Choosing Cursive Handwriting System

[hankas]

Hi,

 

I am interested in refining my handwriting. When I was in grade school, I was taught the cursive handwriting. I believe it was the Zaner-Bloser system or a variant of it. As I grew up, I made a switch to print block letters, and eventually adopted a mixture of print block letters with some cursive. It was okay, practical, and legible, although it wasn't very pretty. Recently, in an attempt to improve my handwriting, I returned to the cursive system. I thought the ZB system that I was taught as a child was a bit too plain and not good looking. I tried the Ornamental and the Spencerian systems from the IAMPETH website, but they are a bit too flowery for every day uses. I am looking for somewhere in between: an elegant-looking cursive system that looks practical, as if the writing is done without any conscious effort by the writer to embellish the letters and yet it looks pretty.

 

If you guys have any recommendation of such system, please share. A sample of handwriting or an alphabet chart would be great.

 

Thanks.

 

Henry

[welch]

ZB ia good enough.t's probably what I learned and did not quite master. Palmer is ideal,too. My ideal would be simple, clear, flowing,but no frills. Easy to read.

[Nanny]

Have you had a look at italic. It's flowing, and for me it invites a few flourishes when I want them.

[knarflj]

Henry, have you thought about just adapting the cursive you learned as a child to your own personal style?

Like you, I learned ZB or something very like it in school, but unlike you, I never completely abandoned it. I've adopted traits that I liked about other people's handwriting - different 'r', fewer loops, using an upright script almost like connected printing for certain applications like note-taking - and combined them to make a handwriting that is legible and that suits me.

I have recently wanted to improve my writing, and so have been looking at many different samples of scripts here on FPN and elsewhere. Just yesterday I realized that I kind of like the way I already write, so I don't really need a new script so much as I need to just become more consistent and careful with what I already do, particularly with slant and spacing - and I'm still trying to find a way to consistently write the first letter of my name in a way that I like!

 

Jenny

[knarflj]

Oh, and if I were starting over from scratch, I think I would be tempted to try to learn this civil service hand:

http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/a/artman/wr.htm

I don't know how easy it would be to find workbooks or guides, though.

 

Jenny

[hankas]

@welch: I am with you about the ideal handwriting script. It should be legible, simple, and yet pretty. However, to me, Palmer and ZB seem a bit plain. They are legible, but not elegant enough.

 

@Nanny: I did take a look at italic, but I feel that when using ordinary ballpoint much of the beauty of italic is robbed away. The exception of course is the italic system posted by Jenny (which is more like cursive to me). I need something that doesn't depend much on line thickness and shades.

 

@Jenny: Thanks for sharing that. I did some research and it seems that Vere Foster is categorized as italic, although to me much of it is more like cursive. It is probably the closest thing to what I am looking for at the moment. I 'borrowed' some of the letters though.

[FLZapped]

Did you check the Cursive Lessons part of the IAMPETH site? Or the "rare book" section, which also has instructive material.

[HDoug]

@welch: I am with you about the ideal handwriting script. It should be legible, simple, and yet pretty. However, to me, Palmer and ZB seem a bit plain. They are legible, but not elegant enough.

 

@Nanny: I did take a look at italic, but I feel that when using ordinary ballpoint much of the beauty of italic is robbed away. The exception of course is the italic system posted by Jenny (which is more like cursive to me). I need something that doesn't depend much on line thickness and shades.

 

@Jenny: Thanks for sharing that. I did some research and it seems that Vere Foster is categorized as italic, although to me much of it is more like cursive. It is probably the closest thing to what I am looking for at the moment. I 'borrowed' some of the letters though.

Vere Foster isn't an italic. "Italic" referring to a handwriting is a newish term meaning the types of handwriting emulating Italian Humanistic cursive of the 15th thru 16th century or so. Vere Foster is a kind of handwriting that developed later.

 

I'm a fan of italic, but if you're looking for a practical cursive using a monoline instrument, maybe something like a business handwriting style like J.J. Bailey's? I'm not very familiar with this sort of writing, but I think some others will come along and make some suggestions. There are soooo many really fascinating forms of handwriting...

 

J.J. Bailey page at iampeth.com

 

Doug

[hankas]

@FLZapped: Thanks for pointing out the rare books section. I usually look at only the lessons section. I found some interesting books there.

 

@Doug: Thanks for correcting me. The link to J.J. Bailey is interesting, but the letters in Vere Foster are cleaner and more pleasing to look at.