Gunnlaugur SE Briem

Italic
hand -
w r i t i n g
How to persuade
teachers, parents,
and the world
 Gunnlaugur SE Briem

Italic
h a n d -
w r i t i n g
How to persuade
teachers, parents,
and the world

For conditions of use, please see the last page. 2

160
 Part 1 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

If you want to promote italic handwriting, I have a few suggestions. The first is to remember that normal people 3
may not be as enthusiastic about letterforms as you are. 160
Calligraphers say writing is an art form. Among them italic is by far the most popular style of the Latin alphabet. 4
You are looking at the utterly beautiful lettershapes of Hermann Zapf. But teachers, on the whole, don’t much 160
care.
This is what teachers want. Just something a bit easier than what they have got now. They are not specialists. 5
160
 Letterform enthusiasts read personality into shapes. Some would say the letter N on the left has a good- 6
natured, easygoing attitude. And the letter N on the right is dynamic and ambitious. But some people don’t 160
notice this. So here’s what matters in the real world.
If you can make a zigzag, you can write italic. This is what teachers like. The nineteen-fifties saw an attempt to 7
get italic into British schools. This included a beautiful model alphabet and an attractive set of copybooks. The 160
project failed.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

The italic initiative came with two obstacles of its own, or so I’m told. One was a beautiful model that was 8
difficult to teach. Making children write with broad-edge fountain pens is a messy business. And many teachers 160
also resented the attitude of the italic enthusiasts. The effort floundered and harmed the reputation of an
excellent way of writing.
The model alphabet on the right is based on a woodcut leaflet of 32 pages called La Operina. It was printed 9
in Rome from carved woodblocks and dated 1522. You can download a free facsimile copy with an English 160
translation from <operina.com>.
The letters are condensed in a proportion of 2:3. They slant about 4° to the right. Over the years that angle has 10
varied from one writing master to the next. 160
 The author was a copyist, papal scribe, publisher and type designer. He called himself Ludovico Vicentino, and 11
wrote the name eight times into his short text. Yet we know him as Arrighi, a name that appears nowhere in the 160
book.
 It wvaas a daaarrk aanad sstfoorrmay naiaghat.
Thae rraaian ffeelal ian tfoorrrreenatfs—eexcceepbt
aat ooccccaassiaoonaaal ianatfeerrvvaalas.

5 5
Italic is not just a beautiful way of writing. It is a solid foundation for an individual style. Here are two examples: 12
wide and rounded on the left, condensed and spiky on the right. Both of them stand on the same bedrock. 160
Italic is also very useful for handwriting repair. These before-and-after examples show what can be done in six 13
weeks. The left has irregular shapes, uneven spacing, wrong stroke direction and apparent disdain for baselines. 160
The right example still needs work. But the result is impressive I think.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

Drawings of static shapes are not a good starting point. Let’s start with a dancing pen instead. Let’s make some 14
zigzags. 160
Once we add recognition points to zigzags, we have writing. 15
160
We need the right kind of movement. A stroke that stops on the baseline is very different from a stroke that 16
bounces up from the baseline to the beginning of the next stroke. We get the letters uuu by softening the 160
diagonals. And with two dots as recognition points we change them into the letters uiui.
 ¬a !xx!xx!x$xx!xx%!dx xx%!dx xx!xx!xx%
uau adgquy
g gy
Family groups of similar letters make them easier to learn. This is the a-family. The top line shows underlying 17
zigzags. Directly below them are the letters we base them on. The descenders of the letters g and y are written 160
around a second triangle, upside-down.
 b
√
$xx!xx%dx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!x$xx!x$xx!xx!x
bp nmhkr
b hak 7
The b-family is set up on the same principle. Most children seem to like the thought of a letter k as the letter h 18
with a very tight belt. 160
 oc e t s
oo !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!!xx xx!xx!x
!xxo!xx!cxx!xx!exx!xx!txx!xx!sxx!x

o os s
Letters of the o-family should fit between two zigzag stems, with the letter t slightly narrower. A diagonal line, 19
roughly 45°, across the letter o makes a decent template for the letter s. 160
 n
hl
!xx!xx!xx!x lijf $xx!xx%da*
¬
f
The small l-family needs little explanation, with the exception of the letter f. The descender is the same as in 20
the letters g and y. The top can be made the same way as the letter a. Two letters f can be connected by two 160
crossbars as well as one. And a slight variation of height and slant between the two can look attractive.
 xvwz

x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!!xx xx!x
!xxx!xx!vxx!xx!w
xx!xx!xx!zxx!x
[][[] [] [] v[] [] ^
. .
.

