Question About Cursive "r"

[daniel0731ex]

When I write my cursive "r",The flat stroke at the top of the letter is horizontal instead of downward.

It resembles the Chinese radical "几" when drawn from the baseline, "气" (without the top portion) from below the median.

Would that be a problem? Or is it an acceptable variation?

 

I recently found out that some scripts use a likeness of the print "r" as opposed to the kinked stroke. If my flat "r" is problematic, should I use this one instead? I have no trouble connecting the kinked r's or making them distinctive (for example, I emphasize the dip of the b in "br" slightly to make the flat r more pronounced), but I noticed that the print r reduce my "blind e"s and overlapping c's, and easier to write "write". But because my v is sharp, it makes the two letters ambiguous at times (like "shave" and "share").

 

Is it appropriate to use two different variation of r's simultaneously? Or must the same letter be consistent?

 

And yet another question: How do you write your capital "Q"? I am still reluctant to give up "Q" for "2".

Edited November 7, 2011 by daniel0731ex

[thusly]

When I write my cursive "r",The flat stroke at the top of the letter is horizontal instead of downward.

It resembles the Chinese radical "几" when drawn from the baseline, "气" (without the top portion) from below the median.

Would that be a problem? Or is it an acceptable variation?

 

I'm currently working through a book by Fred Eager called The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting, and a straight horizontal stroke is exactly what he teaches. So, at least for one writing style, it's definitely an acceptable variation. Here's the relevant beginning section of the book where you're taught stroke direction:

 

http://i.imgur.com/0kI5N.png

 

I'm unable to shed much light on the rest of your questions, but hopefully that is of some help.

[daniel0731ex]

err, I'm talking about the "kinked" r as shown in most letter guides:

 

http://www.janbrett.com/images/cursive_r_reindeer.jpg

 

The downward stroke is horizontal in my handwriting.

Edited November 7, 2011 by daniel0731ex

[mirosc]

Is it appropriate to use two different variation of r's simultaneously? Or must the same letter be consistent?

No, it doesn't need to be consistent. When you look into the history of cursive (or writing at all) it is very common that there are different forms of the same letter in a text. But: there is usually a pattern behind the use of different variation. You shouldn't do it just as you please or are happy to. Writing - albeit in modern times the individual expression of personal character - is still bound to certain rules and conventions to make reading easier for others.

 

And the cursive r you are referring to is only considered as a proper r in some parts of the world - in other parts it is not the proper form. Historically seen this form has developed from the use of a capital R at the end of a ligature, but the main letter has now been dropped out. So what remains is the crippled form of an r and especially at the beginning of a word (like in reindeer) this r looks plain silly for someone knowing palaeography.

If you want to use this r you should stick to the principal idea of this letter which still follows the capital R; in other words: down and outward at the end, if your top is flat or downward doesn't matter for legibility and is individual variation. It only matters if you want to keep strictly to a special cursive script.

[estie1948]

 

I'm currently working through a book by Fred Eager called The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting, and a straight horizontal stroke is exactly what he teaches. So, at least for one writing style, it's definitely an acceptable variation. Here's the relevant beginning section of the book where you're taught stroke direction:

 

http://i.imgur.com/0kI5N.png

 

I'm unable to shed much light on the rest of your questions, but hopefully that is of some help.

I have a friend who makes his "r" in this manner. I first saw it done in this manner on some historic document and thought it was really neat. Now that I get letters from my friend who makes his "r" in this manner, I absolutely hate it. My friend wanted to borrow something, but it looked like he wanted to bonow something. I think it is a matter of personal taste, but this is not a good way to make a cursive "r" in my opinion.

 

err, I'm talking about the "kinked" r as shown in most letter guides:

 

http://www.janbrett.com/images/cursive_r_reindeer.jpg

 

The downward stroke is horizontal in my handwriting.

This is the way I was taught to form my cursive "r" except the upward stroke extends just above the dotted line before returning to the dotted line to then go to the right and then down to the bottom line. I hope you understand.