My handwriting sample

[Songwind]

One of the fountain-pen related things I am trying to do is develop a more pleasing hand. I welcome any and all feeback.

 

This is a sample of my handwriting. The first section is my normal cursive hand, with my Targa fountain pen.

 

The second is an attempt at chancery italic with a Sheaffer calligraphy pen and Fine nib. I just started fooling around with Italic this week, though I studied some calligraphy in high school.

 

The third is just an experiment with a dip-pen

 

Click for a larger view.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2374/2397820998_3cd0678a06.jpg

 

 

[blakeums21]

let me start by saying "i love your dog"

 

now about your handwriting IF this means anything to you I wish my penmanship was half what yours is. IT actually makes me want to go practice

 

keep up the great work

[Rapt]

Depends on what you see as being "more pleasing". Your current hand is clearly legible without any weird quirks that make it hard to read (from my point of view).

 

That said, it looks a lot like its the product of finger writing, or "drawing" your letters rather than "writing", which is meant to happen from the whole shoulder, with very little movement in the hand.

 

Most of us who learned to write in the last 40 years or so didn't have any proper instruction, about keeping wrists straight, and fingers mostly still. Often the desks or tables we were using when we learned were at the wrong height to facilitate proper technique, if the table is such that you can't keep your upper arm hanging basically straight down from the shoulder and a 90 degree angle at the elbow while writing, then the height is probably wrong. As your upper arm (and thus your elbow) needs to be raised and moved out from your body to accommodate the height of the writing surface the harder it is to swing your arm and get nice fluid strokes/loops in your writing.

 

There are some good references out there, or you can cruise posts here for exercises, (etudes) and details that will help.

[Songwind]

let me start by saying "i love your dog"

 

now about your handwriting IF this means anything to you I wish my penmanship was half what yours is. IT actually makes me want to go practice

 

keep up the great work

 

Thank you. She's a cutie.

 

I am content with the legibility of my handwriting - I want to move it into the realm of at least semi-artistic, and more consistent.

 

Thank you for your kind words. It does mean something. It at least means I'm not 100% off-base.

[Songwind]

Depends on what you see as being "more pleasing". Your current hand is clearly legible without any weird quirks that make it hard to read (from my point of view).

Yes. I can produce something legible to more than just myself without too much trouble.

 

From an objective standpoint, I am trying to make it more consistent. Letter height, slant, spacing, etc. I also have some stylistic things still to shake out. I am less that impressed with a lot of my capitals, and need to figure out what to do about it. As you can see, I have two different capital Ps in this sample. That was not intentional, but it gives you an idea.

 

From a less objective standpoint, I would just like it to be prettier. It has already improved in the week or so during which I have been writing with my fountain pen and trying to make a conscious effort, but I feel like I have a ways more to go.

 

That said, it looks a lot like its the product of finger writing, or "drawing" your letters rather than "writing", which is meant to happen from the whole shoulder, with very little movement in the hand.

 

Most of us who learned to write in the last 40 years or so didn't have any proper instruction, about keeping wrists straight, and fingers mostly still. Often the desks or tables we were using when we learned were at the wrong height to facilitate proper technique, if the table is such that you can't keep your upper arm hanging basically straight down from the shoulder and a 90 degree angle at the elbow while writing, then the height is probably wrong. As your upper arm (and thus your elbow) needs to be raised and moved out from your body to accommodate the height of the writing surface the harder it is to swing your arm and get nice fluid strokes/loops in your writing.

 

There are some good references out there, or you can cruise posts here for exercises, (etudes) and details that will help.

 

I noticed the finger-writing problem after reading a reply to someone else' writing sample. I have been trying to work away from that. The first thing I had to do was to stop writing so darned small. It's hard to make controlled curves 3/16th of an inch high with your shoulder and elbow. :roflmho: It has already helped, but as you can see, there is more still to do. The flourishes on ending g's, y's and the like are an organic outgrowth of changing the way I move my hand/arm that I am quite pleased with.

 

This particular writing sample was actually produced on a drawing board, which is angled at about 30 degrees. I found it more comfortable than a completely flat surface.

 

(I also find it interesting that writing with your fingers is called drawing the letters, since good drawing technique uses the elbow and shoulder a lot as well.)

[Rapt]

Re:Drawing the letters...

 

Its a good point you make. I never thought about it, just it made sense when other people described it that way, despite the fact as you say, good drawing technique uses the arm and shoulder just like good writing technique does.

 

Yes its also easier to get the whole arm involved when you write a bit bigger. Once you get used to the flow (for me it seems to flow in a rhythmic way when I'm wiriting properly,) then you can make the writing smaller again if you want to.

 

I'm not so far ahead of this stuff, I still have most of the issues I pointed out, but I have seen significant improvement in the last few months of nearly daily practice. I typically go for about half an hour or until I get too tired to keep the form good. Most of my family can hardly believe how much better my writing is.

[georges zaslavsky]

quite a nice writing you have here. Perhaps using a more flexible nib would help you, but I don't know with what kind of nib you write.

[Songwind]

That's a Sheaffer Targa inlaid nib. I can make it produce some line variation but only by pressing alarmingly hard.

