This is the most complex one I’ve done so far, and I almost ran out of material (single straightened coathanger), so ~8 letters max. Coathanger is surprisingly difficult to bend into such intricate shapes. It took me around 2½ hours to do with two different types of pliers plus hand bending.
I literally freehanded this though, no predrawn pattern or anything, just following as close as I can to my own freehand cursive writing. I’m thinking about making a bit of a side job out of it, like $5 a letter…
What you folks think?
Edit: I made a point to weight balance it at the tip of the T for hanging on the wall or wherever.
Edit 2: Criticize me as necessary, my cursive is still slightly rusty…
Everyone that knows cursive writing knows it in their own way, but I get you that sometimes some people’s writing kinda ‘blurs’ together like that…
If I may ask, constructive criticism, could you show me examples of where I could try to improve?
Bending stiff metal like this isn’t exactly easy ya know…
I hope this is constructive, it may also help to rotate/tilt the r ~10 degrees clockwise to give it a little extra space from the u, as well as make the shape more distinct.
Thank you, and yes this indeed is constructive advice 👍
I’m still warming back up and practicing a few names basically for free, for good friends only right now. My next freebie is gonna be for my mom, plus I probably ought to do my own name as well…
There is one other complication though, that I at least try to fit in. Weight balance for a single balanced point to pin/hang it level.
Not all names lend themselves to a good weight balance point, but Courtney happened to come really close with the T in the middle like that, but I never know exactly where the balance point might be until I’m done.
In Courtney’s name, I planned for the top of the T to be the hanging point, but once I was done bending/folding the name, the left side of the T was a bit heavy, so I fudged the kerning a bit, compressed the left side in some and stretched the right side out a bit, until it balanced out level. Hence the seemingly stretched out N, cuz it is, but it made it balance about the tip of the T…
Oh man, I hadn’t even considered the balance. That only adds to the impressiveness!
I agree that it’s readable as Courtney. I don’t think this would necessarily be easy, but you could try pinching the left side of the R like this:
Now this is productive advice!
This isn’t a detail I was taught in cursive writing, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind for the next round… 👍
Do you have any particular advice links for any particular ‘standard’ on cursive writing?
I really am practicing here, I learned wire bending before I learned cursive, so any and all criticism and advice is welcome…
I learned well over 30 years ago, but after looking through a few sets this site matches the lettering I was taught.
Mind you, I don’t think many people will recognize that Q for what it is anymore, my name includes a capital Q and I always write it in block and start the cursive from the squiggle. (I was taught the Q as it is in that practice set though)
That practice sheet shows the confusion pretty well too, a U and W are identical except the swoop on the W that looks exactly like a R after a U.
True, although you’d start the t from the edge of the vertical line of the w rather than the ground line. I actually couldn’t see the confusion until you pointed this out
I’ve got messy writing, I was taught to drop the R at a slant and come back with loop before starting the next letter.
It’s also wire, so some allowances for material ductileness. Context makes what it should be obvious,
Just like Cowtown could be confused as courtown, but ones more likely than the other. Cowtney is just poking fun though.
I think that’s the basic practice set I learned from as well, yeah Q is fucking weird, looks like a fancy 2…
Thanks for sharing that link, I just added that link to my original post. 👍
It really is becoming a lost art, let’s try to not let that happen…
Fwiw I know a lot of my personal cursive quirks I have picked up from online script fonts. You could try looking through sites like 1001fonts, filtering by script font, and seeing if you notice any details that make letters unique that also seem doable with wire.
All I’m really looking for is details like how to better distinguish letters, such as the R as many have mentioned, and the T, which finally someone mentioned!
The lowercase R is difficult to get the distinguishing curl and curve on.
The lowercase T is like the most difficult, as however I fold it, I can’t exactly come back over to cross it later, so the cross has to come along with the fold…
I meant that I think how you did it is correct. If it was a ‘w’ it would be a direct line to the ‘t’. It wouldn’t go to the right, then have a 90 degree turn down. So I don’t think it makes much sense to read it as a ‘w’.
Cursive is never going to have letters quite as distinct as printed text simply based on all letters being connected. So people can always interpret it differently than intended, but I think what you wrote is legible and easy to read.
This how I would write “urt” in cursive.
It was constructive, whether you liked it or not. A person conveyed that the word can be read differently. It is absolutely your choice to do or not to do anything about it, but you just got protective and started saying that the person who criticized you has to learn or show you something.
Nice work, but I kind of don’t like you already, so that affects how I see it.
It’s been a long time since I’ve written cursive, so I asked constructive criticism, not for an asshole.
I learned cursive in second grade, like 8 years old, and it drifted from there into my own form of cursive writing. So sorry if I don’t remember every exact way to curve an R or a T.
You don’t have to be an asshole about it, I’d MUCH rather an A/B comparison, graphically, how I might have better drawn it…?
Bending metal by hand tools isn’t exactly easy, but if you got a better pattern to follow, then I’m all open eyes…
I ask graphical constructive criticism rather than asshole attitude, please.
Just trying to get back into art.
Have you thought about getting a 1/4 or 3/16 pipe bender? They’re like $20 on amazon. Still “hand” tools.
like this
I have actually considered similar tools, but I’d probably make the tools myself from scrap wood and screws.
I prefer the true craftsman style though, I don’t want anymore tools than I need for handcrafted works of art.
Let the imperfections be, so what? At least my works are made with love and care…
okay