Cursive Flourish for Capital Letters?

[AceNinja]

Not sure if this was asked before or if already has a similar thread elsewhere.  But basically this, I'm wondering if anyone has some good link / resources / pictures of Flourish examples A - Z that I can follow / practice / learn?

For context, I've already learnt some basic cursive writing, with a non-flex nib fountain pen.  Now I want to explore more on how to flourish the capital letters, especially the first letter in the paragraph, which I sometimes writes it extra large size / taking 2 lines width, so I figure it would looks nicer with flourishing.

 

Most flourishing examples I found online mostly works well with flex nib with the good line variation.  I'm looking forward examples that looks nice on non-flex lines.

[Mercian]

Hi,

one place you might start is (believe it or not) on the website of the Ministry of Education of the government of France…

 

A while ago I started this thread, which contains links to that website, which has downloadable versions of a couple of typefaces based on the cursive writing that is taught in French schools.

There are two typefaces, and each is available to download in ‘plain’ and ‘ornamented’ versions.

The downloadable files include basic and italic typefaces of both versions, and also typefaces that appear on a lined background - so you can type/print out a sentence that looks like it’s on lined paper, and then a line of tabs/spaces underneath it, to allow you to practice that sentence on the same line grid.

 

I also recommend the Getty-Dubay italic ‘writing system’ - see this website - they created a writing style in which their ‘print’ letterforms are the same shapes as their ‘cursive’ letterforms, and they show you how to move up in stages from ‘printing’ to ‘cursive’ to ‘calligraphy’ (with ‘flourishes’).

If you wish to learn specific ‘Business Writing’ that looks rather like ‘copperplate’, then the IAMPETH website is a great place to start, as it has loads of different models and resources.

Or you could buy a ‘calligraphy set’ that includes instructions on how to ‘draw’ different calligraphic hands.
E.g. I recently bought a 1990s Parker Vector ‘calligraphy’ set, and it includes instructions for ‘Roundhand’, ‘Uncial’, and ‘Blackletter’ hands.

 

Other FPN members will have other ideas/recommendations too.

 

Have fun, and good luck 👍

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

Do as you wish, same way as it was invented in the very beginning. Start/end with oval, graceful, recognisable, and don't overdo it.