A Lost Art: Pretty Lettering
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I miss my handwriting!
I used to love my handwriting and enjoyed writing a personal note and addressing it with flair without any effort involved. It was a natural extension of my personal style – the flow from my brain to pen to paper. I enjoyed doing it and seeing the pretty script of others arrive in the mail or a note set on my desk at work and being able to recognize immediately who wrote it just by their handwriting.
What happened? Computers, email, and smart phones are making our handwriting obsolete – a lost art. Even our signatures can be digitally created nowadays. I don’t want this to happen, but there seems to be less and less need to reach for a pretty pen and paper when a few strokes on a keyboard does it all for us. In my daily life, the only thing that seems to get written down anymore – pen to paper is my grocery list tacked to my refrigerator or a quick note left on the counter to remind my hubby or kids to do something.
I can’t bear to see handwriting become obsolete. I want to start or be part of the “Save our handwriting revolution!”
Handwriting is as much a part of our personal style as how we decorate our home or what we choose to wear. It can tell so much about us. The way we form our letters and put them together so they flow into words is truly an extension of our personal style that I miss seeing in myself and others. It is one thing that we can claim as truly our own
A reader left me a comment recently wanting to know if I knew of a site where she could get a font of her handwriting. I love fonts and they have become wildly popular as a way to express our style digitally. I think we or at least us visual types also need our very own font of our real handwriting as a way to express ourselves online and a chance to say –” look” – “this is me” -“who I am” – “my style”.
I have been intentionally trying to find more ways to put pen to paper over the past few weeks. I do write in my daily planner and that gives me some personal satisfaction.
Image: PaperTasteBuds
I follow a few stationery blogs – they always have such inspiring images. Recently on PaperTasteBuds they posted about one of their Paperfinger lettering workshops. Doesn’t it look like fun event? Girlfriends being creative, wine, and pretty handwriting. Seeing this tells me I am not alone in my love for handwritten script.
My love of handwriting goes back to when I was just a kid. I remember Santa bringing me a book about handwriting analysis when I was in junior high. I found it fascinating that every single time you put pen to paper, you are revealing a little bit about yourself.
You may be saying to yourself that your handwriting is awful and that there is no help for you. I like to think about it this way. Our handwriting is a bit like our body type. We can’t choose it, but we can exercise to get in shape – same with your handwriting – a little practice and learning some new techniques will get your handwriting in shape in no time.
How to Improve Your Handwriting:
As a creative blogger, I receive books to review from time to time. I only review the ones I like and this one, Creative Lettering – Techniques & Tips From Top Artists arrived on my doorstop last week. I never know what book is going to be in the package and was quite excited when I opened this, since improving my handwriting has been on my mind lately. It was one of those meant-to-be moments.
I have been practicing what I learned in the book.
The best way to start trying to make your handwriting prettier is to simply start writing with a pen or pencil more. Gather some pens to find out which one feels right in your hand and that flows across the paper nicely for you.
If you don’t have a favorite – try a fountain pen or calligraphy marker. I like the markers made by Sanford and one that is called – Elegant Writer. I buy them at the craft store. Most writing looks much better right away with one of these pen’s intense ink and slight variation in width because of the flat nib.
My favorite pens are called Penstix’s. They are made with India Ink. I don’t have a photo of them, but you can find one in this post: Hand Lettering an Envelope for a Wedding or Graduation
If you know how to write the alphabet, all you need is a little practice on lined paper to gain lettering as a useful and beautiful new skill set and one that will improve your handwriting at the same time. It doesn’t require changing your basic handwriting – just taking it up a notch with better spacing, a curl or a flourish.
In college, I took a hand lettering class. Before we were allowed to use ink and fancy metal nib pens, we had to use a carpenter’s pencil – they have a wide flat lead – like the nib on a calligraphy pen. It allowed us to see how each letter we made in italic calligraphy had thin and thick strokes as we formed them. Most of the class was spent just using the pencil and holding it on an angle and drawing slanted lines across the lined paper over and over again. Having to make page after page of angled lines until we got the feeling for holding the pencil the right way felt a little like having to write – “I will not chew gum in class…” on the grade school blackboard a hundred times as punishment for doing something wrong in class. I may not have liked it but also recognized how important it was to acquire this basic skill.
Only when we had the basic strokes of each letter down were we allowed to graduate to a real pen and ink. Our final at the end of the semester was being able to do the complete alphabet and numbers from 0-9 in the traditional italic calligraphy style as well as a modern lettering alphabet that we created ourselves.
It is practice that makes perfect when forming letters over and over again on paper. It really will help make your handwriting pretty.
Creative Lettering highlights a collection of artists – including calligraphers, painters, collagists, card makers, and graphic designers – offering up their own unique perspective on hand lettering.
Each of the 16 lettering artists has provided an explanation of their favorite tools and how they use them, an overview of their signature lettering style and technique with step-by-step instruction complete with photos, and an alphabet sampler of their own font that you can study and practice.
They give great advice.
There are even a few DIY projects in the pages – like this hand lettered ornament.
They also provide pages of ideas on ways to find inspiration to enhance your own unique script.
I started practicing to find my style of pretty lettering using this tutorial from Lisa Engelbrecht.
I gathered up my pens and tried out a few of the techniques.
I used a fine tipped Sharpie and wrote my name a few times.
and then made a double line on the left side of each down stroke – cool! Not too hard.
I went further by filling in the double lines with more ink to create a bolder look.
I started out by printing my name and making flourishes on printed letters as I got the hang of accenting down strokes or adding a curly cue here and there. It is when you start connecting those letters into your script that your efforts will pay off. I promise if you practice a little you will reach an Aha! moment.
I may never be a pro, but I can enhance my own handwriting and print to enhance a note, gift tag, a letter to a friend, or even my grocery list.
One of the tips that got me the most excited is to use a paper stump. When you pencil-in letters. It gives a shadow effect that adds dimension to each letter. When trying it out, I got to thinking that this technique could work when doing chalkboard lettering – a way to add some dimension to the overall effect of the chalkboard design. I tried it and found that it worked very well with chalk! You can buy paper stumps in the artist’s supply aisle at the crafts store.
There are so many tips in the book from which I know you will glean insight – even how to make dingbats and doodads to enhance the look of your letters and handwriting.
I truly enjoyed this book, cover to cover, since it is written in a very open and personal meet-the-artist kind of way. All of the artists have websites so you can learn even more about their techniques by visiting them.
One of the fun features to read about each artist was discovering which letter they most enjoyed drawing. I am a doodler and know I have my own favorite – it is the letter “K”. What is your favorite letter to write in script?
Creative Lettering will guide and inspire, it will encourage you to creatively experiment with lettering and develop a style of your own. From grocery lists to chalkboards – pretty penmanship can be yours.
Chances are that fountain will probably splash or splatter slightly from time for you to time.
With the right budge, there isn’t any must
limit yourself to a particular style. In other wood species you might find checking
and cracking, but Cedar will resist.
My favorite is also “k”!
You are just like me! I really don’t feel the need for electronic note-taking software when a few steps away are a pen and paper! By the way, my handwriting looks so neat, according to EVERYONE.
Hi Carmelo – One of the best things about the internet is that it allows us to find kindred spirits near and far away and connect. :-) What is your favorite pen to use?
sweet writing
Gosh, I love your pretty letters~I love to write stories, songs, poems, Bible verses & decorate the paper for holidays or decorate the paper for
Me, because I LOVE PRETTY. Thank you for your wit blended in with your creativity. I have looked at your PRETTIES many times but I wanted to say thank you & share my thoughts, as well. I am going to be following your style now
There is a great website where you can create your own font. It is http://www.yourfonts.com. I did it a couple of years ago and it makes addressing party invitation envelopes and Christmas card envelopes a breeze! When I did it, the cost was $9.95. You write the letters on a template, scan the page, and then it generates a font file that you save to your computer. It works in the Microsoft office suite. You can even set it as your email font, but the person reading the email won’t see that font as it is only installed on your computer. Warning: Make sure there is no dust or anything on your scanner as it will pick it up, and make sure you use the preview option to review it before purchasing. Hope that helps! Jeremy
Hi Jeremy – I have been wanting to do this for a long time. Thanks for the site name and the tip about a dusty scanner. :-) I am going to try it out.
Thanks for your tip-nice to know that someone cares whether you mess up more than you should have….I mess up so badly my first few times that I get plenty paper, pencils, chalk, & erasers, white out, etc. Thank you for that.
Hey there would you mind letting me know which web
host you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker
then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at a honest price?
Kudos, I appreciate it!
Thanks for sharing. As I was writing in my journal before bed I came across your post on handwriting. I feel you on the lost art of pretty penmanship – thanks to technology. When I was younger I used to do calligraphy with my grandmother. I want to get back into it. I will check out your suggestions.
