Spacing Tricks.

Diane asked me to share a little bit about spacing.  And when I started to think about it, I wondered:  is a good sense of spacing something I learned or something I was born with?  Some people just know what colors go together...and some are just naturally good at skiing...is this one of those things?

But then I also remembered that I love teaching, and I love sharing what I've already figured out.  There must be a way to help you cultivate a sense of spacing!

To start, I think it's more a matter of seeing than doing.  If you want to improve how you space your handwriting, you're one step in the right direction; you must have already seen writing that is pleasingly spaced.  Your next step is to gather some examples to study:  greeting cards, scrapbook pages, even typewritten projects can help you train your eye to see great spacing.

When you're ready to start practicing, try a list.  First think about the spacing between lines.  I am a big fan of not measuring, but until you get the hang of it, you can measure the lines so that your list is spaced well from top-to-bottom.  You can measure lightly with pencil and erase it, or use a light table with a measured grid underneath.

Then think about the spacing between individual words.  This is where the examples you've gathered will come in handy.  And, of course, my favorite tip:  keep practicing.

Sometimes breaking apart what you want to say into little compartments is helpful.  It allows you to work with a very small canvas, and if you make a mistake, you haven't ruined your whole project.

 
Scraplifting is also a great way to get experience with spacing.  I made this layout about 3 years ago, based on one I saw with a left-justified quote, and by writing only one word per line, the spacing was easy.

I'm now pondering on spacing of individual letters within words.  When I have a plan, I'll let you know!

Comments

[Diane]

Thanks so much Gina. I've been thinking alot about this and how it isn't easy translating what you 'do' into 'how' you do it. Great start! Maybe identifying these principals and figuring out ways to communicate them to us will be beneficial to you too. I can easily see this turning into a larger project like a book (no rush, no pressure, no worries LOL). I really think there are a lot of people who would love to have clear, inspiring instruction to simply improve their own handwriting with the goal of being comfortable expressing themselves in creative ways . . . whether on a card, scrapbook page or nametag for the Thanksgiving table. Again, thanks for considering how to communicate these things with us and for sharing your lovely and inspiring examples.
Abundant blessings,
Diane