The letters of the x-family should fit between zigzag stems. The two halves of the letter w look better when 21
they tilt slightly toward one another. The direction and sequence of the strokes in the letter x is important. Other 160
solutions than this one become illegible at speed.
 Abc
Direction and sequence of strokes in the capital letters does not matter much. They are based on simple 22
geometric forms: triangle, rectangle, and circle. Arrighi only advises us to copy their shapes and proportions as 160
best we can. They should be higher than the midline of lower-case letters, and lower than the ascenders.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

A range of teaching aids is needed for children of various ages and different abilities. Teacher manuals are already23
on
the web. 160
Stacks of model sheets are available for free download, as well as exercise pages and wall letters. 24
160
aab abcdefghijklm
nopqrstuvwxyz

aab naoopbqrrsstfuavvwvxyz
aabbccdaeeffghaiajkklam

Teachers who want to make their own materials can download a free typeface and a very fast Java program 25
that add joins to text files. (Connecting the entire content of Pride and Prejudice takes less than two 160
seconds.)
 Doocctfoor, haoow daiad yoou
kknaoow tfhaaat I wvaanatfeed
aan eeye tfeesst?
Yoou ccaamae ian
7
tfharroouagh tfhae wvianadaoow.
Anad I aam a ffiasshamaoonageer.

Personalised model sheets can be made and printed out with very little effort. Free clip art is everywhere. The 26
Florida education system alone offers over 70,000 images on its website <etc.usf.edu>. 160
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

But I do not intend to promise you the earth. Bad italic looks just as awful as any other bad writing. 27
160
This is a pretty good piece of lettering, even if I say so myself. It took me ages to plan and execute. It certainly 28
would not do for everyday use. 160
This you can expect: reasonably legible, uneven writing with some awkward letters. The good intentions that can 29
be seen in the top line are falling apart in the last word. But this writer did learn how to impose rhythm with 160
zigzags. And just by slowing down and concentrating she can make better letters.
 5

Italic can include a two-stroke letter e. It has the same stroke sequence as in the classical capital letter E. Thus 30
a join between two letters e (top right) includes the second stroke of the first letter and the first stroke of the 160
second letter. Legibility is one advantage. In commercial cursive (bottom right) a loop can be understood as a
low letter l, an e, the letter i with a dot missing, and the letter t without a crossbar.
Writing is a process. Evaluating the end result alone is not enough. A teacher must watch the children as they 31
write and correct them right away. These are common errors: a letter b with a misshapen bowl, a letter f that 160
tilts enough to look like a tall letter s. A letter k with a low waist.
Some children have a fine sense of shape and form. They don’t need much support. Our concern are the others, 32
who do need help. They can master italic just like everybody else, and we have the tools to help them. In our 160
ladder, the bottom rungs are not missing.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

What do you do when nothing works? You comfort the child, obviously. Then you bring in the Martians. 33
160
Anybody can make a line like this. 34
160
Then you add eyes. They are not just four circles. The writing movement should be counterclockwise and begin 35
at the top. 160
Defining a mouth is simple enough. 36
160
An oval head with a single stroke is easy. But there are rules about the teeth. They should reach the edge of the 37
mouth but not go over it. This involves precision. 160
The same rule applies to a zigzag collar at the neckline and pointed ears at the top of the head. Eyebrows 38
can be of any shape. 160
 Getting some things right would be nice. A Martian takes less than a minute. With a few to choose from, 39
children quickly learn to judge their own efforts. But what if even this is too difficult? We just tackle something 160
easier.
Connecting dots with straight lines is not hard. If the green snake is a challenge, the blue-green has shorter 40
gaps between dots. And what if even that is too much to expect? 160
Everybody can make scribbles. They can be used to grow hair on a bald head. And there’s more. Try making a 41
truly hair-raising angry cat. 160
Even these exercises have rules. The hairs should stick out in all directions. After a few vigorous scribblings its 42
time for a another go at snakes and Martians. One more thing … 160
 Stopwatch photo: <seekpng.com>
Here’s a great general remedy that works for everybody. Slow down your writing by half. Then your hand is no 43
longer on autopilot. The movements it makes are back under the conscious control of your mind. At times when 160
you’re not in a hurry, you can go slow and teach your hand the movements you want it to make. Over days and
weeks you can pick up speed again.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