I love to write and do all of our Christmas cards by hand. I have been told that I have pretty handwriting still at my age. And I am left handed also.
I do take pride in my penmanship.
I would so enjoy the handwriting book as learning new information is very important to me.
Thank you for this post. It is indeed sad that not many people write longhand these days. I have great respect for people who still do, and especially for those who try to write beautifully. Whenever I see beautiful handwriting, I feel like all the world is civilized, all the world is nice. Tres fou, I know.
When I was about 7 or8 ,my uncle force me to practice penmanship using a calligraphy pen . I hated it, but handwriting did improve and as the went by ,my handwriting become beautiful! I get compliments all the time. Thank-you!!
Thanks for this great post (I see I’m a little late to it, it’s from February this year). I do a type of Japanese folk art called etegami that integrates images and words, and I’ve made it a goal for the latter part of the year to improve the English lettering I do on my etegami. (I sometimes use Japanese, and feel okay about my characters at this point.) I feel my English lettering, however, is too slapdash — it looks too much like what I scrawl on scraps of paper! I’ll follow some of these tips on working on my own lettering. Thanks!
I also take pride in how my handwriting looks on the page. I still write note cards by hand and a few letters, but not as much as in the past. I think I like the capital letter G. It has loops and changing which one I make largest changes the whole look. It’s also the beginning letter of my favorite brother’s name. Sadly, I agree that handwriting is becoming a lost art. Kids today just don’t see the romance and beauty of good cursive handwriting. The book looks amazing!
Diane, thanks for the post and for mentioning our Paperfinger workshops! For any of your readers interested in signing up for workshops in New York, Portland, OR and other locations, here’s the link: http://paperfinger.com/services.html
Thanks again!
Bryn (aka Paperfinger)
Hi Bryn – I will add the info to the post. Thanks so much.
My favorite is “A.”
The letter E.. I agree handwriting is a lost art.
What fun! I actually am a calligraphy (albeit, a rusty one!), so I love seeing anything that is promoting handwriting! Sure would love to be one of the winners! I hope I’m not too late!
Wow. I so agree! My favorite letter to write is the friendly letter. I love being able to send a piece of me personally to a friend far away. It means more to open a hand written letter than to open a cold email with no personal flare. So my fav is the friendly letter format! My hand writing can surly use a tune up. I would love help! I hope to win your book!
What absolutely fabulous post. I agree that the decline of hand written & cursive writing is wrong. Having the computer is wonderful but does not compare with the beauty of a note from a friend or loved one. My favorite letter is a D. Not surprising as it is my first initial. I wonder how many chose for that reason?
L is my favorite letter to write and this book looks AMAZING, especially for chalkboard art. Love it, thanks for sharing!
The “S” is one of my favs and the “J”. I am one that just doesn’t like to see my handwriting, too ugly! Some creative types with lovely handwriting have mentioned my less than nice handwriting. So of course I print more! I need help! LOL
That’s such a difficult question. I can’t stand writing Ms which is not so good considering that I’m now “Mrs. Mauras” but I do love writing Zs. They’re such fun letters and always in the best words — pizza, pretzels, gazpacho, chorizo… Wait, maybe I’m just hungry :)
I love to write the letter A- I write it with Straight lines and curly loops!
I am fond of the letters S and M. Probably two of the most sought after letters. When I am need of letters or initialed items those two are usually in low supply or gone. I too, love to write handwritten notes and sad to see handwriting not being taught in school. I really would love to win this book. It speaks to me and my creative side. Thank you for sharing. I hope I win.
I had a hard time choosing … But, M won!
“S” has alway been my favorite. It has such flourish in an hand and now it is the first letter of my sons name…who is 10 and I have to convince daily that cursive is something he should continue to practice. He goes to Catholic school so they do still teach cursive there…and have handwriting competitions. There is nothing more civilized than good penmenship.
Wow! I am very happy that you shared this e-mail. You are talkin’ to me- love handwriting, penmanship, calligraphy, monograms, fonts etc. Both of my parents have beautiful handwriting, they definitely influenced me. I always liked my big sister’s handwriting, so I continued to doodle, and practice letters. My Aunts and cousins, we always wrote notes, cards, letters. It’s very interesting to look back and to see how my handwriting has evolved. People have always commented on my style, it is unique to me and says something about me to those that read it. It’s very important that people can read what I’m writing, but that I express my creative, artsy side as well. If I had to choose my favorite, I’d say “E” – 3 simple horizontal lines (no vertical line to hold them all together:) And if I could, I would end this comment with a big swooshing, swirling calligraphy inspired underline! Thank you
Good evening. I can’t really say it is my favorite letter, but I keep trying to get a really nice capital ” T “. I don’t find it easy at all. I do agree that handwriting is becoming a lost art…and schools don’t help. My granddaughter is 13, in grade 8, and she is unable to read handwriting well because the school does not teach it!!!! Unbelievable…but they say it is because everything else is in print. I do hope I win a copy. Thank you very much for the opportunity. God bless.
Hello,
My favorite letter to write is S followed closely by letter E. I have always enjoyed writing. I feel sorry for today’s children that won’t have the joy of learning cursive writing in school. I would love to win your prize. Thank you for the opportunity.
Blessings,
Shelley
S is my favorite. It’s so loopy and pretty. My first name and my maiden name begin with S so I have had lots of practice!
I love writing the letter “A”. Not because my name begins with this letter, it’s the first letter of the alphabet. This letter sets the tone for the other letters to be written. I attended several calligraphy classes and have gotten away from it. I love writing letters and I love the beautifying the envelopes for my unsuspecting receivers.
My favorite letter to write is G–because it’s my initials, I write it alot!
I like to add curly flourishes & dots. Love your posts.
My favourite letter to doodle is A – I love the variation between lower and upper case and the fact that although it’s a straight-lined letter it can have it’s fair share of flourishes and line-weights, too.
Great post – you captured my thoughts on the lost art perfectly!
My favorite letter to write is L. My maiden name is Lisa L. Lee so I had a lot of practice writing it. :)
I’m a teacher and I like to make our class charts visually appealing for my students. This book would come in very handy!
I like cursive capital G.
:)
Thank you so much for this wonderful giveaway. I have been interested in taking a caligraphy class, so this prize definitely got my attention. My favorite letter is Y.
I found your blog very interesting. I, too have been thinking about my handwriting and how to improve it. Thank you so much for this article.
I like the letter “H.” Even though I do not have a name beginning with that letter, I love how it has a flourish on the left side and then a flourish on the right. I am speaking of a calligraphied “H.” I actually took a calligraphy course in the eighties. I like to embellish my cards to friends. I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to writing and fonts.
I love writing uppercase L and lower case o
Really . . . for a long time, it was L. I loved the curlicues, and it was the first letter of my best friends’ name from long, long ago.
But, over time, the plain ‘ol A has gotten to be my favorite. It went from being utterly plain-jane, the most boring capital letter in the alphabet (that I had to put at the beginning of my own name), to one that I owned, loved, and made beautiful. :o)
Thanks for the great book review, and fun giveaway!
I like L’s as well. B’s too.
My favourite is “G”
This book looks so fun! I love that it seems to have tips for the crafter/artist. With art journaling so hot right now, this would be a very timely book.
I love reading your posts! My favorite letter to write is definitely the letter K also. A close second would be the letter M. I just completed a hand painted monogram for my best friend’s newborn – Kylie Myers (last name omitted) – and I loved all the opportunities for loops and swirls that K and M allow! I’d love to win this book – I had a calligraphy set when I was a child and would so enjoy brushing up on the art of lettering again.
Oh! My daughter would love this! She’s only 9 but she’s constantly attempting to make her letters pretty and she’s very much an artist. Actually, she’d have to share the book with me though, I love to send a handwritten note and it would be so fun to have more ideas on how to embellish them.
I enjoy lurking over here on your blog and reading your posts. You have inspired me to make my house a home, I even have a notebook with inspiring ideas and wish lists for projects you have tutorials for as a means of getting me to make make make.
What I enjoy most is the conversational style of your posts, it is like talking to someone in person and that is not easy to do in a blog sometimes. But you succeed.
I hate seeing the loss of handwriting skills, I loved getting letters in the mail when I was younger and I am sad that my nieces and nephews don’t really have that same thrill of a nice, juicy letter written by a friend to savor. You make me want to look into the sources you note here further.
Sure, I would love to win the book, but I was inspired enough by your post that I wanted to finally comment and say how much I enjoy it. It is a real slice of life. Thanks!
