Absolutely worthwhile! As a teen, I found several of the workbooks, already completed, in an abandoned house in New Hampshire. I taught myself and my teachers in grade 8 were very impressed, possibly jealous as some of them could barely print!
In addition to other millions things that you got right, the most impressive feat you have acheived is that you have gotten the part absolutely right where most you-tubers mess up completely-that is, choosing the correct music, the right melody and the right volume- not too loud, not too low- just the right kind of music, in the right amount and volume. I hate the videos where they play loud disruptive music while they talk. Yours is the only one I have thoroughly enjoyed. The music never interferes with or distracts from your speech , in fact complements it. Awesome job!!! And of course your explanations and tutoring is awesome too. Thanks a lot. :-)
Thanks so much for this comment! I'm glad you find everything works together; it really means a lot to me to know that the time I spend editing and fitting everything together is worth it. 😊
This is fascinating! In my career I have come across a few old Business letters that were written before typewriters. I noticed that they all had this same script. It was Elegant yet legible. I am so excited now to know it has a name and it’s some thing I can learn. Thank you for sharing this information!
i find that i can "draw" spencerian quite well. i have allways been drawing a lot and i can control the pen well. however learning the arm movement has really humbled me. its like learning to walk again. im writing like a todler
I just purchased these since my cursive is atrocious. I think what I'm going to do is go through half of all the exercises in every book. When I finish, I'll go back and do the remaining half...I think this method might help reinforce the skills much better.
@@joshuasoccer500 It was going really well, except I stopped before completing due to a lot of other things that happened. Ill probably start again when I get the time,
Yes! I think they suit a specific personality type, I like putting on a podcast and just relaxing into the drills. It's like Zentangle but you have better handwriting at the end of it.
I'm always shocked to find that I was the only person that writes in cursive in the entire grade level (except the teachers ofc) and I'm seeing if I can switch to spencerian after sticking with D'nealian. But my hand wouldn't budge and now my handwriting is sort of a hybrid now. Good luck changing your way of writing ! :)
I ordered these books and they arrive tomorrow. I'm a lefty, my hand writing is TERRIBLE. I also take part in civilwar reenactments which makes me interested in this script specifically. SO I'm going to use these books to learn from the ground up RIGHT HANDED. This is gonna be a fun time. Can't wait to switch writing styles depending on which hand I'm using ;)
@@Channel-kc7rz I already find it working and I've barely scratched the surface of the first book. When at work doing inventory tallies, I use my right hand now O_O
Spencerian was still being taught in the required penmanship classes when my mother was in school (born 1949). She tells of those classes, with the teacher walking up and down the aisles giving the counts for drills, such as for the ovals "Right, right ready, write! 1, 2, 3....", accompanied by a metronome for the pacing. Mom still has GORGEOUS everyday handwriting, even at age 75 - the whole-arm method using the larger muscles means that at an age when fine motor movements of the fingers can become weak/shaky, mom's handwriting isn't suffering at all. Makes me a little jealous, not gonna lie - I attended the same schools, but by the time I attended, they had dropped penmanship classes entirely, and only taught basic Palmer method in elementary school without the rigor or care of the classes. Being taught such beautiful penmanship (Spencerian) is a lifelong gift - one I'm going to get myself this Christmas, finally.
My mother took penmanship from these books in the early 1900s. My sister used her old book in the 50s and has beautiful perfect handwriting. I love these books, but I have not progressed. I really think you have to be somewhat artistic to write like this.
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I have just come by this book; however, I thought that it was not practical at all, just by leafing through it online. Your video changed my perspective. I will definetely use it to practice my handwriting!
I started these books and lost my confidence on p. 13, the small letter "r". One big thing that bugged me was that all the samples and lines were set at 5 mm for small letter height, which is quite large, because most handwriting of small letters is done at 2mm (try it yourself). So I kept thinking, "Even if I get through all these books, I'll learn how to write large Spencerian script, which is not very useful for my letters and correspondence." The book doesn't address this at all, so I guess we're supposed to assume that after months of training this way, all of a sudden we can "downsize" from 5mm to 2mm without any difficulty. So that bothers me. But it still is a beautiful script and worth imitating. And congratulations on staying dedicated and going so far! I see you have an angled nib-holder, which is great for shading. You are an inspiration to us all!