Do we really need to replace one style by another? Can’t we just try harder? 44
160
 It was a dark and It was a dark and
stormy night; stormy night;
the rain fell in the rain fell in
torrents—except at torrents—except at
occasional intervals. occasional
intervals.
These styles are roughly two centuries apart. One was usually written with a broad-edge quill. The other was 45
written with a pointed quill or a pointed metal pen. Eighteenth century receipts and bills of sale look like works 160
of art. Then why do people write like serial killers nowadays? One reason is that the education system was
different back then.
George Cruikshank’s 1839 cartoon claims to show ‘A typical day at Dr Swishtail's Academy’. Years of beatings is 46
a powerful encouragement. The copperplate hand uses pressure to thicken downstrokes and swashes. The effect 160
can be very beautiful. But without assault by a teacher it is simply too demanding for a our time.
 It wvaas a daaarrk
aanad sstfoorrmay
naiaghat; tfhae
rraaian ffeelal ian
tfoorrrreenatfs
— eexcceepbt aat
ooccccaassiaoonaaal
ianatfeerrvvaalas.
Modern-day versions of copperplate writing are monoline, no thicks and thins. But the letterforms were shaped 47
by the possibilities and limitations of an unforgiving one-way pen. Slight pressure on an upstroke would get it 160
caught in the paper and as often as not leave an ink blot. Italic was written with a more tolerant instrument and
is suited to modern pens and pencils.
Clerks and secretaries held their pens with all four knuckles facing up, and the hand sliding along the paper 48
on two fingers. Normal people held the pen the way we do now, as we see in this portrait of Denis Diderot, 160
the encyclopedist. And special pens were made for people who found all this untenable.
There is more. Italic capitals are legible, which is more than can be said for commercial cursive. And commercial 49
cursive has one big disadvantage. It begins with another style. 160
In their first school years children learn ‘print script’. It is based on geometric shapes and pays little attention 50
to movement. Then they are taught commercial cursive, which is based on copperplate. Many children never 160
manage the change from unjoined to joined writing. The sample on the right was written by an eighteen-year-
old. He uses a keyboard and a smartphone. Writing even one sentence is an ordeal.
 Basics
What is italic?
Movement first
Teaching materials
Reality check
Plan B
The other style
Summary

Please remember this. We handwriting enthusiasts want truth and beauty. We want historical fidelity and artistic 51
expression. We want to save the world. Normal people just want something that works. 160
Aphrodite photo: Matt Girling
160
52

<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/MG-Paris-Aphrodite_of_
Milos.jpg>
Jennita Russo photo: Barry Goyette, San Luis Obispo, USA
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dance#/media/File:Two_dancers.
Instead of making copies of static shapes, this approach to italic teaches handwriting as movement.

jpg>
The approach can furnish ready-made model sheets, desk strips, wall letters. It also provides the means to make 53
your own. And teacher instructions to bring the whole project together. 160
 54
It has exercise pages for remedial work. And remember that the attention span of most children will not stretch 160
beyond ten minutes unless they enjoy what they’re doing.
This sums up one way of making a smooth path through rough terrain. There is more to say, obviously. 55
160
 Part 2 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

