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At the Roman Miniscule workshop on January 13 and 14, 2007, Doug first presented a lecture on the histo ry of letters, beginning with the Romans who devised a system of letterforms, which would end up lasting for thousands of years. Succeeding hands were the Carolingian (9th century) and, ending our study 400 years later, the Humanists (14th century). The Humanists were the driving force of the Renaissance, and they borrowed from the Carolingian hand to form a minuscule to accompany the classical Roman capitals, variously described as Roman lowercase or Humanist bookhand. The Humanist scribes sought a quick and simple hand with clear letterforms. These later passed intact as type fonts to the printer/publishers. Gutenberg’s printing press, which further fueled the Renaissance, came into being AD1450. Today, the letterhand is called Lettera Antica (Littera Antiqua), or Humanist minuscule.
Doug guided us in detail through each letter, emphasizing its nature: “This is a wide letterform - err on the wide side. All round shapes are biased (have a diagonal axis). Stems have an entasis. Serif fillets should be subtle. Bite the line to avoid optical illusions. Arched forms should have non-organic branching, which means the stroke is grafted on.”
Perfect final words offered by L.A. participant Donna Lee to Doug: “Thanks for all your preparation, background, philosophy, tips, techniques, handouts, encouragements, humor, exemplars demos, theory, history and perspectives.”
By Phyllis Miller
An added bonus for the Littera Anitca participants was that Doug has e-mailed to us six new exemplars in the weeks following the workshop. Due to the enthusiasm for the workshop and Doug's willingness, SDFC has added an additional one-day workshop (Saturday, Feb. 24 at the RB Bank), on the same topic. It is a continuation, and anyone already familiar with this Humanist miniscule hand is welcome to sign up. ($40 check to SDFC, send to Yvonne Perez-Collins).
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