Have you ever looked at a word and it just doesn’t look right, but you aren’t sure exactly what it is? Often it isn’t anything wrong with a single letter, but rather the line the letters sit upon. This is called the baseline. The baseline is the (invisibly drawn) line upon which most of the lower-case letters rest. When you have a shaky baseline, your letters will rise and fall or even spiral off into the paper.
A consistent baseline provides stability for your letter forms. Lower-case letters a, n, m, e, o should rest on a steady baseline. Lower-case descenders, g, j, p, q and y, dip below it. If you allow the baseline to drift, your letter forms start to float or sink, and you start to lose control of spacing and slant.
It is easy to let your letters rise off of the baseline, especially when you’re learning the basics of calligraphy. The reason is simple; you often focus so much on what the nib or brush point is doing, especially during that downstroke, that your eye doesn’t notice that your letterforms have risen from the baseline. Sometimes the wrist is too tense, or you have set up an odd paper angle, or just one too many letters on a long word throws off your hand position.
To practice maintaining your baseline, start with a short, simple word such as “minimum,” “name” or “noon.” Using a pencil or a light pen, draw a horizontal guideline for your baseline, or trace one lightly. Slowly, write the word three times. As you examine the letters, don’t just look at the whole word as good or bad. Look at how each individual letter interacts with the baseline. Does it float above it, sink below it or touch it? You can easily use this exercise to improve the placement and spacing of any word.
Don’t allow flourish or fancy loops to affect the baseline as you practice. It is essential to keep these letters clean and simple and allow the downstroke to touch the line at the same point each time. If you are writing with a brush pen, be careful not to put too much pressure on your downstroke. If you are writing with a pointed nib, check to make sure that the point of the nib does not catch in the paper and interrupt your contact point on the line.
The x-height line (line for height of lowercase letters) can be helpful as you practice. If you use both your baseline and x-height to judge the placement and alignment of your lettering, you can tell if a single letter is misaligned or if your entire word is drifting. It is easiest to see misaligned letter forms in an oval. A group of ovals that all rest evenly on the baseline can help you maintain consistent placement in future lettering.
Finally, as you move to the next letter in your line, focus just as much on the end of the downstroke as the beginning. You can start each letter with beautiful curves and strokes, but if they don’t land in the same place, they will appear as misaligned letters. Consistent baselines aren’t about a robotic line of letters; they’re about allowing your letters to rest on a common foundation where they can share spacing, slant and rhythm.