Writing cramp is also known as ‘scrivener’s palsy’, and it is a misery. It spoils exams and can certainly damage 56
a career. It is a neurological condition that affects a group of muscles in the hand and arm, and often causes 160
serious pain. I have good news: it can be avoided.
How you hold the pen doesn’t matter as long as you don’t get writing cramp. Ask an average classroom who 57
has experienced painful writing. You can expect a show of seven or eight hands. This is a serious problem. 160
If your hand hurts, loosen your grip. You don’t need an iron fist to control a pen. Let your hand go limp. Flop it 58
about. This usually helps a bit. Make wild and extravagant scribbles. 160
A simple plastic grip that slides on a standard pen or pencil is cheap and can make a big difference. 59
160
 At least four out of five cases of writing cramp that I have come across are caused by a tense thumb. 60
Fortunately there are several safe ways of holding a pen. Many people simply slip the pen between the index 160
and middle finger when the need arises.
 3 -----
The thumb can also be moved up the shaft of the pen until it points at the first joint of the index finger or 61
touches it. For a tighter grip the thumb can be hooked and stuck under the index finger. 160
If the problem still persists, the grip itself can be less of a problem than general tension and despair. So soothing 62
and comforting is important. Taping a pen to the index finger allows a child to keep writing. This should be 160
played like a game. It is not a long-term solution, obviously. But a crazy fix that helps isn’t crazy.
 <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00948/full>
Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

Roughly 10% of humanity is left-handed. In boxing and tennis it is a slight advantage. A study of 2,300 63
Italian students concluded in 2017 that the left-handed ones were better than average at solving difficult 160
mathematical problems. And as we know they are faster typists on regular keyboards.
 The problems of left-handed writing have only received proper attention in the last hundred years. Until then 64
you wrote with your right hand or you were beaten. This illustration is by Hans Holbein from In Praise of Folly 160
by Erasmus of Rotterdam.
 3 k4
x4
Of all pen movements, this is the most difficult. The thumb, index finger, and middle finger bend together. For a 65
six-year old, this is a challenge. This stroke is not often needed in everyday handwriting. 160
 It was a dark and
stormy night
When the right hand rests on its side, normal workings of bones and joints favour a right-slanted writing. 66
160
 7
Here the left hand is held as a mirror position of the right. It has to make all the downstrokes by pulling. This is 67
the difficult movement we looked at: the thumb, index finger, and middle finger bending at the same time. Small 160
changes help a lot.
 It was a dark and
stormy night
Backslanted letters are much easier for the left hand, resting on its side. Special exercise sheets are easy to 68
make. Good layout software can backslant text to any sensible angle. 160
Right-handed writers are usually advised to make the pen shaft point somewhere off the right shoulder. The left 69
hand should hold the pen differently, more like a transverse flute. 160
Left-handed writers get better results if they grip the pen farther away from the point. 70
160
 A clear, unobstructed line of vision is necessary. This is self-evident but doesn’t always occur to six-year old 71
children. Slanted paper or exercise book, slightly to the left, is best for left-handed writing. Straight sheet to the 160
right of centre is better for right-handed writing.
To avoid smudged writing, pencils and fast-drying fibretip pens are better than fountain pens and ballpoints. 72
160
Over-the-line hook causes writing cramp. There are better alternatives. Many young children can’t tell left from 73
right and don’t know which hand they prefer. 160
Some teachers like these tests. 1. Which hand holds a pen that punches a hole in a sheet of paper? 2. Which 74
eye is used to look though the hole? 3. Toss the crumpled paper in the air a few times. Which hand does the 160
catching? 4. Make a long jump. Which foot goes first?
 !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x
aÜpâe aÜpâe
bâo|o™k bâo|o™k
cèaÜkûe cèaÜkûe
dÜiÑvÒeõr dÜiÑvÒeõr
eïaÜr¥t¡h eïaÜr¥t¡h
f¡lÄaÄg f¡lÄaÄg

The exercise sheets on the left don’t work for everybody. The left hand will go over text on the left hand side. 75
But being left-handed grownups isn’t all bad. Apparently they make more money and are better at passing 160
driving tests.
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

To make your own exercise sheets, you need two things. One is a typeface that was designed for the teaching of 76
handwriting. The other is software that adds joins to your text. You can download both from the web 160
<briem.net>, free of charge.
 It was a dark It was a dark It was a dark

3
and stormy and stormy and stormy
night; the night ; the night; the
rain fell in rain fell in rain fell in
torrents— torrents— torrents—
except at except at except at
occasional occasional occasional
intervals. intervals. intervals.

