Cursive Italic For Mathematics

[Mr Snuffles]

Hi everyone,

 

So, I will be starting a maths degree this september, and I figured it would be a good idea to take the opportunity and try to improve my awful handwriting. I used to write in the standard cursive hand (the one with loops and very round letters), but always felt I got tired quickly and never really liked the style. After doing some research here, I came across the italic hand, which was very novel to me. The cursive joins are very different from the ones I used to do, but I feel legibility can be greatly improved.

 

Pure mathematics requires much more explicit writing than some other branches, and I'll also need to write really fast to take class notes / exams. I feel separating every letter as in formal italic and other hands could be much too time consuming.

 

For my numbers and symbols, I've been trying to incorporate AMS Euler, but I'm still not sure wether it would be better to use italic letters or not in the middle of expressions.

 

I've been practising calligraphy for about a week now, and reading from the middle chapters of Calligraphy for Dummies, as I haven't been able to get my hands on any of the out of print books recommended on this section.

 

I would really appreciate some feedback on my cursive italic, and maybe some pointers on resources I can use. It would also be great to hear from other mathematicians on how they like to write.

 

 

 

Paper: Elco Prestige A4 100gsm

 

Thanks for your feedback.

[Nanny]

Looks like you could very easily arrive at a fast legible italic cursive. You are almost there! It may take a while before your handwriting becomes automatic, but in MHO italic is the most legible at speed.

[mbankirer]

Very nice. Legible, clear.

I think you found the correct combination!

[Uncle Bulgaria]

Pure mathematics requires much more explicit writing than some other branches, and I'll also need to write really fast to take class notes / exams. I feel separating every letter as in formal italic and other hands could be much too time consuming.

When I did maths at uni, there was no need for fast writing because the lecturers all wrote out every lecture word-for-word on the board. One in particular had a really simple and attractive writing style, cursive an'all. So you may not find there's too much of a problem.

 

Now physics lectures, on the other hand, were *awful* from the point of view of reading what the lecturers wrote. One in particular was verging on criminal negligence. If he'd been a medic writing prescriptions, we'd all have been dead :-)

[Uncle Bulgaria]

Also, you already look like you're writing more clearly than Newton did:

 

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/files/2011/12/MS-ADD-04004-001-000071.jpg

[Mr Snuffles]

Also, you already look like you're writing more clearly than Newton did:

 

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/files/2011/12/MS-ADD-04004-001-000071.jpg

Hahaha, indeed.

I reckon many good mathematicians didn't pay attention to writing at all. Nonetheless I find it quick appealing to hand in a problem set that feels like a finished product, and is aesthetically (and hopefully intellectually) neat.

 

Thanks everyone for the tips!

[barleycorn]

I had to check with "the Italic way to Beautiful Handwriting" about letter joins. One thing that makes italic lettering attractive -to me at least - is the crisp letter joins. Two things bother me. The letters m and n and joining taller letters. For example "Herbin" the r joins the b at the top which exagerates the letter spacing. If you were to join the r and b in the middle as you would if looped, this would keep the balance. With m and n, the join sometimes makes the n look like an m ie. and compared to sequence. the connector needs to appear shorter to look like a n not an m. Lastly, i know this is the usual form but if you connect the e with other letters from the middle it looks a bit muddled. I find it is simpler to start the letter e at the loop and join from the bottom, Sorry, you are also using two different styles of s. It looks better if you stick with one.

This may seem a bit harsh or OCD but once you learn a form it is harder to unlearn it.

 

Good luck with your studies.

[Daisy25]

If you're not keeping up, you could always use your phone to take a snapshot of the whiteboard before it gets erased. I've seen both teachers and students keep track of what goes up that way.