VERY nicely presented. I’d never heard of those books but they’re worth investigating. And if that was an example of you using that pen, your time has been well spent. Also……..nice choice of background music! Wonderful match. It appears you’ve trained your ear somewhere along the road. Too many presenters haven’t figured out that music should compliment the message, not intrude upon it. Gosh……..I’m thinking about proposing marriage…………….😉 Keep up. The great work.
I got these from Amazon last year but haven't gotten around to starting them yet! Whenever I looked through them when they arrived I will admit it seemed pretty full on with the technical descriptions. How long did it take you to really start to pick it up?
Hi! i have been considering buying these copybooks and the theory book a while now! And i was wondering how long did it take for you to have an elegant handwriting by practicing with these books? :)
Hi Nah! It depends on your dedication and how much time you devote. I believe if you consistently practice 10 minutes a day your writing will improve in 1-2 months; certainly by the end of finishing the first book you should see considerable improvements.
Hi. Watching the video again, but now I got myself the books, by Amazon, here in Brazil. Could your make a video "differing" or comparing, the hand movement with the whole arm movement in Spencerian? I'm a little (to much) lost in here. Thanks!
Hello, Liked your comments and your progress is beautiful penladyship! Ha! But didn’t see where you purchased these workbooks. Thanks for sharing. After ordering Yes they helped me. But Honestly those who can’t afford them can as I did learn watching the unlimited UTube tutorials.
You're the first person who I have watched their video on the Spencerian System to go this far, did you finally complete all the workbooks? I bet you have!
Do you always make the straight line as a downstroke? I noticed you made the curves on upstrokes. I think it was palmers book that says always make downstrokes straight and upstrokes curved. This doesn’t seem possible with Spencerian.
Will you recommend using a mechanical pencil instead? Because it has the same pointy end and we don't have to sharpen the pencils very frequently? I am just wondering..
Your pen grip is nothing like what the book instructs. That being said, you write very well! The drills seem to be doing their job. Did you try to modify your grip though? And it's normal for things to progress slowly, true mastery takes years. I've literally just started but I know what's ahead of me in terms of practice and time investment :)
Great video, am starting on the workbooks. I learned this script in gradeschool in the 1960's or perhaps it was more Palmer penmanship. Is there a huge difference and can they be compared in terms of better or worse ( probably Palmer is business style ). Thanks !
Love this. This is just what the Doctor ordered. WHERE CAN I GET THIS/. I have been looking 3 years for this exact same thing. Where can I get This. Thanks, Bo********
I need your help. It seems like you don't use the grip suggested in the Spencerian theory book...I am so discouraged because I can't get the letters right and consistently correct. What grip should I use? Should I continue trying with the suggested Spencerian grip or can I use the grip I have used since childhood...? I have done some research and have seen suggestions to use either one. Help!
I've been through a version of the same books ( mine look different in terms of the words mainly) and I worked on these and photocopies of grid lines for about a year... Still not happy, my letter forms are close but no improvement at All... I still use these books for practice about 3 times a weeks or more ... So what can I do to get more consistency and elegance in my letters and words?
Could I use a fountain pen to practice in the books? or would you suggest starting out with pencil? Just wondering because I'm about to purchase this online and I might as well get a fountain pen if you think it's a good idea...
Victor Jason Yeung I’ve gone through almost the whole first book with a fountain pen. I’m just getting into them and I enjoy it. The paper isn’t the best quality so if you use a broader nib or write slower you might get some bleed through to the other side of the page. But it hasn’t been unbearable for me. It’s nice to try out different colors of inks too to see what they look like.
i'd suggest with a pencil, but later on you can definitely go over with a fountain pen, but as the others have said the paper quality isn't the best. I use a pilot metro in medium nib (still very fine) and in x-feather and it doesn't bleed through. Once I switched to a Lamy medium it started bleeding and ghosting.
There are many components to improve handwriting . One plan I discovered that succeeds in merging these is the Secret Smart Scripter (check it out on google) definately the no.1 remedy i've seen. Look at all the great information .
