A Journey into Calligraphy

Throughout human history, countless types of scripts have been developed across the globe. From the fluid Arabic Kufic script, to the spontaneous Chinese shufa, to the narrow Gothic, calligraphy can be seen in many different cultures and time periods. From the mihrabs in Yemen to the font on this post, calligraphy is a diverse and expansive artform that has developed and evolved throughout the ages. Once widely used by scribes and found in everyday settings, the use of calligraphy began to decrease with the popularity of printing machines, and later, keyboards and printers. However, while Microsoft Word and the ballpoint pen has eradicated the use of calligraphic writing from the world of academia, the art is gaining popularity as a hobby or even profession.

With its  amalgamation of creativity and structure, Western calligraphy especially fascinated me. This fascination further grew this year when I participated in an international Secret Santa Exchange through Reddit. My Santa, who happened to be a graphic designer in California, gifted me a calligraphy pen and textbook. This eventually lead to the start of another ELI.

To begin, I decided to take a look at our alphabet and some of the most familiar scripts used in our modern world. The Roman script is used throughout the world is one of the most commonly used alphabets. In fact, you are currently reading Roman script! Also known as the Latin alphabet, Roman script is unique in that it has two forms of each letter: the minuscule or lower-case form, and the majuscule or upper-case form. The Roman alphabet has served as the basis for many different variations of the script. From it, sprung the Roman cursive and the Roman half-uncial. As such, the term “Roman script” is a name for a large family of scripts, rather than just one form.

Another common script is Italics. The cursive quality of the Italics is often described as stylish and neat. Characterized with the “lozenge” shape in the body of letters, such as a, d, b, and g, other traits include elegant, narrow branching strokes that form the shoulder of letters like m, b, n, and p, and its long ascenders and descenders. With its slight slant, which is at approximately 5 degrees, and the stark contrast between the heavier downstrokes and lighter upstrokes, Italics has the quick-paced feel suited for modern day use. It can often be found on wedding invitations, framed quotes, or simply used to improve an individual’s handwriting. Italic is a versatile script with many uses.

Knowing all of this is a great place to start, but there is more to calligraphy than simply studying the arrangement of strokes and spaces. As I continue this ELI, I hope to eventually develop fluency over calligraphic scripts and better comprehend different aspects of calligraphy.

~Wilson