Raw text Model text Lined text

Install the typeface, and you can change your words into a model text. The italic version has guidelines built into 77
it. 160
It was a dark It wvaas a daaarrk

3
and stormy aanad sstfoorrmay
night ; the rain naiaghat ; tfhae rraaian
fell in torrents ffeelal ian tfoorrrreenatfs—
—except at occa- eexcceepbt aat oocccca-
sional intervals. ssiaoonaaal ianatfeerrvvaalas.
Unjoined text Joined text
Edward Bulwer-Lytton is best known for the opening paragraph of his book Paul Clifford which in its entirety 78
runs to over 181,000 words. My genius friend Jonathan Harris wrote a program for me that adds joins to the 160
whole book in less than two seconds.
 3
You save the text in a 16-bit Unicode format, and run it through the joiner. 79
160
Your result will look strange. Please don’t worry. When you select the handwriting font, the joins will appear. 80
This combination has worked for 25 years on the Macintosh, as well as Windows and Linux. 160
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

A set of copybooks is all that’s really needed for a classroom. But there’s more. Each class can have additional 81
material. It is possible to innovate and share, to use the best results and drop the rest. 160
This exercise sheet has the necessary ingredients: zigzags, model texts, guidelines for writing. And a picture. 82
160
Many nineteenth-century copybooks look like this. They have one line of model writing at the top for copying on 83
the lines below. This is not a good idea. Here’s why. 160
 3
3
The first written line imitates the model text above it. The second written line imitates the first written line,
not the model text. The third line imitates the second, and so on down the page. Look at the bottom line and 160
compare it to the top. It’s not a pretty sight.
84
 !xx!xx!!xx xx!xx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x !xx!xx!xx!xx!xx!x
aahaa aahaa aahaa aahaa aahaa
bbeed bbeed bbeed bbeed bbeed
ccaat ccaat ccaat ccaat ccaat
daoog daoog daoog daoog daoog
ffaan ffaan ffaan ffaan ffaan
ianak ianak ianak ianak ianak
nauat nauat nauat nauat nauat
rruag rruag rruag rruag rruag

Here’s another way. It is a single line of tracing a short word with less and less support. It works well, but not 85
for left-handed children. The left hand hides the model. 160
This arrangement works for both left- and right-handers. It alternates tracing and copying. And it makes good 86
use of paper. 160
Zigzags at the top get the hand used to a writing rhythm. A model text for tracing reminds it of the lettershapes. 87
Copying on the line below will show what needs attention and repair. Then the next line can be traced and 160
copied.
 Not all children have the advantage of visual memory. Desk strips help. They should be printed in quantity and 88
distributed freely. No doubt some will find other uses than their intended purposes. Many will get crumpled and 160
lost. Never mind: there are plenty more. Many grownups who want to improve their handwriting keep one in a
pocket or a purse.
The model alphabet makes a useful part of the classroom. It can be printed out mounted on the walls in 89
addition to the desk strips. 160
 Teachers suggested that vowels should be printed in one colour and consonants in another. Half a percent of 90
girls and 8% of boys of North-European origin suffer from red-green colour blindness. But blue and green seem 160
a safe bet, especially if one is darker than the other.
Children who need help learning letter paths seem to enjoy connecting dots. They should write on laminated 91
sheets with water-soluble markers. The characters can be dots and numbers only, as the letter a. If that’s too 160
hard, the letters can be made dimly visible, as they are on the other sheets.
Guidelines are useful but they need attention. Unfortunately one size does not fit all. Six variants are usually 92
enough. 160
 3
Here’s a problem. The top line shows a child’s normal handwriting on the usual set of four guidelines: ascender 93
line, midline, baseline and a descender line. And if the guidelines are the wrong size, the letters get stretched to 160
fit. The results speak for themselves.
 5
1
From time to time the handwriting of each child should be checked against a measuring chart. Sometimes the 94
guideline size needs changing. 160
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

