Now, it’s time to work on your own name on the following page. Take advantage of the letters that you like in your name and identify any elements that cause you angst. You may want to try adopting some of the capital letter variations you have learned. You might also attempt other strategies you’ve explored in this book that apply to your signature, such as dealing with double letters, ascenders, descenders, and cross bars. Experiment with a minimalist signature in contrast with a flourished version. If you don’t already have them, find reasons to love your signature. It’s truly yours!
handwriting heroes
Do you have lots of different ways you sign your name? You’re not alone, joining ranks with none other than William Shakespeare. We only have six surviving signatures belonging to the famous playwright, and each one is extraordinarily different! Charles Hamilton, who wrote an entire book devoted to understanding Shakespeare through his life and handwriting, explains that “a profuse variety of different handwritings and signatures can be the mark of an imaginative and highly intelligent person.”
DESIGNING AND EMBELLISHING A SIGNATURE
TRY IT: Copy these simulated signatures on a piece of practice paper.
DESIGNING AND EMBELLISHING YOUR OWN SIGNATURE
TRY IT: Fill a page with your own signature.
Getting Started
Cursive
Printing
Putting It All Together
Roman Capitals
The Impressive Roman Capital Letters
Tips for Mastering Roman Capitals
The Family Groups
Spacing the Roman Alphabet Properly
The Whole Roman Alphabet
The Impressive Roman Capital Letters
Because of their ubiquitous presence in our daily lives, it’s easy for us to take Roman capitals for granted. But the fact that these letter forms are the foundation for our alphabet speaks of their enduring and powerful quality. In fact, their impressive design, dating back well over two thousand years, provides a window into the power and majesty of the ancient Roman Empire. At that time in history, the letters were brush-drawn and then cut in stone with a chisel and mallet. A few of the most famous inscriptions of Roman capitals can be seen in the Trajan Column, the Arch of Titus, and the Roman Pantheon.
Tips for Mastering Roman Capitals
Roman capitals are clean and basic, but it takes a lot of skill to write them well. Therefore, don’t expect to master them in a short amount of time. Be patient with yourself and try not to rush your practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you practice Roman capitals:
• Respect the proportions. Learning the proportions of each family group will give you an underlying foundation for writing that will revolutionize your understanding of letters and your ability to produce stellar ones.
• Look for straight lines and circles. Identifying these key parts of each letter will help you break it down into smaller chunks as you learn.
• Connect the dots. When you construct your own letters, draw a few dots in key spots first, and then connect them. This will help take the guesswork out of where the strokes should start and end, and give you the guidance needed to make accurate forms. Use the dots until you feel comfortable forming the letters without them.
• Observe Roman capitals wherever you go. They are on wine bottles, signs, posters, menus, magazines, book covers, and logos, to name a few. Note the versatility they offer, and the respect they command.
• Use graph paper whenever possible for practicing. Until you have a good handle on the proportions and can maintain them consistently, the grid lines will help keep your letters straight and even.
fun facts
If the letters of the alphabet had a popularity contest, who would win? Based on the most frequently used letters in common speaking and writing, the most popular letter is E, followed by T, A, I, N, O, and S. The least popular is Z, followed by J, X, Q, K, V, and B. Can you guess which letter begins more words than any other letter? It’s the letter S, and, not surprisingly, X ranks last.
Because of the precision and discipline required to learn Roman capitals, your work with them will also help every other style of writing become easier to learn. And for an added bonus: it will provide you with the foundation necessary if you someday decide to take the next step to learn broad-edged or brush-lettered Romans with their thick and thin strokes and elegant serifs (those accents at the edges of letters). In the meantime, the monoline Romans we practice here, also called Skeleton Roman letters, are a useful and beautiful addition to your handwriting repertoire.
The Family Groups
Roman capitals can be divided into four family groups based on how much space in a square box they use.
• Whole-square letters
• Half-square letters
• 3/4-square letters
• Narrow and wide letters
Whole-Square Letters
The first group is comprised of round letters that encompass either the whole square or most of it. These letters will use the entire height of the square and most or all of the width as well. The O and the Q use the entire square, while the C, D, and G use 7/8 of the square. The D and G use a straight edge for a portion of the letter. These letters are excruciatingly tough ones, and when you make one that you are proud of, take a moment to savor the goodness!
