[squirt]

Qualifications: former professional penman, focusing specifically on American Penmanship from ~1860-1920. Spencerian script, and the Palmer method both fall into this time period.

> If you start doodling these figures when you're bored on zoom, your penmanship will magically improve

I find this sentiment common, particularly amongst people who learned penmanship "recently". It is incorrect.

A brief interlude--When I was in middle school I resisted learning cursive. My teachers would tell me that drawing little circles and lines would make my penmanship better. I asked why, but they didn't know. Their teachers told them it was true, so now they're telling me it's true.

Push pulls and oval drills will only improve your penmanship if:

  1. You practice them "correctly"

  2. Your write in a style that is applicable to the drills you've practiced

There's no magic. They are intended to specifically train a smoothness and control in arm movement writing. Those writing with their fingers will derive little benefit. In no way am I trying to discount progress you have made personally. My contention is that any person devoting sufficient time and intentionality to their handwriting practice will see some improvement, regardless of the methodology used. The crux of the issue is how much progress can/will you make.

Happy to answer any clarifying questions regarding cursive or penmanship.

Below are some of my favorite references in business penmanship.

[0] https://archive.org/details/ChampionMethodOfPracticalBusines...

[1] https://archive.org/details/armmovementmetho00zane

[2] https://archive.org/details/MillsModernBusinessPenmanship

[yodon]

I think this is something of a debate on "is it good to get some exercise?" vs "is walking or swimming or weight lifting a better exercise?"

The minimal set of doodles I mentioned is a simplification of the Palmer method, which can itself be thought of as a simplification of the Spencerian method. If one wants to get into penmanship seriously, there are many wonderful rabbit warrens to descend into.

If one is unable to form legible letters at all, in my experience that tends to be more of a fine motor eye-hand coordination thing than anything else, in which case almost any well-chosen set of doodle drills will help significantly.

[edit] also - welcome to HN! I just noticed the green font for your username. I suspect you'll have lots to contribute to this place.

[squirt]

> I think this is something of a debate on "is it good to get some exercise?" vs "is walking or swimming or weight lifting a better exercise?"

This is an astute comparison, and I think you're completely right. One who devotes time and effort into practice (nearly any practice) of handwriting will improve.

However I would liken it more to something such as: "will Olympic weightlifting make me a better soccer player than sprinting, ball control, and team coordination drills will?". It's not a generic A or B, as we're trying to achieve an intended result.

More aptly, "given I want to achieve C, is A or B a better approach".

[jrootabega]

I'd like to hear more about being a professional penman!

[squirt]

It's a surprisingly big field. Largely divided into:

  1. More artistic, commissioned works
  2. Wedding calligraphy, envelope addressing
  3. Teaching

I principally taught. Was too much of a perfectionist, and would devote more time than was economically viable to commissioned works. Though my art is on a couple wine labels in Napa.

Calligraphers/penman show up in surprising places. The White House employs 3 calligraphers for writing menus, invitations to formal events, etc.