APW - Done With A Single Stroke Of The Pen (1442 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.91 on 37 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by creep_firebombing (View user info) at 2007-10-24 07:49:34 EDT
The image below has been featured on many online forums with little description of its history. It is actually one of many drawings in a penmanship instructional text called "Real Pen Work 1881".
Originally sold for one dollar, Real Pen Work boasts that it is "The greatest means ever known for learning to write in an elegant hand."
Hudson Maxim, an inventor and entrepreneur, and Alden Knowles, and expert penman, set out by trial and error to sell their ink and instructions for elegant writing styles and ornamental pen work. The fascinating history of their friendship and business relationship is recorded in the foreword of this book.
Real Pen Work 1881 was designed to be self-taught, and it states that by following the simple instructions, even those for whom handwriting does not come natural should be able to write in a beautiful hand in an incredibly short time. In fact, it says, "There is no more doubt about it than that the sun rises and sets."
Beginning with "How to Sit at the Desk" and "How to Hold the Pen," the authors stress the importance of correct posture. Following are scales for slants, analysis of capital and small letters, sample alphabets, and Spencerian scripts. The authors also share the "secret" of the tracing process. There are rich examples of flourished birds and ornamental pen-work throughout.
More drawings and actual scans from the book itself can be found here:
http://www.iampeth.com/books/real_penwork/real_pen_work_index.html
User Reviews
Submitted by shitfuck (user info) at 2008-01-18 17:00:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I could do that with my dick.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2008-01-18 16:38:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Unbelievable, but awesome all the same.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2007-10-25 18:36:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
don't believe it.
Submitted by TheGoat (user info) at 2007-10-25 08:37:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Amen
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2007-10-25 08:25:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Impressive.
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2007-10-25 04:09:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2007-10-25 03:56:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by St_Jimmy (user info) at 2007-10-24 17:38:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
very cool
Submitted by Wildman (user info) at 2007-10-24 16:28:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
it's a seismogram done by the shaking of GODS hand?
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2007-10-24 15:48:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That IS fucking cool.
Submitted by HotWillie (user info) at 2007-10-24 14:28:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's fucking cool.
Submitted by triangle_man (user info) at 2007-10-24 13:20:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
wholly shit
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-10-24 12:25:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by ConorJS (user info) at 2007-10-24 12:21:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Psshhh, I could do that with crayons on a napkin in the time it took for my meal to arrive at Friendlys.
Submitted by Adaman (user info) at 2007-10-24 12:14:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
wow. amazing
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2007-10-24 11:51:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
if that is true, that is one hell of an example of muscle control in the fingers and wrist.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2007-10-24 11:28:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2007-10-24 11:27:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Really neat stuff.
I may get the book, my handwritting could use all the help it can get.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2007-10-24 10:54:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good Lord.
Submitted by Yozz (user info) at 2007-10-24 10:06:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
It looks like Jesus is reading your intro - and I imagine he is probably thinking "Wow, thats really fuckin' cool."
Submitted by DirtyHarry (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:40:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:38:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:57:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'd like to study this man's brain. Nothing sinister, I just wan't to do a PET scan whilst he draws one of this things.
I want to see which areas of his brain light up.
This is why I love her.
This is neat stuff.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:36:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
we did pen and ink in class on monday. i'm SO not putting up my stuff now.
Submitted by Orgasmatron (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:33:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
JeeZUS
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:28:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
man i wish i could do that.
Submitted by FALLEN (user info) at 2007-10-24 09:28:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I did the same kind of drawing once, only it was four dogs playing poker.
I was using an Etch-a-sketch.
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:57:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'd like to study this man's brain. Nothing sinister, I just wan't to do a PET scan whilst he draws one of this things.
I want to see which areas of his brain light up.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:49:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm constantly amazed at the things people can do.
check out this guy, he's autistic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YXZTlwTAU
Submitted by Nellypaal (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:49:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Bloody hell.
Submitted by Mike-Mc (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:44:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Brilliant
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:25:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by creep_firebombing (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:25:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by phuzzygish (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:16:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pshh. It's not even a proper circle, it's ovular.
Amateurs...
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Ovals are apparently very important to proper penmanship. There's an entire section on practicing ovals to get the correct speed, posture, hand position, and proper line smoothness/thickness. It even suggests practicing to music with a "marching beat" that you can steadily and evenly follow. They were intense about this shit, yo.
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:18:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Sweet angry Moses! How bored would you have to be to figure out how to do that.
Submitted by phuzzygish (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:16:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pshh. It's not even a proper circle, it's ovular.
Amateurs...
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:09:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I've got a copy.
Submitted by indoninja (user info) at 2007-10-24 08:02:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
It is neat, but there is probably a trick to it.
If you mashed some sort of disk with even spiral on it onto a carving with a little depth you would get wider and thinner lines that you could trace.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-10-24 07:54:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I just imagined how much patience and mental focus that excercise would take; now I have a stonking erection and feel really upset and fidgety.
I could not do that in a million years. That sort of thing is like playing snooker at a proffesional level, it is something that I am just entirely incapable of doing.