Half-Square Letters
The second group of Roman capitals uses half of the width of the square. This family contains the eight letters L, F, E, K, B, P, R, and S. I’ve divided the half-square letters into two types: L, F, E, and K are similar in that they consist of only straight lines. B, P, R, and S use both straight and rounded lines.
In the E, the bottom line extends out slightly beyond the top line to keep the E from looking like it may topple over. The middle cross bar of the E is a bit above the center line, unlike the F, in which the middle cross bar is exactly centered. Both of these placements are designed to create a balanced appearance. The bottom diagonal of the K also kicks out farther than the top arm, to keep the letter from looking imbalanced and top heavy.
In the half-square letters with a rounded section, the bottom portion of the B extends a little beyond the first section, as does the bottom portion of the S. It may look equally balanced to the eye, but when you turn the page upside down, you will see more clearly that the bottom half of the S is larger to give the letter strength and stability. Like the K, the foot of the R also kicks out a bit to support the top half of the letter.
3/4-Square Letters
The next family group of Roman capitals contains nine letters that occupy 3/4 of the square. I’ve divided these letters into three subgroups to help you remember them better.
• The first subgroup (H, U, T) mostly contains straight lines, except for the rounded portion of the U.
• The second subgroup (V, A, N) has a few items to note. The A is an upside-down V with a cross bar placed one grid section below the center of the square. This creates visual balance. The N is similar to the H with two identical sides to the rectangular shape. The difference is that instead of the middle cross bar of the H, the N has a diagonal line starting at the top left and moving down to the bottom right-hand corner of the letter.
• The third subgroup of 3/4-square letters is the last three letters of the alphabet (X, Y, Z). Like the S, if you turn the X upside down, you will see that the bottom part is larger than the top. To create this balance, move the top lines of the X in just a little bit from the 3/4 marks of the bottom lines. This will cause the X to cross just slightly above the middle line. The two arms of the Y meet just above the center point of the square, where the bottom stem of the Y joins them. This positioning helps to create a stable base for the top of the Y. Similarly, the bottom line of the Z is just slightly longer than the top line, again for balance and visual appeal.
Narrow and Wide Letters
The fourth group of Roman capital letters has both extremes: the two narrow letters, I and J, and the tw
o wide letters, M and W. The J has two variations you can choose from; one extends outside the square and one does not. The two outer lines of the M extend just beyond the grid square on each side. The W is not an upside-down M. The proportions are notably different, with the outer lines of the W extending out farther on each side.
WHOLE-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS
TRY IT: For all of the exercises in this chapter, trace the gray letters, then practice on your own in the blank boxes provided under the gray letters.
HALF-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS
HALF-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS WITH A ROUNDED SECTION
3/4-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS SUBGROUP 1
3/4-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS SUBGROUP 2
3/4-SQUARE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS SUBGROUP 3
NARROW AND WIDE ROMAN CAPITAL LETTERS
Spacing the Roman Alphabet Properly
Spacing is another tricky part of learning Roman letters, but when you practice with words and phrases, instead of just isolated letters, you’ll have great opportunities to practice spacing between letters and words.
When spacing Roman capitals, you will need to consider what letter comes next in order to decide how much space to leave. Two round sides need to be placed closer together than a rounded side next to a straight edge. And two straight edges will need more space between them than either of the previous two examples. This is because you want to consider the volume of the space left between the letters. If you envision this space as a vase filled with water, you will want all the vases to hold about the same amount of water. This requires practice.
In the first example of each word, the spacing does not work well. The second example shows a better attempt at handling the spacing issues.
The Whole Roman Alphabet
Here is the entire Roman alphabet in order for your reference.
ROMAN CAPITAL ALPHABET
TRY IT: Copy the alphabet onto the blank squares provided.
Spacing Exercises
After you’ve gained confidence with your spacing, try replicating the following quote exercises. You can be creative in your use of cross bars and double letters, and also in designing compositions that use complementary styles of writing. Sometimes pairing Roman capitals with script or italic print adds emphasis and interest to a piece. Try designing your own piece using some of these elements and see what you come up with. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the process.
ROMAN CAPITAL LETTER SPACING 1
TRY IT: Copy this quote and the word determination to practice spacing with Roman letters.
ROMAN CAPITAL LETTER SPACING 2
TRY IT: Copy this quote to practice spacing with Roman letters.
ROMAN CAPITAL LETTER SPACING 3
TRY IT: Copy this quote to practice Roman letters with italic print mixed in for flair and effect.
ROMAN CAPITAL LETTER SPACING 4
TRY IT: Copy this quote to practice Roman letters with cursive mixed in for flair and effect.