The Latin alphabet goes back 2500 years. But for our purposes we need to go no farther than the Roman 95
empire. 160
The writing was in capitals only. The beautiful characters of classical inscriptions were largely based on triangles, 96
rectangles and circles. For documents and correspondence they were too much trouble, which is why the lower 160
case letters came along.
The everyday style of the empire was easier. It is called rustic capitals, apparently because early palaeographers 97
didn’t know any better. But I digress. 160
 A square Roman letter M is not easy to write. In the fourth century an easier style took over. Generations of 98
scribes and secretaries had taken tasteful shortcuts. This manuscript is from the letters of St Cyprian and is 160
written in early uncial, which seems to have been another misnomer. This text is meant for repeated reading. It
is legible and written with care, a book hand.
 m
This text is a preamble to a will from the year 552. It in a documentary hand, written on papyrus with skill and 99
fluency. Since it was not meant for repeated reading, legibility was not of the essence. By this time, some of the 160
letters had found a shape that would last to our times. To make italic, two ways of writing came together.
 <https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/csg/1093/1v>
Image: St. Gallen Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 1093.
Here is one of them. Most documentary hands were comfortable for the people who wrote them rather than 100
convenient for the reader. They were fast, fluent and careful on the whole in the use of expensive parchment. 160
This is a 14th century example of the blackletter cursive, a pilgrims’ guide to the city of Rome.
 <https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/csg/0343/16/0/Sequence-490>
Image: St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 343.
This is the other style, an 11th century late Carolingian minuscule. It is from a plenary missal, with chants and 101
prayers for the mass. It is typical of the many rediscovered manuscripts that renaissance scholars copied and 160
studied. It was sometimes referred to as ‘littera antiqua’ and blackletter called ‘littera moderna’.
A Florentine scholar and book collector, Niccolò Niccoli, adapted Carolingian lettershapes to the movements 102
of blackletter cursive. The first dated example is from 1423. And it looked like this. His effort turned into a 160
new hand that we call italic. It developed fast: in a century and a half it changed from brisk roughness to a
mannerist writing style.
Image: British Library. <https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/
103
160

GlossPopup.ASP?ImageName=Humanistic/c13157-22.jpg&Pmark=Text%20
written%20by%20the%20scribe%20Bartolomeo%20Sanvito,%20Harley%20
MS%202528,%20f.%201>
The high point, in my opinion, came around 1500. It can be seen in this example by Bartholomeo Sanvito.
It’s disciplined handwriting, a proper cursive, rather than a set book hand.
This brings us to my starting point for the teaching of italic handwriting. It is Arrighi’s Operina, dated 1522, and 104
shows a style that might be called a bookhand with strong cursive elements. It’s a milestone and still inspires 160
good people.
Arrighi’s capitals were based on classical roman inscriptions. Shown at this size they look rough, even clumsy. 105
But remember that on the printed page they are only 4 millimetres high. Fortunately, magnifying glasses were 160
well known to Europeans. The first written reference is in a philosophical comedy by Aristophanes in 424 BCE.
Other writing masters offered their versions. Giovambattista Palatino published in 1540. He was the first of 106
them to include a portrait of himself. 160
Geert de Kremer, whom we know as the mapmaker Gerardus Mercator, published his book the same year. But 107
as time was passing, public taste was changing. 160
In 1560, Giovan Francesco Cresci gave the people what they wanted. His rendering was expressive and 108
flamboyant. 160
 Reversed entry strokes begin the stems of italic ascenders. They are called bulbs, or knobs, or even blobs; 109
typographers call them ball terminals, teardrop terminals, even lachrymal terminals. In Cresci’s models they 160
turned into decorative elements in their own right. He said that traditional italic, the chancery cursive, was not
fast enough and recommended a narrower pen nib, greater slant and thinner ink.
Seventy years before baroque gave way to rococo, Cresci’s flourishes and curlicues seem to me to have caught 110
and embodied a change of attitude of his time. It took writing in a new direction that led to the copperplate 160
style.
 3
Many business documents in copperplate were a work of art. Instead of the broad-edge nib that made thicks 111
and thins with pen angle, the pointed pen added them with pressure. But beauty certainly was not the only 160
consideration.
 A pointed pen can easily write three times longer than a broad edge pen between dips in the inkwell. In the 112
days before typewriters, all business documents were handwritten. A pointed pen saved money. These days we 160
have different writing implements. Inkwells don’t play much of a part.
The serif is a tool mark, as we know, a way of beginning and ending a stroke. 113
160
 3
## # 3
A pen doesn’t always give ink right where we put it down. A sideways entry at the outset can solve the 114
problem. And lifting the pen at the end of a stroke can be messy. A sideways exit stroke usually takes care of 160
that. This is how simple serifs come about.
 The relevant part of this copperplate letter S is only a small part of set of extravagant loops. Their original 115
purpose was to get the ink flowing. Then human ingenuity turned it into a minor art form with strict aesthetics 160
of its own. Now we use ballpoint pens.
Modern pens are monoline. Few people will bother with a broad edge pen anymore. Adapting chancery italic to 116
modern times involves changes. 160
 n
Modern pens do not need an entry stroke. 117
160
 c
These days the letter c is usually based on the letter o. Arrighi’s shape was triangular, closer to the bowl of the 118
letter a. 160
 z
A letter z that both ascends and descends is too big. It really stands out in a page of writing. Of the 46 times 119
the letter occurs in Arrighi’s book, two are just the right size for us. 160
 g q
The letters g and q looked too much alike. 120
160
 bdhk
Short ascenders are easier to write than long, especially for children. 121
160
 The sixth-century papyrus we looked at earlier has an interesting loop on the letter l, apparently for no higher 122
purpose than to amuse the writer. We see it, or something like it, as a fifteenth-century replacement for serifs on 160
ascenders.
 ¬
f l
The writing masters taught this shape as an entry stroke: a bold line that turns back on itself. Since we no 123
longer need entry strokes to start the ink flowing, there isn’t much call for it anymore. But in many typefaces 160
they are still a part and parcel of the letters a c f j r.
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

