Fraktur Calligraphy Retreat

In August 2014, I spent one week in Saint-Anotine-l’Abbaye (France) studying Fraktur calligraphy with Keith and Amanda Adams, two amazing teachers and calligraphers, a real privilege to be with.


We learnt the ductus and basic structure of the script, starting with the minuscule. Then we reviewed a few different variations of gothic scripts. We then, moved to majuscules and we learnt about Gothic ornamentation. You’ll see below a couple of exercises with the capital “F” and the words “The Loop”.

We tried different tools to write: bamboo pens, feathers, ruling pens, brushes on fabric and flexible pens made by beer cans.


Special thanks goes to Keith & Amanda Adams for sharing their incredible knowledge and personal time with us, it has been an honour.



Historic stone church and tower beside a sunlit garden under a clear blue sky

Photo description: Saint-Anotine-l’Abbaye (France).

Decorative calligraphic word “Jom” in red and black on a cream background, with floral flourishes

Image description: Starting with Gothic ornamentation.

Decorative sepia calligraphy reading “The Hoop” on a white background

Image caption: Fraktur calligraphy by Maria Montes. Project dedicated to The Loop for their support through out the year 2014.

Fraktur calligraphy project: Design is both cult and culture

My final project is inspired by the Gothic alphabet of Marie de Bourgogne, around 1480, taken from Fantastic Alphabets (L’Aventurine, Paris, 1995).


The content of the project is a section of the introduction of the book Design Cult: 25 Essays on Graphic Design Culture by Steven Heller. Published by Design File, 2014. Below you can read the content in featured on my calligraphy project:


Design is both cult and culture. On the one hand, designers, and particularly graphic designers, are a tribe of little understood yet much needed artists and artisans with their own rituals, lore and language. They also worship the same design gods (of which there are a few). On the other hand, designers routinely produce objects so essential to everyday life that some of what they make become cultural icons and iconography.

Canson XL Black paper 150gsm over a wodden table surrounded by colour pencils.
Canson XL Black paper 150gsm over a wodden table surrounded by colour pencils.
Canson XL Black paper 150gsm over a wodden table surrounded by colour pencils.

Image descriptions: Close-up of a capital D executed with a bamboo pen and liquid watercolours. Below is my final Fraktur calligraphy project developed at the end of my week-long Fraktur calligraphy retreat in France.

Maria Montes smiling person with glasses in a navy polka-dot shirt against a turquoise wall

I'm a Catalan-Australian multilingual, multicultural designer, calligraphy-and-type educator. My creative practice is set by the principles of never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work.


I have been teaching calligraphy independently since 2014. My favourite way of learning is by teaching others. I offer in-person and online calligraphy and lettering courses, corporate in-house workshops, as well as private one-to-one tuitions.

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