Acquiring
a Formal
Hand:

(2) Methods

The slope of the desk may be about, or rather
less than, 450 to begin with: as the hand becomes
accustomed to it, it may
be raised to about 60°

(% 38).

The “heel” of the
right hand may be tired
at first, but it soon grows
used to the position. A
rest for the left arm, if
necessary, can be attached
to the left side of the
board.

Lighting. The desk is
placed very near to a win¬
dow, so that a strong light
falls on it from the left.
Direct sunlight may be
cut off by fixing a sheet
of thin white paper in the
Fig. 38. window. Careful work

should he done by daylight.
Work done by artificial
light always appears faulty
and unsatisfactory when
viewed by day.

THE WRITING LEVEL

Each penman will find
for himself the writing
level along which his pen
will move most naturally and conveniently (see figs.
39 and 16). The paper guard should be pinned on
about i inch below the writing level: the tape is
28

Fig. 39.

fixed across about 3 inches above the guard. In the Acquiring
case of very large writing the space between the tape a E°r“a

and the guard is greater, and in the case of a very Hand:

small MS. it is less. (?) Methods

The writing level is kept constant. When one line
has been written, the writing paper—which is placed
behind the tape and the guard—is pulled up for
another line.

USE OF THE PEN

For the practical study of pen-forms use a cane
or a reed pen—or a quill cut very broad giving a
broad, firm, thick stroke. It is the chisel edge (p. 23)
of the nib which gives the “clean cut” thick and
thin strokes and the graduated curved strokes
characteristic of good writing (fig. 40).

ÜJCL

Fig. 40.

Therefore, let the nib glide about on the surface with
the least possible pressure, making natural pen-strokes
the thickness of which is only varied by the different

29