Étienne Ghys: The Shape of Letters: From Leonardo da Vinci to Donald Knuth

I practice calligraphy as a hobby and took on an online course[1]. This was specifically for the Trajan hand (which is a favourite of mine but which I still can't do very well). The first exercise was to write each letter on a large grid on a sheet of A4 paper. One letter on one sheet of paper on a large square grid. Every serif, every curve, the points at which various parts of the letter fit together, widths of various strokes etc. all got magnified. I did this for a long time and imbibed a lot.

Now, I can see those patterns when I look at lettering in public places and many aspects and it enhances the beauty in many subtle pleasing ways.

Also, when I write (using a dip pen and calligraphic ink), all the things he mentions about embossing, the texture of the letters etc are all things that I enjoy. The smell of the ink, the texture of the paper, the scratchy sounds while writing. It's a very sensual experience and something I treasure deeply.

It's something I could talk about forever.

Footnotes:

1. https://www.yvesletermeletters.com/trajan-online-course.html