Writing More Neatly

[tisquinn]

Hi all! I am thinking about getting an italic or, more likely, a stub nib, but feel like my handwriting wouldn't really be able to take advantage of the line variations I would get.

 

I am wondering if any of you have good advice or know any resources regrading writing more neatly. I don't mean in any calligraphic manner, but neat and pretty for everyday writing.

 

Thanks!

Quinn

[Susan3141]

I bought this book, Write Now, and it has helped me considerably. http://www.amazon.com/Write-Now-Complete-Program-Handwriting/dp/0876781180/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344107394&sr=1-3&keywords=write+now

[Stompie]

It would be a lot easier if you posted some pictures of your writing and then we could see what's cooking.

[2GreyCats]

I've found some really excellent material at briem.net. He shows what one of his bosses' handwriting looked like, before and after some stroke-forming exercises.

[PAKMAN]

Write Now is a book I purchased that helped me a lot!

[cellmatrix]

James Pickering's bookhand is very easy to learn, and the style lends itself well to a stub or italic nib.

[brunico]

but feel like my handwriting wouldn't really be able to take advantage of the line variations I would get

 

Many people don't really take advantage of the line variation they could get because they hold their pen at a different angle from their diagonal strokes, so the thick-thin contrast isn't so evident.

 

Italic handwriting goes so well with italic nibs because that's how the hand was developed, and the letterforms take advantage of the nib. But I've seen traditional French handwriting, which is quite rounded and 'loopy,' done with an italic nib, and it looks good.

 

Unless people never really wrote that well in the first place, I suspect misgivings about their handwriting are down to sloppiness that's crept in over the years. In my case, years of taking notes at speed had started to make my u look like an n, and I'd started to loop my f and would join the tail of a g to the following letter, which looks odd in a basic italic style.

 

Take the following sample, magnified, which I wrote at speed. People at work think it looks neat, but that capital R is abysmal - in fact every r is flawed - each o is a different shape, and it's lost a lot of the discipline that makes for a decent italic hand.

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5130/5341120475_b19023b659_b.jpg

 

So you probably don't need to learn a new style, just take a critical look at your handwriting and practise to make sure shapes and sizes and slant are consistent. Séyès-rule paper, the kind with horizontal lines about 2mm apart, will help with making your letters even in height. Or print your own ruled paper.

 

For italic, the Society for Italic Handwriting articles are an interesting read on all the things we start thinking about when we take a critical look at our handwriting, and the Linugraphy grid generator is a godsend because it can do slant lines as well as lines for ascenders, capitals and descenders. Writing larger with a broader nib also helps to show the areas for improvement.

 

Really, consistency will be an excellent start.

[dickydotcom]

Definitely go for stub rather than italic, they are much more forgiving on change of direction.

I would suggest the easiest way is to type something out on the computer and scroll through the various fonts until you find one you like then try and copy it.

Then practice, practice, practice.

You will find some letters come easier than others. Just try to improve them one letter at a time.

At the end of the day just make it how you want.

I've just looked at a couple of fonts that work for italic: Lucida Calligraphy and Vilaldi also just seen Lucida handwriting font.

 

 

Dick D

[tisquinn]

It would be a lot easier if you posted some pictures of your writing and then we could see what's cooking.

 

Thanks for all your help! Here is a sample; I hope it helps!

 

Gratefully,

Quinn

Edited August 8, 2012 by tisquinn

[Stompie]

It would be a lot easier if you posted some pictures of your writing and then we could see what's cooking.

 

Thanks for all your help! Here is a sample; I hope it helps!

 

Gratefully,

Quinn

 

I would sugest strongly that you go with what Suzyq and Pakmanpony said and get that book first before you start trying to change or modify the tools you use.

 

Think of it this way, If a carpenter can not see which way the grain of wood runs, getting newer and sharper chisels is not going to help him. First he needs to get to grips with the basics and only then start worrying about the fancy tools. Hope that makes sense friend

[Nimmireth]

I agree with the others, Write Now is an excellent book. My only gripe is that is pushes you toward italic. Italic doesn't work well for me. I went to Iampeth.com and looked at Palmer's script. It has worked out much better. An edged nib will bring a bit of distinction to your writing regardless of what script you use.

