when you write, do you keep the same style and font usually? do you change depending on your whims or on the type of letter, note, or journaling? did you change over time or just write better when you went to fountain pens? how did you evolve into the style you employ now?

sam

Hi, Sam.

I evolved my current bad style due to insufficient formal training. The resulting jumbled scratches have combinations of printing and cursive, sometimes even within the same word. When I signed the anniversary cards for my wife, I pulled out the calligraphy set to do what artwork I could muster. If I am trying to fill out a form or write something someone other than I would need to read, I try to write more legibly. Now that I have been practicing italic handwriting, I try to write that way whenever I can to get more practice. If I am in a hurry, I still revert to the same much faster and much less legible jumbled mess I could only write before.

Hi Sam,

When I am writing a letter I try to do my best, which is italic writing slightly slanted to the right, but without loosing the flow of my thought.

If it is a note for a colleague or a student, my faster writing is upwartds italic.

My fastest mode is print, but I am trying to avoid it.

I try to do my best when writing a letter but when writing notes during a meeting, the loops get lost and the letter style is simpler.

When scribbling fast, well, the 'style' changes dramatically!

I have tried conciously to improve my writing over the years because it was awful at school - which was a long time ago. In those days we were 'taught' that printing was not writing and that our letters had to be properly joined up. Ah, those were that days .

I have often wondered about people who claim to be able to tell something about a person from their handwriting when I can easily and consistently change styles simply by using a different pen, or ballpoint.

Chris

I am embarasses to say that I have only one font "terrible"

That is why I am new here. To try and correct years of bad habits and the loss of ability to "write" correctly.

I envy you all who can answer the question posed.

I have three basic hands: note-taking, chancery italic and copperplate. I use the note-taking hand for everyday "speed" writing and it is a derivation of the style I learned in school for architectural drawing. I was using my chancery italic for more formal applications such as envelopes, file labels, headers, etc. but now find myself using it less and less. I am now using my copperplate hand more frequently for such things as letters, cards, journal entries, etc.

I have come to use fewer FP's since I discovered Danitrio's with their flexi nibs. I grind these nibs into italics which allows me to use the same pen for all three styles. However, I also use dip pens for my copperplate.

Here is an example of all three styles using the same Danitrio FP: