What's your opinion of your own penmanship?

[Slivovitz]

I've noticed here and on FPN that many people seem to be sensitive about their handwriting, automatically apologizing for it if attaching a photograph with a sample, or just telling us how bad it is.


Thus, another poll. What is your own opinion of your everyday handwriting? Are you proud of how good it is? So embarrassed by it that you use it only for notes to yourself? Somewhere in between? Feel free to show a sample, or not. I'm not interested in judging anybody else, just curious about how people feel about this.


My opinion of my own writing? I think it's adequate to pretty good. It's a far cry from the neat rounded hand that I was taught in elementary school in the 1960s, but it has evolved to something that I think is pretty typical for men of my generation. Folks within shouting distance my own age, if they haven't gotten out of the habit of using cursive entirely, seem to find it readable. Really young people look at it as if it were were Old Church Slavonic; but I try to tell myself that it's because they haven't learned cursive. My purpose in writing is to communicate. If I think that someone is likely to have trouble with my script for whatever reason, then I'll print, or send them an Email.


If enough people here ask me what the writing below says, I'll know that I'm too easy on myself. At this point, though, it's not likely that I'll put any serious effort into improvement.


http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt221/mapn/Pens/IMG_3046.jpg

[oc_in_fw]

I would say fair. It has improved vastly since when I started (it was atrocious). I always printed and all caps, and even that could be sloppy. When I have a FP in hand, I make a conscious effort to slow down and write in cursive.

[Jimmy James]

My print is good enough (and has been complimented a lot, which is more a commentary on how bad everybody else's writing is not how good mine is).

My cursive is fair though a lot of that is rust because I never trot it out. I even printed when taking the bar exam (and finished each three hour segment an hour early, but that's mostly my hatred of outlining).

[Dave258]

I would consider my penmanship fair. My cursive is much better than my print. If I am not rushing, I can write pretty neat. I would attach a pic but I don't have one right now.

EDIT: I just found pics of when I was testing out my Stub nib that I got from Brian Gray. These were note that I took for a class using my Edison Hudson and 1.0mm stub on a Mead 3 subject notebook.

[nemo]

I think mine is excellent, although not wonderful. I paid attention in elementary school and did all the drills, we had compulsory cursive work about 20 minutes each day (Palmer). I laughed at another thread here, since I was told that my writing during high school "looked like a girl's". I did a lot of printing and architectural lettering as a draftsman many years ago but never stopped using a cursive hand and although it got cramped a bit at times my writing is still good.

Someday I may even post a sample. :blushing:

[Patman27]

Poor script. My print is okay. I had decent cursive until I learned Russian in college. I got used to writing cyrillic in cursive and roman in print. It took me much longer to be able to sign my name again than it did to forget all the Russian I learned. Funny how muscle memory works. Even now, some of my letters have strange kinks in them.
На здоровье!

[Mr5x5]

I think mine is excellent, although not wonderful. I paid attention in elementary school and did all the drills, we had compulsory cursive work about 20 minutes each day (Palmer). I laughed at another thread here, since I was told that my writing during high school "looked like a girl's". I did a lot of printing and architectural lettering as a draftsman many years ago but never stopped using a cursive hand and although it got cramped a bit at times my writing is still good.

Someday I may even post a sample. :blushing:

I've seen it and I would agree with you. Well done, Sir.

[cb91710]

Mine is so bad that I don't even attempt cursive, out of respect for people who must actually be able to understand what I have written (and in the traffic signal industry, it can literally be a public safety issue if something is not clear).
I print.

Worse than that.

I print in all upper case. My capitals are simply larger.

But no matter how sloppy it is, it can be read and there is never a mistake about what was written.

[craig87c]

Mine is atrocious. Calling my handwriting chicken scratch is an insult to chickens everywhere.

[jwhite]

I think mine is excellent, although not wonderful. I paid attention in elementary school and did all the drills, we had compulsory cursive work about 20 minutes each day (Palmer). I laughed at another thread here, since I was told that my writing during high school "looked like a girl's". I did a lot of printing and architectural lettering as a draftsman many years ago but never stopped using a cursive hand and although it got cramped a bit at times my writing is still good.

