Getting Started with Calligraphy
June 6th, 2022
So many would-be penmen neglect getting started until they can “get started on the right foot.” I posit that there is not only no “right foot”, but no “wrong foot” either. There is only the first step and the learning experiences that we have along the way.
How to Improve Your Handwriting
November 27th, 2020
“It’s such a shame that they don’t even teach kids cursive in school anymore…”
is the first thing that most people say to me when they find out what I do for a living. Ironically, I don’t have a strong opinion about kids learning cursive. I learned most of what I know about penmanship in my early 20’s.
When I was in middle school, we were told that high school teachers wouldn’t even accept papers that weren’t written in cursive. This was a lie. All through my young adult life, handwriting became less and less important. Eventually, it served only as the way that I filled out forms at the doctor’s office or signed my credit card receipts.
One day, I decided that it was something I really wanted to improve about myself. Up to that point, I’d just resolved myself to have bad handwriting. In some ways, I didn’t believe that I was capable of anything else, but now I know I just didn’t have the right spark of interest. This article aims to provide that spark for anyone looking to improve their penmanship as an adult.
Oblique Pen Holder Set-up and Adjustment
November 9th, 2020
Over the last ten years, I’ve written with oblique holders from many different penmakers. I’ve taken the opportunity to ask to try the holders belonging to students in my workshops. I’ve even made several myself. One thing that I know for certain is:
A good holder is one that is well adjusted for its owner.