Michael Sull, in the tradition of Spencerian instructors, had sent me a personal nameplate and “jotted off” a beautifully flourished handwritten note when I’d purchased some materials from him last year. I’d noticed a faint baseline in the nameplate, but now noticed baselines in the note only after taking a picture, they were so invisible to my naked eye!
I’m eager to begin addressing the stash of postcards I’ve accumulated once I’ve come to the place of feeling more confident in my writing.
Questions about those baselines:
- What do people use to make those fine and inconspicuous lines?
- Do many calligraphers/penhumans make use of such in “finished products?”
- Is it cheating? Haha, crow forbid I’d accuse a master penman of this, but I’m curious about the practice. Postcards and other greeting cards don’t lend themselves to use of a lightbox, but should I be working towards nice horizontal baselines without use of a crutch? My goal is to effect beautiful handwriting for regular correspondence, and it appears that historical examples of such do not make use of these guides.
Thank!
Karl
When I was in Italy many years ago, I made it a point to look at the letters carved in stone to see if the Romans used guide lines. Yes they did as you can still see very faint scribed guide lines in the stone. You only notice them if you're looking for them.