There are quite a few different types of handwriting, especially in different countries! For example, an Austrian friend of mine learned Kurrent at school: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausgangsschrift, I learned New American Cursive. Jack is correct, there's also handwriting based off Italic letterforms. As for the kit or workbooks, I'm not sure about ones for things other than Spencerian; it would be interesting to know.
On Italic, there's a series of videos on Italic by Lloyd Reynolds on RUclips here: ruclips.net/video/v22dewR4izg/видео.html, and there's also an accompanying workbook available freely online, although he uses a broad edged pen so it's not strictly handwriting. Googling gives me the Getty-Dubay book (sample here: www.handwritingsuccess.com/images/sample_pages/Write_Now_samples.pdf), which looks pretty workbooky. I guess the ones made for children (as the Spencerian workbooks were) always have nice fill-in-the-blank spaces!
Hey Anita - I practice with a sharp pencil as I work directly in the workbook and find the pages quite thin to write with pen. If you have an oblique holder and a nib that you are comfortable using, then I would practice on a separate sheet of paper - filling in the workbook with pencil and then doing some exercises separately on a sheet with your oblique holder so you start to get used to using the pointed nib for Spencerian. Hope that helps!
Christina L. - I hope you were joking. Speed NEVER plays a part in practicing calligraphy. Every letter regardless of the script has to be DRAWN slowly and carefully to achieve proper letter form. Speed is meaningless in the world of calligraphy.
@@sammysmith586Four years late but Spencerian isn’t calligraphy you dunce. It’s handwriting. Speed is the explicit goal of Spencerian. That’s why it replaced the then common Copperplate.
This book proves how you one can create art with just three basic strokes mastered to perfection. This book set has been kept alive by enthusiasts eager to preserve the dying skill of penmanship. Hope this gem of a bookset never goes out of print.
Absolutely worthwhile! As a teen, I found several of the workbooks, already completed, in an abandoned house in New Hampshire. I taught myself and my teachers in grade 8 were very impressed, possibly jealous as some of them could barely print!
I'm from New Hampshire also.
This is something we always admired.
In addition to other millions things that you got right, the most impressive feat you have acheived is that you have gotten the part absolutely right where most you-tubers mess up completely-that is, choosing the correct music, the right melody and the right volume- not too loud, not too low- just the right kind of music, in the right amount and volume.
I hate the videos where they play loud disruptive music while they talk. Yours is the only one I have thoroughly enjoyed. The music never interferes with or distracts from your speech , in fact complements it.
Awesome job!!!
And of course your explanations and tutoring is awesome too.
Thanks a lot.
:-)
Thanks so much for this comment! I'm glad you find everything works together; it really means a lot to me to know that the time I spend editing and fitting everything together is worth it. 😊
I discovered a useful collection of videos that may help on Secret smart scripter @The Observer
So true...
I didn't realize why the video, in addition to it's well constructed content, was so pleasant to watch until you pointed that out. Thanks.
I just left a similar video because the soft music was too loud.
This is fascinating! In my career I have come across a few old Business letters that were written before typewriters. I noticed that they all had this same script. It was Elegant yet legible. I am so excited now to know it has a name and it’s some thing I can learn. Thank you for sharing this information!
i find that i can "draw" spencerian quite well. i have allways been drawing a lot and i can control the pen well. however learning the arm movement has really humbled me. its like learning to walk again. im writing like a todler
I just purchased these since my cursive is atrocious. I think what I'm going to do is go through half of all the exercises in every book. When I finish, I'll go back and do the remaining half...I think this method might help reinforce the skills much better.
Ah, that's a clever method! Also it would be neat to see your improvement when you back and complete the second half of the page.
How did it go?
@@joshuasoccer500 It was going really well, except I stopped before completing due to a lot of other things that happened. Ill probably start again when I get the time,
@@r1pp3dx How did it go?
I'm getting high looking at the workbooks. I guess these books are for me! I love repetitive drills lol!
Yes! I think they suit a specific personality type, I like putting on a podcast and just relaxing into the drills. It's like Zentangle but you have better handwriting at the end of it.