Hi Diane,
I happened upon your site after reading the article ‘Crafty Ways to Save’, in This Old House magazine (March 2013). I loved the fireplace screen you created out of the old window sash. I’m so glad I took the time to visit your site!
I truly enjoyed your post about lettering and would love to win a copy of the book. After many years of computer usage my hand writing became pretty much illegible…after signing a document, I was always asked to sign it again or to print my name next to my signature because it did not appear to be a signature. I have most recently reduced my communications by computer and returned to paper and pen. Slowing my pace has made a considerable difference for me.
I love the swirl of the letter S and the waves of the letter W.
Thanks for inspiring me!
I love the act of writing! Although I embrace technology and enjoy using it, I will never stop writing by hand! My daughter is a calligrapher and when I asked how she got started, she said she always admired my handwriting. What a shock as I never felt that it was as pretty as I would like! I would love to have this book to share with her.
My favorite letter is G because there are so many fun ways to write it. Thanks!
My favorite letter is K, but I would love, love, LOVE to learn how to make a beautiful W – they’re always so hard for me!
My favourite letter to write is R :)
Oh, and my favorite letter is R, of course.
As a child I played with pen and bottles of different colors of ink, how exciting to go back to using all my different pen nibs and ink. Love the whole idea of returning to the quiet art of pen on paper and so does my husband. Ruth
What a cool sounding book! I have always tried to develop my penmanship since I was young! I would LOVE to win this book!!
I guess my favorite letter is the capital L. Love the loops and curves!
This is one thing on my list of things to get good at!!! It’s a must skill for any crafter.
Oh, and my favorite letter to write in cursive is definitely “L” :)
I enjoy writing the letter A–like a tee-pee, like a lowercase cursive a, with looped serifs–there are so many different ways to write it”
I love a pretty “H”!
I love the capital E best. Lucky for me, that’s my middle initial!
Reading your blog today reminded of my Grandfather. He had the most eloquent penmanship… I can remember him “practicing” in a note book, quite frequently. Fond memory of my childhood, that makes me miss him now♥
And an answer to your question, it is, quite simply my favorite letter to write is the letter “K”. For obvious reason, my name is Kay!
My middle name starts with a “d” so that is my favorite letter to write. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway :)
Renee
fattybumpkins at yahoo dot com
Hi
I loved the diversity in writing styles in your book, Creative Lettering. I am from the older generation and still am a pen to paper kind of person. I love to write and use different colors and styles to embellish my scrapbook pages. I love the letter J because my daughter’s name is Josee and I made a scrapbook of her from birth to graduating from high school. She is now in her first year of college and I am experiencing the empty nest syndrome. I have been trying to reinvent myself as a person who has passion for creative beauty in homemade cards for family occasions. I take notes from my favorite websites on crafts and ideas that I would like to try and instead of printing, I hand write everything. I think it’s just what I’m use to. I enjoyed the bits I saw from your book and it would be a privilege to have a copy. Please continue to do what you do best.
What a fun giveaway. I love writing & I miss it in day to day living. My favorite letter to write is “K” –
Hi Diane,
I love the letter “L”, probably because of my first name. Even though I love it, I have the worst time always getting it to look pretty. I need to practice more. And you are right, we need to start a “handwriting revolution”. My teenagers don’t even remember how to write in cursive. Sometimes they have a hard time reading something if it is in cursive, like it’s a foreign language. Sad. I heard recently that some of the states are requiring children to learn cursive again! Yeah!!!
Lisa
I think my favorite letter is G. So many ways to write it. I use to spend hours just writing when I was a teenager. I LOVE to write and feel its a lost art?
Thanks for the give away!
countrynana340 at gmail dot com
What a wonderful post! I remember when I was about 20 years old, I just hated my handwriting and searched for a book to change or at least improve on a non-interesting, scratchy looking script. Fast foward 30 years with the help of the internet and I finally have an answer! My favorite letter? Probably an upper-case “S”. Least favorite? An upper case “I” is pure torture!
Unfortunately, my children were not encouraged to write cursive during grade school and it wasn’t until my youngest was in 5th grade that I realized he could barely sign his name. (But, by golly, can he type!) His teacher explained there are too many things educators are “required” to teach and something had to give. Penmanship has all but disappeared in the public schools. Too sad. I will join your fight in the Handwriting Revolution!
Blessings – Jane
To me B is beautiful. Though all coincidental, my maiden name and married name begin with B, and my son and daughter’s first names start with that letter also. Handwriting is fun because you can be inventive, artistic and personal, which makes your cards and letters all that more meaningful to the lucky recipients.
I love to make huge rolling capital “R”s with very long tails!
I love to write “H”s….the letter that is our family’s last name. But, there are many others and my handwriting has changed so much during the years….When I was a child, it was popular to dot ‘i’s with circles or hearts. I love to do ‘old fashioned ‘r’s and ‘t’s. I guess that I just like to write cursive letters! I would love the book!
I love writing!!!! So happy to see other people enjoy handwriting! The letter “K” is my favorite, two of my kids’ names start with it and my last name!
I love beautiful hand writing and note cards! Yes, it is becoming a lost art, but Kelly over at Talk of the House blog has beautiful hand writing. I am so jealous. My yougest daughter’s name is Laura and I like writing L.
Oh my gosh! I love handwriting. I spent most of my time as a kid doodling different ways to create pretty letters until I found an alphabet that was me. I revisit every year to change or ‘tweak’ what I already love. I didn’t go to college because I wanted to study different styles of handwriting and, silly me, I thought the creative writing class was about penmanship! The colleges in my area didn’t offer such classes so I opted to be a mom. No regrets! So instead, I bought two different calligraphy sets and in my spare time was used for practicing. I am a font junkie!! I’ve crashed two different computers because I have downloaded so many beautiful and unique fonts. Penmanship is a lost art and I would love to have the Creative Lettering book. I have always wanted to freehand beautiful phrases on my walls. Stencils offer some good choices, but there is nothing like adding your own special style and making it your own. Thank you for this post!
I’m a fan of the letter L as well. After having 4 kids, I now have 3 grand daughters, the youngest of whom is named Lyra ! Finally, an L. I learned to appreciate good hand writing in Catholic School. Boy, those nuns had a way of getting their point across. Thank you for the opportunity to win a book and relive my grammar school days !
Thanks !
This is so relevant for me! I’ve always loved beautiful handwriting and am constantly trying to improve mine, practicing for hours on end sometimes! That being said, I’d have to say that I like writing a “J” the best. I actually found a blogger that showed me a great example of a “J” that I just loved. Up until then, Mr. J and I were not too friendly:) But now, well let’s just say that we’re “Jubilantly Joyous” together!
I’m kinda “Old School” and probably considered technologically challenged! But, I’m okay with that… which is why I still keep a journal (All handwritten of course). I have always been fascinated with the different ways of penmanship… My favorite letter to write is also “L”
Love your ideas,
Lisa O.
lower-case m. It forces me to slowdown and pay attention to how I’m writing.
Loved your post on lettering. I thought I was the only one who loved to doodle letters!
My favorite letters to write are “J” and “V.” Cursive J’s and V’s are swirly and just “flow,” if ya know what I mean!
Thanks!
Michelle
I have recently been lamenting about my sloppy handwriting. It was never very good, but now it is terrible. I haven’t known how to go about fixing it but it sounds like this book might be the answer! The capital L is probably the one I do best because my name starts with it so I have lots of practice.
Hi Diane!
I enjoy reading your Blog and this is an especially good topic.
My maiden name was SZCZEPANSKI so to say learning cursive in elementary school was difficult was an understatement! Lots of tears & frustration. I married a Lacy…need I say more?
My favorite letter is Z! It’s so overlooked!
The letter “J” – easy to make pretty & swirly!
I love this! Thanks for sharing your book review.
F is one of my favorite letters to write because it has so many places for flourishes and extra doodads.
L must be popular…Its my favorite too! My name begins with it and I suppose the loop de loop is fun to do. I am currently a homeschool mom of two boys, one of which is about to go into Highschool. We are part of a great co-op where we teach other needed classes to our kids once per week for most of school year. Noticing many kids with not so legible handwriting, including my own kids, I thought it would be a good idea to teach a handwriting class, besides cursive is still mandatory on the SAT’S. So I began the class I named “Handwriting on the Wall” about 5 weeks ago… well, I didn’t realize how much this has helped to improve all the kids handwriting (print & cursive) by just spending some extra time in breaking old writing habits, repetition with their own mini white erase boards, discussion of the lost art of handwriting; that includes the necessity of keeping it, etc. I would love to win this book for more ideas to keep this class fun and engaging and perhaps continue this class throughout the years in the homeschooling community as well as re introducing the importance of this area to all schools. Thanks love your stuff!
I loved reading everyone’s comments on which letter they loved to write the most.