[Mr Snuffles]

I had to check with "the Italic way to Beautiful Handwriting" about letter joins. One thing that makes italic lettering attractive -to me at least - is the crisp letter joins. Two things bother me. The letters m and n and joining taller letters. For example "Herbin" the r joins the b at the top which exagerates the letter spacing. If you were to join the r and b in the middle as you would if looped, this would keep the balance. With m and n, the join sometimes makes the n look like an m ie. and compared to sequence. the connector needs to appear shorter to look like a n not an m. Lastly, i know this is the usual form but if you connect the e with other letters from the middle it looks a bit muddled. I find it is simpler to start the letter e at the loop and join from the bottom, Sorry, you are also using two different styles of s. It looks better if you stick with one.

This may seem a bit harsh or OCD but once you learn a form it is harder to unlearn it.

 

Good luck with your studies.

Thanks for the advice. I agree with your thoughts on joins to ascenders.

Regarding the 'e', how would you start it from the loop when you're joining it from another lower case letter (let's say an 'r')? I've been doing my 'e's exactly like a 'c', and then adding the loop on a separate stroke.

Also, may I ask how do you differentiate 'o's from 'a's when they come at the end of a sentence? When writing flowingly, I find it hard to make sure it's shape is distinct enough from an 'a' without serif.

[GemMayhem]

If you're not keeping up, you could always use your phone to take a snapshot of the whiteboard before it gets erased. I've seen both teachers and students keep track of what goes up that way.

A technique I've used often. It allows me to pay complete attention during class and then write my notes later at a more relaxed pace. I find I retain the information better this way, too, both from paying closer attention to the lecture and the repetition of writing my notes later.

[GemMayhem]

P.S. This is especially helpful for maths - I tend not to make mistakes in my equations as I might when I'm frantically trying to write them down whilst listening.

[dontheo]

I like your handwriting but I could never do both. For me anyway, if I am writing its for me only. It's hard to explain but the mind is working on something else then writing. I may not see what iam writing until I take a step back. Once the work is done then I may recopy it if anyone else needs to read it.

[barleycorn]

Thanks for the advice. I agree with your thoughts on joins to ascenders.

Regarding the 'e', how would you start it from the loop when you're joining it from another lower case letter (let's say an 'r')? I've been doing my 'e's exactly like a 'c', and then adding the loop on a separate stroke.

Also, may I ask how do you differentiate 'o's from 'a's when they come at the end of a sentence? When writing flowingly, I find it hard to make sure it's shape is distinct enough from an 'a' without serif.

With the letter e, usually start the join from the bottom to about half the height then draw a line to start the arc as in a c shape. With the letter r, drop the join from the end or the arc to half height and use the same form as before. The letter e will then join the next letter from the bottom rather than the middle using one continuous stroke.

To differentiate an o from an a in isolation, try and make the o slightly narrower than it it tall and finish with a bit of an upturned tail as if you were to join to an n or r. The number "0" should be more rounded (O) and taller than a lowercase o. The a should be flatter at the top and join the descender about mid height not at the bottom. This also applies to the letters b, g and q. Finishing with a short curl at the bottom with emphasize the contrast with the letter o.

A good practice to develop speed and accuracy is to write out the two letter combinations in quick succession. With time you will develop both. It does not matter that alot of letter combinations don't actually exist in normal words.

 

aa ba ca da ea fa ga ha ia...

to

az bz cz dz ez fz gz hz iz...

 

I will post some examples of this tomorrow to illustrate. What makes italic easier to learn it the uniform appearance of the letters. With a few simple shapes combined you get most of the letters - except f, r, s, v, w and x.

[barleycorn]

here are some samples:

[chemistryneko]

Hi Mr Snuffles,

 

I'm new here and just read your post. I am studying science at university, and am wondering how your cursive italic is coming along, because I am considering switching from traditional cursive myself (I am majoring in medicinal chemistry, and find I have to keep changing my handwriting so that the equations are legible). Also, the lecturers and professors at my uni all write on the board in italic, and it all looks the same, so I think they've taken a course or something to improve their handwriting. I find that when I'm copying their writing, it influences my own, and I can't stand the mix of traditional cursive and cursive italic that my handwriting is turning into as a result of this.

 

Sorry for rambling on.