Getting Started
Cursive
Printing
Putting It All Together
Italic Print
Lowercase Italic Letters
Uppercase Italic Letters
Italic Alphabet
Lowercase Italic Letters
Italic print is slightly slanted, highly legible, simple to execute, and pleasing to the eye.
LOWERCASE ITALIC WARM-UPS
TRY IT: Copy these markings on the gray versions to practice the straight, curved, and rounded forms you’ll be making for italic letters.
LINE-BASED LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions, then write the words on the lines provided. When making the line letters, remember to make the spine of the letter straight, and add the curve toward the very bottom of the line.
ROUNDED LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Note that the rounded letters are more oval than circular. Extra lines are provided for more practice space.
UP-ARROW LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. The up-arrow letters have a triangular shape of white space from the base line up to the waist line. This shape is like an arrow pointing upward, and gives the letter breathing room. Extra lines are provided for more practice space.
DOWN-ARROW LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. The down-arrow letters are similar to the up-arrow letters, except the triangular shape is inverted, with the point at the base line. This low branching makes the letters appear more light and airy. Extra lines are provided for more practice space.
LOWERCASE IN QUOTES
TRY IT: Copy these short quotes to practice up- and down-arrow letters and rounded letters.
DIAGONAL LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Diagonal letters contain one or more lines that are written at a pronounced diagonal slant. These lines may be upstrokes or downstrokes, but they don’t follow the slight slant of the line letters, such as l and t.
Uppercase Italic Letters
The uppercase italic letters are also divided into family groups: line, line and curve, rounded, and diagonal letters.
LINE LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Copy the quote on a piece of practice paper.
LINE AND CURVE LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Write the quote on the blank lines provided.
ROUNDED LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Write the quote on the blank lines provided.
DIAGONAL LETTERS
TRY IT: Practice tracing the letters on the gray versions. Write the quote on a piece of practice paper.
Italic Alphabet
This is an all-around great alphabet to master for its clarity and simplicity. After you’ve practiced the letters alone in the previous exercises, use them in the quotes provided next. They get along beautifully with Roman capitals and can be flourished similarly to script.
ITALIC ALPHABET
TRY IT: Practice copying the alphabet on a piece of practice paper.
DIAGONAL LETTERS IN QUOTES
TRY IT: Copy the quotes, mixing up the alphabets if you prefer.
Getting Started
Cursive
Printing
Putting It All Together
Creative Endeavors with Printing
Mixing Up Your Printing Style
Mixing Print and Script
Mixing Up Your Printing Style
Realistically, you won’t always have time for the exacting Roman capitals, and it’s fun to supplement the italic hand with some alternatives. Luckily, your printing style can be changed up in myriad ways.
Alphabet Variations
Simply by varying the height and width of a print style, you’ll create a completely different look. Cross bars on the A, E, F, and H can be centered or positioned high or low. They can be straight or wavy. Letters can be upright or slanted to all different degrees to offer even more variety. Adding serifs (projections that finish off the ends of strokes) is another way to alter the personality of an alphabet. You can also vary the spacing by making the letters tight or spreading them out.
For extra practice, create your own alphabets, serif and sans serif, using some of the stylistic variations mentioned above. One possibility is shown on the following page.
Which do you prefer: serif or sans serif?
STYLISTIC ALPHABET
TRY IT: Try copying these uppercase letter variations on the blank lines provided.
Practice Quotes
Following are quotes you can use to practice these alternative alphabets. Review the same tips you used with cursive and increase your flourishing finesse by taking advantage of ascenders, descenders, cross bars, downstrokes, and wherever else you can flourish and still maintain legibility.
STYLISTIC
QUOTE 1
TRY IT: Copy the quote for practice with alphabet variations.
STYLISTIC QUOTE 2
TRY IT: Copy the quote and alphabet for practice with alphabet variations.
STYLISTIC QUOTE 3
TRY IT: Copy the quote for practice with alphabet variations.
Mixing Print and Script
Now, find a favorite expression, poem, or excerpt and create a composition that incorporates print and script. And of course, don’t forget about all the flourishing possibilities. Mixing print with cursive looks great in compositions when the text is conducive to blending a couple of styles together, as seen in the following example.
This design technique helps break up longer pieces of text or emphasize particular letters or words.
Getting Started
Cursive
Printing
Putting It All Together
The Lost Art of Handwriting Page 6