I find that I really like to doodle the letter Q. I think it’s the little tail that I find interesting.
Sign me up for the contest. I might find I like another letter.
Hi Diane!
I love the writing tetter “C” because it’s curvy, it stands for “creative,” and it begins my daughter’s name!
Hi Diane,
My favorite letter to write is ‘S’. It is one of the letters I’ve written since the very beginning of my penmanship days, as my maiden name begins with it, and I still use it as my middle initial when signing my name. Even so, I still tend to write this letter in a different style all the time, when the other parts of my signature remain the same. Maybe because ‘S’ is so fun to write?
I would love to win this book! I am a leftie and handwriting is a struggle…I need all the help I can get! Many thanks!
My favorite letter is L, I have two in my name, and also love the loops I make with them. Love your Blogs about so many different things. Keep up the great insights.
Just yesterday I was admiring a site with gorgeous handwriting on chalkboards and wishing I knew how to write like that. And here you are today with a book and a post on just how I can learn this. How cool is that, I would love to win this book.
My favorite letter to write would have to the letter F.
Thanks again for the post, talk about good timing. hugs Tobey
I love the written word! Words have such power to them & when you are able to make them pretty besides, well= art! My favs are J & V. But alas I struggle will a consistently pretty E & G!? Practice, practice,practice! Thank you for this post as it gets those doodling juices going again!
This is easy for me…..I absolutely love the letter E! The obsession started with my best friend and then continued to my first born. I covet this book. If I don’t win, I am running out and purchasing it. I’m forwarding this blog to all my friends and may have a wine & calligraphy night :) Thank you for the inspiration.
What a cool giveaway! I love handwriting. My favorite letter is B. I love the curves that can be added to it. Thanks for your posting :)
You know Dianne, they are taking cursive writing teaching out of alot of schools?! My nieces and nephews didn’t even learn how to cursive write their own name-my sister-in-law had to teach them so they could at least sign their name! I agree that penmanship is a lost art. My fav letter to write would probably be a ‘y’ since it has a flirty tail! Really enjoy all of your projects and tutorials!
Gotta love the L. Its the start of my middle name but I would really like to learn a pretty M…the start of my first name!
“E” is my favorite letter! It’s the first letter of my first name and middle name, and I have always thanked my mom for providing me with such a beautiful monogram :)
I hear rumors that they no longer teach penmanship in school; that makes my heart hurt a little bit. Everyone should know how to write legibly!
My favorite letter is “F”. It is for my name, of course, but also, for “fun, , frisky, frivolous.” As I age, my handwriting looks more and more like a scrawl….I would LOVE to seen if I can outwit Father Time and Mother Nature with the help of this book.
Wow, Diane, so many responses! I, too, love the feeling of pen on paper. That’s one reason I still use a paper planner (you got me turned on to the Planner Pad!). I learned a bit of calligraphy in high school, and it’s amazing how it can stick with you. And yes, looove the calligraphy markers! My favorite letter to write? Hmm, I thought that “N” was my favorite letter (because of my name), but I have to say that capital “L” can be quite fun, with all those LLLLoops!
Years ago (30 or so) I bought a kit to teach myself calligraphy. I love writing with the special nibs and then moved on to the Elegant Writer pens. I loved the capital letters and the letter R! I would do 200 name tags each year for a dinner/dance. Over the years arthritis has slowed down my handwriting. I agree, penmanship is a lost art.
A capital “S” is the best – you can do so many things with it!
I love writing the lower case ‘e’ and ‘a’. I totally agree with you, I remember having to write and practice cursive writing in the 3rd grade and now kids don’t even know what cursive writing is. My sister who is 9 years younger than me can’t read my notes if i write them in cursive. Such a beautiful ‘tool’ going to waste!
K for my sweet daughter Kendall
Love, love, love this post! I’ve always been obsessed with interesting fonts as a former graphic designer {in my previous life before kiddos}, but one never loses their loves, and thank you for rekindling. I need to get my old calligraphy kit out and do some doodling. Would have to say my favorite letter is cursive L. It’s not even in my initials but love how it loops this way and that. Thanks again, you’re a gem!
I love to doodle when talking on the phone.
Hi there Diane! I have just recently stumbled upon your blog, and I look forward to each and every post now! Keep them coming! My favorite letter to write would have to be “D”! I’ve played with this letter all of my life!
Hi Diane!
I look forward to reading your blog everyday! We have so many of the same interests…especially handwriting! The letter “H” is my favorite!
my favorite letter to write is “J”. And then “L”-that is why I named my daughter with an “L” name. ;)
For a birthday present, my hubby gave me a calligraphy class. It was the best thing I have ever done!
My favorite letter to write is L. My least favorite is I and E; they never look consistently pretty.
the letter R……it has the loop, the downstroke and that lovely flirty curvy downstroke……it lends itself to playing and dressing up….flourishes? check. serifs? check? loopy thing squared, rounded or elongated? check. would LOVE to win this book…..love it, love it, love it. thanks for the chance and also a great blog entry today.
Handwriting is rapidly on the way to becoming a lost art. They are no longer teaching cursive in our schools. It is very frustrating to those of us who love beautiful handwriting!
The letter S is one of my favorites, but love making the W too. Thanks for giveaway. The books would be so much fun to play with.
My favorite letter is Z. (Which is great because I have one in my first name!)
I like the letter R…..it can be done so many different ways!! Trying now to teach myself how to doodle with the help of Stephanie Ackerman’s tips!! Thanks for the offer of the book, even if I don’t win it, I will be ordering it!!
I love the letter K because my name is Kelly~!
My favorite letter to write is R, probably because my name starts with it. There’s lots of opportunity for curly-q’s and such. I, too, think penmanship is becoming a lost art. I always TRY to write neatly but this book would teach me how it’s done consistently. Studying this book and learning from it would be my contribution to keeping penmanship from fading away.
Oh, thanks Diane! I thought I was one of the last few who still loves to write (using a pen). I love fonts and the power they give to words! Thanks for this and I would have to say my favorite letters to write are the upper case K and H, but I love to write a lower case a the size of an upper :)
I love handwriting! People comment on my “nice” handwriting. I remember how much fun it was for me to practice making lines of circles and beginning and ending flourishes separated by up and down strokes. I was told that was the Palmer Method and people ask if I went to Catholic school (I guess Catholics are known for their handwriting.) I practiced different ways to make capital letters, some of which I still use, some I discarded for one reason or another. I’ve taken caligraphy courses and I am a quilter and make hand lettered labels, so I still enjoy my writing to a degree. I think my favorite letter is a lower case “y” because I can flourish the tail! What fun.
Actually, I have two – N and W.
Beautiful letters….Surprisingly, for me, my favorite letter is the upper case “E”. Since my name is Elaine, I wanted to put a fancy spin to my inital. I love to swirl and loop the top and bottom of the “E” to make it distinctive. Learning to write in school, the letter “E” was not my favorite. It had no character–I disliked it immensely. After putting my signature twist on the letter, it has transformed to a letter with lots of personality. I love it!
I took a semester of Russian during my first year of college. My favorite part was learning Russian handwriting, as some of the characters are so beautiful and so different from our English letters. For a while, I incorporated some of those styles into my regular handwriting. Today, my favorite upper case letters to write are K and W. My favorite lower case is f.
I love the letter ‘S’. Lots of curly-cues and swirls, big & little. When I was a little girl, I read a letter that my beloved grandmother had written to my parents. It included a comment that someone needed to work with me on my handwriting. I was crushed! But it made me determined to improve my cursive and I love to embellish note cards, gift tags, etc with my own style. Now my grocery list….sometimes I can’t even tell what I’ve written ;-)
I don’t know if I have a favorite letter to write… I’ll have to think about that one, but I too, am sad to see handwriting and good penmanship taking a back seat to technology! There is nothing like a handwritten note!
I enjoy the lowercase letter f. :)
I have always said the ONE thing I’ve got going for me is my penmanship but you’re right in that it is a dying art form. I would spend hours perfecting my handwriting and even took a course in calligraphy which still comes in handy today. My public school children are not even taught how to write in cursive although my daughter in catholic school still is! My most favorite letter to write is M.
I, too, like lettering things. I think my favorite letter to write is a capital G in the French script style. Totally different from our old school handwriting examples. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
I also love the letter “L” it’s a fun letter to write! Though R, K and F come in second place! I love the curvy parts of them! I love to handwrite things and have very neat handwriting, as does my teenage son. One good thing he got from me! :)
Oops! I forgot to tell you my favorite letter to practice…R….I find it so tricky!! Thanks!
