Can I Carve That in Stone?

(Note: This article appeared in the August 1994 issue of Signs of the Times magazine). From a certain perspective, there are only two kinds of letters: big ones and little ones. The little ones come in endless variety. The big ones do too, but they’re mostly intended for largescale public communication. In other words, signs. Sign-making, as we know it, got its start in ancient Rome, which always had a taste for public lettering. And the Romans developed a perfect alphabet for the job. Though it initially comprised Greek letterforms, this alphabet was quickly adapted and reshaped for writing the Latin language. Latin, when written, causes letters to be distributed in even rhythms, producing handsome patterns of straight, curved and diagonal strokes. If drawn with a broad-edged tool, these letterforms and patterns take on extraordinary grace and strength. As the Roman Empire flourished, its leaders sought immortality by conspicuously carving records of their accomplishments in stone. Brush writers, or ordinators, would paint these messages directly into the surfaces of public monuments. Then the letters were cut to a V-section by skilled carvers, and often repainted to assure legibility. By the second century A.D., this craft had risen to such a level that the best examples continue to outshine all other Western lettering. The inscription on the triumphal column of the Emperor Trajan, circa A.D. 100, is generally considered to be the finest alphabetic inscription ever carved in stone. (Based on this column’s inscriptions, which commemorate the Emperor’s victorious campaigns around the tum of the second century, Frederic Goudy created the Trajan typeface early this century.) The excellence of Roman inscriptions, however, includes more than perfect lettershapes. A series of physical, sociological and artistic conditions prevailed in this vigorous and economically successful culture. The powerful ruling class exercised its voice, as evidenced by a dediated class of gifted craftsmen and their flamboyant architecture, which was executed in superb white marble and lit by brilliant sunshine. Letterforms for the masses With public lettering today, in a far larger and more complex society, we cannot hope to ohtain such clarity of purpose. Our society is too large, and speaks with too many voices, to find expression in a single graphic mode. Yet even today, certain kinds of messages implore for monumental treatment. And several existing factors foster the use of stone as a medium. The growth of international markets has created a wide selection of available stones, and diamond cutting technology has made them easier to saw and shape. In addition, large-scale layouts and pre-cut sandblast stencil can easily be produced with computer-driven, sign-cutting systems. Virtually all computer-cut lettering today is produced with digital typestyles. At face value, this near-infinite selection of easily produced letters is a great asset to sign-makers, but the process also contains drawbacks. Typefaces, by definition, are designed for small-scale use in the high-contrast medium of print on paper. They are little letters. Scaled up, they often look stiff and mechanically detailed. The process of turning letters into type demands that all the characters be uniform with even weight and typographic color. In some faces, the individual characters are even built up from standard components — a cap H" made from two cap "I’s," etc. Although this makes for smoothlooking text and headlines, it filters out the verve and sparkle that embody good hand lettering. Computer cutting these typefaces at large scale often yields work that is curiously dull and lifeless. In vinyl signs, bright colors, special effects and lively layouts can overcome these limitations. But in the restrained medium of stone, the shortcomings are more obvious. Sandblasting and abrasive(nes)s Sandblasting, already widely used in the sign industry, is the simplest way of achieving relief in wood or stone. But this is not a true carving technique. Its chief role is simply to lend a three-dimensional quality to designs that are two-dimensional in nature. The stencil material controls the perimeter of the blasted area, and the blaster (more or less) controls the depth to which the surface is relieved. The nature of the blasted surface varies with the material being used, as with the pronounced grain of sandhlasted redwood. Precise control of planes and surfaces is not possible. Yet with an understanding of materials and techniques, fine sandblast work can certainly be done. Stone is a granular, vari-colored, low-contrast medium. Letters in it need to be larger than they are in standard graphics. Layouts, likewise, should be conceived to occupy the space more fully. Once cut, a letter in stone has depth and relief. Parts of it can be well lit while others are in shadow. This tends to divide the mass of the letter and reduce its carrying power. Judgments about the scale and layout of inscriptions need to be based on non-typographic grounds. Letterstyles too must be viewed from different standpoints. The best typographic letters for sandblasting in stone are those where the basic structure of the letter is not overwhelmed by detail. A degree of vitality also helps, though this quality can be hard to define. Gill Sans, Syntax, Frutiger and Optima (in their regular faces) are good candidates for blasting. Their strong skeletons and simple detailing translate well into the third dimension. Serified faces are more challenging and call for job-specific samples, trials and judgments. A walk through an historic grave yard showcases which letters do and don’t work for inscriptions. A careful look at modern cemetery monuments reveals the strengths and weaknesses of sandblasting. Legibility is a constant problem, and our noisy culture generally demands words that read loud and clear, regardless of medium. Modern sandblasters often blow their letters in far too deeply and stain or color them so strongly that all sculptural quality is lost. It doesn’t have to be this way. Carved stone is a tranquil, contemplative material. One can afford to slow down and read with care. In most stones, sandblasting produces a U-sectioned cut. Even with textured stones like slate, bluestone and fine-grained granite, this cut can have an attractive shape if not rendered too deeply. Deep blasting accentuates material textures and causes loss of apparent relief. Some stones have strong colors that are brought out by honing and polishing. Sandblasting in these surfaces creates cuts with strongly contrasting colors that can greatly aid legibility. Here, too, relief must be controlled with great care. Color contrast is lost in deeply shadowed letters. The Viet Nam Memorial by Maya Lin is a superb example of this contrast effect, and of sensitive layout and sandblast carving in general. The bottom line? Carefully consider the role your stone inscription will play. If you want a billboard effect or to stop traffic, maybe you should try some other material. Think of inscriptional layout as a gray-on-white medium. Stronger, simpler letters in generous sizes are best. Do not blast too deeply, over-stain or color. Avoid goldleaf. Sculptural effect results from low contrast and subtle light and shade. Try lots of tests in scraps of stone. Stick some stencil material on a sample, draw some letters on it by hand, and hand-cut the stencil. The results might surprise you. Make friends with your local monument maker and learn how sandblasting really works. Find time to look at good stone-cut lettering and bad. All the lessons you need are available in the work of the remote and recent past. Stone endures. John Benson is the proprietor of The John Stevens Shop, Newport, RI, which is the oldest continuing business at its original site in the US, since 1704. His work first appeared in ST nearly a decade ago (see ST, May 1985, P. 38).