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V WHold the pen lightly; don’t squeeze it. Pretend the barrel is soft rubber and squeezing will get you a big, fat blot. (If you were using a quill, you’d hold it so lightly that the actual act of drawing the quill along the paper would create the proper contact.)
You must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles. This muscle group is capable of much more intricate action than you think and tires much less easily than fingers, besides giving a smooth, clean, sweeping look to the finished writing.
Fig. 3. Note that with this position, usually used for calligraphy (or among really disciplined writers), causes the pen to rest atop the knuckle of the forefinger. -
28 Feb 16
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09 Dec 15
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drawing the letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write
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writing comes more easily may rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their forearms and shoulders move as they write.
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It will take time to re-train muscles and learn new habits
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patience and gentleness with yourself
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Do not draw your letters! Do not write with your fingers
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You’ll have better control and a better writing angle if your pen rests over or just forward of the bottom knuckle on your index finger, not between thumb and index finger
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knuckle
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06 Dec 15
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20 Feb 15
Rosie DelacruzGreat tips on how to use your "shoulder girdle" to create lovely cursive.
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A finger-writer puts the full weight of his/her hand on the paper, his fingers form the letters, and he picks his hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper as he writes.
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ay rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their forearms and shoulders move as they write.
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the fingers serve more as guides.
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Sit down and write a paragraph. Doesn’t matter what. Pay attention to the muscles you use to form your letters. Do you draw each letter with your fingers? Pick your hand up repeatedly to move it? Have an unrecognizable scrawl? Does your forearm move? Chances are, if you learned to write after 1955-60 (depending on where you went to grade school), you write with your fingers.
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but it is slow and often painful (if you have to write much).
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Do not draw your letters! Do not write with your fingers!
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resting the barrel on the middle finger (fig. 1)
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For handwriting, the pen position is less important than for calligraphy. I recommend working in your familiar position unless it’s really bad.
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Hold the pen lightly; don’t squeeze it. Pretend the barrel is soft rubber and squeezing will get you a big, fat blot
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When you’re practicing and you reach the level on the paper at which it becomes uncomfortable to continue to move your hand down the paper to write, move the paper up.
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Commonly called the "hook" position, this is often seen in left-handers
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As you’ve probably surmised, the "right muscles" are not those in the fingers. You must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles.
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To get a feel for the proper muscles (and start training them correctly), hold your arm out in front of you, elbow bent, and write in the air. Write big. Use your arm and shoulder to shape letters; hold your forearm, wrist and fingers stationary and in writing position
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You’ll feel your shoulder, arm, chest and some back muscles doing most of the work. That’s good. That’s what they’re supposed to do. Try to duplicate it each time you practice.
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Write in the air until it becomes as natural as breathing
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As you become comfortable, reduce the size of the air-letters you make.
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Remember: Your fingers should move very little and your wrist even less. Your forearm does most of the guiding, while your shoulder provides the power.
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People always look puzzled when I mention the shoulder girdle. If you raise your hand in the air and make large circles, note the muscles you use in doing so (here, shown in darker pink). That’s the shoulder girdle.
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Concentrate on keeping wrist-hand-fingers largely stationary and in proper alignment.
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Ten or fifteen minutes a day should show results in a few weeks for most people.
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15 Nov 13
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26 Sep 13
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08 Sep 13
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People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. They "draw" the letters. A finger-writer puts the full weight of his/her hand on the paper, his fingers form the letters, and he picks his hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper as he writes.
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Fig. 1. This is the most common pen-holding position, with pen between first and middle fingers, held in place by the thumb.
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Fig. 3. Note that with this position, usually used for calligraphy (or among really disciplined writers), causes the pen to rest atop the knuckle of the forefinger.
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Many books recommend you write with your table at a 45-degree angle, but that’s impractical for most of us. If you can prop up a board or write with one on your lap, that’s a good place to start, but a flat surface is fine. Once you try an angled surface, you’re likely not to want to quit, so be careful-- here goes a whole new budget’s worth of art supplies!
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Sit up straight, but not stiffly; don’t sit hunched over or slumped. Don’t worry too much about this position stuff; the important thing is what makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. Your writing arm needs to be free to move, so squished into the La-Z-Boy probably won’t be productive.
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When you’re practicing and you reach the level on the paper at which it becomes uncomfortable to continue to move your hand down the paper to write, move the paper up. Once you recognize your "writing level," the paper should move up at that spot rather than your hand moving down the paper. (This isn’t critical. If you notice it and it bothers you, that’s what you do about it. If it doesn’t bother you, skip it.)
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As you’ve probably surmised, the "right muscles" are not those in the fingers. You must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles. This muscle group is capable of much more intricate action than you think and tires much less easily than fingers, besides giving a smooth, clean, sweeping look to the finished writing. Though it seems paradoxical, since we’re accustomed to thinking of small muscles having better control, the shoulder-girdle group, once trained, does the job better.
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To get a feel for the proper muscles (and start training them correctly), hold your arm out in front of you, elbow bent, and write in the air. Write big. Use your arm and shoulder to shape letters; hold your forearm, wrist and fingers stationary and in writing position. You’ll feel your shoulder, arm, chest and some back muscles doing most of the work. That’s good. That’s what they’re supposed to do. Try to duplicate it each time you practice.
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As you become comfortable, reduce the size of the air-letters you make.
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Start making Xs and ///s and \\\s and OOOOs and overlapped OOOs and spirals and |||||s. Do not draw these strokes and figures! Use the same shoulder-forearm muscles you’ve been practicing with. Make your lines, loops, circles and spirals freely. Work into a rhythm and make it a habit.
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panigrc"You’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you!"
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Peter Murray" to make you into a model Palmer-method writer or a 14th Century scribe. If you can compromise between the "right" methods and the way you write no"
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14 Nov 11
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11 Oct 11
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20 Sep 11
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12 Sep 11
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the "right muscles" are not those in the fingers. You must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles
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To get a feel for the proper muscles
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08 Sep 11
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05 Sep 11
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25 May 11
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cadence
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Jonathan Lanctothigh-quality, low-priced stationery, custom stationery, information about paper, pens, writing, stationery, paper history, paper manufacture, paper storage and use
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Raistlin MajereYou’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwr
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07 Jul 09
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09 May 09
Will NapierStationery: original designs, great paper Paper: craft, history, manufacture, miscellany Handwriting: coaching, techniques, tips For sale: pens, ephemera, whatever All & sundry: animals, kids, photos, writing, weird stuff Resources: books, links, others
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07 May 09
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People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers.
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People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers.
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People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers.
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People for whom writing comes more easily may rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their forearms and shoulders move as they write
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Do not draw your letters! Do not write with your fingers!
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hold the pen between the thumb and index finger, resting the barrel on the middle finger
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17 Apr 09
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10 Apr 09
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02 Mar 09
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18 Feb 09
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13 Jan 09
Amy HinesYou’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwr
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15 Dec 08
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29 Oct 08
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22 Oct 08
Bill RawlinsonA few handy tips to help improve overall sloppy handwriting. Starts with how to hold the pen (I do it wrong) to how to move your hand (I do that wrong too).
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30 Sep 08
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