I am so glad you shared this!!! I have been feeling the same feelings about writing and penmanship, I too have pulled out journal books and all sorts of “cally” and other pens and have been practicing and doodling!!! I try to work on it daily even if only for a few minutes…one more small creative outlet for me. I love all your photos and the class, I’m going to look for one near me. Thank You!!! Great post!!
I am going to have to go with some of the others and pick “L”. It just happens to be the first letter of my married last name. I love how you start at the top and do “loop ‘d loops” on the way down. Reminds me of a roller coaster.
This post reminded me of my mother…she had beautiful handwriting and I always admired it. Even now, when I see something with her handwriting on it, I think of her fondly.
My favorite letter to write is the E in my first name Elizabeth. I hated the way I wrote it at first and them practiced until I got it the way I wanted it. Maybe this book could teach me a new way to write it that I’d like even more!
Oh me oh my can I relate! I remember spending hours perfecting my letters and especially my signature! I am appalled when I look at my hastily scralled grocery lists remembering that young girl who insisted on perfection! Can I also add… Please, oh please pick me!!!
Great tips! I have tried hand lettering so many times it is very hard but I want to improve my handwriting so badly! This is a fabulous giveaway!! My current favorite letter is “A”… I am getting married in May and my new last name starts with “A”. It is a fun letter and I seem to need lots of pretty “A’s” when it comes to wedding planning and design, hehe!
How fun! Really enjoyed this post. My favorite letter is ‘D’, with ‘L’ a close second. Thanks for the opportunity! ;)
I have always been fascinated with lettering, and even set out, one summer as a kid, to “reinvent myself” through my handwriting…I didn’t like the way it was turning out and deliberately changed it. My favorite letter to doodle is a J, given its my first initial, but after I got married to “Mr. G,” I’m hooked on G now too. They’re both so changeable! Would love to win this book!
My favorite letter is either the upper case cursive E or K. I make my E with lots of loops and I love the swoosh of the lower part of the K. It’s funny that you posted about this very thing today because I was practicing doodling yesterday when I got bored and thought, “Man, I really need to work on my handwriting!” Pick me, pick me!! :)
But of course, I love the letter J!!
I was just talking about the lost art of handwriting with my hubby. K might be favorite letter, but I don’t know that I have one. My handwriting is horrible right now, and I would love to make it nice again!
S is my favorite letter and I get to practice it a lot since it starts my last name.
This book looks like so much fun! Thanks for a wonderful give away!
I remember as a kid my dad buying me one of those handwriting guide exercise books, the ones with the blue and red lines to use before i even started school because i loved to handwrite even then. I love the feel of the pen and the flow of the words and the creativity in shaping each letter. I keep a to do list in work every day just so i can handwrite it. I’ll find any excuse to put pen to paper. My favourite letter tis R so that every day even if its just a post it on a colleagues desk i can sign off with my initial at the end- as i said any excuse!
I love writing the letter “T”. I’ve had lots of practice since its the first letter of my last name – but there are so many different ways to make a T and I love them all! Great giveaway!! Thanks :-)
My handwriting is always slanted to the left. So all my adult life I have tried to make it slant to the right. Maybe this book would help me. I love the look of M and W and Z isn’t too bad looking either.
Hi Diane!
I love handwriting! Letters, notes, lists, labels, etc… are all so personal written by hand. Seeing the handwriting of friends and loved ones makes me feel as though I hold a piece of them, even when they are far away. I love pencils and sharpies (I may be a bit obsessed with sharpies) and love the letter “M” – even though my name begins with L! Great giveaway – loved what I saw already!!
My favorite letter to write is J. I had a third grade teacher who spent hours having us practice handwriting. Every one who had her went to the forth grade with good handwriting. I have had many compliments on my writing. It appals me that it may not be taught in school anymore. It is a lost art.
Hello, Diane! From the number of comments already posted, I would say that you have touched on a topic of interest for quite a few of us. Handwriting CAN BE so much fun-when it turns out the way we like. My favorite letters to write are L and J, but would love to make them all really pretty. Architects and draftsmen have a style that is neat and attractive. My mother had the most beautiful handwriting~~always uniform and pretty. I’m still trying to find my own style (at 59!). Have a great day!
I love the letter “S” both in cursive and print. There are so many ways to write it! You can make it tall and skinny, short and fat, disproportioned, the cursive started at the bottom like we were taught in school or started at the top like a printed S, with loopies,…… on and on! I love the S!!!
I am sad to say I don’t think I have a favorite letter. I would love to win this book because my handwriting has always been somewhat embarrassing for me.
I have ALWAYS been OBSESSED with handwriting! Love the adventure that this book holds! I have always loved the letter C. Maybe thats why we named our son Caden?
I run a bridal registry and write all the cards to the bridal couples for the gifts they receive. My handwriting needs help…my favorite letter to write is “J”.
This is a wonderful post! I’ve been mourning the dying art of fine handwriting. This gives me hope. I love the z. It’s in my name twice and I love that it has so much movement to it. I’d love to win and improve my handwriting. Thanks so much.
I love to write the letter K and my handwriting is horrible…
I also love handwriting–becoming a lost art. My favorite letter is “S.” Sometimes when you write it creatively, it becomes the treble clef symbol. Thanks for the opportunity to receive this great book.
Excellent and timely post. A friend of mine posted an article on FB a few weeks ago about schools in Indiana considering taking cursive writing classes off the elementary school curriculum, ALL of the comments he received were against removing the class. There is hope! I know my handwriting skills could use a little help . I bet this book would be the perfect catalyst.
I, too, love to write. My favorite has to be writing a “Thank you” note. I love letting someone know that I feel grateful for something or someone. To that I can say how much I enjoy this blog. Thank you for taking the time. I read you. I appreciate you. And, I follow your advice! Most recently got 2 ball topiaries from HomeGoods. I had to go to three different ones and was so thrilled when I found them. They are slightly differerent and I have put each on a different sized urn in my foyer. Looks great and everytime I pass by I thank you in my mind! Cheers and have a great day!
The letter “M” has been hard for me but I now enjoy making it pretty and curly!
I love handwriting! My favorite letter to write is a capital A because I always make a loop on the upstroke. I also love m’s. I never realized other people like handwriting as much as I do!
Couldn’t wait for the contest….I ordered both books this morning!
I love M or W. Both have “hidden” places for loops (3) and options for curls! That makes me happy!
I like to write W. You can make it very straight and stern, or wide and loopy! Thanks for the nice giveaway.
N is my favorite letter to write. I love monograms and initials and love to write letters of gratitude and thank you notes. I also love your wonderful blog and look forward to seeing it in my inbox. Life is in the details. Peace and Blessings to you!
Like some of the other posts, I have noticed a decline in my handwriting, and I always loved to write, and was proud of my handwriting. I also read another article today about how we have to put more effort into things to truly be good at it, and since there are no coincidences, I believe it is perfect that I found this post next!
My favorite two letters are E and S! Because my daughters’ names begin with those letters, they are beautiful to write and you can’t have a favorite child!
The letter G. My grandmother had beautiful, perfect handwriting – like calligraphy. She always signed everything “Grandma Grace” and G (upper case) was truly her finest letter.
I love the letter T
I’ve always loved J, L & Z..so pretty! I used to do calligraphy. Way back in the 80’s! I would love to have this book! Even if I don’t win it, I’ll be adding it to my book shelf! What a great way to start the day.
Good luck to all of us!
Being left-handed was a challenge for me in grade school..until Miss Laffey gently encouraged me to keep my paper straight, not use the claw-like hand position most lefties prefer, and develop legible cursive. Bless that kind woman! I, too, miss the art of handwriting. I enjoy making the letter “Z” and embellishing its sharp edges. :)
I still have my calligraphy pens from high school. I love the way they make ordinary writing look “special”.
What a fun book. This stuff has always fascinated me but I’ve never done a whole lot with it other than doodling. I think my favorite letter to write is a lower case f. I can put a lot of flair into that. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love writing the letter K with tails, loops, and flourishes!
I love writing the letter W. Although its really hard to choose just one.
I love the letter “S.” It is the beginning of my maiden name, and when I was a child and my dear sweet mama was helping me with my penmanship, she showed me how to make a bird with an “S” and that helped me to improve my writing and to think of this bird every time I signed my name!!
I like to write the letter M. It is a fairly easy letter to make “pretty”, even though the rest of my handwriting is not! Thanks for a wonderful, creative giveaway – penmanship is definitely becoming a lost art (rumor has it they won’t be teaching cursive writing in our schools soon – yikes!).
My favorite has always been “D”. I have 2 of them in my name, so I would always practice the different ways to make my “D” I chose the name of my business based on the letter “D”. I too use to have very pretty hand writing, not so much anymore. I think you inspired me to practice!
