full circles. The tail of Q,
if extended, would intersect the center of the
circle. Stroke 4 of G begins at the center of the
circle.
U, J, D. Stroke 3 of U is
elliptical
and connects two parallel vertical lines a
third of the distance above the base line.
Stroke 2 of J is similar but not so broad.
Stroke 4 of D is circular, joining two horizontal
segments.
P, R, B. The horizontal midstrokes of P
and R lie just below the midpoint, and
the horizontal midstroke of B lies just above
the midpoint. Horizontal stroke 4 in B is
slightly longer than strokes 2 and 3, which are the
same length.
45.835
Figure 3-48.-Lettering vertical capitals, curved- and straight-line combinations.
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