Lately I’ve been wondering what it might be like to embrace my quirky handwriting.
And I love a good prompt to get me thinking, creating and writing.
When you look at your handwriting, notice:
❓What do you love ❤️ about how it looks?
❓What do you enjoy 😊 about making it in your own unique way?
❓What attributes would you keep?
❓What would you change to help you feel more confident?
I practice the foundational calligraphy scripts: Roman Hand, Palatino, and Italic to keep it legible and readable.
And I play with Brushlettering, Architect, and Sign Painter because they are fast and satisfying.
But what I really enjoy is making non-traditional letters work for practical applications.
Last week I made a poster that showed Copperplate written with a pencil. I had more people ask me to teach that. I had to laugh. I’ve been studying Copperplate since 2016 and I’m in no position to teach it, nor do I want to. It’s just not my aesthetic or enjoyable to me. But knowing the rules, challenging myself to get the form right, knowing that I can do it is enough for me.
What lettering styles do you practice and enjoy? Are they different or the same?
Image Description: Watercolor painting of a glass of purple drink with 3 ice cubes. The handwritten text in the right reads: “I love to drink grape-flavored electrolytes in a narrow pint glass because it makes me feel RESILIENT.”
Why a narrow pint glass? Because the inverted shape is comfortable to hold with my arthritic hands.
