That's A Really Cool Way To Write That Letter...

[Douglas Johnson]

I posted this topic last week, but the title was a little misleading, so let me try again...

 

I became interested in fountain pens and handwriting when I saw an old postcard someone wrote and I thought to myself "If I could write like that I would send more letters." The handwriting didn't have any flourishes, it wasn't beautiful, but it was loaded with character. The moment you see it you think "who wrote this?!"

 

Since starting this venture I have learned that the handwriting I want to produce requires the right combination of pen, ink, paper, and practice. The good news is that it doesn't really take all that much practice, and that's coming from me--a left-handed, upside down hook writer. Even with my disadvantages, I found that I could emulate the handwriting I liked without too much work, just so long as I had a good example to work from.

I found that I couldn't improve my handwriting without a goal in mind. I can't just sit down and command myself to write more clearly; I have to aim to emulate something. It's just like drawing. You can't just sit down and say, okay, I'm going to really try hard this time! You need a model.

So here is my idea for this thread: Show us renderings of different letters that you like. It doesn't have to be your handwriting, it just has to be a specific rendering of a letter, or combination of letters that catches your eye.

I'll show you my first example in the next post.

[Douglas Johnson]

So here is a rendering of the letter L I saw at the literature and latte website that caught my eye:

I happened upon the website below and they rendered the letter L in a way I hadn't seen before:

http://literatureandlatte.com/

But it's not just the L I like but a few things in their logo. I also like the length of the T crossings, and I like how the foot of the small r drops a little lower than the other letters.

Now, show us some renderings you like.

[Douglas Johnson]

Here's an example of something interesting. Notice how the writer writes the letter t when it appears at the end of a sentence:

http://i1128.photobu...19151523a-1.jpg

Because of the context in which it appears it is clear what letter it is, where it otherwise wouldn't be clear at all if you couldn't tell the letter from the surrounding letters. Nevertheless, it's brings character to the letter. I don't know if I'll adapt that one myself, but I like knowing about it.

[Douglas Johnson]

Edited February 19, 2015 by Douglas Johnson

[GClef]

 

Here's an example of something interesting. Notice how the writer writes the letter t when it appears at the end of a sentence:

http://i1128.photobu...19151523a-1.jpg

Because of the context in which it appears it is clear what letter it is, where it otherwise wouldn't be clear at all if you couldn't tell the letter from the surrounding letters. Nevertheless, it's brings character to the letter. I don't know if I'll adapt that one myself, but I like knowing about it.

 

 

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Mobile%20Uploads/Picture0219150047_1.jpg

[Rocket1]

I like the way Edward Cullen writes his J in twilight. I have adopted that in my everyday handwriting

[bokchoy]

A collection of some letters that I think are interesting:

 

http://i.imgur.com/cKTp1oB.jpg

 

Aren't ligatures awesome?

[DaveBj]

A collection of some letters that I think are interesting:

 

http://i.imgur.com/cKTp1oB.jpg

 

Aren't ligatures awesome?

 

Some interesting ligatures. But your x looks a lot like the "ae" combination in Latin.

 

Edit: Actually, I think I'm going to start using that in my Latin work

Edited February 20, 2015 by DaveBj

[bokchoy]

 

Some interesting ligatures. But your x looks a lot like the "ae" combination in Latin.

 

Edit: Actually, I think I'm going to start using that in my Latin work

 

I went hunting for alternative cursive letters a while back. Whenever I saw an example of a school script or a handwritten letter that stood out, especially from other non English-speaking countries, I copied and pasted the interesting letters into a list along with notes from my perspective as someone who learnt cursive in North America (possible misunderstandings, etc.). It's mostly capitals but there are some lowercase letters and numbers as well.

 

http://imgur.com/a/sMO8Y

Edited February 20, 2015 by bokchoy

[Sasha Royale]

Doin" great !

Now, switch to an italic nib (a cheap No-nonsense pen) and play your favorite music.

Flourishes come to your hand naturally. I like the theme music from "The Big Country".

[Douglas Johnson]

 

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Mobile%20Uploads/Picture0219150047_1.jpg

Beautiful. So these are all how you write letters when they appear at the end of the word? And how are you writing that 'r'? Do I see a loop? I love your 'p'. Is that a flexible nib you are using?

[GClef]

Beautiful. So these are all how you write letters when they appear at the end of the word? And how are you writing that 'r'? Do I see a loop? I love your 'p'. Is that a flexible nib you are using?

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Gibberish/0222152301a-1.jpg