I in Old English Letters

Outline version to colour or trace

How to draw a Old English capital I

1. 1Draw a thick stem with the pen at about 45 degrees, pulling it down in a single stroke from a diamond head to a diamond foot.
2. 2Add a thin curved hairline from the top of the stem to the left, forming the characteristic hook that appears on many capitals.
3. 3Add a small ornamental swelling on the left side of the stem about halfway down, as many Fraktur forms do.
4. 4Check that the letter is clearly taller and heavier than a lowercase stem, otherwise it will look like a lowercase l.

Tip: Decide at the start whether your capital I is meant to double as J. If it does, add a descending tail only to the J form, so the two stay readable.

How to draw a Old English lowercase i

1. 1Draw a short straight stem exactly the height of the x-height, starting with a diamond head and ending in a diamond foot.
2. 2Place the dot above the stem as a small diamond made with the pen's corner, not a round point.
3. 3Make sure the dot sits directly above the stem and not above the gap between letters.
4. 4Compare the stem with the strokes of n and u. They should share the same weight, height and slant.

Tip: Write the word minimum to test your stems. All the vertical strokes should look equal, and the dots should line up above them.

What makes I awkward or easy

The I is awkward because it is a single stroke with very little to distinguish it, so its job is done by context. In older Fraktur the capital forms of I and J are often the same shape, so a word like Jan can look like Ian, which is the reason this pair is notorious.

Variations

In many Fraktur alphabets one letter form served for both I and J, and blackletter is unusual in that regard. Textura capital I is often a plain stem with a hook, while some Fraktur designs add a curl. In Unicode, the capital Fraktur I is in the Letterlike Symbols block as ℑ, which is an exception.

Common mistakes with Old English I

• The capital I looks like a lowercase l.

  Make the capital noticeably taller and heavier, and add the top hook and the swelling on the left.

• The dot on the lowercase i is round.

  Make the dot a small diamond using the corner of the pen, which keeps it consistent with the other terminals.

• The letter is used for J in a name without any indication.

  Use a distinct tail for J and a plain stem for I, and ask the reader to check the spelling before printing.

Ideas for Old English I

I is rarely a first choice for a monogram, yet it makes a striking single-letter emblem, as in a gothic I on a jacket. Names beginning with I, such as Isabel or Ian, work best with a decorated capital and a clearly separate lowercase.

Old English I: questions