College Student Cursive Writing

[Noangels]

Hello all!

 

I am new to the world of fountain pens and handwriting. I only have one fountain pen (Cross Bailey with a M nib) that I cannot write with to take notes in class because the writing from it is too thick! I am looking to get another one with an extra fine nib so that I may actually use a fountain pen in every situation. Currently I am using a G2 .38 rollerball (used in the writing sample) which is an adequate line thickness for me.

 

Anyways. I have been looking to improve my handwriting because I am currently writing four or more pages of notes daily. I am the only one that I know of that writes in cursive for everything so asking people around me for tips is out of the question. Fun fact: About a third of my class, which is mainly people in their lower twenties, cannot read/write cursive.

 

Any tips or hints on how I can improve my handwriting would be much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

Below are some lyrics to one of my favorite songs.

[OCArt]

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego. Line size is a factor of three things; nib, ink and paper. You might wish to try a different paper. Many here like HP Premium Laserjet paper. It is unruled but you could easily print whatever size lines you wish.

 

You'll have lots of fun learning about all the ways to personalize your writing experience.

[akustyk]

I agree with OCArt that you might want to try different paper. For college use, the Kokuyo line of college notebooks (available at jetpens.com and other places) is excellent in terms of holding up to fountain pen ink.

 

Your handwriting is already good. You have a nice flow, good slant, and good letter forms. You just need a bit of consistency, and your handwriting will improve dramatically.

[ac12]

Pilot Metro with a F nib, TWSBI Eco with EF nib, ...

 

There are really 2 different cursives for you.

 

#1 - Note taking. You NEED to write fast to get the things that the prof lectures, or class discussion. Beauty is not relevant here, speed of writing is. As long as you can read it, that is good enough.

 

#2 - Casual/formal writing. You have more time, you can afford to write slower and with more grace and elegance. This you should practice regularly, or you will loose it in favor of #1 above.

 

For #2, I suggest you make a guidesheet or draw lines on your paper for the x-height (height of the lower case letters like e,m,o, etc.) and the ascender (top of the tall letters like I,l,k,h, etc.). Then as was said, try to write so that your letter height and size is consistent.

 

gud luk

Edited July 20, 2016 by ac12

[HanhPhuc]

For me, I would recommend the Pilot 78G. It's a nice fountain pen that writes smoothly at least for me. I also use Pilot Namiki Blue ink as it holds up very well against water. Also perhaps try writing smaller. The smaller your letters the faster you can write them

 

Included here is an example of my writing in my lab notebook. Perhaps you can take something from it?

Like ac12 said, you should be writing fast, but neat so you can read it later. In my class of 180 ish students no one writes cursive and many of them have a hard time reading mines.

 

Sorry for the bad quality photos, but you can probably get the gist of it. It took me about 45 seconds to write a paragraph

[OCArt]

You might want to try a couple of the disposable fountain pens. They have fine nibs and can be good writers. Also nice to have an inexpensive pen around.

Edited July 20, 2016 by OCArt

[Noangels]

Thank you all for the replies!

 

@OCArt: Better paper is in my future purchases. I am only about two weeks into the whole fountain pen world but handwriting has always been somewhat of a hobby of mine. I live around the Irvine area. Do you know of any places that have quality paper with lines near me, by chance?

 

@akustyk: Thank you for the suggestion! I have seen this website before and was going to research around to find out where's the best place to buy. If I cannot find any local places then I will give them a shot.

 

@ac12: The Pilot Metro has caught my eye numerous times but that clear body TWSBI Eco sure is an awesome looking pen! The F/EF nibs are something that I first look at in a pen so thank you for the recommendations. When you say use a height line, do you mean like in grade school where we had the line with a dotted line running through the middle? Should the e, m, o, etc. reach half way to the t, h, d, etc.? Or is it more of a preference? Thanks again for the tips!

 

@HanhPhuc: The Pilot 78G reminds me of the Pilot Metro which is a very classic looking pen. Does it come with a F/EF nib? That handwriting looks exceedingly well for note taking. What kind of paper are you using there? It's good to see another student's handwriting. Thank you for the tips and show of handwriting, much appreciated!

[OCArt]

 

 

@OCArt: Better paper is in my future purchases. I am only about two weeks into the whole fountain pen world but handwriting has always been somewhat of a hobby of mine. I live around the Irvine area. Do you know of any places that have quality paper with lines near me, by chance?

 

Check out the 99 cents only store. Look for paper made in Vietnam or Brazil. It's a gamble but some of them are very fountain pen friendly. I love a package of graph paper made by TOPS that came from the 99 cents store.

[HanhPhuc]

Thank you all for the replies!

 

@OCArt: Better paper is in my future purchases. I am only about two weeks into the whole fountain pen world but handwriting has always been somewhat of a hobby of mine. I live around the Irvine area. Do you know of any places that have quality paper with lines near me, by chance?

 

@akustyk: Thank you for the suggestion! I have seen this website before and was going to research around to find out where's the best place to buy. If I cannot find any local places then I will give them a shot.

