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Written by Hand: Techniques and Tips to Make Your Everyday Handwriting More Beautiful

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Writing longhand isn't a chore when you can turn your notes into mini works of art. Grocery lists, to-do lists, sticky notes, make them look more like art rather than work with Written by Hand.

There's no getting around the fact that typing on keyboards and screens is the new norm, but the simple, meditative art of writing words by hand can't be forgotten! Written by Hand is a guide designed to give you a new appreciation of writing. Everyday notes and lists don't have to be mundane scribbles; with a little practice, you can make them works of art

Written By Hand walks you through the habits and skills needed to turn everyday scrawls into miniature pieces of art that are both wonderful to look at and fun to "draw". With walk-throughs of various lettering styles, examinations of personal writing habits, interesting facts on handwriting and calligraphy, and plenty of practice pages to use in your own hand-lettering practice, Written by Hand is an immersive guide to the written word.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2017

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Erica Tighe

7 books5 followers

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Alicia .
151 reviews24 followers
December 30, 2017
Written by hand by Erica Tighe invite us to rediscover the art of hand writing, to fall in love with it and its imperfect nature. It makes us see how even though technology has made it fast and simple for us to deliver text messages, it still lacks the human warmth and uniqueness that hand lettering can give.

What I found the most appealing about this book, is that it is not intimidating. It is a great romanticized introduction to the art of hand writing. In it we get to know the author's personal journey with handwriting, analyze our own writing and grasp, "the basics" (tools, terminology, strokes, spacing and sizing), types of lined paper, step-by-step instructions to different alphabets: sans serif, bold serif, script and faux calligraphy, reference alphabets and 50 writing prompts.

The visual aesthetics of the book make it easy to grasp the information. It has some practice space right after each lesson, so it can also be used as a workbook. It gives you inspiration and enough information to retake hand writing into your daily life or creative projects. I found it specially useful for perfecting my composition and consistency when writing inspirational quotes. However, it doesn't go deep about how to create each letter (direction of the strokes, flow, styles, flourishes and variations) like most books on the subject do, so you might want to check more resources after reading this one. I would specially recommend this book if you want to know all the good reasons why you should be holding a pen and for improving your own lettering style to make it clearer and more consistent.
I got my eArc from Quarto Publishing Group - Rock Point via NetGalley
Profile Image for Jeimy.
5,812 reviews32 followers
January 19, 2018
I have been trying to get into handlettering for a while and have read a crateful of books on the subject and this is my favorite by far! Why? Because I as a beginner in any artistic endeavor I tend to be very anal and controlling until I get the hang of it and start letting loose. This book talks about handlettering in almost mathematical terms explaining how to create a grid based on the quote or message you are going to create, the spaces between the letters, etc. This is what has been missing from all those other books... and it is just what I needed.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
6 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2017
'Written by Hand' includes every tip on how to make your writing beautiful. Each step is explained in meticulous detail allowing everyone the ability to develop their writing. Every possible topic is covered from tools and grasp to font types. It even has 50 writing prompts to inspire all. In an ever increasing digital world it's beautiful to see that hand writing is still important to some. Erica Tighe has created not only an informative guide, but a truly beautiful insight into her story and masterful talent.
Profile Image for Andrea Huelsenbeck.
212 reviews7 followers
July 9, 2019
I like writing out scripture verses, and I wished my lettering was fancier.
In a craft store, I chanced to come across several books on lettering and selected this one, subtitled Techniques & Tips to Make Your Everyday Handwriting More Beautiful. (My copy is apparently different from the one pictured.)
This is a beginner’s book, which made it perfect for me. Tighe presents step-by-step instructions for four different styles of alphabets (upper and lower case) and numerals: sans serif, bold serif, script, and faux calligraphy; space is provided for practice between the samples.
As I followed her directions, my lettering took a big leap forward.
In addition, Tighe gives hints and strategies for planning out a handwritten passage, including graphics and mixing styles, and 50 prompts (though 26 and 27 are the same).
Although many books have been written about calligraphy and decorative lettering, what sets this book apart is its ease of execution. If you want to improve your lettering skills quickly, this is a good book for you.