Someday I may even post a sample. :blushing:

I did those too, my father was a teacher and would bring home spelling and writing drills in addition to the assigned work. I would spend hours and hours sitting at a table or desk doing drills.


.....my writing was, and is still, god awful.

[Etoyoc_Rebmos]

drills and reprimands made me hate writing as a kid. I just didn't have the coordination to do it well at that age. Maybe if they started pushing a year or so later I would have OK. But as it was, I hated writing in cursive and didn't care to try. Now I try, but years of bad practice have made it hard to take time to make letters even close to proper.

[Legion]

I think mine is poor, although it is better than it used to be. A couple of years ago I downloaded a Palmer book, and retrained myself to hold the pen correctly. That helped.

I think my hand writing is a bit more interesting now, where as before it was just messy.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x146/dh10au/P1010793.jpg

Writing at quick, note-taking, grocery list making speed.

[strop]

I would say mine is good to excellent, though not completely classic. I'm often complimented for my writing.

[maxman]

Poor. I can't read a lot of what I write. Neither can anyone else.
Want something encrypted?
ask me to write it down. Then have fun trying to decipher it.

Key not provided. Maybe NASA can help.

[oc_in_fw]

I would say mine is good to excellent, though not completely classic. I'm often complimented for my writing.
I would say you are underselling yourself.

[DougieB]

I worked a few years in health care as a "Data Analyst". Decision Support would be a more descriptive title. Microsoft Access and Excel power user at the time.
It destroyed my already poor handwriting skills.

[the_edski]

It was poor before I found "The Nib", now I say it is fair with daily improvement. My new found love of italic nibs is definitely helping!

[cb91710]

Poor. I can't read a lot of what I write. Neither can anyone else.
Want something encrypted?
ask me to write it down. Then have fun trying to decipher it.

Key not provided. Maybe NASA can help.
LOL!

In college, classmates would ask me for copies of my notes for lectures they missed.
I always told them:

"You do not want my notes, for several reasons
A - I and only I can read my writing
B - I take only sufficient notes to jog my memory... if you did not listen to/remain awake during the lecture, my notes will be of no use to you."

[Jack Straw]

This is really the best I can do, except on rare occasions when the stars are in perfect alignment. I tend to write very fast.

I would say that I like my handwriting, but I wouldn't call it neat or graceful.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5239/7174474578_6df0a2363a_z.jpg

[Go West Young Man]

I print in all upper case. My capitals are simply larger.
.


+1

[chuckr9]

I rate mine as medium - easy to read, but not many points for style.

[bkfist]

Tried cursive a few months ago when I got re-united with FP... Couldn't even remember how to connect some of the letters.

Even during high school I typed everything I could type. Even my chemistry workbook papers, I'd remove the pages and type everything, including formulas... The idea of computers were totally new at the time (You could buy a heath-kit and make your own - that was about it for "home computers"), but I'd been reading the science/electronics magazines and KNEW I wanted one, so I wanted to learn how to type, and how to type well.

In Freshman high school, everyone had to have 1/4 year of typing, I went on to take 3 more years. The only male in our typing teacher's LONG career (He retired after my sr. year) to take 3 years of typing classes (and one semester of short hand - which I do not at ALL remember).

My senior year apple came out with their computer and Tandy/Radioshack came out with the Model 1, (got one at home that summer) and our school had their first "computer" class. (My daughter's senior year the school started "1 laptop per child" at our school).

Interest in computers, typing everything I could get my hands on on my typewriter, primarily taking science & mathematics classes, combined with the absolute case-sensitive nature of writing programs, and my cursive didn't get used for my last 3 years of high school, unless forced to do so.

(plus my cursive was atrocious to start with)

I never, ever, liked trying to read other's cursive writing to start with, could see absolutely no sense to it, I think I pretty much purposely forgot it existed.

My typing skills, the ones I worked so hard to develop because I wanted to be able to type on a computer, unfortunately, have suffered BECAUSE of the advent of computers. My once 100-120 WPM typing skills, which I could do with almost no mistakes, has gone down hill due to the lack of any need to concentrate on what I'm typing. When you used to have to correct your mistakes, you took a high penalty for losing concentration, now that there are cursors & backspace keys, not so much. While I still consider myself far above average in my typing speed, it's nothing like it was back in high school and college.