 

@ac12: The Pilot Metro has caught my eye numerous times but that clear body TWSBI Eco sure is an awesome looking pen! The F/EF nibs are something that I first look at in a pen so thank you for the recommendations. When you say use a height line, do you mean like in grade school where we had the line with a dotted line running through the middle? Should the e, m, o, etc. reach half way to the t, h, d, etc.? Or is it more of a preference? Thanks again for the tips!

 

@HanhPhuc: The Pilot 78G reminds me of the Pilot Metro which is a very classic looking pen. Does it come with a F/EF nib? That handwriting looks exceedingly well for note taking. What kind of paper are you using there? It's good to see another student's handwriting. Thank you for the tips and show of handwriting, much appreciated!

Thank you, my handwriting isn't that good. I've been writing in cursive since the 2nd grade, so I've had practice. The paper is just a regular scienctific notebook that we used for Biology. For notes, I do mines on loose leaf college ruled notebook paper, but if you want try to find Japanese Campus notebooks or notebooks from Vietnam. I'm Vietnamese so I always grab around 2 dozen whenever I'm there. I believe it's in a style called "French ruled" but it allows you to be very precise with your writing.

The Pilot 78G comes in F for sure and I believe an EF as well. Remember though that in Asia, nib sizes tend to run finer than then Western pens. (F.ex. M Nib in the East will write like a F Nib in the west).

Again just write daily and don't follow any specific writing method. Do what's easiest for you.

 

I'm not home yet, but once I am I can PM you some of notes. The pictures above are not very clear

[ac12]

 

@ac12: The Pilot Metro has caught my eye numerous times but that clear body TWSBI Eco sure is an awesome looking pen! The F/EF nibs are something that I first look at in a pen so thank you for the recommendations. When you say use a height line, do you mean like in grade school where we had the line with a dotted line running through the middle? Should the e, m, o, etc. reach half way to the t, h, d, etc.? Or is it more of a preference? Thanks again for the tips!

 

 

 

 

x-height is exactly as you describe, half way between the base line and the ascender line.

Ascender height can vary by letter. h and d go up to the ascender line. t and upper case letters are between the x-height and ascender line. Yes the upper case do not go all the way up, at least that is the way I relearned to do it.

 

Some people divide the line space into thirds. 1/3 up is the x-height, 2/3 up is the line for the Upper case and t, 3/3 up is the ascender line.

But for me imagining the x-height in the middle, without drawing a x-height line, is difficult enough. I don't want to try to imagine 2 lines, with any accuracy.

[Zookie]

Hi there Noangels , and welcome!

 

Your handwriting is pretty good. If you want to improve it, go to www.iampeth.com . They have free lessons and guide sheets that you can print out.

I would also suggest ordering some Pilot Varsity pens from Staples. Depending on where you live, they'll deliver them right to your door. They don't cost a lot, and hold a lot of nice, black ink.

They are supposed to be disposable, but they're not all that hard to refill if you like.

 

I learned cursive in the late 50s, early 60s. It may have been the Zaner-Bloser method, I don't really remember, But I write everything in cursive, and people still compliment me on my hand writing. Some even ask where I learned calligraphy (I didn't)

[Noangels]

@OCArt: Never thought about that! I have always bought paper from Walmart because it was the cheapest (Mead). I will look around for papers made out of country.

 

@HanhPhuc: Asian pens are the next buy for me just based off of the nib alone. Pilot Metro keeps calling my name! I have looked at French Ruled paper and was overwhelmed with the amount of lines. Way too much going on there. Appreciate the suggestion though!

 

@ac12: Breaking down the lines into thirds seems like it could help me out a lot, I'll have to try that. I never thought about the different heights for the lines. Thank you for the insight.

 

@Zookie: Thank you for the welcome and the compliment. I have never heard of that but I will have to check it out. I have heard of Pilot Varsities, is there a way to put a converter in there or is it just eye dropper? I honestly have no idea what method I was taught with for cursive. All I know is that I was taught in third grade. The style my letters are made now are just as I learned it back then. The only thing we were taught outside of the actual formation of the letters was to put the paper at an angle.

[HanhPhuc]

Noangels,

 

I'd reccomend going with the Metro or the 78G although I prefer the latter. While I haven't used the Metro, I've read if you have slightly large hands, there's a ridge where the section connects to the barrel that may be annoying for long periods of writing. The 78G doesn't have this problem as far as I'm concern

 

I've used the Varsity as well before, but I didn't like it due to the large line it gave although it was only a M nib

[ac12]

 

@ac12: Breaking down the lines into thirds seems like it could help me out a lot, I'll have to try that. I never thought about the different heights for the lines. Thank you for the insight.

 

 

 

 

Before you do this, you should find a hand that you like and find the letter forms. This will show you if that letter form uses thirds or half line height.

The fact that I use shorter upper case letters does not mean you have to.

 

I suggest you draw lines. Because when you are starting practice, it is easier to just have a line to guide you than to have to imagine the line.

Then later you can "eye-ball" the height.

 

I use WIDE ruled paper, which is easier to divide the line.

The narrower college ruled paper is going to be tougher to divide.

[Noangels]

@HanhPhuc: Didn't know that about the Metro vs. 78G. Good to know. Thanks again!

 

@ac12: I normally write on college ruled but might have to go up to wide ruled just for this. The thing is, transitioning back to college ruled.