I've spent the last few years working hard to improve my handwriting, and I literally started by getting a couple of basic handwriting workbooks meant for kindergarteners and working through those with a pencil. It was surprisingly helpful!
I loved the way my dad signed his name. 1st initial, 2nd initial, last name. I practiced, and practiced until I was happy with the result. Years later I donated an unused car, signed the title over that way and mailed it in. They returned the title, "That's not a signature!" Later I sent it to National Public Radio instead. No problem.
They don't do this any more, but my Primary Doctor used to sign my prescriptions with a line that had a meager bump or two in it. Now it's all computer driven. I don't even get a piece of paper any more, just an email if even that. Eventually we'll get our meds delivered by matter transporter while we lie insensate on the living room couch like the living-dead. 😵
This is one of the most candid, down-to-earth handwriting tips video I've watched in a while. It's genuinely convincing! I might actually just do that, 20 mins a day, start small, no pressure, and see where we go from there!
I learned handwriting in elementary school during the sixties. I started using a fountain pen while in the third grade. I’m eager to get back to it. New sub!!
I am so glad that you, a reviewer of fountain pens, focus on beautiful handwriting. No matter how interesting others may be when talking about fountain pens, when the ink hits the paper and chicken scratching appear, I cannot watch any further. I guess that is the difference between a “hobbyist collector” and a connoisseur of fine pens.
Your handwriting has improved tremendously. I have had to learn, or should I say, relearn how to write again that is legible. My wife told me she couldn't read it anymore. Definitely chicken scratch. My #1 rule is to s l o w down. Take time to write. My journalling is primarily my practice session. It has taken time but it is getting better.
This video made me a subscriber!! Straight to the point and basic things to do. I think we fountain pen lovers tend to overthink and feel we have to be elaborate and over the top because we are using FP when we really don't.
Since getting interested in fountain pens a couple years ago I’ve been trying to improve my handwriting. That’s one of the reasons I started using fountain pens. I try to practise as much as I can, writing letters to friends and family, but I can’t say I’ve improved much. Mostly I just have to slow down. I find my writing gets worse towards the end of a long letter because I’m just rushing to finish. Also, I have trouble writing on a thick pad or notebook… when I get to the end of a line and I can’t rest my hand on the page anymore, everything turns to crap.
You have the feeling that you are practicing and practicing and not getting anywhere. This is exactly where some calligraphy lessons would help. Someone to look over your shoulder and give you a little advice. (They might just say that the table is too low for you or something similar). I am also convinced that your handwriting has changed. Perhaps not (yet) to the extent that you imagined, but progress will certainly be visible.
Hello DB! THANKS for the great tips on improving one's handwriting! Back in the 1970's one learned to write cursive in grade school. There was no penmanship class for me until Junior High (now usually called middle school) ONE semester in english class we had some penmanship. The only problem was, if you picked up any bad habits during the other six or seven years, it wasn't enough. Sort of too little, too late! I wish that we had been made to use some sort of fountain pens at the beginning. I think it would have sort of forced a slower, more deliberate approach to forming letters and words. You put ballpoint pens in the hands of first or second graders, they might just think (like myself) that speed is the key and develop a scribbling form of handwriting. I have been practicing and have already improved my writing a lot, but still need LOTS of work to get to where you are. LOVE your writing!
Great advice. As you hinted near the end, if you have numerous pens, swap them regularly. E.g. writing with a Pilot and a Sailor are very different experiences. I've managed to tidy up my handwriting quite a bit with my Pilots, but as soon as I pick up my Sailor PG it all goes to pot lol.
YES -- I can't agree enough with this. I've got a couple pens all with different grips and balance, and switching between them helps so much. You learn how to write, not just how to write with one particular pen.
Excellent video. I need to spend more time with my mindful writing. I have been concentrating on notetaking, i.e. making it small, ledgible, and pleasing to read. Chinese steel nibs that are either stiff or a little soft have gotten so good from xxxf to M that I have been switching out steel nibs on my favorite nib holders, i.e. my Opus 88 pens, and leonardos.. And replacing any Jowo feed with feeds that flow more gernerously. Writing small and fast and ledgibly has gotten possible for me. It does take daily practice. Thanks for the push to get better at classical cursive. I almost gave up a few years ago as nibs I could afford just weren't getting any better. Now, it seems to be a golden age of nibs.
Great video! I've been working on my connective slant - the space between letters that extends the physical length of the word. My handwriting has become a lot less compressed.
Hey Doodle Bud a great video and very informative. At the end of the day for me definitely it’s all about the handwriting. I love the letter F but not in duplicate. Double L also tricky. I like squared paper the most, bullet point paper second best. Thank you very much D
I changed my capital F recently because the way I was taught was too similar to T. Try something like your A, with a smaller upstroke, from about the median line to the top and down to the baseline, then lift and cross at the median. Simple, elegant, and legible.