Having my keyboard sitting on my lap at the moment wedged between my left thigh and the arm of the couch, rotated about 15 degrees away from me, and at the same time having the left side of the keyboard about 4 inches lower than the right side of the keyboard probably isn't doing anything to enhance my typing at the moment either, although even at that odd angle I can still keep up a respectable rate/accuracy compared to what I see most others doing in a day to day basis at work. LOL

[BowTieGuy]

I have to say, since picking up the fountain pen habit I have made more of a point to slow down and write better - it has truly changed my penmanship for the better and now I look for excuses to write. Especially with my Sheaffer italic.

[Mike H]

I rated mine fair...
242940

[Doc4]

http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/media/1/20061012-My-Bad-Handwriting.gif

[Mike H]

Doc, cant help you with the button, but I will send you three cents.

edit:... if the post office can read my handwriting

[mboschm]

That's what I think. Others either compliment it as "classy", "old letter-like", "handsome" or compare to that of a doctor's.


http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0001-1.jpg

[Doc4]

Doc, cant help you with the button, but I will send you three cents.

edit:... if the post office can read my handwriting

Thanks!

My address:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AydffzwXAyo/TWSWrOQXTUI/AAAAAAAAAqA/LjnnvHbdaOw/s1600/handwriting.jpg

[CrotalusHH]

I'm getting better writing with a FP. Before this my cursive was so lazy I couldn't read it myself. I printed notes to myself and especially to anyone else.

I am in electrical customer service and product support, so I am writing notes all day.

[LegendofVogel]

Mine is so bad I use print and people cannot tell what I have written.

[Dennard]

I would say mine is good enough.

[crowdog]

I would say mine, printing wise is good enough. I still struggle with cursive. In my sample, I should have said that my sample of all caps too longer to write then my sample of what I consider italic.

243355

243356

Marty

[N2theBreech]

I chose good enough. It's not excellent, but I do get the occasional complement. It's better sometimes than others, depending on how rushed I feel, etc.

I give "credit" to my 8th grade teacher who was a stickler for handwriting. He got frustrated enough about the poor state of our writing that he altered his lesson plans and put us through an hour a day of intensive hand-writing boot camp for a week or two, and he played the role of drill sergeant to the max. It was so "enjoyable" that I still remember some of his umm... finer moments 40+ years later! Unfortunately, college note-taking did a number on it so now I have to pay closer attention than I used to.

Having said that, my handwriting, also, is becoming more consistent since I started writing with a fountain pen, and... that "fountain pen" is only a Pilot Varsity that I picked up a couple of weeks ago! Can only imagine what kind of improvement I'll see if I ever make the leap to a better quality pen. I think the broadness of the Pilot's nib contributes to the improvement. I have to make the letters more distinct to be legible.

Looking forward to developing a fine Spencerian script some day, maybe by the time I'm 60. :-)

[Andy]

I selected poor, it looks better than when I first started but I think that it still looks quite bad.

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae5/andrewbensch/DSCF5508.jpg

[SFsc616171]

My handwriting suffers from needing to settle into a rhythm, similar to older civilian piston-powered aircraft, which had a few minutes ground time to 'settle in', before flight. It looks to be I'm starting as a left-hander (Thanks, mom!), and then settle in right-handed, to something similar to a not-too-well-practiced Spencerian script. John Adams once said, that putting a hand to a pen, makes one to pause. Hahaha. My brain, once engaged with pen in hand, hears 'the word given', "WARP SPEED, NOW!"

[Slivovitz]

I selected poor, it looks better than when I first started but I think that it still looks quite bad...

Although I mentioned at the beginning that I'm not interested in judging anyone else, I'll venture to say you're too hard on yourself; I don't think the sample you gave is bad at all. I can certainly read it quite easily.

I think some people see samples of "fancy" scripts, something like Spencerian script or copperplate, and judge their everyday handwriting by that standard. I admire "fine" penmanship, but just in my opinion, it's a different skill from developing a workable everyday style of writing.

