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Spencerian Copy Book Set


Moonshae

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Hi all,

 

I got the set and read through the teacher's instruction guide, but it doesn't say anything about how to actually practice. Are you supposed to master the parallel downstrokes before moving on to the upward curves? Are you supposed to do several exercises each day?

 

I started using a French-ruled notebook because I could tell that the number of rows on each page would not be sufficient practice for me. I'd have filled a few pages of just the most basic exercises, and I'm still rather inconsistent. I have seen some improvement, but it's rather tedious doing row after row of parallel downstrokes, then rows of upstrokes. The book says that children learning should not be allowed to write any other way, but I haven't even gotten to letters other than i, so I have to fall back to my regular Palmer-based handwriting for anything else.

 

Any advice on a learning plan would be most welcome! I want to learn this, but I want it to be at least a little pleasurable in the process, not all tedium.

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Out of interest, do you have the ambition to follow the method's instructions on Movement?

~ Alexander

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I'm giving it a fair shot. That has been part of the challenge, honestly...trying to teach my arm to do what I used to do with my hand, and with such small movements, has been frustratingly inconsistent.

 

My ultimate goal isn't really to have perfect Spencerian handwriting, but at least to have handwriting that looks nice and is relatively consistent. Typically, when I undertake a project, I see it through. I'm finishing grad school in 3 weeks, so I anticipate having free time that I wish to continue to devote to self improvement.

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Thank you.

 

One approach is that you diligently go through the whole package, book by book, page by page, line by line. This takes some perseverance, but there are many people who have done this too, and from what I have seen they usually ended up with a much improved and rather nice hand.

 

However, most of them did not in the process develop the Spencerian writing technique. Also, many of the people I've seen who completed the books, did not seem to have come to grasp that the script is in fact a system, built from Principle strokes.

 

If these two aspects are important to you, the exercises that focus on exclusively that should be a godsent for you. Don't view them as tedious drills that keep you from the good stuff, they *are* the good stuff. That said, I think it takes additional drills that are not in the Mott Media package, to really get the Movement part down, and, quite frankly, I think there are also clearer ways to teach people the Principles thing.

 

Myself I'm a Movement and Principles fanatic, and have been working on this for about a year now, starting with the Principles, now working on Movement. (This is BTW the wrong order but never mind.) I have the package too, but I use the books only as a collection of letter combinations, words, and sentences. I practise on my own paper, and, for instance, I do not try to fit letters into square boxes. I think the boxes from Plate II of The New Spencerian Compendium are much better suited for this if you really need that kind of guidance.

 

If you don't care so much for the Movement part, then at least work the Principles, also if you're only going to use the Mott Media workbooks.

 

Hope this helps!

~ Alexander

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  • 2 weeks later...

+1 +2 @rednaxela. Building muscle memory takes time and efforts. I struggled thru the exercises. All five books and some more. However I was not satisfied after 1 yr of efforts. Learning italic helped me more as I find it more suited me.

 

I am relearning Spencerian and English round hand now, after 2 yrs of italics.

 

One learn to loVe and hate the same.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just received the Spencerian book and notebooks yesterday -- I need to be able to read my writing. I've been doing everything by computer for so long my handwriting has become illegible. If this just helps me with that, I'll be happy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have to fall back to my regular Palmer-based handwriting for anything else.

 

I'm guessing it's not actually Palmer. Palmer is thin and slanty, a business hand, a faster, simpler, descendant of Spencerian. The two look the same to the passing eye.

 

I was taught D'Nealian in grade school. Very round, circular, similar to English Roundhand.

 

As for practice, I have yet to master the slants or ovals. However, don't skip them entirely. Dedicate an inch or two to each at the beginning of your practice, just to "limber up". It's like stretching before practice. A bit of shading the page, or scrap paper, just to get used to the motion. It's actually one of the directions in many of the guidebooks.

 

And for when I'm bored, I practice writing the word "minimum". I need a new word...

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  • 1 month later...

I have just received the book set myself - they feel so nice, lovely quality to them!

 

Rednaxela you've posted some food for thought.

 

Wish me luck, I can tell this is going to be a long journey ..

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all,

 

I got the set and read through the teacher's instruction guide, but it doesn't say anything about how to actually practice. Are you supposed to master the parallel downstrokes before moving on to the upward curves? Are you supposed to do several exercises each day?

 

I started using a French-ruled notebook because I could tell that the number of rows on each page would not be sufficient practice for me. I'd have filled a few pages of just the most basic exercises, and I'm still rather inconsistent. I have seen some improvement, but it's rather tedious doing row after row of parallel downstrokes, then rows of upstrokes. The book says that children learning should not be allowed to write any other way, but I haven't even gotten to letters other than i, so I have to fall back to my regular Palmer-based handwriting for anything else.

 

Any advice on a learning plan would be most welcome! I want to learn this, but I want it to be at least a little pleasurable in the process, not all tedium.

Buy some good quality tracing paper/velum. In the U.S, Borden & Riley; in Europe, Canson are brands available at art stores.

 

After you do the learning exercises, go to the back of the workbook and trace words.

 

At the end of the session, use another French ruled notebook or loose leaves, to write the name of countries, capitals; major rivers, mountains,forests, deserts, volcanoes (especially the Icelandic one with the big name)... U.S states, some of them are quite tricky, so they are good examples too.

 

I admire your perseverance.

 

When I wanted to add some Copperplate flair to my French cursive, I skipped the exercises and just traced the letters I found pleasing, until I had enough muscle memory to use them in handwriting exercises using the words, I described above.

Edited by Anne-Sophie

Is it fair for an intelligent and family oriented mammal to be separated from his/her family and spend his/her life starved in a concrete jail?

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