DeDe @ Designed Decor
My favorite letter to write is L. I like to write personal thank you notes and sign with one big L for
my etsy shop name (Linens Lace and Lattes)
Would love love love (three L’s!!!) the book.
Thanks for entering my name
deb
Linens Lace and Lattes
My favorite letter has to be “S” when I want to experiment with styles. When I was young the World Book encyclopedia A-L dictionary had different scripts in the front and I would practice free-handing them. Thanks for the opportunity and I love your blog.
I have always loved to write the letter “M.” Fortunately, my name and the name of my hometown both start with my favorite letter!
I love to write the letter B. It’s the initial of both of my precious daughters – Blaire and Brooke :)
I love, love writing my name. My favorite letter is ‘w’, which is in the middle of my last name. It’s funny that on some days your handwriting can look so great and on others it just never strikes your fancy. My favorite thing to do is to write over my lists once I get lots of things crossed off… it sure is getting to be a lost art! Be especially blessed!
I am so excited to see this post and the book! I have been thinking about this very thing lately and about how much fun it would be to be able to write beautifully and artistically. My fave letter to write is capital W…all those swoopy ups and downs are so cool!
What a great giveaway! I’m always doodling and adding extra embellishments to letters as I’m chatting on the phone or taking notes at a meeting. Believe I got this from my mom…..she used to always write our names on our lunch bags with such creativity. I may give this book to mom…she’ll be turning 82 soon and still uses pen and pencil daily. My favorite letter is K.
I love this particular post. Handwriting is a lost art. I, too, believe you can tell someone’s mood and personality by their handwriting. Artist’s signature’s beautiful and flowing–doctor’s and lawyer’s quick and messy.
My favorite letter to create is “J.” It is the first letter of my name and it is the one letter that I never make the same twice. My mood is instantly known to the reader by viewing either it’s sharp, unreadable lines, or it’s flowing, beautiful curves.
Whether I win a copy or not–as always–LOVE this BLOG!!
My favorite letter is the letter “S”. There are so many ways to write it.
I was looking to buy a book on handwriting a while back but couldn’t find any that I thought I could do. I did try to print off some ‘lessons’ from the web and did those.
I love uppercase M.
I love this giveaway! My favorite letter is K! I think it’s so pretty, not to mention its my first initial! Thanks for the chance to win!
Kara
What a great giveaway! I’ll bet the book is most fantastic. As someone who grew up attending catholic primary school, I’ve always been told I have nice handwriting, and maybe that’s one of the reasons why I like writing by hand. My favorite letter to draw is C–it’s the first letter of my daughters name (Catherine) and has lots of opportunities to make it simple or elegant.
I’m a 3rd grade teacher, where cursive writing has always been a part of our curriculum. Sadly, now with the new Common Core Standards taking over our country, that has been removed from the curriculum……too much other “stuff” to teach. My district hasn’t decided if we’ll keep teaching it or not.
p.s. Capital L is my favorite too!
Very Interesting! I love to write and in cursive my favorite letter to write would be S. In calligraphy, I love to write every letter!
I am just discovering your fabulous blog and loving it. So many helpful ideas and superb explanations. Love – love -love the free fonts. My favourite letter is M although L is a very close second.
And Alexandra Stoddard. She is wonderful. I own most of her books and have a signed copy of Living a beautiful life… that has black and white drawings, which I hand-coloured as I worked my way through her 500 ways – easier said than done.
I recently found out from my 13 year old grandson that they are no longer teaching cursive in his school! What a shame..kids are not even going to have signatures anymore!! I guess if I had to pick one letter to call my favorite, it would be the letter “G”.
I love to do the M at the beginning of a Mr & Mrs on an envelope! Love the book and the idea of a wine & lettering class.
My favorite letter is H. This looks like a fun book. Thanks for the giveaway, Diane!
My favorite has to be a capital S. Perhaps because it is the first letter of my name. It has loops and curls, which give it lots of creative potential.
L is my favorite letter. It is, of course, my first initial, but it has always seemed to have a lot of flourish (and possibilities) 8-)
xo Linda
gosh, that’s a difficult one, I think all letters have their charm, but if I really need to pick one it would be R
I love this post! Handwriting will never die.
I use to have the most elegant and beautiful handwriting and you reminded me to slow down and focus on the strokes of each letter again.
My favorite letter has always been S. I just like the little on the top and the big on the bottom and it just always looks regal to me for some reason.
Thanks for the giveaway. Crossing my ts. lol
Hello Diane!
My favorite letter to write is the one I write most often, the letter I practice the most: “M” (capital “M”) –which, coincidentally, is the first letter of my name. I catch myself looking forward to writing words with the letter M: Museum (I’m an avid museum fanatic and love to visit the MET whenever I’m in NY); Madonna (grew up listening to her music); Middle Ages (I love to read historical fiction that takes place during this time period); Madame (I’m French-Canadian and used to address letters to my Grandmaman as “Madame Marcelle Crete”), etc.
In life, our favorite things/experiences become those in which we are allowed to repeat and perfect. By writing my name often (which I’m doing now because I have to complete and sign a lot of forms), I am enjoying perfecting the letter “M” as I write Monique, and as I write words with the letter “m” – because “m” is my second favorite letter to write! :)
This was a nostalgic post to read and to write a comment!
Monique
S has to be my favorite, since my maiden name started with that. Second would be PJ since that’s my first name. This is fun! Thanks. hugs, PJ
My favorite letter is A. I draw a long curl in the beginning and loop around to cross lines.
Hello,
You are so right, handwriting is a lost art, it makes me sad :(
I use to write short stories and poetry and I never typed them out because I loved seeing the looping letters put together as words, I felt like I was doing two forms of art at the same time.
I was thinking of creative writing this past week. I want to make luggage tags for my stack of suitcases so I know what’s in them. I made one tag so far because I couldn’t think of lettering for the 5 other tags. I did write the word “beads” on the one tag I made and had a lot of fun with the letter “B” I made it all fancy :D
Thanks for your inspiration, Co
Such an interesting post Diane! funny how we can go about our lives and not really think of writing much at all (because, let’s be honest, how much actual “writing” does one even do anymore?) In these get-it-now days, letters are fast becoming a thing of the past – sad! Who doesn’t LOVE getting handwritten letters?!?
I have always loved the swirly capital L and now, after several minutes contemplating, I have to add lower case h and f – so much personality in those two!
My handwriting usually sucks but I do love to do calligraphy. My favorite letter is A. Ther eare so many different ways to write it.
I, too, love the art of handwriting…you’d laugh if you could see all the different pens and pencils I have. Whatever the need I don’t have to run to the office supply store, but just to my office drawers to fetch the perfect pen. I am always ask by friends and employers to do the names tags, etc. I love it! I guess my favorite letter to write at this time in my life is “M”, which I have grown to love since the birth of my twin granddaughters, Madalin and Marydith! It was fun teaching them to write an M with the crayolas!
My favorite Letter is T and of course my second fav is B. I have had alot of practice with these two. And may I say myself (no bragging here) I have beautiful writing. Everyone always remarks about it. I was so sad when my Grandchildren told me, they would not be learning to write in school. Everything will be printed. I have a new project can you quess what it is? Always looking for for special little things to make someone else happy. Have never tried decorative writing, would love to try it with this book. (I have painted and added decorations to my writing. Always have been just a little intimidated.)
Very interesting post. I remember my niece, who was learning to write in cursive at the time, telling me, “I can write better than you, and I stink.” I think I need this book. My favorite letters to write are capital L and capital J – love the flow of the curves. Thanks for the opportunity.
My favorite letter is W. Whether rounded or spiky, symmetrical or quirky, Roman or italic, flourished or blocky, it is always satisfying!
I love handwriting, calligraphy, lettering or drawn letters. The master of the drawn letter, Doyald Young has always been my idol.
Book sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks, Diane for your usual inspiration, I will never take it for granted, I appreciate the joy you bring to my life.
It’s so nice to see there are others out there who love lovely handwriting. It truly is a nearly lost art. I love writing several letters, actually: K, W and L’s are real favorites. Thanks for sharing this wonderful book. I’ll have to go check for it since it’s highly unlikely I’d win a copy. Just knowing about it is a bit like winning, though, so I take that last bit back…I think I already won!
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you, However I am going through troubles with your RSS.
I don’t know the reason why I can’t subscribe to it.
Is there anyone else having similar RSS problems?
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Thanx!!
Not sure why it is not working for you. What reader are you trying to get my feed to?
Love the letter M
I love all the swirls with the letter “S”, but I am also partial to the letter “P”.
My favorite letter to make is the E. My first job required we take all orders in pencil, so I still use a sharp pencil for all my grocery lists. My boss had beautiful penmanship and she was truly an inspiration to me. The book would be a great joy to anyone who takes pride in their signature!