[DunEdinRanger]

While others may think it good, and some may think it wonderful, I still defer to the opinion of the MPF - Chicken Scratch!

[chuck81]

+1

+1

[chuck81]

I can read it easily. I think it's pretty good!

[Go West Young Man]

I selected poor, it looks better than when I first started but I think that it still looks quite bad.

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae5/andrewbensch/DSCF5508.jpg



You consider that to be poor handwriting? Wow!

[Andy]

You consider that to be poor handwriting? Wow!

Still do, it has improved considerably since starting but it is not where I would like it to be.
The italic nib hides most of the problems.

[gearchow]

poor. 30+ years working on computers and not much writing when not working. It's a struggle for me as I want to write as fast as I type and I can't. When I practice, I really have to focus and keep in the moment. I'm certain that if I just spent 10 minutes a day, in a few months the results would be measurable.

-jim

[oc_in_fw]

poor. 30+ years working on computers and not much writing when not working. It's a struggle for me as I want to write as fast as I type and I can't. When I practice, I really have to focus and keep in the moment. I'm certain that if I just spent 10 minutes a day, in a few months the results would be measurable.

-jim
Start a journal. You can work and your writing and vent all at the same time.

[The Knize]

You consider that to be poor handwriting? Wow!

Roger that. I was going to vote that my handwriting was poor, but after looking at that sample mine is down to wretched!

[darkxshiki]

i think my print penmanship is below avg cause if i focus i can make it read about. cursive is pretty much dead to me other then my own signature . though i would like to see what future children's teachers will say when they get a sign paper less then 2 inches long. =/ i get issues sometimes when i sign up for place since they want last name minimum 3 letters long and my last shorter then that.

[mdevine]

I print as even I have trouble reading my cursive. My printing is neat and easy to read, so I stick with it. My profession requires me to write quite a bit, so I've learned to print quickly. Many of my fountain pens last only one day on a refill.

[cwnidog]

Depends, am I writing a quick note to myself, or something I expect someone else to read? In the first case horrible, but it's not important, in the second case quite good. So I'd say it's good enough.

[miatapaul]

mine used to be completely illegible. it has changed much for the better since getting into fountain pens. I have recently got some complements, so I think it is improving.

[Unkas]

My handwriting is wretched for sure! Would a better pen improve my penmanship? I've never really used any higher quality pens at all, let alone a fountain pen.
What pens are good and modestly priced and is there any way I can get better handwriting without going back to school? I even have bad print and my cursive is non-existent :blush:

[strop]

My handwriting is wretched for sure! Would a better pen improve my penmanship? I've never really used any higher quality pens at all, let alone a fountain pen.
What pens are good and modestly priced and is there any way I can get better handwriting without going back to school? I even have bad print and my cursive is non-existent :blush:

A Fountain Pen won't magically make you an expert in Spencerian penmanship, but it's a step in the write direction. Only practice will do that. Writing with a FP will definitely help however. Since the ink seems to almost jump from the nib to the paper, you only need a very light touch.

No more pushing down, like you do with a ball point. That process generally leads to a death grip on the pen and this contributes to fatigue of the hand and fingers. When printing rapidly as many of us do, myself included at times, the tendency is to form the letters just by moving the fingers. The wrist and arm stay motionless.

With cursive writing the motion occurs mostly at the shoulder and elbow, while the wrist and fingers stay very relaxed and stable. Basically on is writing with the big muscles of the arm and shoulder, instead of the little muscles of the hand. Even doing cursive with a ball point, leads to some fatigue since you have to push harder to get the ink onto the paper.

Of course, a similar effect can be had with a roller ball or gel pen, but that's not nearly as classy as sitting at your desk writing with a FP when the boss come into your office!

[Unkas]

A Fountain Pen won't magically make you an expert in Spencerian penmanship, but it's a step in the write direction. Only practice will do that. Writing with a FP will definitely help however. Since the ink seems to almost jump from the nib to the paper, you only need a very light touch.

No more pushing down, like you do with a ball point. That process generally leads to a death grip on the pen and this contributes to fatigue of the hand and fingers. When printing rapidly as many of us do, myself included at times, the tendency is to form the letters just by moving the fingers. The wrist and arm stay motionless.