I'm always shocked to find that I was the only person that writes in cursive in the entire grade level (except the teachers ofc) and I'm seeing if I can switch to spencerian after sticking with D'nealian. But my hand wouldn't budge and now my handwriting is sort of a hybrid now. Good luck changing your way of writing ! :)
I ordered these books and they arrive tomorrow. I'm a lefty, my hand writing is TERRIBLE. I also take part in civilwar reenactments which makes me interested in this script specifically. SO I'm going to use these books to learn from the ground up RIGHT HANDED. This is gonna be a fun time.
Can't wait to switch writing styles depending on which hand I'm using ;)
wait this is a brilliant idea
@@Channel-kc7rz I already find it working and I've barely scratched the surface of the first book. When at work doing inventory tallies, I use my right hand now O_O
@@Sparkfly88 amazing!
Good idea! But I'll do it on my left. :)
Absolutely BRILLIANT
I’m going to try this now, as I am also a lefty
Great review, thanks.
Just received my books and ready to roll!!
Spencerian was still being taught in the required penmanship classes when my mother was in school (born 1949). She tells of those classes, with the teacher walking up and down the aisles giving the counts for drills, such as for the ovals "Right, right ready, write! 1, 2, 3....", accompanied by a metronome for the pacing. Mom still has GORGEOUS everyday handwriting, even at age 75 - the whole-arm method using the larger muscles means that at an age when fine motor movements of the fingers can become weak/shaky, mom's handwriting isn't suffering at all. Makes me a little jealous, not gonna lie - I attended the same schools, but by the time I attended, they had dropped penmanship classes entirely, and only taught basic Palmer method in elementary school without the rigor or care of the classes. Being taught such beautiful penmanship (Spencerian) is a lifelong gift - one I'm going to get myself this Christmas, finally.
My mother took penmanship from these books in the early 1900s. My sister used her old book in the 50s and has beautiful perfect handwriting. I love these books, but I have not progressed. I really think you have to be somewhat artistic to write like this.
Very well done video, I wasn't sure if I wanted it but immediately bought the set after watching this. Thank you!
The stems and ovals are lovely. I have owned this set for many years and haven’t jumped in yet.
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I have just come by this book; however, I thought that it was not practical at all, just by leafing through it online. Your video changed my perspective. I will definetely use it to practice my handwriting!
I started these books and lost my confidence on p. 13, the small letter "r". One big thing that bugged me was that all the samples and lines were set at 5 mm for small letter height, which is quite large, because most handwriting of small letters is done at 2mm (try it yourself). So I kept thinking, "Even if I get through all these books, I'll learn how to write large Spencerian script, which is not very useful for my letters and correspondence." The book doesn't address this at all, so I guess we're supposed to assume that after months of training this way, all of a sudden we can
"downsize" from 5mm to 2mm without any difficulty. So that bothers me. But it still is a beautiful script and worth imitating. And congratulations on staying dedicated and going so far! I see you have an angled nib-holder, which is great for shading. You are an inspiration to us all!
Writing in spencerian is very difficult in small font. It need room to breath or you cant read it or appreciate the curves.
VERY nicely presented. I’d never heard of those books but they’re worth investigating. And if that was an example of you using that pen, your time has been well spent.
Also……..nice choice of background music! Wonderful match. It appears you’ve trained your ear somewhere along the road. Too many presenters haven’t figured out that music should compliment the message, not intrude upon it.
Gosh……..I’m thinking about proposing marriage…………….😉
Keep up. The great work.
I was taught a form of Spencerian in primary school back in the 1960s.
Thank you so much! Way encouraged to keep pressing on!
I got these from Amazon last year but haven't gotten around to starting them yet! Whenever I looked through them when they arrived I will admit it seemed pretty full on with the technical descriptions. How long did it take you to really start to pick it up?
Thank you so much for this review. I am definitely going to do this now. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi! i have been considering buying these copybooks and the theory book a while now! And i was wondering how long did it take for you to have an elegant handwriting by practicing with these books? :)
Hi Nah! It depends on your dedication and how much time you devote. I believe if you consistently practice 10 minutes a day your writing will improve in 1-2 months; certainly by the end of finishing the first book you should see considerable improvements.
