A field guide to decorative initials: what an initial is made of, the kinds that exist from insular manuscripts to Art Deco, the complete initial fonts people have drawn, and the plain letters the playground builds on. Every render here comes from the playground’s engine; the photographs are the real thing.
Anatomy
An initial is a stack of choices. Each column adds one layer to the one before. The playground’s panel is these layers, top to bottom.
Kinds
Complete initial fonts
Fonts where every capital is already a finished initial, frame and foliage included. Click a letter to open it in the playground, where the frame and ornament can be layered on top or switched off.
Letter fonts
The plain letters the playground decorates, all SIL Open Font License. Click a row to start from it.