6 Ways to Improve Your Handwriting -- and Examples of Maybe the World’s Best Penmanship
If you haven’t heard of Seb Lester, write that name down – but do it very carefully. The London-based designer and illustrator is a master of the pen and will blow you away with his seemingly effortless calligraphy skills.
Seb Lester’s creations are controlled, intricate and striking. Photo: Seb Lester
Though Lester is proficient in everything from Medieval Blackletter to creating modern typefaces, it is his unbelievable ability to recreate the logos of iconic brands by hand, with nothing more than a calligraphy pen and some highly skilled flicks of his wrist, that has made him a viral video star.
Lester trained in graphic design at Central Saint Martins in London and has since created typefaces for some of the world’s biggest companies, including Apple, Nike, Intel and British Airways, to name a few.
His 900,000-plus followers across Instagram and Facebook are a worthwhile reminder that there is definitely something to be said for having good handwriting.
In Seb Lester’s world, “digital is dead.” Photo: Seb Lester
Though Lester’s skills require plenty of innate talent and years of practice, there are ways anyone can improve his or her own penmanship.
Calligraphy expert Lauren Hooper gives Business Insider a few simple ways you can change your writing habits to improve the appearance of your handwriting. And another expert, Melissa Esplin, who runs the DIY site Melissa Esplin: I Still Love You, lends us some sound intel on mastering a skill that’s still important even in the digital age. After all, your handwriting is an extension of you; if it’s sloppy and illegible, it’s not exactly making a positive first impression.
1. Use the Right Materials
When you write with a lousy pen, the results are likely to be less than stunning. You want to pick a pen with a smooth flow of ink that you don’t have to press down too hard on to write with. Also, be sure your pen feels comfortable in your hand. If it’s too skinny, you’ll have to hold it too tightly and if it’s too thick, you won’t have enough control. You want to have a relaxed but steady grip on your pen, so find one that makes you feel good.
When practicing your penmanship, be sure to use lined paper. The lines will help guide you and keep your letters at an even height and size. “It allows you to put guidelines underneath what you’re writing on, and you’ll have nice straight lines to help you as you work,” says Hooper.
Just a few effortless strokes, lead to impressive penmanship. Photo: Seb Lester
2. Stretch it Out
As silly as it may sound, writing is an exercise for your hands, so it’s important to stretch those muscles in between your fingers and around your wrist. “Especially if you haven’t written in the past few days, you get a little bit tight just like any other muscle,” Hooper notes. Stretched fingers, wrists and even forearms will give you more control when you write.
3. Slow it Down
“You can’t expect consistent results when you’re going too fast,” says Esplin. “The key is to go slow enough that you can anticipate the next move before it happens and so you can create consistent movements.” Writing is like any other skill – when you’re learning you need to take your time.
When you pay careful attention to every move you make - how the letters connect and how you want them to look - you’ll eventually produce some better letters.
4. Don’t Be a ‘Finger Writer’
Another writing expert, Dyas Lawson cautions on her blog Paperpenalia not to focus on the muscles in your fingers when writing. “The ‘right muscles’ are not those in the fingers,” she says. “You must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles.”
The distinction may be hard to grasp, but Lawson describes her method in detail on her site. If you’ve got cramped, crabby handwriting, her advise is worth exploring.
5. Grip Your Pen Lightly
It’s all about having a light touch when holding your pen. A death grip is very likely to result in cramping and fatigue of not only your hand, but of your entire arm. According to Hooper, there is no singular way to hold a pen, but both Hooper and Esplin do stress that a more delicate grip is the key to success.
There are, however, some general guidelines for holding a pen: rest it on the bridge between your thumb and forefinger and on the tip of your middle finger, just below the knuckle.
Lester’s effortless hand-drawn typefaces are anything but simple. Photo: Seb Lester
6. Practice Makes Perfect
You will never master beautiful handwriting if you don’t practice, practice. practice. No one expects to know how to ride a bike after the first attempt, right? Well, the same goes for your penmanship.
Related on Yahoo Makers: What Your Handwriting Says About You
Remember, you’ve been writing the same way for years - your lettering, pace and grip have been learned by your hands and brain and have been set in your muscle memory. It will take some serious practice to break your habits and to essentially re-learn a skill that felt like second nature. “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent,” Esplin notes, so get out that lined paper and hop to it.
More on Yahoo Makers:
See This Dad Transform His Kids’ Doodles
Let Yahoo Makers inspire you every day! Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest.