With cursive writing the motion occurs mostly at the shoulder and elbow, while the wrist and fingers stay very relaxed and stable. Basically on is writing with the big muscles of the arm and shoulder, instead of the little muscles of the hand. Even doing cursive with a ball point, leads to some fatigue since you have to push harder to get the ink onto the paper.

Of course, a similar effect can be had with a roller ball or gel pen, but that's not nearly as classy as sitting at your desk writing with a FP when the boss come into your office!

Everything you say actually makes sense! Especially the part of forming the letters with fingers and pressing down hard.

I now have a couple of questions.. How do fountain pens actually work? How well suited are they for being somewhat mobile as in bringing to classes and such? What's a good cheap one, preferrably with a little bit of heft to it as I hate pens that are really really light and whats a good ink?

[strop]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. Since FP ink is water based, instead of oil based ball point ink, FPs essentially work by capillary action. just touching the nib to paper, without pushing down or moving it, will yield an ever increasing size dot as long as you hold it there. That is why no pressure is needed.

There are a number of students here that use them all the time. I find they are good for note taking since they help prevent hand fatigue. They are not indestructible, though. If you drop it nib down, it will likely bend the nib. Carrying it in your back pocket could be a disaster.

A lot of the inexpensive starter pens are somewhat light. There are some Chines pens that are reportedly heavier though I don't have first hand experience. The Preppies have a surprisingly good nib for the price, and can give you a good idea what FPs are like. I've not had good experience with the Noodler's pens, but others have had no issues at all. Lamy's are good starters as well.

[Doc4]

How well suited are they for being somewhat mobile as in bringing to classes and such? What's a good cheap one, preferrably with a little bit of heft to it as I hate pens that are really really light and whats a good ink?

Carrying a fountain pen around is no problem, as long as you can avoid significant jolts/bumps/shakes/drops. (I could throw a capped ballpoint across the room and who cares; it's fine. If I throw a capped FP across the room, I know that when I open the cap there's going to be ink everywhere.) Not that you have to baby it like a faberge egg, but just treat it decently and not throw it around or sit on it.

For cheap pens, you are usually trading quality and heft ... the heavy cheap ones are not as good as the light cheap ones. So it's a trade-off.

Probably either a Lamy Al-star or Platinum Plaisir ... both aluminum rather than plastic ... are a good bet. These guys (http://www.gouletpens.com/) list the weight of each pen in the details, so you can compare and find something you like, heft-wise.

A good place to start with ink is Noodler's black ... excellent ink, and it's waterproof/bulletproof, so if your notes get rained on or coffee spilled &c, you don't lose any info.

[Slivovitz]

...whats a good ink?


...A good place to start with ink is Noodler's black ... excellent ink, and it's waterproof/bulletproof, so if your notes get rained on or coffee spilled &c, you don't lose any info.

Just adding a little to that last thought, I was amazed the first time I did my own water resistance test on some fountain pen ink, and saw all of it wash right off the page. Noodlers makes a lot of truly water resistant inks that are labeled as water resistant. I've found other inks that do a good job without that claim, but I always do my own tests to be sure before I use them for anything that has to last.

[rickcharles606]

I said that my handwriting is excellent, but only because I've been told that for years. I personally think my handwriting is marginal at best, but when I slow down and really pay attention it can be much nicer. Before I picked up a fountain pen, I printed everything in capital letters in a sort of drafting style. Now I try to write everything in cursive as I don't want to "forget" how to do it. I know that the style of writing isn't textbook, but it's mine, lol.

this thread prompted a quick journal entry tonight. I've missed a few weeks and it felt good to throw down a couple pages. Even if I caught myself making a spelling error, lol.http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/rickcharles606/photobucket-7193-1339225848588.jpg

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I write letters to friends and coworkers as a journal entry. It helps me get things off my chest and helps with my handwriting. Plus people enjoy reading the letters and I don't have journals or lots of paper cluttering up my house. I have friends writing me back now as well.

Their handwriting has improved since starting!

[cryhavoc]

My handwriting is horrendous. I have forgotten how to write in cursive because I print all the time. However as much as others complain, I have no trouble reading my handwriting.