RE the architect handwriting tutorials: do you have any recommendations? I can barely read my own scribbles, and I've struggled with poor penmanship forever. I'd looked for courses/tutorials, but hadn't found anything that resonated.
I have a few friends that are draftsmen. I asked them and they said they just gave them a font and graded them on it with homework blueprints.
What I did was just googled architect fonts and downloaded a bunch of examples then used a field notes pocket dot journal[0] to practice.
I would just try to copy a font exactly, then do drills on problem letters. I probably drilled on four fonts I found that I liked. Focusing on accuracy monospacing and staying in the grid. A big thing I learned was that it was ok to slow down, it gives me more time to think about the thing, the clarity of the lettering seems to reflect the clarity of the idea. I think previous attempts to improve my handwriting had failed because I wanted to write as fast as I type. It's a different thing obviously, but I didn't really realize the benefits the slower pace has for processing things and concept recall.
I also bought some drafting tools. Angle rulers, protractor, etc. I decided to overdo a couple network layout projects and work on it in that context. The end product was so nice that I laminated a bunch and gave them to people and they’ve been a great reference!
Oh, there is also a tool called an architectural lettering guide[1] that can be helpful.
It took about three weeks to really kick in. Now I’ve got my own style and it changes a bit still and I experiment, but the core just adds to the rote process of the daily exercise. I can see by looking through the journal if I'm not fully on my game by how much drift there is.
I would probably drill for 10-20 minutes a day for the first week. After that, it was just here and there if I noticed something just wasn't working. Like when I decided Ps and Ys got flourishes, but only in some context. Also changing anything usually meant other letters would start regressing to my scrawl. It's weird how related the patterns are in your head.
Another thing that helped me was finding a pencil I liked. I ended up with a super fat 5.6mm HB firm lead on a woodworkers pencil[2]. It sharpens to a fine point and holds it forever and never breaks. Always using the same tool is really important to me now. I had to go through a bunch of stuff until I found a pencil I didn’t hate. It might not be the right one for you. I love them though and buy extras and hand them out to anyone that likes to write. My polling seems to agree that they are dope.