I do find this enjoyable, but also quite amusing. I pretty much grew up writing with a fountain pen. Most all of my school work was written in fountain pen, and all of my university work apart from my final dissertation. I have my junior school teachers to thank for being able to write fairly fast and efficiently whilst still keeping it legible and reasonably stylish. The idea of taking that long just to write two words kind of blows my mind. I enjoy my writing, but it has to more or less keep up with my thoughts or it doesn't really work for me. Each to their own - there is no right or wrong way.
Loved the video DB, it very helpful. One video I'd like to see is on how to setup and adjust an oblique calligraphy pen - in my case I have a Tom's Studio Original Flourish. I'm finding it hard to judge the angle it should be set at for my style of writing.
I wonder what your handwriting would look like if you listened to the full version of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". If you were a student in my elementary school classroom, you would be receiving a penmanship award complete with a fountain pen, a bottle of ink and a bulb syringe.
Hi Both, I don't know if it's a N.American thing but in the UK, practice is a noun; the verb is to practise. Great to see how long it actually takes others to write nicely! I've always felt like I should be able to write beautifully and fast. At school and uni I focused so much on speed and legibility rather than beauty. You forget how long it can take to make things that are beautiful.
As a lefty i have seen videos to help with smeering ink while i try to practice my writing. But i find myself falling straight back to my accustomed quick drying ink style. So have started learning to use my right hand, i cant remember learning to write being so difficult in the first place.
Pilot Custom 912 with FA nib. The pen has an aftermarket feed and the nib was custom ground as well. I have a video of the nibmeister doing the grind work: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CncfAKkaS14.html
Finally, I can use these tips to add some sophistication to my Skibidi Toilet and Among Us crossover fanfiction I'm writing with my 一分钱,一分货 rollerball!
This came at the perfect time as I'd just gotten my Falcon in a sef but watching how your FA nib writes by comparison, I realize thay I may have made an expensive mistake :(
Improving your writing cost $0 which is great news! Its like getting a guitar, you need to learn to play it. The question is how well do you want to be able to play?
Considering I actually play guitar, that is something I completely understand. An instrument is an instrument. It's up to me to make sure I understand the intricacies of each and make using them second nature. Definitely more motivated to do both now!
I wonder if you noticed any difference in your writing depending on what music you are playing while writing?? For me I noted that my letters get a little more pointing if the music is aggresive like metal or such... and more rounded if softer music.. Btw. Thank you for the A I stole that some time ago 😉 Keep up the great work
In regard for “getting in the zone,” Ted Gioia talks about music and trances and how it takes around 10 minutes for our brains to reach that altered state: “And in almost every instance the musical ritual involving rhythm has to last at least around ten minutes before we get the trance benefit.” So it makes sense that it’s easier to get into the zone with instrumental music that is either very long or selected to repeat over and over. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IQpeKZE8iXA.html
I can't focus when listening to music, I start analyzing it -- hearing the chords, following the melody (and hearing where the notes are relative to the harmony....), (partially) transcribing the bass or keyboard part.... Mary musicians are like this. Music as background dos not exist for me.
For me, the music won't work. I play a few instruments, so I get sucked into music when I hear it. There I am focusing on my penmanship, and suddenly my brain is going, "What key is this in? The tempo is a little fast. Did they just go into the relative minor via V of vi or a diminished? Blah blah blah," and suddenly I'm just sitting there doing nothing and staring into space. 🤣 Like music though, I find the key is slow, results-oriented practice while focusing on relaxation. You must do the drills slowly enough that you can remain aware of and eradicate any tension from your arm, hand, and wrist. As a left-hander, I internalized SO MUCH TENSION to the point of ulnar nerve pain, numbness in my hand, and cramping through never having been taught to write properly. (It's only by writing literally upside-down that I managed to have good handwriting, and now it looks very nice, and I'm lucky in that rotating/reflecting things in my head is easy-peasy for me.) I had 58 years of tension, poor instruction, right-side desks, and bad habits to undo. Like playing an instrument, everything is about getting the best possible result with the least possible effort. Go slow, and RELAX. If it looks good and feels good, it is good.
The pen is like an instrument. You need to learn how to use it, and the decide how well to you want to be able to play understanding improvement only comes after effort
Doodlebud, there is a really nice Italian non-Visconti pen i want to buy for myself, but send to you for review first since no one else has. Are you interested and how would i go about doing that if so?
Although I think that calligraphy can have a positive influence on one's handwriting, there - at least, to me - is a difference between the two: Handwriting should be practical whereas calligraphy should be ornate. Just imagine having a really great idea and taking ages to express it in copperplate!
They just magnify what you see. Its no different than using binoculars to get a bitter image of something far away or using a magnifying glass or loupe for seeing finer details . You only use them for up close. If you wear them around things will be blurry as they aren't mean for that working distance.
