This is my collection of difference ascenders and descenders from the Bedford Psalter :

They differ a bit in exactly how the serif is finished, and there's a fourth version of the ascender shown in the large picture of the b below. (The l is just a repeat of one of the versions shown on a b)

I'm working on the ascender and it's serif of the leftmost b, of which the p's descender is similar. I'll look at the different versions of the serifs more later, but they are all more or less (literally) of this form.

Following up on the post http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/2007/01/script-analysis-l.html
I think I've got the curve at the top of the ascender correct, to form the right hand side of the fishtail serif that's needed.

Referring back to the post above, I've realized that I've been forgetting to tilt the diamonds up to the left slightly. I shall go scream, then do a couple of lines to correct the problem.

(later). OK. done. easy - just had to remember to do it.

These are my notes on how to draw an ascender so far :



To build the ascender into a Bedford Psalter ascender, which looks like :

I need to build a fishtail with a flattening in the middle (not a typical fishtail, which has a 'v' top as shown in the figure from Lovett's book below)

Here's an extract from Patricia Lovett's "Calligraphy and Illumination" (page 72), describing how to make the left hand stroke of the fishtail.

Even more relevant, "The Historical Source Book for Scribes" (Brown and Lovett), page 91, describes how the ascenders and descenders were made for the Bedford Psalter - the same method as described in Lovett's "Calligraphy and Illumination", but with mention of the extra line that flattens the inside of the fishtail :


The Historical Source Book doesn't talk about the thickened ascenders - but they are there. I swear it. I've measured the width of the ascenders many times. They are thicker, gradually thinning until they hit the x-height line.