Handwriting Question

[Bee]

Also, I do not write in a cursive style. I'm an engineer, a technical-head, and I write quite rapidly in a printing style that is rather individualistic and artistic

Mr. Therrell,
As an aside, my husband uses an inexpensive plastic calligraphic fountain pen manufactured by Manuscript Pen, with a medium nib and Waterman brand ink cartidges, as an everyday pen in the modern world. The pens are about $5.00, and are available at Michael's Crafts (or for those more 'sinister'). He says that it helps him to improve his period writing skills as he uses virtually the same strokes, nib angles, and pressure as with a dip pen, and just writing with a fountain pen makes him take his time and think about how he is writing. If practicable, you may want to try it if you write for work, as he found it has helped him lose some of his bad writing habits and has ingrained some nice period style. (I can read his letters now! ) Although his co-workers think he is a bit strange (though they thought that before, after learning he wears wool in summer), they all admire his writing and signature.
Just a thought.

Elizabeth


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Abonnetventure.etsy.com

[Micah Trent]

I am in the same ballpark with Noah. I do not have the best hand writing and when it shows, it shows that of being on the bit messy side. Chicken scratch is more like it. Practice is all you can do to improve. Unfortunately for me, being left handed, I tend to smear the ink when writing across.

[uozumi]

There's a really good site that shows scans of those copy books recommended.
You should still be able to write left handed, just make sure your hand isn't leaning on the page when you write.

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons.php#ladies_hand

I wrote these out (Spencerian Ladies' Hand):

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_THKFDRmiBA.../My+script.jpg

With the stroke patterns:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_THKFDRmiBA...roke+Marks.jpg

Hope this helps.

[uozumi]

I thought more about this and tried to duplicate the "conditions" with my right hand writing backwards and I really didn't have any problems. Even right handers can't lean their hands on the page or they will smudge what they had just written as well. It's just a different way to get used to.
The only thing I can think of that would make it harder would be the position of the pen nib on the paper. You will have to change the position a lot to make sure you are "dragging" the pen and not pushing it against the page to form the letters. You have to adjust the pen writing right handed too, it just won't be in the same spots.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_THKFDRmiBA...600-h/Left.jpg

This is from Google Books from a book in 1866 that is a letter from a man who says that his left arm was tied up as a child but says he managed to write with his left:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xQk...3%2C683&edge=0

The Full Book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xQk...age&q=&f=false

[Pvt Schnapps]

Originally Posted by uozumi

I thought more about this and tried to duplicate the "conditions" with my right hand writing backwards and I really didn't have any problems. Even right handers can't lean their hands on the page or they will smudge what they had just written as well. It's just a different way to get used to.
The only thing I can think of that would make it harder would be the position of the pen nib on the paper. You will have to change the position a lot to make sure you are "dragging" the pen and not pushing it against the page to form the letters. You have to adjust the pen writing right handed too, it just won't be in the same spots.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_THKFDRmiBA...600-h/Left.jpg

This is from Google Books from a book in 1866 that is a letter from a man who says that his left arm was tied up as a child but says he managed to write with his left:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xQk...3%2C683&edge=0

The Full Book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xQk...age&q=&f=false

Excellent cite -- I'm always glad to meet a left-hander from the 19th century. Thanks for posting that!

[DulcimerPlayer]

I have a copy of a CW era diary, the young man enlisted in the confederacy and for that year traveled from Mississippi to Fort Gibson, OK to acquire supplies. His hand writing is bit on the poor side, particularly when he was in a hurry. It's been interesting reading but you do have to learn the differeces in how he wrote certain letters. So I guess you can say that sloppy is historical constant?