I just bought these yesterday! I can't wait!
Kay Kay how's going?
ciao, I lost the page 16 of the fourth book, would you please show it to me?
You should really try one of the Blackwing sharpeners where you're supposed to use both holes. It gets the lead really really sharp.
Your accent is very interesting! It seems to flip back and forth between British and American pronunciations. The new "mid-Atlantic" :)
Hi. Watching the video again, but now I got myself the books, by Amazon, here in Brazil. Could your make a video "differing" or comparing, the hand movement with the whole arm movement in Spencerian? I'm a little (to much) lost in here. Thanks!
Can you please make a video about how to do these basic strokes... I am from India and I am struggling through it
Beautiful voice. Xx
Hello, Liked your comments and your progress is beautiful penladyship! Ha! But didn’t see where you purchased these workbooks. Thanks for sharing.
After ordering Yes they helped me. But Honestly those who can’t afford them can as I did learn watching the unlimited UTube tutorials.
What kind of pen are you using starting at 2:11?
You're the first person who I have watched their video on the Spencerian System to go this far, did you finally complete all the workbooks? I bet you have!
Lovely, soothing voice.
Do you always make the straight line as a downstroke? I noticed you made the curves on upstrokes. I think it was palmers book that says always make downstrokes straight and upstrokes curved. This doesn’t seem possible with Spencerian.
Will you recommend using a mechanical pencil instead? Because it has the same pointy end and we don't have to sharpen the pencils very frequently? I am just wondering..
Your pen grip is nothing like what the book instructs. That being said, you write very well! The drills seem to be doing their job. Did you try to modify your grip though? And it's normal for things to progress slowly, true mastery takes years. I've literally just started but I know what's ahead of me in terms of practice and time investment :)
Great video, am starting on the workbooks. I learned this script in gradeschool in the 1960's or perhaps it was more Palmer penmanship. Is there a huge difference and can they be compared in terms of better or worse ( probably Palmer is business style ). Thanks !
It was probably palmer in the 60s
Love this. This is just what the Doctor ordered. WHERE CAN I GET THIS/. I have been looking 3 years for this exact same thing. Where can I get
This. Thanks, Bo********
Can anyone improve his/her writing through these workbooks without any guidance? I'm from India so please tell me how can I get these workbooks?
Yes. Though to supplement, there are many other books and lots of videos on youtube...so you should be fine...
Good evening. Hope you are doing well. I'd like to know the name of your pen, please. I'm looking foward to buy one, but can't find it.
Thanks!
I need your help. It seems like you don't use the grip suggested in the Spencerian theory book...I am so discouraged because I can't get the letters right and consistently correct. What grip should I use? Should I continue trying with the suggested Spencerian grip or can I use the grip I have used since childhood...? I have done some research and have seen suggestions to use either one. Help!
Brett Cody use the recommended grip. Start with Business Penmanship and work on Spence capitals once you’re done. Be patient.
I've been through a version of the same books ( mine look different in terms of the words mainly) and I worked on these and photocopies of grid lines for about a year... Still not happy, my letter forms are close but no improvement at All... I still use these books for practice about 3 times a weeks or more ... So what can I do to get more consistency and elegance in my letters and words?
Could I use a fountain pen to practice in the books? or would you suggest starting out with pencil? Just wondering because I'm about to purchase this online and I might as well get a fountain pen if you think it's a good idea...
Victor Jason Yeung I’ve gone through almost the whole first book with a fountain pen. I’m just getting into them and I enjoy it. The paper isn’t the best quality so if you use a broader nib or write slower you might get some bleed through to the other side of the page. But it hasn’t been unbearable for me. It’s nice to try out different colors of inks too to see what they look like.
fountain pen is totally fine but the book suggests to start with a good pencil
i'd suggest with a pencil, but later on you can definitely go over with a fountain pen, but as the others have said the paper quality isn't the best. I use a pilot metro in medium nib (still very fine) and in x-feather and it doesn't bleed through. Once I switched to a Lamy medium it started bleeding and ghosting.
Great video. Great music. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the info
Very helpful advice ,thank you very much.
