The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards [118]
Recall that in learning to draw, you learned the skill of perceiving relationships of angles (angles relative to the constants, vertical and horizontal) and proportions (in relation to one another). Let’s apply that skill to handwriting.
The main task is first to decide on a slant—an angle relative to vertical—and, second, to use the slant without deviation. This gives your handwriting a beautiful rhythm. More than any other aspect, consistent slant will give your writing coherence and unity.
It doesn’t really matter what angle you choose, but be aware that slant conveys a message, subconsciously understood by your reader. A slightly forward slant conveys energy and measured, forward action. A backward slant conveys caution, a conservative pace. An extreme forward slant conveys eagerness, or perhaps a bit of recklessness. Perfectly vertical writing conveys sobriety, a bias toward formality.
(Please be assured that these ideas are not taken from graphology. Graphologists have gone off into fanciful theories; for example, “Large loops on the letter y indicate that the writer is greedy, because the loops look like money bags.” This is nonsense.)
Slant of line is part of the language of art and, without question, the language of line used in handwriting is related to the principles of art—the basic precepts of composition, balance, movement, rhythm, and placement. Just as art expresses the intent of the artist, so does handwriting.
To practice consistent slant, place one sheet of ruled paper over another.
Decide on the proportions that are pleasing to you, then use them consistently.
In drawing, different styles of line have names: the bold line, the pure line, the repeated line, the lost-and-found line, the nervous line, the hard line, the soft line, and many others.
Consistency is the key
To control consistency of slant and proportions, try the following exercises:
1. Place one sheet of lined paper over another, with the lines of the bottom sheet running vertically, at right angles to the horizontal lines of the top sheet. Adjust the bottom sheet until the angle seems right to you. (You may want to try several different slants.) Practice writing your signature, or copying a paragraph of text, aligning the slant to a perfectly consistent angle. At the same time, focus on forming the negative spaces of the letters.
2. The second part of sighting relationships is sighting proportions. In handwriting, this aspect is second in importance only to consistent slant. The main task is to decide on size relationships for your writing and to use the proportions consistently.
There are several proportions you will need to decide on. First, try out some alternatives, then decide on a proportional space to leave between words (the width of the letter o is one possible choice). Then, use that proportional spacing consistently. Decide on the size relationship between short and tall letters, and use that relationship consistently. Decide on how far down the descenders will drop relative to the tall letters and the short letters, and use that relationship consistently. The key word, of course, is consistency. But also keep in mind that these relationships carry subtle messages, as you can see in the examples on page 263.
3. Practice sighting angles and proportions. Write your signature and copy a few sentences from the text. As you write, allow your eyes to scan the whole picture you are creating with your “drawing” to check that the relationships are consistent.
Seeing the lights and shadows in handwriting
This aspect of handwriting emerges from the “value” of your hand, the lightness or darkness—that is, fineness or heaviness—of your line, the closeness or distance of the individual letters