Spencerian As An Everyday Hand

[DrakaTaarn]

Hello all!

I am currently trying to learn Spencerian and Palmer. Are either of these practical hands for everyday use as a student? Are there any resources out there with a wide variety of exemplars?

Thanks,

DrakTaarn

[AllenG]

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons/spencerian/practical_penmanship/practical_penmanship_spenerian_index.html

^^^^

From the IAMPETH.com website.

 

I use Spencerian as an everyday hand. I find the Spencerian business hand capitals to be less complicated than Palmer's. The lowercase is basically the same form in both.

[AllenG]

Look at the lessons tab at IAMPETH. There are examples of everything there. Palmer is what I was taught in grade school.

[DrakaTaarn]

Allen G.,

Anything else you would suggest? What on IAMPETH specifically?

DrakaTaarn

[ac12]

I learned Palmer (or some variation of it).

I use it today, with my own variations on it.

So yes it can be used.

BUT, it is not for FAST note taking in school. I tried it in college and just could not write fast enough to keep up with the prof. All I did was to destroy my handwriting by trying to write fast. If you want to write FAST, you need to learn shorthand, or similar fast note taking methods.

 

Go to the lessons section on IAMPETH and poke around.

I think that is where I found my Palmer info.

 

If not do a Google search on Palmer handwriting

[AllenG]

Allen G.,

Anything else you would suggest? What on IAMPETH specifically?

DrakaTaarn

 

At the start of the lessons you will see basic drills. Do the drills.

In cursive a few basic shapes are combined to make all the letters. For example a lowercase h is an l combined with an n. A k is an l followed by a small r, a g starts as an a with a descender. That same descender is used in a y. Upper case letters are also made from a set of common strokes. The drills are all about learning the common strokes until they are muscle memory. Practice the drills as much as the letters themselves. The better you are at the drills the better final letters will become.

 

Proper Spencerian is done with a flex pen. You don't need to use a flex to learn the basic forms. Use what you have and get fancy with it when you have the basics mastered.

[DrakaTaarn]

Allen G.,

Thanks, I have started to look at these lessons. Is there anything on FPN you would suggest I look at? What is a good writing speed? Are there any good books that may help?

Again, thank you for helping me continue to explore the (sadly) lost art of handwriting.

DrakaTaarn

[AllenG]

According to Platt Spencer one's writing speed should be that which you can control the pen.

Cryptic answer I know, but everyone's fine motor control is different. When I first started I was shaky going slowly and inconsistent going quickly. It took practice to hone my fine motor skills. Lots of practice.

Do the drills until you can't stand them any longer and then pick a letter and practice it until you can't stand that any longer. The next day repeat. Move to another letter when you see improvement in the last one. Starting out put more effort into the lowercase than the uppercase. You use the lowercase more.

[DrakaTaarn]

Allen G.,

What is the best exemplar, in your opinion, for capitals? Is there any way to get shading without a flex nib?

Sorry if I sound like a noob.

DrakaTaarn

[AllenG]

I think the link I posted above has the easiest capitals to master and the best for a daily hand.

I've seen people be able to shade with a pencil. That is outside of my ability.

If you want to try shading I recommend you pick up an elbow dip pen holder and some nibs. They can be found from many sources and are relatively inexpensive. I buy mine from John Neil Bookseller. No affiliation, that's just with whom I trade. He has nibs listed by writing style so it is easy to pick the appropriate nib. Iron gall inks are the traditional inks that are used with dip pens; my personal favorite is Blot's iron gall. A bottle of ink, a nib holder and a handful of nibs should run you $30 or less with shipping CONUS.

[DrakaTaarn]

Is there any good way to learn flourishing and signature writing, or is that more of a learn-it-as-you-go thing?

DrakTaarn

[AllenG]

Look on IAMPETH. There are books on flourishing there under the lessons tab. You want a straight holder for that.

It is not easy. I have an MFA and I can't flourish at all. If you want to be proficient at flourishing expect to spend several years practicing.

Don't let that discourage you from trying. Signature writing is less difficult but you need to be competent in Spencerian or Copperplate first.

[DrakaTaarn]

MFA?

[AllenG]

Masters degree in fine art.

[DrakaTaarn]

Could you tell me how to post an image so you could critique? Also, is rhythm important while writing? Should I insert a slight pause between letters?

DrakaTaarn

[AllenG]

Could you tell me how to post an image so you could critique? Also, is rhythm important while writing? Should I insert a slight pause between letters?

DrakaTaarn

First upload the image to a host like Flickr or photobucket.

Photobucket is the easier service to use. In photobucket copy the share direct link. Come back here and paste it between what are called image tags. The format is as follows: the.url.of.the.hosted.image[/img] There are no spaces between the tags and url.

 

If you use Flickr select the image from your photostream, click view all sizes, then pick a size-medium is good. Your browser will then display just that image. Copy the address from the browser's address bar and paste it between tags here.

Edited August 25, 2014 by AllenG

[AllenG]

Rhythm is tricky. I tend to move slowly on upstrokes and more quickly on down. Between letters, well it depends. If the letter ends on the baseline, then no pause because I want a nice smooth upstroke to follow. If the letter does not end on the base line like a "b" then I have a pause because I'm putting some pressure on the nib at the end to thicken the line.

 

I don't know if I'm qualified to give you the right answer on that one.

[AllenG]

Oh, (forgot about this) to post an image click on the, "more reply options" radio button and then click "choose file" and then "attach file." That will let you upload your image directly from your computer and you can skip all that about Flickr and Photobucket.

Edited August 25, 2014 by AllenG

[httpmom]

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons/spencerian/practical_penmanship/practical_penmanship_spenerian_index.html

^^^^

From the IAMPETH.com website.

 

I use Spencerian as an everyday hand. I find the Spencerian business hand capitals to be less complicated than Palmer's. The lowercase is basically the same form in both.

AllenG,

Wanted to let you know that your advice on Spencerian Hand above has helped me so much. I decided on Spencerian because it was similar to the Palmer method I learned in school with a hell of a lot more flair. I am two months in and practicing everyday. I really enjoy it, even the boring parts. All in an attempt to improve my ruinous handwriting skills. I too have an MFA, but between college note taking and me not writing much any more (because of e-mail) it had gone to the dogs. This was very good information you shared and I thank you!

[egretsrus]

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