What a fascinating post! You’re so right — handwriting is very personal, and a wonderful way to express yourself. I’ve never understood why human resources departments and college admissions offices didn’t have handwriting analysis expert on staff. Making decisions about whom to hire or admit would be so simple.
The book looks like a winner. You’ve done a tempting review.
My favorite letter is a capital B. There are so many ways to write it, and BB were my initials when I was growing up. I always thought if I owned a ranch I would call it The Double B. I call my home office Studio B, because I like the Hollywoodesque sound of it!
The book sounds like so much fun. I like to write the letters J and S.
I like the letter L as well. It is just fancy and stands for love, oh and my name too. I enjoyed your blog. It was fun to read. :)
I LOVE to write ALL Letters!!!!! I wish that UI had a job doing this…..I would be THRILLED if I were lucky enought to win this book!!!! :-)
I love writing the lowercase “j”. I love the big swirl and the dot on top. It makes me happy to write it. Great post!
How many times over the course of the years, have I thought the same thing about penmanship? I used to have ‘nice’ writing, but lately, not so much! I really enjoyed this post, thank you! My favorite letter would have to be “M” and “F”, simply because I write them most often :)
I have to say I have two favorite letters both lowercase and they begin and end the alphabet, I wonder what that says about me..wink, A and Z.
I like the capital M, there are so many ways you can embellish it. I recently was given a set of calligraphy pens and look forward to learning how to use them.
I love writing the letter H! Both of my daughters names start with H! :-).
I loved this article! Handwriting is so so expressive! Use to practice cursive OOOOOOOOOs for hours…. Then I began to type at age 8!!! But the things covered in this book are beautiful… calligraphy! So beautiful!! Would love to be a winner!! I follow you & get your newsletter… :)
I love writing the letter “S” or “B.” Thanks for hosting this lovely giveaway!
I love the letter L – laughter and love are words I use alot in my paintings/sayings. You can do it so many different ways. What a great idea to bring back the art of handwriting!! At my daughter’s school they don’t even teach cursive writing any more. :(
Loved this article. When I was a child, all I wanted was a calligraphy set. When I finally got one, I could not stop writing!
My favorite letter to write is D for obvious reason. I also enjoy making L’s…partially for my middle name and partially because I always coveted the curly L on Laverne’s sweater. Now I’ve said it…
My favorite letter is “A” for my A-list girls: Amy, Addison, Aubrey, Amanda and Alyssa. Keep up the great work – your blog is the best!!
I enjoy writing the letter G, probably because it’s the first letter of my name!
Wow! Just the other day I was writing a thank-you note and thought, I really need to learn to write in a unique way to make my notes more personal. I would love to have that book, I already have those pens ! My favorite letter is A , there is just something magnificent about it, don’t you think?
My favorite letter to write is a “k”. Probably because it is in my name!!! Lol
Oh my goodness! You make me want to pull out my calligraphy pens and start practicing again. One gets rusty when not doing it. Think “W” is my favorite letter because I like making it curly.
I really love these letters I could make all kinds of things with letters for my grandson Gavin. I like the letter G or g, for my little Gavin.
i loved reading this post=and i love handwriting and do it daily. thanks so much. i’m partial to the upper case G. cheers to handwriting!
My favorites are J, L, and M. I would also like to save handwriting.
Great post. My fav is definitely H
I love love love this giveaway! I have to share with you that when I have an appt. or while kids are at practice and I’m sitting waiting I practice writing. I know who does this right? My family teases me when they find notes all over the house with their names written in different styles. I love them so much I have to write their names over and over. LOL Anyway, my favorite letter is T.
How interesting! I enjoyed so much reading this. As a classroom teacher I can tell you that teaching handwriting has gone by the way since teachers have less and less time to teach handwriting because of state assessments. A very sad thing because it definitely shows up in the handwriting of students. I would absolutely love to have one of these books. I’ve always had fun with the cursive L; nice since my last name is Lee.
What a great post! I so hope penmanship does not become a lost art…I remember learning it in school and erasing mistakes with so much vigor I made holes in my paper! Honestly, I need to improve my handwriting, which has become such a mess! I love to write the letter “L” because you can be so creatively artistic with it and beautiful words begin with L….love, lace, etc. and my daughter’s name, Lindsay. Thanks for keeping the art of letter writing front and center!
A is my favorite letter to write… unfortunately, it isn’t one of my initials. :-(
Thank you for the giveaway!
What a wonderful post! There’s nothing quite as lovely as a hand-written note received from a dear friend. My favorite letters to write are L, K & M.
I always have loved the capital letter “Q”. I invented ways to make numerous loops and curls when writing it.
Please enter me for your penmanship book give away! I love “paper books”, I love hand written notes . . . call me old fashioned! My favorite letter “E” of course, and all it’s pretty curly-doos!
i could really relate to this post! I have always liked handwriting and can never understand why some people don’t enjoy writing neatly (hubby included)! Great post!
hmmmm…G. both uppercase and lowercase. and k’s. :) i would love to win this!
Excellent post. I love hand written notes, cards, letters . . . and try to foster that art form as often as I can. Love the look of manuscript and grabbing a scratch pad and writing words , letters . . . I use my own style of a draw and script . . . The letter L is a favorite and the various ways to write the letter A and O.
I really enjoyed this Diane . . .
My favorite letter to write is the letter “B”. My last name begins with a “B” and I love to sign my name so that I can make it!!! I have been signing my last name for almost 29 years now!!!! I too love to write, and feel sad that penmanship is no longer taught and so many people don’t take the time to write “legible” anymore! I enjoyed my visit to your site!!! Happy writing!
I love making the letter V!!
I love to do the letters J and L. I am so excited about this book – I used to do calligraphy and love to write beautifully, loved looking at my grandmother’s old letters. Now I can barely write a grocery list as I even do that on the computer. I want to add lettering to my mixed media art. This book looks perfect to get me back on track!
I love the letter M. I love it when people compliment me on my signature. It makes me happy!
I love “J” too. It’s a graceful letter.
Oh, Diane! You are a woman after my own heart. I was a 5th grade teacher and taught penmanship. I love to write and have my very own italic style. Books and pens and paper… what fun!!!
I think my favorite letter is P. I make it loopy and swoopy and it flows out of the pen!
Thanks for the chance to win this creative lettering book!
Believe it or not, my favorite letter to write (actually print) is the lower case “e”. My job is as a deputy district clerk and I actually write quite a bit, even in a world of computers. I’ve always LOVED a good pen and have a hard time passing up the pen aisle in stores. Love your posts, keep up the good work!
My favorite is ‘L’. I may be partial though, since my name is Laura! :)
My favorite is K…..
I am so excited to find so many people still interested in handwriting. I am a retired teacher, and fewer and fewer school districts are emphisizing or even teaching penmanship. This saddens me greatly. I was taught the Palmer Method by Miss Mary Bostik, and she inspired my lifetime love of beautiful handwriting. Because of my first and middle names, my favorite letter is “L.”
Hi Diane,
What a great article!
I’m left handed and really need to improve my handwriting!
The book sounds fantastic!
I guess my favorite letter to write is M, as a child I always thought of going up two mountains and into the valleys:)
Thanks for the chance,
Vicki
My favorite letter to write would be a letter to my best friend. My other favorite kind of letter would be “g”.
i really like to write the letter J. that’s the letter my love’s name starts with.
Oh my, I love good old fashioned handwriting. I particularly love the letter “S”….hhhmmmmm…..wonder if its because my name starts with the letter “S” and I have lots of practice!
I love lettering as much or more than you do. My favorite letter is the lower case a because I spent so much time practicing it trying to learn the Ken Brown method. I have loved writing since kindergarten and appreciate it more now- so enjoyed this posting!!! How awesome to have one of these books! Thank you very much.
Love letter j and m the most!
Thanks!
I have always liked writing the J
My favorite letter to write is S!
I love writing the letters M and N, but probably like N the best since that is the start of my last name.
I love writing the letter L in cursive because it’s so loopy and lovely (and my middle initial).
The letter ‘J’. I do a fancified version of the printed J rather then the cursive J. I also picked up a bad habit sometime soon after highschool of mixing printing and cursive together. Handwriting analysis doesn’t say nice things about that. =(
My favorites are E and L (coincidentally letters of my own name). I love the loops!
I love writing the letter “A”! It’s a great place to start!
Excellent post, Diane! I just found your blog through Jenny Doh Facebook page. I’ve been looking at this book and wondering if it would be a good edition to my library. I love the letter L and the letter E. Thanks for the giveaway!
