Stylistics - Handshapes - handwriting

[Stuart Thiessen]

You mean the handshape in the 5th column?  Forgive my density at the  
moment. I am not quite following your handwriting conventions.  Of  
course, it is getting to be that time of day in my work day where my  
brain has been working non-stop and it is starting to smoke out the  
ears ;) .  My other excuse is that I had a long interview with a member  
of another organization who might be interested in working with some of  
our SignWriting initiatives, so my brain is working on that and not the  
handwriting samples.  Sorry.

Thanks,

Stuart

On Aug 10, 2005, at 13:31, Sandy Fleming wrote:

> Stuart,
>
> This is exactly what my "stylistics" was about. See the handshape in  
> the rounded rectangle in the attachment for how I write this. Of  
> course the shading is done by adding a cross.
>
> Sandy
>
> Stuart Thiessen wrote:
>
>> A question I wanted to ask the list.  I find the "4" hand shape (
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> --
>>
>> ) and similar symbols in the '4' category difficult to write  
>> accurately with handwriting.  I wonder if any of you have a standard  
>> way to write it that makes it easier or is there a way we can come up  
>> with a handwriting convention that means this printed symbol, but is  
>> written differently for handwriting purposes?  I think it is great  
>> printed, but handwriting this symbol is awkward for me. I keep  
>> scratching it out and rewriting it because I keep overcoloring in the  
>> white thumb. I try to trace the white thumb to tell myself to avoid  
>> coloring it in, but when I am taking quick notes while watching  
>> someone sign, invariably, I color it in.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Stuart
>>
>> On Aug 10, 2005, at 12:48, Kimberley A. Shaw wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all:
>>> This is an exciting thread; I think that the demands of fluid  
>>> handwriting
>>> will be pushing SW in whole new directions the more people know  
>>> about and
>>> use it!
>>> I have just recently returned from 2 weeks of ASL immersion at  
>>> Gallaudet
>>> University, and have kept a SignWrittten journal while there -- only
>>> instead of using regular pens/pencils, I think that the Asian  
>>> calligraphy
>>> brush lends itself *very* nicely to SignWriting! Why? It is much  
>>> easier to
>>> make a very large range of thick/thin lines, even better than with a
>>> fountain pen, and I have even been able to easily make those  
>>> filled-in
>>> right-hand arrows with only one pass, without needing to go back and  
>>> color
>>> in a previously-outlined arrow. A jpeg sample of my SW with a Sakura  
>>> Pigma
>>> "Sumi brush" is attached to this e-mail; it is a very easy-to-use  
>>> sortof
>>> -like-a-felt-tip pen. Next, I plan to learn how to do the whole
>>> inkstone/plain-brush thing ...
>>> Will be catching up on 2 weeks of SW-list-forum later! Gally was
>>> excellent. Very nice to take a break from having to use my ears, and  
>>> I
>>> enjoyed getting more fluent with ASL.
>>> Best,
>>> Kim from Boston
>>>
>>> PS - PLEASE ignore the SW mistakes! Ugh. My name's Kimberley, not
>>> Kimberlsy ... you may find other "oops". KAS
>>>
>>> sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu on Friday, August 05, 2005 at 5:31 AM  
>>> -0500
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi List!
>>>>
>>>> You may remember discussions in the past where quite a few people  
>>>> wanted
>>>> some sort of SignWriting modified for handwriting easier  
>>>> handwriting -
>>>> or so that the system can be written cursively instead of having to
>>>> "draw" the signs a bit like you might copy the style of  printed
>>>> material by "drawing" it instead of writing it.
>>>>
>>>> Some suggestions for handwriting seem to be based on the shorthand
>>>> system or by losing some of the information in other ways. This  
>>>> isn't
>>>> the way it's done in oral language writing, where instead of  
>>>> imitating
>>>> printed matter, letters are written quite differently to suit the  
>>>> pen
>>>> and the human hand. In the Roman alphabet there are even two  
>>>> different
>>>> handwriting systems - cursive and carolignian - which are designed  
>>>> to
>>>> suit different kinds of pens and sensibilities.
>>>>
>>>> So instead of resorting to shorthand or data loss, I've gradually,
>>>> through usage, figured out some cursive ways of writing SW. See the
>>>> attachment for how I write various kinds of handshapes and how I do
>>>> shading. It shows a sample of handshapes, but I have no trouble  
>>>> writing
>>>> any BSL handshape using similar principles.
>>>>
>>>> There are a few guidleines for writing handshapes cursively:
>>>>
>>>> 1. If the index finger is to be written, start writing at the tip  
>>>> of the
>>>> index finger.
>>>> 2. For spread hands, start writing at the tip of the baby finger  
>>>> and end
>>>> the first stroke at the tip of the thumb.
>>>>
>>>> Shading is done using a multiplication cross - it's like, instead  
>>>> of the
>>>> black and white gloves you have gloves with a cross on the back. I  
>>>> tried
>>>> a lot of different shapes for the hand shading but this is the only  
>>>> one
>>>> I've found that works well for all orientations.
>>>>
>>>> Any thoughts, opinions or further ideas?
>>>>
>>>> Sandy
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> <handwritten SW.jpg>
>>
>
> <four.gif>