Writing skills come in two parts. 124

160
 Image: <requestreduce.org>
+
=
One is understanding how the system works … 125
160
adq
… baseline and midline, ascender line and descender line … 126
160
n !xx!x u
7 3
… understanding how a both a letter n and a letter u are just zigzags with a slight curves. The other is 127
movement. 160
Our task is to guide children and teach their pens to dance. These are the basic steps of the cha-cha-cha, one of 128
the strange whimsies that invaded ballrooms in the sixties. 160
 It was a dark
and stormy
night
Lettershapes should be learned and, if at all possible, understood. They have a beginning, a path, and an exit. 129
Guidelines help. We learn movements by making them. 160
 erate-motor-learning>
Details: <https://uk.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpts/can-mental-practice-gen-
130
This goes for piano playing and sumo wrestling and tying shoelaces. Evidence also indicates that you can even 160
improve motor skills by just thinking about them. Which suggests that children both need to practise and need
to have every detail of letterforms explained to them.
You don’t need as much direct control as you think. Don’t look at your hands. Keep your eye on the ball. 131
160
 ×

To make a straight line, don’t look at your pencil. Look at the place where you want it to go and let your hand 132
take care of the rest. 160
Curves are more demanding. Keep your eye on the place where the pen should go, not where it is. As your hand 133
makes the stroke, the place where it’s going should be a moving target. Please be warned that the first few 160
attempts will make a rough line.
 Photo: Hitex International
Guidelines are not a straitjacket that inhibits free expression. Think of them as road markings that keep you safe 134
and help get you home in one piece. 160
aabbc abc
Like training wheels, they serve a purpose for a while. They can come off when they are no longer needed. 135
160
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

As disasters go, print script isn’t as bad as famine and pestilence. It just makes a hard thing more difficult 136
instead of easier. 160
 About 1913, Edward Johnston, the great English calligrapher, gave a lecture to London teachers. He talked 137
about skeleton forms as a way of understanding lettershapes without bothering with thick and thin strokes. His 160
demonstration took off in a direction he never intended. This is what he showed them.
This is how handwriting was taught in those days. What he showed them was revolutionary. 138
160
His suggestion was a wide departure from models based on copperplate. The teachers liked what they saw. It 139
would make their work easier. Unfortunately it did the children no favours. 160
The first hurdle of print script is that a circle is an absolute form. It’s either a circle or it isn’t. Letters that are 140
based on a circle are much more difficult to write than letters based on an oval. 160
 bd
Ball-and-stick letters also make life very difficult for dyslexics. Letters that are not symmetrical are hard enough. 141
Letters should be shaped by movements, as ours have been have been for 2000 years, not the other way 160
around.
 7 7 3
5
a
The writing movement can go wrong, too. You can easily begin a print script letter a at the bottom and end it at 142
the top. The italic letter a, on the other hand, begins at the right point and ends with the pen in the proper place 160
for a join to the next letter. We can all agree that matters of taste are beyond dispute.
 It wds d ddrk
dnd stormy
niqht; the rdin
fell in torrents
—except dt
occdsional
intervdls
But I don’t think most varieties of print script really need to be quite as ugly as this. Where and when such a 143
style has a purpose, for more logical use I hope than to teach handwriting to children, I should recommend the 160
letters on the right instead.
Imagine, if you can, teaching a child to play the violin for three years and then say ‘Now it’s time for you to 144
learn totally different fingering.’ 160
 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=535926>
Photo: BenP - Own work, CC BY 2.5
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell
in torrents—except at occasional intervals.

