How to Improve Your Handwriting
Whether it’s for a love letter or a short business note, good penmanship is very important for you to communicate your thoughts clearly. Handwriting may not mean much today thanks to computers and handwriting fonts, but your own handwriting can speak volumes about your work ethic and personality. It always pays to improve your penmanship for people to understand the message you want to convey. It’s never too late for you to improve your handwriting, no matter how unintelligible it may be now. Here are some ways for you to improve your handwriting.
Get Back to Basics
Good penmanship is taught at school the moment children learn how to write. The problem is that penmanship deteriorates over time because people feel the need to write faster, learning to improve her handwritingand think that shorthand and all sorts of quick strokes will make their penmanship more “professional” or seem a lot more “grown-up.” Many people start out with good penmanship, but end up with horrible handwriting that’s difficult to read as they grow older.
If people cannot understand your own handwriting, it’s time for you to learn good penmanship again:
Block letters are taught to children at the very beginning. Block letters use simple, even strokes that keep each letter distinct and clear. When writing in block letters, you can choose to keep the letters vertical, or give them a bit of a right-leaning slant to make them easier to read.
Cursive is often used to save time in writing. Instead of distinct lettering, cursive uses a single, flowing stroke to write an entire word. When writing in cursive, keep the pen on the paper at all times when writing the word. You should also give your cursive strokes a right-leaning slant to make writing and reading easier.
Handwriting Proportions
Good handwriting is all about evenness and proportion. Almost all letters in the English alphabet are composed of four important elements that define proportion:
The ascender is the highest point of the letter, and is the topmost point of a capital letter. Small letters with ascenders (like “b,” “d,” “f,” “h” “k,” “l,” and “t”) should never go beyond the limit of the ascender to keep the flow of letters even. Dotted letters like “i” and “j” should have the dots in line with the ascender.
The median is the middle point of capital letters, and is the imaginary line that should define the topmost point of small letters without ascenders. You should always write with this imaginary line in place to keep your strokes and letters even.
The baseline is the bottom of all capital and small letters without descenders. All letters and words written in block letters or cursive should “sit” on the baseline, and maintain a straight and even level across the entire line, phrase, clause, or sentence.
The descender is the lowest point of small letters like “g,” “j,” “p,” “q,” and “y.” When writing letters with descenders, make sure that the proportion between the ascender and the descender is about the same.
Avoid Style, Adhere to Standards
Some people think that by adding hearts instead of dots to dotted letters, or by using different stylistic elements in their handwriting, they make their penmanship “cute” or “unique.” Not only are stylistic elements distracting, but they may also lead other people to think that you shouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s very important for you to adhere to the standards of good handwriting. People find standard handwriting easier to comprehend, and are more impressed with clean and clear penmanship. Notes with all sorts of stylistic elements can distract your readers from the message you’re trying to convey.
Use a Good Pen
Good penmanship begins – and often ends – with a good pen. Stay away from art pens that come with glittered ink, or non-standard writing and drawing pen colors like yellow, green, or violet. A good pen can do wonders for your handwriting skills, because it motivates you to keep your words and letters proportional. Here are three pens you should have in hand:
Fountain pens. Fountain pens are expensive and difficult to use, especially older ones that tend to blot or leak. Fountain pens are good training tools for you to keep your handwriting even, and to keep your writing strokes light.
Technical pens and signing pens. Technical pens and signing pens, like those ones with gel ink and narrow points, are often used by engineers and architects to draw blueprints and plans. You can use these pens to master your signature, or to write clearer if you tend to write in narrow strokes.
Ballpoint pens. You don’t need a really expensive pen to have good penmanship. A good ballpoint pen that does not leak and has a thin, even stroke is common in bookstores and office supply stores. When you found a good brand and style of ballpoint pen, stick with it.
Remember that people do not necessarily judge you by the way you jot down a note, but by the content of your note. Good handwriting, however, can boost your self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as impress whoever receives and reads your handwritten note or letter.