Part 8: Moving Forward—Your Grip Changes Everything
Shifting your angle for different styles.
When we first started, our goal was simply comfort—holding the pen in whatever way felt most natural to get our thoughts down on paper.
But as we transition from our everyday handwriting into the world of decorative lettering styles, how we hold our pens suddenly becomes important to take note of. When we look through the style galleries below, we will see that different scripts require different types of control.Here are two main things to watch out for as we begin practising new styles:
The 45-Degree Angle: For standard handwriting, many of us hold our pens almost straight up and down. However, for most elegant calligraphy, brush pens, or shaded scripts, you will want to tilt the pen back to about a 45-degree angle from the paper. This lets the side of the pen tip do the work, creating beautiful, sweeping lines without damaging our pens.
Finger Position: If you are practising small, highly detailed lettering styles, you might want your fingers to sit a bit closer to the tip for extra precision. But if you are trying flowing, looping cursive, shifting your fingers about a few centimetres higher up the barrel gives your wrist more room to glide smoothly across the desk.
As we explore the style gallery, let's treat each new script like a new instrument. Don't be afraid to shift your grip, tilt your paper, or adjust your hand angle until you find the sweet spot that makes that specific style flow.
It takes a little bit of awareness, but as we slow down, our hands will naturally adapt to the rhythm of the letters.