A dip into the past - A humble compendium on Spencerian penmanship

by Harry Shi

Have you ever marveled at how some people can produce art like this?

Steward - Jake Weidmann

Made fully by hand, a native American Indian warrior with contemplative eyes has his headpiece entirely composed of Spencerian Script. Penmanship is widely considered a thing of the past, but I can assure you that it still has relevance in our modern lives today.

It all started with what we penmen call “The Great Revolution Penmanship”. In 1840, a man by the name of Platt Rogers Spencer carefully designed a new font of handwriting called - Spencerian Script. It was introduced to school shortly after its conception and in just 10 years time, it was the most widespread script used in the world for English writing until 1925. Spencer used other existing scripts as inspiration to develop a new oval-based penmanship style that could be written quickly and legibly for the purposes of business correspondence and elegant personal writing. A few notable appearances of this script were the first reinspired Coca-Cola logo.

Coca-Cola Logo 1903

Why learn penmanship?

The belief that the art of penmanship has died as our civilization progresses into the technological age is widely acknowledged. But there are reasons to revive this ancient yet decorous art.

• Penmanship engages your memory

You have probably heard when people say that taking down notes by hand can improve your memory on that subject. Well, it isn’t just some myth, it has been proven! Research conducted by Pam Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel Oppenheimer of the University of California, Los Angeles has proven that writing by hand increases memory retention and understanding of topics.

• You can express more complex ideas in the way you write

Albeit technology is a great aid to our learning, by merely typing words one can only express their ideals and emotions through the words they write. When you handwrite you can use typography to your advantage and express a hidden bank full of more responses. The very script you write in can immediately determine the mood of the passage which is a massive help for how you want the reader to interpret your writing.

• It is useful life-long skill

As we very rapidly metamorphose into young adults, you will slowly realize that self image is highly considered. If your hand owns a stunning script, you elevate your own self image and confidence a lot. You also are able to take notes at a fast pace as well which will undoubtedly be useful in your school years.

You will have noticed that none of the reasons I have presented are sentimental points. This is to prove that learning penmanship does in fact have practical reasons and not just for redundant flamboyance. But of course… Penmanship is beautiful! It’s a spiritual activity that can be quite therapeutic for some.

Now that you have a deeper understanding and a different perspective on penmanship, it is time to get you started in learning a few basic skills to get you started on your journey.

But before rushing to the writing, one must first learn the right posture for writing. Just like using a computer, writing in the wrong or uncomfortable positions are not only painful over long periods of time but will damage your spine. The correct posture for sitting according to the Spencerian handbook is: feet flat on the floor with the angle between the ground and your feet to be 90 degrees, the angle at your knees to be 90 degrees and the angle between you hip to be 90 degrees with a slight flexion forward. The shoulders should not be slouched or protruding, just in a natural position and the back should be straight. The distance between the stomach and the table should be one fist-length and the elbow up to half the forearm anchored on the edge of the table as such:

Spencerian Book #1 - Plat Roger Spencer

Along with the correct sitting position, a Spencerian penman must possess the correct pen grip. The pointer finger rests on the top of the pen whilst the thumb pinches softly on the left side. The middle finger acts as a support and rests on the bottom right of the pen. The ring and pinkie finger elevate the wrist off the table and the nails of aforementioned fingers are used to slide across the table as such:

Spencerian Book #1 - Plat Roger Spencer

Now it's time to practise some of the basic strokes. Shown below are the eight (one is not shown) principle strokes that is the foundation of all characters in Spencerian penmanship.

Spencerian Book #1 - Plat Roger Spencer

Start by getting a piece of paper and practising the first four basic strokes. Some tips to help you are:

• Relax your body. Albeit you are sitting in a presumably uncomfortable position, it does not mean that you have to be tense.

• Reposition your wrist after two to three letters. Beginners find it very difficult to slide the nails of the ring and pinkie finger to write continuously. Feel free to stop after a couple letters and move your wrist to get more comfortable.

• Maintain your wrist posture and body posture. You may feel that this new position is limiting your calligraphic capabilities, but like with everything, results come with time!

Further Resources to aid with writing

Here are some books that you can borrow (some available in the SIC now!) that can help you in your proficient practitioner journey!

• “Spencerian Penmanship” by Plat Roger Spencer

• “Creative Lettering and Beyond: Inspiring tips, techniques & ideas for hand lettering your way to beautiful work of art” by Gabri Joy Kirkendall

• “Typography” by Yolanda Zeppaterra

• “Calligraphic Drawing: A How-to Guide and Gallery Exploring the Art of the Flourish” by Schin Loong