I am a K lover too! So many opportunities for embellishing and it is part of my name. :-)
Great review!
oops! went on and on and forgot to mention that I love the letter “J”-the first letter of my first name which I can still muster up the creative juices to make with a flourish! Thanks again
What a lovely post! I really felt what you were talking about as I read your post- I used to have such nice handwriting! I would always receive compliments on it and I was proud of it- I also saw it as an extension of my personality. I really got into it- even took a calligraphy course where I perfected it even further. Had all the various nibs and even built a slanted stand to work on. Something happened to me and my handwriting over the years (including aging!) and now it is just horrid and practically illegible. As proud of it as I was, I am that embarrassed now. I would sooooo love to have this book to get back into it again! I am thinking even if I don’t win it in your giveaway, I should do this anyway- sort of like “me time”-something I can surely use in my life! It can only help my penmanship and be a creative outlet at the same time. Thanks for the inspiration!
Z is my favorite English letter (By the way – all of the 22 letters in hebrew script is so nice to write) – Teri D took the words from my mouth that letters with tails are fun.
ZIE GA ZINK (Yiddish for wishing someone good health) that would be nice in calligraphy –
Thanks for the fun giveaway! I l-o-v-e playing with different ways to write the capital B :)
Hi Diane, I enjoy drawing and doodling especially the letter “I” for insperation! Enjoy Coll
I enjoy doing the D since it’s in my name. But the letters with tails are fun also. I did do some calligraphy in high school but I let that talent go
I love “G”. When I was taught cursive in second grade, it had the most loops and swirls and was so fun! Thanks for mentioning this book–I don’t want handwriting to be a lost art in my house.
I love the letter “L” for Laura and “M” for McHugh…I always practice writing my name and love those 2 letters…..I try to make it fancy with curlie q’s or simple and plain…this book would help me find a nice way to write my name…..fingers crossed…..
J is my favorite letter to write. I love the curves, like that of a mother standing. I,like you, feel it is a lost art. I make it a point to send a handwritten letter now and then. It’s nice to see how a persons thought process changes as they write…the writing becomes hastened and scribble as the thoughts speed up. I just love it! So glad I subscribe to your blog!
I love to write a printed capital S (not the awkward-looking cursive S). I love the alternating swirls – and like to write it big with pizazz.
I love to write the capital letter G…it’s the first letter of my middle name and my maiden name. I love reading your posts! Thanks for the inspiration to improve my handwritting!
I’ve always loved the letter ‘A’…capital and lowercase. It was the first letter of my maiden name. Now I get to use it whenever I write all three of my daughters’ names! :) The book looks like absolute eye candy and I’d love to win a copy. Fonts and handwriting are an interest of mine.
I loved reading your blog. I am one of those people that still hand address our Christmas cards by hand. I have been told that I still have pretty hand writing even at my age. That makes me proud because I am left handed.
I would love to have a book of instruction like that as I am always trying to learn.
I love to write the letter D, which is good as it is my initial! I have tried a short calligraphy class at our local library and would love to win this give away!
I love writing the letter E, because of all the loops, but also because it begins my name!
I love the letter “D” because of the swirls on top and bottom – it’s fun! Would love, love to win the giveaway!!
I remember in high school that my best friend’s older, and more sophisticated sister, had beautiful handwriting, and I loved the way she made her lower case “r” in cursive. It was a bit different than most, and certainly different than mine. Mine was like a little hill, ordinary and not particularly pretty. Her’s had an uptick on the upper left without a loop, then a down stroke followed by another uptick on the right hand side of the upper portion of the “r.” Again, no loops. My description may be lacking. I loved it and practiced over and over and over until I changed the shape of my “r.” I couldn’t do my old “r” now if I tried. I still enjoy writing that letter, as I guess it brings back the memory of what a little desire and practice can create. Thanks for the post.
I love the write the letter C, all curly and pretty. I miss my handwriting too and have been taking steps to relearn. My husband has the most beautiful penmanship (but I must admit it takes him too long to sign his name at the bank). Just saying!
My favorite letter to write is S!! The first letter in my name! But what I really like is to draw little doodles next to the letters to let my students get to know me.
S=Soda=draw a diet coke can
I love diet coke!
My favorite letter to write in cursive is my middle initial, which is J. When printing, I love to write E and upper- and lowercase O (I put a little curl at the top of the O). My handwriting has never been great (black stars in elementary school, and in college, a TA told me I had to type my lab reports because my handwriting was too “loopy”), but it is definitely distinctive. I would love to be able to make great-looking hand-lettered signs for my classroom, or even to have fun addressing envelopes. Oh, the possibilities!
When we were learning to write cursive, in 3rd grade, I remember writing the alphabet over and over again just because I could (in cursive).
I like the letter J, usually with a big big loop on top, smaller loop on bottom.
My favorite letter to write is H, my new last initial since getting married!
I am a stationery fanatic. My friend, Pat, and I say we have a “paper fetish” and have a whole stash of lovely papers we enjoy using. She is the queen of the handwritten note. I enjoy printing, as I was a first grade teacher and one of the courses I had to take in college was manuscript writing! I like to print the letter “C” and fancy it up!
I’ve always loved trying to embellish my handwriting or printing. One of my favorite letters is “S” – love embellishing the ends. This book looks like fun!
My favorite letter to write is R because my last name starts with an R and I love monograms. Thanks for a fun giveaway.
It would have to be the letter “S”. To me, it’s the prettiest, but also the most challenging to get it just right.
How pretty!! I love to write “B”.
Thank you for the chance.
Capital ‘M’ starts my first and last name. Need to make an iMpression!
I love writing E’s (my name used to have lots of them).
My parents made me take calligraphy when I was growing up and I’m so glad that they did.
My favorite letter to write is lower case H ~ love the loopy loopy flow that you can bring to it and keep the script of a word going.
Diane, PLEASE consider doing a handwriting club/event/class…..group…it would be SO fun ~ I would be the first to sign up. Wouldn’t it be fun to learn in a fun setting how to have lovely penmanship….I would love it…love it…love it…and you would be an terrific creative teacher/leader…DO IT!!!
My favorite letter is L. It’s my last name initial so I find myself using it quite often.
I used to write so pretty, but now everything is so hurried and my handwriting has suffered for it. My favorite letter to write is “Y” because I can end it in so many curly q’s or even begin it in curly q’s.
I have this book in my wish list on Amazon. I don’t like my handwriting. I mix capital letters and lowercase all in the same word and it’s not pretty {to me}. The only thing I ever write s a note for my daughters school, a grocery list and the very occasional check. Penmanship is a lost art. I recently took a class and we had to journal in our handwriting and I write that I didn’t like mine. I think I am going to challenge myself and practice letters and writing creatively.
My first name starts with a C and it’s a boring letter really, I would say “S” is fun with some swirly opportunities :o)
I’m gonna cross my fingers for a win on the book and of not I may need to treat myself.
I have always wanted to improve my handwriting. I write the letter “L” the best. Thanks for the tips above and the giveaway chance.
My favorite letter to write is “K”! First letter of my name! I always get such joy out of thinking I made a “perfect” K! :)
Nice post – I love to write the letter A
I have to say that I have my own narcissistic views on my favourite letter to write – seeing as my name begins with this letter – but I just love the letter K. I have, over the years, perfected the way I sign my name, and have written Ks in my notebooks since I was little. In fact, my parents named me Katie because they liked the way it looked! I love what you can do with a good K. <3
I am currently a chalk artist and barista, and absolutely love researching new typography (and pretty hand writing) for my chalk boards. This book would easily be my new go-to guide!
I Watch your posts everyday . Being a vey shy introvertI find it very hard to leave a comment. But today is different I L-O-V-E calligraphy. Lots of people tell that my handwritting is very nice, even the teachers I work with. I sometimes create fake lists so I can write ( can’t believe I’m saying this ). My favorite letter I like to play around the most is *A*.Thanks Diane for all your lovely post.
Chantal
My favorite letter is the J. It also has some fabulous loops!
I, too, miss my handwriting! I love the letter “b”!
Oh, I also love the letter “L”. The loops are super fun! Thanks! This book looks like a lot of fun to play with.
Oh my, I love this blog! I do not consider my writing “pretty” and I would LOVE this book! My favorite letter is “L” mainly because my name is Laura Leonard…my friends call my L squared or Double L and I really thing thats fun. I have differnt types of L’s in my house and my little granddaughter (21 months now) stands on my bed and points the the letter and says “ewl” if you can imagine how that sounds, so cute. She knows the letter L now. Now to teach her F for her name Felicity…that will take a while :). Anyway I would get alot of learning and fun out of this book and I can teach little Flissie right along with me! Thanks again for the post. (what a fun idea to have copies of pages of the book out and a bunch of girlfriends over with some wine and treats…go from there.
Laura