What is your choice?

[Shelley]

I wonder which style people prefer. 

You can just vote, but any reasons, explanations as to why you chose what you did would be helpful.

The reason for this poll is because I can't decide which style gives the best result for most people. Also to find out if there is an accepted way to do this other than the 3 that I have shown that may give better results.

 

Thanks for any input.

 

[edelweis]

@roddy come back and cast your vote. Which one do you prefer?

[Flickserve]

Sorry. Are you asking about how clear each one is to read?

[Shelley]

No, the question is - between the lines, on the line or in the middle of 4 squares on squared paper.

 

My writing is just part of the example and was done quickly.

[DavyJonesLocker]

A first, then C for me Shelly.

 

My reason being,

A looks grown up , the reason why you have lines in the first place.

C while hanzi grids  can be useful no doubt and improves hand writing it still looks like the training wheels are on (like me)

B looks like you found a scrap piece of paper to write something unimportant  on

Just my initial reaction.

 

I really like seeing  beautiful script on paper that has no lines on it but that would no doubt require a huge amount of talent

 

(Edited: Corrected due to Shelly's remarks below.)

[889]

At least to my eye, vertical text doesn't seem quite as sensitive to spacing as horizontal text, when handwritten. You might test how that looks with your handwriting.

 

In your examples, I think your characters should be a bit larger. Or the in-betweens closer.

[Shelley]

@DavyJonesLocker Are you aware that C is on square ruled paper?, its easier to see if you make it bigger.  Somehow to me that seems like the biggest training wheels (to continue your analogy)

 

@889 Do you mean the gap between characters or the gab between parts of the character? I find the gap between parts of the characters the hardest to get right.

 

 

[889]

I was referring to the gap between characters, but obviously you still need some practice to get the characters themselves looking properly balanced.

 

Haven't I seen books for school children with basic characters lightly printed for tracing?

[Shelley]

I use Hanzi grids, you can configure it so you have pale characters to trace. I make a new grid for each lesson and write them out. I just need more freehand practice, half my problem is I am hesitant about stroke order and this gives a disjointed look. I just need to do more, which is one reason for this question. I wanted to put my efforts in to the best way possible to use lined/squared paper.

[889]

Writing stroke-by-stroke I find it very hard to get characters looking good. But loosen up and write characters as a single unit, not an assembly of strokes, and they start to look much better.

[Shelley]

@889 Yes that is what I am trying to do. If I am confident about writing it and just write it quickly it usually looks better.

[Publius]

You need something like this

[Shelley]

Thanks @Publius I have piles of those types of books accumulate over the years. I like to use Hanzi grids and print out sheets for each lesson in my text book and practice on those. I am trying to work out how to practice more "freehand" writing.

[Tomsima]

I chose style a, as i think part of making your writing look less childish or cute is reducing gaps between characters (of course if that's what you want go for it), when to and when not to 留白 is important in the aesthetic appeal of ones handwriting

 

That being said, I write vertically whenever I can, as freehand characters run much more naturally for me down than across

[DavyJonesLocker]

11 hours ago, Shelley said:

@DavyJonesLocker Are you aware that C is on square ruled paper?, its easier to see if you make it bigger.  Somehow to me that seems like the biggest training wheels (to continue your analogy)

 

Sorry Shelly I noticed my mistake after I posted then somehow managed to not to save my correction. Oops

Post edited above . Thanks .

(I voted A in poll above)

 

[Shelley]

Thank you for everyone's input, so far the poll is in favour of A.

I had thought this might be the case.

I think I will use that one for the time being until one day I am able to throw away the training wheels and not fall off

 

Please don't stop voting, a bigger sample size would be good. Thank you.

 

[889]

Let's try another point:

 

Using a fine point is fine when you're practicing. But if you're doing something serious, like a letter to a friend, then the broadest point practical is best. It's far more forgiving of a wobbly hand, and usually produces better looking characters no matter your skill.

 

Indeed, you might want to try practicing with something more extreme, such as a MagicMarker on something absorbent, like newsprint. Point is, you then have to write the whole character in a single movement; otherwise you'll get splotches when you stop.

[Shelley]

@889 interesting point.

 

I don't know why but that seems counter intuitive. 

 

A bigger pen makes bigger characters which is great for posters, art etc. but if you are trying to fit your lesson on to standard notebook pages a ballpoint pen seems to work well. I have tried a large number of writing instruments. I have ruled out anything that doesn't dry instantly, smudges are to be avoided. Brush style pens are fun but usually only good for artistic endeavours as they take up to much space. 

I tried Sharpies, they were good if you use the fine point ones. Actually thinking about it these are good because they flow better than a biro, you may have prompted a major change here 889.

I have some rice paper that I bought from a famous shop in London' s china town years ago (the name escapes me), I tried them but found the absorbency a bit tricky, maybe I will dig it out and try again.

 

I was hoping this wouldn't turn in to a critique of my writing, but I suppose that was too much to hope. Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Bibu]

not much difference for Chinese eyes...  The lines and rice lines was purely ignored naturally ...

[Shelley]

@Bibu Thats interesting, I had never thought about it like that. 

I was wondering though which style gave the best handwriting.