And then to say this, ‘Forget what you learned. For the rest of your life you will play the French horn.’ My 145
computer friends say this doesn’t really matter. Voice recognition software is getting better by the day. 160
 Computer image: <http://sweetclipart.com/desktop-computer-line-art-1668>
Microphone image: <http://worldartsme.com/classic-microphone-clipart.html#>
I scream
for ice

3
cream
I SCREAM
FOR ICE
CREAM

Speech-to-text applications seem likely to push writing out of the curriculum. As I say the words ‘I scream for ice 146
cream’ my laptop can type them on the screen for me. (This is complicated because ‘I scream’ and ‘ice cream’ 160
sound much the same.) This is fine for English and probably for Chinese as well. For Gaelic and Swahili, not so
much. These are interesting times.
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

What makes good handwriting? Not many people I ask even mention legibility. The samples they select have 147
uniform shapes in common and equal distances. 160
This is a handwriting model by Rudolf Koch called Offenbach. You probably have trouble reading the text 148
because the lettershapes are blackletter cursive. But it is well liked and admired all the same. 160
 remarkable prose.
Thanks to the Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii, for this
If you can write chancery italic you will get higher exam grades than for an identical text, word for word, that 149
is none too pretty. The sample on the left is based on the handwriting of John Lennon, of Beatles fame, as 160
digitised (to the best of my knowledge) by Anita Wainer.
 Graphological analysis will award you high scores for chancery italic. Could it have predicted the most 150
commercially successful band in the history of popular music from John Lennon’s handwriting? Probably not. Yet 160
in Europe graphology is widely used as a tool in recruitment and evaluation for management jobs. And it has
failed every recent test for validity that I am aware of.
It shares this distinction with astrology. 151
160
And homeopathy. 152
160
Mosquito gender en.svg: LadyofHatsderivative work: Anka Friedrich (Public domain)
153
160

<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquito_female.svg>
And ultrasonic mosquito repellent. They don’t seem to work.
 Writing cramp
Left-handedness
Software
Printed materials
History
More movement
Print script
‘Good’ handwriting
Specialists

Most specialists will tell you that other specialists have a screw loose. Since I am one of them, let me give you 154
four sample points. 160
If a specialist tells you that young children have underdeveloped precision movements, and should therefore use 155
bulky tools, please try this. 160
 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/t>
Crow quill photo: S. Seyfert (Stse 09:07, 5 March 2006 (UTC) [CC BY-SA 3.0
Give them a wide choice. Try every pen and pencil you can dig up. Let them decide. (The feather is a crow quill, 156
commonly regarded for centuries as the world’s greatest nib for fine lines.) 160
If a specialist recommends a hard pencil, do give it a try. And put a soft pencil to the test as well. You will find 157
that dark lines show you far better than light lines what needs attention and merits repairs. 160
If specialists tell you to move instructions from your exercise sheets into a manual for teachers, ask them to 158
produce sales figures. The simple truth is this. Nobody reads the manual. 160
And should they warn against lined paper and recommend blank sheets, do run a simple test. 159
160
 <briem.net>
Don’t take my word for this: get a few children to write on lined and unlined paper for you. Then decide whom 160
to believe. And now, as we reach the end of my fourth point, I have a request. If you’ve got facts that contradict 160
what I have been saying, please let me know. I’d love to change my mind.
Tipoteca I thank for inviting me here, and all of you I thank for coming. 161
160
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