Profile Image for Books In Brogan.
654 reviews12 followers
November 13, 2017
As someone who still enjoys writing things down on paper as much as using electronic versions, I was really intrigued with the ideas in this book.  Sadly with cursive writing no longer being taught in schools across the US and the concept of writing by putting pen to paper considered "old school" and obsolete I think the younger generations are losing a valuable tool for learning and communicating.   This book has plenty of fun facts and ideas about hand writing as a science and an art.This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan
Profile Image for Anjana.
2,740 reviews63 followers
December 8, 2017
To begin with,  I must admit that in our school education in India, cursive writing is a must. I am not sure how much of a colonial hangover it is, or if it's the need for beauty in presentation like this book indicates. In either case, I have actually never written in 'print' or separate letters. 

This book is for those of a similar bent of mind, or in this case, inclination of hand. The main point though is that for the full effect, it would certainly need to be bought in paperback/hardcover versions so that the workspace can be utilized. Since I was reading an advance reader's copy in digital form, I did not have the pleasure of following instructions. It gives a slight peek into calligraphy and multiple ways that any interest in 'writing by hand' can be improved. It would be a fun book to keep anyone entertained while learning something that can possibly be put to use immediately.

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Profile Image for Rosemary Rey.
Author 12 books215 followers
November 17, 2017
I'm obsessed with penmanship. I have a collection of demonstrator fountain pens to which I fill with colorful inks. I'm a big proponent of cursive. I love the promotion of cursive in the schools because, despite technology, we have historical documents written in cursive and calligraphy--our children need to be able to read them. And there is nothing better than signing a check or letter with your beautiful handwriting.
I was delighted to read this book and see the process of creating beautiful penmanship. There are segments on how to make faux calligraphy, the type of graph paper for the type of writing you're perfecting, etc. This is great for beginners who want to hone their handwriting skills.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,347 reviews32 followers
December 29, 2021
'Written by Hand: Techniques and Tips to Make Your Everyday Handwriting More Beautiful' by Erica Tighe is a book of tips and techniques to improve your handwriting.

This book celebrates the written word with fun facts, plenty of practice pages and writing prompts. The reader will learn new alphabets and ways to combine them.

This is an approachable book on lettering for beginners with good examples on forming letters and lots of practice attempts.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Rock Point, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Profile Image for Critterbee❇.
924 reviews73 followers
November 10, 2017
Written by Hand is an engaging, introductory, creative, handwriting how-to manual, complete with exercise pages, inspirational practice quotes and guidance for creating fun hand-lettering

There is some interesting information about different styles of writing, grip types, 'calligraphy' terminology, grip, sizing, basically everything to get you started lettering confidently. Reading it from the point of view of a complete novice with horrible penmanship, I found it approachable and it inspired me to noodle around a bit.

*eARC Netgalley*

Profile Image for Camila.
287 reviews65 followers
December 31, 2017
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
Because I'm smack in the midst of starting to plan our wedding, I thought this book could teach me how to do some nice handwriting and it's a lovely book. It gave me flashbacks of primary school and learning how to write.
Profile Image for Victoria Peipert.
214 reviews6 followers
November 27, 2017
Very well written resource for those interested in calligraphy. I appreciated all the practical directions and tutorials for practicing the art. The different style explorations also made this a great intro to the ways that calligraphy can take shape and also pair together.

Profile Image for Heather Brown.
656 reviews11 followers
November 30, 2017
Written By Hand is a lovely book focusing on your personal handwriting- what it means according to graphology and how to make pleasing changes for legibility and looks- with practice pages, quotes and writing prompts to give you direction.
Profile Image for Ren Morton.
462 reviews8 followers
October 28, 2020
Excellent beginner book that takes you through sans serif, serif, script and faux calligraphy. Plenty of space to practice and simple instructions. Definitely makes you practice each letter over and over, bound to improve your natural handwriting.
Profile Image for Jo.
649 reviews4 followers
November 26, 2017
Good book about basic calligraphy. The book contain good ressources and good tools.
Profile Image for Megan.
386 reviews
December 9, 2017
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I have discovered brush and hand lettering and was excited to be able to review this book. I like that Erica has broken down the basics and provided lots of examples and spaces to be able to practice what you're learning. This is a very well thought out book. My only critique is that her capital I's in the faux calligraphy section have the thick stroke on the upstroke, not the down stroke.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews