Set About Fixing My Lowercase Q

[Katu]

Hello all.

 

Thought I would post the progress I made today. I decided that I wanted to change how I draw the tail on my letter q, to better match what I draw on my y, g, and j. For the longest time, I was unable to figure out how to change the tail to better match the other letters, and it really bothered me, as the q did stand alone in my handwriting. Well, I went ahead and went bonkers on a piece of paper (almost literally) and came out with the following sheet.

 

Here you can see an overall example of my handwriting, which I posted in another thread (My original letter q does even appear in there as well!):

 

 

 

And here is the practice sheet of my letter q. I drew my original version at the top of the page (it was an afterthought, so apologies that it is tucked way up and not highly obvious), and I drew my new version, which I am happy with, in Dragon's Blood on the bottom right corner.

 

 

Let me know what you all think! Input is greatly appreciated!

[rickboone]

I would mistake the finalized version there as a g, not a q.

[Katu]

Hm.. I was a bit afraid about that. Is it because of the little accidental loop on the tail? Ideally, that would just go up and to the right, not so much form a loop.

[linearM]

I agree that the final q looks too much like a g. Just out of curiosity, when you were in grade school were you taught cursive handwriting? I notice many 20 and early 30 year olds (including my daughter) print rather than using cursive. Some say it is because keyboarding has taken the place of handwriting.

 

It's great that you are taking the time to explore your options, making your hand legible and unique. There are lots of examples of handwriting styles on this forum, perhaps a bit of exploring would help you find the q you are after.

[nxn96]

I would mistake the finalized version there as a g, not a q.

Mine was much the same reaction. Actually, I thought the original "q" was much closer to the mark. Part of the problem with the cursive "q" is that it "swings up" to the right from the lowest point of the downstroke, whereas the more general movement is a "left upswing" (y, j, p). Your "q" should swing up more like a lower case "f" in cursive.

[Katu]

I agree that the final q looks too much like a g. Just out of curiosity, when you were in grade school were you taught cursive handwriting? I notice many 20 and early 30 year olds (including my daughter) print rather than using cursive. Some say it is because keyboarding has taken the place of handwriting.

 

It's great that you are taking the time to explore your options, making your hand legible and unique. There are lots of examples of handwriting styles on this forum, perhaps a bit of exploring would help you find the q you are after.

 

We were taught cursive in 3rd grade. At the time I had absolutely no appreciation for handwriting, and could care less what mine looked like. But, we were required to learn it, and, up until 5th grade, required to use it for absolutely every assignment. To this day, I still prefer printing, especially with how legible it is. I feel that it looks considerable neater to print.

 

That said, I am trying to improve my cursive hand on the side, for there is definitely an application for cursive. Plus, the more I can do to improve my everyday handwriting, the better off I will be when I decide I am ready to get going with calligraphy.

[caliken]

This is the classic form of the minuscule letter 'q'

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/acquiresqonly200.jpg

 

If this is giving you problems, why not adopt the alternative form of the letter into your handwriting?

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/acquirewordonly400.jpg

 

Ken

Edited December 2, 2010 by caliken

[watch_art]

There are lots of examples of handwriting styles on this forum, perhaps a bit of exploring would help you find the q you are after.

 

I've changed many of my letters based on this right here. I've changed my capitol s several times in the last 5 months or so. Also my capitol g. So this is really good advice. Look at what's out there, and copy it over and over. Have fun!

[WontonST]

I like the pointy q in "I quote." It fits with your style very well, and adds to consistency.

 

And yeah, I have to agree with everyone that the final q looks like my sloppy g.

[Chevalier]

I knew that the letter in quick would be a q from your post ... but I read g though (guick is a strange word, hehe). I'd use the classic form or a simply line as downstroke. I have similar problems, with modern styles, it just doesn't look right, but that's the best way to make g and q legible and, most important, distinguishable. There are a few letters I don't like "out of the box", but there's not always a workaround.

[ToasterPastry]

You bring up the small "Q". This one hasn't given me as much trouble as its capital cousin. My small 'q' is very close to Ken's example--very straight, clean, and defined. The capital 'Q' in Palmer, Spencerian or just about any cursive script, looks like the number 2. I've never liked it, and I want these guys to redesign it. After playing with it for awhile, I've come up with this version, shown below. I do like Ken's example, another clean version. Although I'm embarrassed in the presence of Ken to be even offering handwriting advice, I will offer this...I have found that the pen works better the fewer times the nib leaves the paper. Therefore, writing is faster if you don't print.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Carters_Harvest_Brown3.jpg

Edited December 3, 2010 by ToasterPastry

[Katu]

I like the pointy q in "I quote." It fits with your style very well, and adds to consistency.

 

And yeah, I have to agree with everyone that the final q looks like my sloppy g.

 

The q that you pointed out was what I was looking for. The problem that I have with using that one, even though it fits in perfectly, is that it puts the pen waaaay far away from the next letter. I'll have to play with all my options, and see what works. I really should go back to daily cursive practice again, and get that up to snuff.

[bsunde]

After making your decent, why not just swing the tail of the q out directly to the right (without going upward), so that it ends up below the u? This way it somewhat mimics the tail of the capital letter.

[Katu]

After making your decent, why not just swing the tail of the q out directly to the right (without going upward), so that it ends up below the u? This way it somewhat mimics the tail of the capital letter.

 

I will have to explore that option. That may well be a neater way of finishing the q that will fit with my handwriting style at the same time.

 

I'm loving the variety of suggestions guys! I'll try a few things tonight and see what you guys think.

[Katu]

Figured I would post some more progress. I'm still not completely satisfied, but I do feel that I am making some progress. I decided to go with the "pointy q", with the closed loop to the right. I think this is the one that ties the best with my handwriting, and I think I want to work on it. However, if it is still being mistaken for a G, then I would definitely like to know, so I can change it before I keep practicing on a "broken" letter. So, please read over it, and see what you guys think of the Qs that are showing up at the bottom. I realize they are quite inconsistent, but practice makes perfect! I have circled in black the Q that I am wanting to see. Does this look ok to you guys?

 

[blewis001]

It looks nothing like a g, from my perspective. I think you've got it.

[bsunde]

Nice! I like it, especially the red "qat" where the next letter is spaced evenly.

[verdiinpink]

This is my ideas for q's:

http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv263/verdiinpink/photo.jpg

 

I just wrote with my everyday Shaeffer. Usually I don't give my q's the pointy look because it slows me down in comparison to the more smoother curvy q's. But that's just my style. Sometimes I just print my q without any hoop, only pure straight line, to save space (last word at the end of the line, etc.).

 

Have fun with the experiment!

[Katu]

Alright guys! It is update time. I am quite happy with my progress, so here is a page of gibberish. Please ignore spelling/grammatical errors, as I was aiming to lay down bunches of Qs, not be grammatically correct, nor was I horribly worried about spelling. I am getting better at integrating the new q in my words, and having the next letter spaced more normally. Still need to work on consistency, but I am getting there. It seems like I am happier with the Qs that I write into a word that is part of a sentence, rather than just repeatedly drawing q after q. So, I started making up some rather nonsensical sentences that are chock full of the letter Q!

 

[Katu]

This is my ideas for q's:

<Snip>

 

I just wrote with my everyday Shaeffer. Usually I don't give my q's the pointy look because it slows me down in comparison to the more smoother curvy q's. But that's just my style. Sometimes I just print my q without any hoop, only pure straight line, to save space (last word at the end of the line, etc.).

 

Have fun with the experiment!

 

You have very nice handwriting. Kudos to you!

 

I understand what you mean with the slowing down. It is quite understandable, but I already make my G, J, and Y pointy, so that is the main reason for my desire for a pointy Q. Your suggestions are certainly most welcome, and I definitely appreciate the work that went into them. Always nice to see more options. I have never seen the Q with the horizontal line through the tail.. definitely a unique look there... *strokes chin* Yes.. very interesting indeed...