 

Your biggest investment should be time. I've been working on my penmanship for about four years now. I changed my script several times before I settled on Palmer. One great way to practice is writing bits of dialogue from TV shows and commercials that you're watching. Write poems and quotes. Slow down until you can form the letters correctly. Improving your penmanship requires much patience, but it is well worth the effort.

[tisquinn]

I agree with the others, Write Now is an excellent book. My only gripe is that is pushes you toward italic. Italic doesn't work well for me. I went to Iampeth.com and looked at Palmer's script. It has worked out much better. An edged nib will bring a bit of distinction to your writing regardless of what script you use.

 

Your biggest investment should be time. I've been working on my penmanship for about four years now. I changed my script several times before I settled on Palmer. One great way to practice is writing bits of dialogue from TV shows and commercials that you're watching. Write poems and quotes. Slow down until you can form the letters correctly. Improving your penmanship requires much patience, but it is well worth the effort.

 

Are there other non-cursive scripts besides Italic I should check out?

[wallylynn]

Are there other non-cursive scripts besides Italic I should check out?

I grew up with D'nealian and I like it. Vere Foster Civil is very similar (the other side of the pond). I believe they're descended from or based on English roundhand. That said, I've devolved and

 

Have you been to http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html? Basically reduce finger writing and use more hand/arm/shoulder motion.

[Nimmireth]

Are there other non-cursive scripts besides Italic I should check out?

 

Write Now begins with printing. The printing looks quite nice and stands well on its own. You needn't go further. No one said you have to learn/relearn cursive. The goal is even, well formed letters. There are some tasks at my job where I only print. For my personal use, it's cursive. It's a matter of the right tool for the job. My cursive is still quite slow. I just keep practicing.

 

Good luck on your new venture!

[patrickfp]

 

Your biggest investment should be time. I've been working on my penmanship for about four years now. I changed my script several times before I settled on Palmer. One great way to practice is writing bits of dialogue from TV shows and commercials that you're watching. Write poems and quotes. Slow down until you can form the letters correctly. Improving your penmanship requires much patience, but it is well worth the effort.

 

+1

I've been working on my italic for about two years now. I chose italic because I love the style, and I am able to better control my slope. Of course, the fact that people love the notes I write to them plays a big role. The other reason why I like italic is that it's very legible. Like Lloyd Reynolds said, whenever legibility is going to suffer, lift the pen. It's easier to read by those who never learned to read cursive.

 

 

Write Now begins with printing. The printing looks quite nice and stands well on its own. You needn't go further. No one said you have to learn/relearn cursive. The goal is even, well formed letters. There are some tasks at my job where I only print. For my personal use, it's cursive. It's a matter of the right tool for the job. My cursive is still quite slow. I just keep practicing.

 

Good luck on your new venture!

 

In my opinion, it's very important to learn how to print and print well. That's the basic skill. We learned how to sit, then how to crawl, and then how to walk before we learned how to run. Each skill builds onto the previously mastered one. Skipping steps will not help.

 

I, too, used to sit in the living room and write anything that I was hearing on TV. I still do this. I also like to write the lyrics of my favourite songs.

 

Fixing one's handwriting is a long process and not something that will bring overnight success. If we stop to think about it for a minute we will realise that many of those who have good handwriting now spent many hours learning how to write properly in school.

 

It's the same for many skills. When I decided to learn to touch type, I had to give up my hunt-and-peck style. At some point I was very frustrated. I lost my hunt-and-peck speed, but had not fully acquired touch type skill. With practice I became better at touch typing. Today I type at around 100 WPM. I am not boasting, but just giving an example.

 

So good luck in your quest! Don't give up.

[mwm]

I too would like help improving my hand writing. Any suggestions?

[pmhudepo]

I too would like help improving my hand writing. Any suggestions?

 

I think you could focus on consistency, both with respect to letter shape and size. Perhaps all you need to do is slow down, and watch grip and posture. Be relaxed, let the nib glide across the page, then try to have all letters rest on the base line and give them the same x-height.