Beautiful video, what pencil did you use
PALOMINO Blackwing 602
OOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooh A Palimino Blackwing!
You are holding the pencil wrong. Take that grip, flip it 90 deg and use arm movement.
There are many components to improve handwriting . One plan I discovered that succeeds in merging these is the Secret Smart Scripter (check it out on google) definately the no.1 remedy i've seen. Look at all the great information .
What was your routine ? Did you practice everyday? How many minutes per session?
What pen do you recommend? :(
What notebook are younusing
Is there something like this for broad-nib calligraphy?
Sarah Hall
Check out this series and just sit with a notepad and a broad edge pen. Excellent stuff!
ruclips.net/video/v22dewR4izg/видео.html
ow about for left handed?
thank you!
Would this be good for a 8 year old?
Why you dont hold the pen like the book say?
If you need material to try and write in this style, pull out a Websters dictionary and just start there
What other systems of handwriting are there? It seems like Spencerian has a kit, do any other styles? Thank you for your awesome vids. ;-)
I believe there is a italic handwriting book somewhere
There are quite a few different types of handwriting, especially in different countries! For example, an Austrian friend of mine learned Kurrent at school: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausgangsschrift, I learned New American Cursive. Jack is correct, there's also handwriting based off Italic letterforms. As for the kit or workbooks, I'm not sure about ones for things other than Spencerian; it would be interesting to know.
On Italic, there's a series of videos on Italic by Lloyd Reynolds on RUclips here: ruclips.net/video/v22dewR4izg/видео.html, and there's also an accompanying workbook available freely online, although he uses a broad edged pen so it's not strictly handwriting.
Googling gives me the Getty-Dubay book (sample here: www.handwritingsuccess.com/images/sample_pages/Write_Now_samples.pdf), which looks pretty workbooky. I guess the ones made for children (as the Spencerian workbooks were) always have nice fill-in-the-blank spaces!
Thank you for share!
Bg music is hittin
I have a feeling that these are not Left-handed friendly....
Good info... Thanks
Beautiful voice.
Your voice is ♥️
I just got these books. Should I practice with pencil, pen or oblique pen at first? I see you use pencil here.
Hey Anita - I practice with a sharp pencil as I work directly in the workbook and find the pages quite thin to write with pen. If you have an oblique holder and a nib that you are comfortable using, then I would practice on a separate sheet of paper - filling in the workbook with pencil and then doing some exercises separately on a sheet with your oblique holder so you start to get used to using the pointed nib for Spencerian. Hope that helps!
I was disappointed in the cheap paper of the booklets. I use fountain pen, and it smears... I wish they made really nice paper.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
Christina L. - I hope you were joking. Speed NEVER plays a part in practicing calligraphy. Every letter regardless of the script has to be DRAWN slowly and carefully to achieve proper letter form. Speed is meaningless in the world of calligraphy.
@@sammysmith586Four years late but Spencerian isn’t calligraphy you dunce. It’s handwriting. Speed is the explicit goal of Spencerian. That’s why it replaced the then common Copperplate.
Good video. Visually attractive and also useful. Sadly it looks like you have abandoned your channel. :(
Why are you using a pen intended for left-handed people? Are you left handed?
So I’ve been writing Spencerian cursive all my life? But with regular ball point pens...🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻
i love ur voice
This book proves how you one can create art with just three basic strokes mastered to perfection. This book set has been kept alive by enthusiasts eager to preserve the dying skill of penmanship. Hope this gem of a bookset never goes out of print.
" it took me about 4 months to do the first book" Me, I did it in 2 weeks.....
You do not follow the book instructions like the correct pen hold and writing with a whole hand from a shoulder.
I started copybook 4 today! ruclips.net/video/Nx0DZMBN8aM/видео.html
Yay, congrats! Your script is looking really consistent. 💪 💪 Practice makes progress!
Sorry but you don't hold your pencil as explained at the begening of the book, at all...
Good video still, my point was not about that
@@florentchif4551 your point is valid, though. Spencerian is a system of writing using whole arm movements. It's easily tiring using finger writing.
Hmmm.. nice and thanks for sharing.. but i hear as if you have sinus.. if you do, contact me. I can help.