Developing Your Own Style Of Writing?

[Guest Ray Cornett]

So over the last few months since getting into fountain pens my writing has definitely changed but I believe it is mainly due to a combination of necessity from the hatred of smearing, and just plain slowing down.

You may notice the change between the two examples. One is from months ago and the single sentence example is from today written with a Waterman 512 1/2 with a lovely flex nib. I started to slant the paper again like I used to and it looks like I might actually be developing a style for once instead of the chicken scratch even my doctors couldn't read. The before version is basically the same writing I have had since about the second or third grade.

But last night a friend I refurbished a couple pens for said my writing in the note I wrote to her when returning the pens was distinctive and artful. I don't see it.

 

What do you think and I would love to see some of your before and afters of your writing if you have any as well as a bit about how you developed your own style.

Before

 

 

After

Edited April 20, 2014 by Ray Cornett

[Guest Ray Cornett]

The upload image thing is becoming increasingly annoying......

[ac12]

My style is an evolving object.

If I see something that I like I adopt it either straight or with modifications.

Example1, I liked how the L is written on the Leica logo. So I adopted it with modifications, making it more slated and looking more elegant than the compressed form of the L in the logo. But the basic idea came from the logo.

Example2. I took the G from the General Mills logo on the cereal box. There I adopted it with almost no change.

 

A while back I decided to stylize some of my letters, so lower case g and y had their decenders changed. And when they end a word, like 'try' I would stylize the tail of the y.

 

Now I am running into a different problem. I have trouble writing with the pointed nib dip pens as I do with my fountain pens. The SHARP tip scrapes or digs into the paper if not written carefully. That is forcing me to change how I write some of the letters to accommodate the sharp point nibs.

[Guest Ray Cornett]

My style is an evolving object.

If I see something that I like I adopt it either straight or with modifications.

Example1, I liked how the L is written on the Leica logo. So I adopted it with modifications, making it more slated and looking more elegant than the compressed form of the L in the logo. But the basic idea came from the logo.

Example2. I took the G from the General Mills logo on the cereal box. There I adopted it with almost no change.

 

A while back I decided to stylize some of my letters, so lower case g and y had their decenders changed. And when they end a word, like 'try' I would stylize the tail of the y.

 

Now I am running into a different problem. I have trouble writing with the pointed nib dip pens as I do with my fountain pens. The SHARP tip scrapes or digs into the paper if not written carefully. That is forcing me to change how I write some of the letters to accommodate the sharp point nibs.

Sharper finer points definitely take a lighter touch, that's for sure. With my flex nib I barely know the tip is on the paper.

[ac12]

Here is a sample of what I was talking about with the G, L and y.

You can see that I will not be able to do the tail of the y as it is written. It is all up and to the side, which is VERY hard for me with a pointed tip dip pen, and especially so because I CANNOT write it how I normally write it, because I cannot duplicate the pressure and speed of my fountain pen with the pointed pen.

Even the G and L have to be rethought for the pointed tip dip pen.

 

As you said, I need to develop a much lighter touch.

[proton007]

I'm practising Palmer, and haven't gone through the whole course yet, only a third's way through.

 

But, the shapes and forms have started appearing in my everyday, regular handwriting, even if I'm not trying to write Palmer.

 

So, just keep practising, you'll end up integrating those habits.

[Mickey]

Here is a sample of what I was talking about with the G, L and y.

You can see that I will not be able to do the tail of the y as it is written. It is all up and to the side, which is VERY hard for me with a pointed tip dip pen, and especially so because I CANNOT write it how I normally write it, because I cannot duplicate the pressure and speed of my fountain pen with the pointed pen.

Even the G and L have to be rethought for the pointed tip dip pen.

 

As you said, I need to develop a much lighter touch.

 

As I responded in another thread, the fingers play a much less active role in pointed pen disciplines, especially Spencerian and its kin. For the most part, the hand moves the point, not the individual fingers. The first 2 fingers and thumb anchor the pen to the hand, and the last two fingers (curled under) maintain a uniform distance between the hand and desk. Thus, there is virtually no pressure on the point, except when applying a shade, which is done by rotating and or bending the wrist, not (just) pressing with the fingers.*

 

* The above allows for some range of perception (what we do as opposed to what we believe we do), minor variance, and special techniques, but it is generally true.

[ac12]

 

As I responded in another thread, the fingers play a much less active role in pointed pen disciplines, especially Spencerian and its kin. For the most part, the hand moves the point, not the individual fingers. The first 2 fingers and thumb anchor the pen to the hand, and the last two fingers (curled under) maintain a uniform distance between the hand and desk. Thus, there is virtually no pressure on the point, except when applying a shade, which is done by rotating and or bending the wrist, not (just) pressing with the fingers.*

 

* The above allows for some range of perception (what we do as opposed to what we believe we do), minor variance, and special techniques, but it is generally true.

 

Mickey

I have been practicing what you recommended. Riding the hand on the fingernails of the last 2 fingers.

It isn't a huge change, but for some reason, it has been HARD adjusting my hand/arm to write like that. Bit it is progressing and I see the benefit of it. I have less friction with the paper than when I lay on the side of my little finger, and the side of my little finger is not irritated by rubbing on paper.

 

I need to try bending the wrist and rolling the hand to flex the nib. Is this for both straight and oblique holders?

[Mickey]

 

 

I need to try bending the wrist and rolling the hand to flex the nib. Is this for both straight and oblique holders?

 

Definitely for oblique holders, but in all honesty, I don't use straight holders (anymore) with flexible points, only with broad pens. With the couple of semi-flex FPs I have, I do employ a fair amount of hand action and very little finger movement.

 

Visualize using the hand like a paintbrush to apply shades. Once you have a sense of the movement, scale it down vastly. The movement is subtle, the tilt of the hand all but invisible to someone watching.

[Guest Ray Cornett]

I finally was able to get the images of my writing to actually show.

[ac12]

@Ray

Based on the letter slope, the before looks like a right hand writing, but the after looks like a left hand writing.

Your after is more readable.

 

@Mickey

My oblique holder "should" arrive in the mail tomorrow (Mon) and of course I will be out at a meeting, I hope to start writing with it on Tues.

[Guest Ray Cornett]

@Ray

Based on the letter slope, the before looks like a right hand writing, but the after looks like a left hand writing.

Your after is more readable.

 

@Mickey

My oblique holder "should" arrive in the mail tomorrow (Mon) and of course I will be out at a meeting, I hope to start writing with it on Tues.

I think I was the only lefty in my class when I was learning so the teachers didnt have me adjust for being left handed,lol.