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Wobbly Foundational Hand - Please Criticise!

Inkysloth

By Inkysloth
in Broad (or Edged) Pen Calligraphy

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Inkysloth Vintage

Inkysloth

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Hi all,

 

I'm getting to a point with practicing this basic calligraphy hand where I'm incredibly frustrated with my lack of consistency.

 

Can anyone advise on specific exercises to help me with my wobbly lines?

 

Best wishes

 

Robin

 

13521475875_aecdda7b81_n.jpg

Calligraphy practice... by Inkysloth, on Flickr

Instagram @inkysloth

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dms525 Antique

dms525

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

 

I'm getting to a point with practicing this basic calligraphy hand where I'm incredibly frustrated with my lack of consistency.

 

Can anyone advise on specific exercises to help me with my wobbly lines?

 

Best wishes

 

Robin

 

13521475875_aecdda7b81_n.jpg

Calligraphy practice... by Inkysloth, on Flickr

 

I'm waiting for some good advice in replies. I have the same problem, if you are talking about "a wandering baseline."

 

David.

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00Photo Extremely Rare

00Photo

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Looks great to me. I like to just have fun and not worry about consistancy. If it's fun, you'll write for hours and become more consistant. If you concentrate on consistency and get frustrated you'll stop writing. Eventually your hand develops muscle memory and you'll be able to get consistent strokes, but you just have to keep repeating and repeating and repeating your writing. I like to draw cartoons and write bad haikus, to keep it fun and interesting and break up time spent between writing and doodling.

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Mickey Collectors Item

Mickey

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I've always admired this hand, but never tried to write it. Still, I think I detect part of the problem, failure to maintain a orderly relationship among your eye, pen, and writing line. The solution is fairly simple. Reposition your page or hand more frequently (this takes care of horizontal irregularities) and, on longer strokes, allow your hand to take on more of the work - pull the stroke toward your body. The second point is probably the more critical. The top halves of the 2x strokes are pretty well done, but once you come to the x-line, the lines become suspect and below the writing line, your strokes become even more irregular. I suspect you preposition your pen at the x-line. You reach for the 2x strokes, but how do you generate pen movement once you return to the x-line? Get the picture? You need to move your hand for the longer strokes and, at some letter sizes, for all down strokes.

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Randal6393 Antique

Randal6393

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Getting some excellent advice from Mickey and 00Photo.

 

Would add that ruled base lines are a necessity to study this hand. Moving the hand and page every few strokes is also key to doing well with the Foundational Hand. Keep up your work and you will get more consistent. Just wish my Foundational looked as nice.

 

Enjoy,

Yours,
Randal

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The penner Rare

The penner

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I like what I see!

 

I've been doing broad pen calligraphy for ages, and I still always use ruled lines. I can't even handwrite straight without them.

 

You can always make a board with threads instead of lines, taped at the ends, the space between them wider than a piece of paper. Then secure the paper inside and write, and you will be able to pull the paper out when you're done, without any lines to erase.

K.M.J

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Inkysloth Vintage

Inkysloth

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Thanks all for your help!

 

I had lines drawn on the paper, but rubbed the ones in the top half of the page out, to better show my general wobbliness.

 

My issue is more of individual letters going wonky - the downstrokes end up slanting. Though I do manage to miss, or sightly overshoot my guidelines too.

Instagram @inkysloth

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caliken Antique

caliken

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My issue is more of individual letters going wonky - the downstrokes end up slanting. Though I do manage to miss, or sightly overshoot my guidelines too.

 

As Foundational Script is written upright, try practicing on grid paper. The vertical lines will help sort out your wayward downstrokes.

 

Ken

Edited by Ken Fraser
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Inkysloth Vintage

Inkysloth

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As Foundational Script is written upright, try practicing on grid paper. The vertical lines will help sort out your wayward downstrokes.

 

Ken

Thanks! Have been trying grid paper and plain paper - it does seem grid paper is better for keeping me on track.

 

I'm working on the idea that Foundational Hand will give me a good base from which to practise other alphabets from - training my eye & hand to be able to be careful, judge distance, draw a straight line etc.

 

I don't know if this is common, but I seem to exaggerate movements - so a small flick becomes a too-large curve.

Instagram @inkysloth

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smk Collectors Item

smk

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You can expect a decent understanding of the script in about 20 hours of focused study - this is supported by research. The 10,000 hour rule is for gaining mastery as you have noted i.e. to be as good as anyone has ever been.

 

S.

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