 

My new Libelle is about as stiff as a board. I don't really have the funds for anything with a flexible nib right now, except for dip pens.

[cacatua]

 

"That said, it looks a lot like its the product of finger writing, or "drawing" your letters rather than "writing", which is meant to happen from the whole shoulder, with very little movement in the hand. "

 

"Most of us who learned to write in the last 40 years or so didn't have any proper instruction, about keeping wrists straight, and fingers mostly still. Often the desks or tables we were using when we learned were at the wrong height to facilitate proper technique, if the table is such that you can't keep your upper arm hanging basically straight down from the shoulder and a 90 degree angle at the elbow while writing, then the height is probably wrong. As your upper arm (and thus your elbow) needs to be raised and moved out from your body to accommodate the height of the writing surface the harder it is to swing your arm and get nice fluid strokes/loops in your writing."

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(I haven't figured out how to use all of these features!)

 

This is interesting. It is the same advice I got Dyas A. Lawson's website, <www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html>. But if you read about Platt Rogers Spencer, you'll rest your arm on the muscle just ahead of the elbow (the elbow is just off the edge of the desk), and keep that "arm rest" on the desk, and you do use some finger movement. Your "hand rest" is on the tips of the third and forth fingers. That rest is moveable.

 

I became rather frustrated with this whole arm/shoulder thing (I haven't tried the Spencerian method with the arm rest yet.) and just went back to using finger movement for the time being, as I need to come up with a writing surface at a better height than the old secretary, which for some reason has the writing surface too high. I've been having fond memories of those old chairs with the writing panel on the right side (most of them anyway) that we had in high school, or the idea of finding or making a nice lap desk, though not exactly sure how that would work out either. I've only printed for so long that I need a lot of practice just to get away from that so I am not thinking about what comes next so much.

 

Donna

[Songwind]

If you read the Spencerian description, you realize they are talking about resting your arm on your forearm muscle, but taking advantage of the elasticity of that part of the body. So you are still moving from the shoulder and elbow, you just have a stretchy, spongy place to rest the weight of your arm.

 

I am getting better at it. Had to do a bit of retraining today because the new pen is so much thicker than my old ones.

[Shangas]

The first and second are very clear, neat, easy to read and pleasing to the eye. The third, not so much. With a bit of work, though, I think your 'regular hand', would look very nice

[Songwind]

The first was my regular hand as well. That last was mostly a last-minute decision to try it with the dip pen.

[cranejon]

A question about your handwriting in a straight line.

How do you write penmanship without lined paper in straight and parallel rows? I used lined paper behind my writing paper, but cannot do that with the solid nontransparent paper. I note that your are writing on unlined paper. What is the "trick". Thank you jon crane

[Shangas]

Ah! In that case, I would not make any change whatsoever. It is stylish, neat, easy to read, pretty and has a hint of old-world roundhand handwriting

 

---

 

John, that is a good question, and I may try and answer it. I try and keep my handwriting neat and straight when I write on unlined paper. I do it by keeping the first row of my writing parallell with the top edge of the page. And I keep every other row as straight as the first, so as to maintain consistancy.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Shangas

[rogerb]

A question about your handwriting in a straight line.

How do you write penmanship without lined paper in straight and parallel rows? I used lined paper behind my writing paper, but cannot do that with the solid nontransparent paper. I note that your are writing on unlined paper. What is the "trick". Thank you jon crane

 

I find it helps me a lot to have a sheet of paper, of a contrasting colour, on which I rest my writing hand and use as a 'guide' to keep my lines straight....it also keeps the oils from your hand off the paper!

(I usually use my non-writing hand to keep it in place and in line).

 

The hardest places are, IMO, the RH side of the page.....you sometimes need to move the page over to the left, especially if it's big paper!

Also, if you are using a thick-ish pad or notebook, it can get awkward as you get towards the bottom of the page, because the edge of the pad is like a 'step'.... I then put another pad across the bottom, so that my hand is still on a level surface.

 

(My writing always tends to deteriorate, anyway, as I get towards the bottom of a large page!)

[caliken]

I find it helps me a lot to have a sheet of paper, of a contrasting colour, on which I rest my writing hand and use as a 'guide' to keep my lines straight....it also keeps the oils from your hand off the paper!

(I usually use my non-writing hand to keep it in place and in line).

 

The hardest places are, IMO, the RH side of the page.....you sometimes need to move the page over to the left, especially if it's big paper!

Also, if you are using a thick-ish pad or notebook, it can get awkward as you get towards the bottom of the page, because the edge of the pad is like a 'step'.... I then put another pad across the bottom, so that my hand is still on a level surface.

 

What a great idea.....I must give it a try.

Thanks for posting!

 

caliken

 

[Songwind]

A question about your handwriting in a straight line.

How do you write penmanship without lined paper in straight and parallel rows? I used lined paper behind my writing paper, but cannot do that with the solid nontransparent paper. I note that your are writing on unlined paper. What is the "trick". Thank you jon crane

 

Hmm. Just practice has helped me a lot. Also, it is easier on narrower paper. I do a lot better on stationery than on full "letter" sized sheets.

 

In this particular instance I cheated. I used my parallel edge board to lay down some guidelines with a 9H pencil.