New Member in Northwest Arkansas

[Mark M]

Hello,
Mark M here...
I joined this forum with the hope of improving my penmanship and learning hand lettering, using a fountain pen and dip pen nibs.
I was unable to learn penmanship in grade school due to learning disabilities and negative environmental factors in the classroom, but 60 years later, here I am, eager to learn.
Thanks for reading, and God bless Y'all..!

[Erica McPhee]

Hi Mark,
You’ve come to the right place. We have been having a very interesting conversation on this topic this past week. I have three kids with a range of learning disabilities so I understand the struggles associated with handwriting. Let us know if you have any questions. Welcome!

[Mark M]

Thank You, Erica,
For your very kind welcome and reply.
I look forward to continuing the learning process, and recapturing what was lost during my grade school years.
I have no doubt that God, focused practice and proper instruction can restore to me a usable set of handwriting skills..!
Thanks again,
Mark M.

[Zivio]

Greetings and welcome, @Mark M!

Seems we both have begun the work of improving our penmanship at about the same point in our lives! "Never too late to learn" has been my personal hope, and I wish you the best of success. I have found Flourish Forum to be a decidedly positive environment, with helpful and encouraging members and a storehouse of information in the searchable archives.   

Please do not be shy about posting any and all questions you may have going forward. I certainly have and in return have benefitted from the many helpful replies.  I look forward to hearing more from you here.

~Karl

[Mark M]

Karl,
Thanks so much, very much appreciated..!

I have a dear friend here at home who is a grade school teacher, and who has volunteered to give me some in-person coaching from time to time, and in the meantime,  I've found a few fairly useful youtube videos on letter formation, spacing and consistency, etc.
While a fountain pen is my tool of choice for everyday penmanship, I'm very interested in learning how to write with a pointed nib dip pen.
I'm finding right off the git that my Hunt 56 digs into to my paper, so any pointers (pun intended) to avoid the nib catching the paper on the upstrokes and side strokes, would be welcome.

An open note to those who have reached out via personal messages; while I very much appreciate the kind offers of individual help, I am not one to engage in personal/private messaging on the internet.  Thank Y'all for understanding..!!!
God bless Y'all, and thanks again..!

[Zivio]

While a fountain pen is my tool of choice for everyday penmanship, I'm very interested in learning how to write with a pointed nib dip pen.
I'm finding right off the git that my Hunt 56 digs into to my paper, so any pointers (pun intended) to avoid the nib catching the paper on the upstrokes and side strokes, would be welcome.

I began reconstructing my handwriting using only fountain pen for a full year before attempting pointed pen. My first experience with pointed pen was very discouraging — it was like all the rules changed!

Personally, I’ve found that pointed pen takes a lot of experimentation and practice to get to work. Regarding the Hunt 56, I find it to be a pretty stiff pen, and yes, can be very scratchy/grabby (for me) unless I try to hold it at a very shallow angle to the paper and an extremely light touch. Several sheets of paper as padding underneath the page you are writing on may also help.

In my earliest attempts, I discovered that besides the particular nib, ink and paper choice can make a huge difference in the ability to use a particular nib.

The biggest difficulty I had, though, was that there are so many variables when first starting out with pointed pen!  Paper, ink, the nib itself, padding, etc. Now add to the combinations of just those materials, the newness of using the writing instruments and pressure and angle, etc. Oh, and don’t forget proper nib preparation!  It may take a lot of experimentation and practice before discovering what will, or will not, work best for you.

My biggest suggestion right now, though, is begin a new Flourish Forum posting, maybe in the “Everyday Handwriting” category asking for tips on using pointed pen and any specific questions or issues you are currently having. The posting will likely get more visibility in that section rather than this “New Members” area, and begin to get some helpful responses. Continue the dialog there and see where it leads!

[Mark M]

Karl,

Sometimes methinks I probably am biting off more than I can chew in attempting pointed pen lettering so early in my new venture, so what you wrote about sticking with a fountain pen for a period of time, well, that resonates and makes sense to me.
I'm thinking about making a few more focused attempts at pointed pen work, using the tips I've seen already on these forum pages, prior to posting any more questions about pointed pen.
Your suggestion about the everyday handwriting sub-forum also makes sense.
Thanks again, Karl, for your kind and helpful responses, You Da Man...!
Mark M.

[jeanwilson]

Modifying your current penmanship
Learning a new style of penmanship
and
Learning how to use new writing tools
are 3 entirely different things.

Putting your nibs and ink away while you focus on penmanship will not give you any advantages when you go back to the nibs and ink.
There is no shortcut for learning how nibs and ink work.

My experience has been that people need to experiment and try a variety of things - and not be so focused on a specific result.
Enjoy taking some new paths - other people (including me) can tell you what worked for them -- but none of us can predict what will work for you.

If you posted some samples of your penmanship - those of us who have taught can offer suggestions.

@Zivio is soooo right -- you have to find a nib-ink-paper combination - and that will be a very personal choice.
While some people enjoy printer paper -- some of us prefer Rhodia and Clairfontaine.
While some people like Higgins Infernal - some of us prefer walnut ink and McCaffrey's
Nibs -- Nikko G's are not popular with the experienced scribes - but, they work well for beginners.

I'd encourage you to spend 20 minutes a day on improving your current penmanship with your fountain pen
and another 20 minutes with nibs and ink - just getting the feel for the basic shapes. Stems, bowls, curves, compound curves, etc
and - if you have time - choose a brand new style - and start practicing that one with a pencil.

My 2-cents.

If I find time - I will go back and search for some of the before and after penmanship of people who took time to post images to the forum.
There are at least 4 that I can think of who made remarkable progress -- by posting their work.

[Zivio]

Karl,
…  so what you wrote about sticking with a fountain pen for a period of time, well, that resonates and makes sense to me …

@Mark M  To be clear, that part of my post wasn't offered as a suggestion, only that it was my personal history of learning. My point was that if a person had never touched pointed pen before, there is most definitely a learning curve! If I were to do it over, I likely would have started experimenting with pointed pen much earlier. I do not believe I necessarily benefitted from holding off. I'd made the decision after having seen a YouTuber describe that they were going to just practice Spencerian in a monoline form, without shading, because doing both at the same time might have been too much to learn or a distraction.  Even if true, I still could have practiced with pointed pen and just not worry about shading technique until I was more comfortable with it ... and I may have been a lot further along, sooner. 

My ultimate objective was to learn how to write with a pointed pen. If you, too, have this interest, by all means, don't wait but experiment and learn! @Jean Wilson has given interesting suggestions for a plan of study and practice. I'd also say that having an open mind for trying different approaches is most valuable. I echo Jean's comment about not being able to predict what may work well for another individual.

… If I find time - I will go back and search for some of the before and after penmanship of people who took time to post images to the forum.
There are at least 4 that I can think of who made remarkable progress -- by posting their work.

One very useful Flourish Forum thread* to visit, and contribute to, is this one where numerous members, including yours truly, show their before’s and after’s:

https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=1379.0]
 
*  Credit to @AnasaziWrites for leading me to this post last year.

Another is @ash0kgiri’s amazing journey here:

https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=4833.0

To be honest, Ashok’s beginning point was at least one parsec ahead of my own, but this thread is a lovely illustration of the useful input that members kindly and generously offer ... and, of course, what may be achieved by putting in effort, with patience, over time.