Everyone's handwriting is unique, like fingerprints. All you have to do is change the way you write slightly and you will have a beautiful and interesting handwriting. Beautiful writing is elegant, refined, evocative and captivating.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Learning the Basics
Step 1. Analyze examples of your handwriting
Find a sample of your writing, anything from a grocery list to a handwritten short story is fine. You have to study it to understand how you write. This will help you focus on improving and embellishing words. In particular, you have to understand if you write with your hand loose and relaxed or contracted and stretched.
- Identify which letters you already embellish. Which ones have curls and flourishes?
- Look at the spacing. Are there different spaces everywhere or are the letters evenly distributed on the page?
- See what kind of stretch you use. The ideal would be to alternate thicker and thinner strokes while writing the various letters.
Step 2. Analyze which muscles you use
Looser and more relaxed writing will be determined by the musculature you use to write. It is best not to use only your hand and fingertips. To have beautiful handwriting you will also need to use your arm and shoulder muscles.
- To understand which muscles you engage, write a paragraph as you normally would. Pay attention to the muscles you use. This will determine if you are writing using only your hand rather than your whole arm in a loose and relaxed way.
- Your fingers are there to guide you through the page, but they can't do all the work on their own or your writing will be tight and jittery.
- The arm and shoulder should move, but not the wrist and fingers.
Step 3. Choose your tools
You have to find the right tools and writing paper. Each person is different from the others, but there are general guidelines on what to use to have beautiful handwriting. For example, a pen is generally better than a pencil because it allows for smoother lines.
- Good quality (usually more expensive) paper rather than printer paper will give your handwriting a better look because you won't have to struggle with ink smears and spills.
- Planners are great for practice, because the type of paper helps you to make writing smoother.
- Many people use fountain pens instead of the cheaper ballpoint pens, because in this type of pens the ink flows better, but you can also use fine-tipped or square-tipped markers to vary the length and depth of your letters. You will also find these types of markers in bright colors.
Step 4. Go slow
Quick handwriting is fickle, small and heavily trodden. Write slowly, with slow and light strokes. You will have smoother strokes and more consistent, curved lines. Make sure you don't put too much strain on your hand while writing and never use too much pressure.
Write as if your hand was moving in the water
Step 5. Practice
As with all important things, you need to practice before you get satisfying results. Write as often as you can, paying attention to how you write and which muscles you use.
- Practice writing on lined paper to learn spacing. The space between letters and between words (it should be fairly even) is very important to have a beautiful handwriting.
- Always scribble. Scribble at the edge of a notebook while waiting for the bus or while on the phone.
Part 2 of 4: Using Italics
Step 1. Start with the alphabet
Recover one of the old books you used in elementary school to learn cursive and start practicing on the letters of the alphabet. Remember that handwriting is a hallmark, so your italics will be unique (as well as attractive).
- To learn letter spacing well, practice on lined paper.
- There are many free exercises and exercises to practice, both on the internet and in libraries.
Step 2. Keep your hand in the correct position
The best way to write in italics is to hold the writing instrument between the index and middle fingers, with the fingertips and thumb positioned near the tip of the pen or pencil.
This position avoids straining the forearm, wrist and thumb too much
Step 3. Learn how letters are linked
Italics basically all rely on the connection between the letters. It is meant as a fast writing method. In fact, it derives from the Latin “currere” which means “to run” and for this reason “italics” means “running hand”. Keep this in mind when drawing the links between the letters.
- The connections are simply the "air" between the letters when you would normally lift the writing instrument.
- Make sure you close the top of the words. If it is not closed, it may be difficult to tell whether a lowercase letter is an "a" or a "u".
Part 3 of 4: Using Calligraphy
Step 1. Make sure you are in the correct position
This means that your feet are flat on the ground, you are comfortable and your back is straight. This also means keeping the pen in the correct position as well.
- The pen should be between the first two knuckles, held by the thumb and forefinger. It must rest against the middle finger.
- To maintain a correct position, you must hold the pen so that it forms a 45 degree angle with the writing surface. You can check this as follows: draw a right angle (90 degrees) with a pencil; starting from the intersection of the two lines that form the angle, draw a line to divide the angle in half. It should be a subtle stroke.
Step 2. Choose the right tools
You should give the appearance of a weighted line, with thick or thin strokes as needed. To do this, you have to choose the pen, paper and ink that are right for you.
- Widespread pointed tools that are good for calligraphy are markers, fountain pens, tools in which leads and nibs are inserted, brushes, quills or rushes.
- The ideal is to use a paper that does not let the ink go to the other side. You can practice on regular notepad paper. Check the cotton content of the paper, as this helps to have a clean stretch. Of course you can look for specific calligraphy paper and if you have a calligraphy set there will probably be the right paper too.
- As for the ink, it is better to stay away from Indian ink, because the lacquer it contains has a tendency to rust the nibs and clog the pens. Better to use a water based ink.
Step 3. Prepare the page
This means understanding where the lines go to have a smooth-looking handwriting. You have to decide what the body of the writing will be, i.e. the size.
- The baseline is where the letters "sit".
- The crest line is above the base line and has a height that varies according to the body of the writing.
- The ascending line is above the crest line and is touched by all the ascending letters. The height of this also depends on the body of the writing. Ascending letters are for example the "h" or the "l".
- The descending line is below the baseline and is touched by all descending letters. The height of this also depends on the body of the writing. Descendant letters are for example the "g" or the "f".
Step 4. Practice
Obviously you have to practice writing the letters according to the calligraphic style you have chosen to gain confidence, but you must also train to maintain the right writing angle and to make the correct hand movements.
Experiment with pen and ink. Draw circles, triangles and lines to familiarize yourself with the writing angle and with the pressure of the pen
Part 4 of 4: Getting Creative
Step 1. Study various types of characters
You can have beautiful handwriting based on the styles above, such as italics, but you can add a special touch by taking inspiration from other sources.
- Study the work of artists, graphic designers and calligraphers to see how they use words to create a personal style.
- Pay attention to billboards, menus and posters to inspire you to the style used.
- Study different patterns (such as those made from geometric figures) to understand how to make your writing more interesting. You can also observe the shapes and lines of the trees.
Step 2. Study handwritten books or ancient writings
For example, look at illuminated medieval manuscripts and early initials which were often decorated with figures, animals, and historical scenes.
There are many ancient writings whose interesting and creative style can be incorporated into your writing. Study ancient Egyptian hieratic writings or Norse hieroglyphs or runes
Step 3. Use your handwriting to write projects and cards
You can use it to write greeting or birthday cards for relatives and friends, but also for other projects.
- You could decorate an object by writing a phrase of your choice by hand with a permanent marker.
- You could create a poster with the words of a poem or quote you like.
