» Graph Paper – Better for Handwriting?
The middle tablet in this photo was one of my first ever Rhodia pads. I bought it after learning that someone I’d admired always had one tucked in their back pocket- and I guess I’d hoped that some of his artistic mojo would rub off on me if I implemented one of his favorite tools…
Though that pad was at the bottom of my purse for at least a year, it didn’t see a lot of use mainly because I didn’t really like writing on graph paper. (At the time, my local Blick only carried Rhodia in graph form.) To me, all those lines seemed suitable only for very specific list making, and I was just never able to warm up to it. I am now happy as a clam to use Rhodia in its plain and lined formats, but I still wonder if I can find a unique way to use the graph pads.
I recently saw an e-mail from a Rhodia fan that said they liked to use the graph paper as a way to improve their handwriting and while I myself am not so worried about that, (I kind of like my chicken scratch) I thought that it might be good to use for practicing calligraphy with a dip pen or other calligraphic tools.
If you use your graph pads for a specific purpose, I’d love to hear about it – and I just may even do a future blog post about it.
Comments
I like the graph one for Calligraphy practice :) Definitely nice when I don’t feel like drawing lines (which is the majority of the time): http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadlysinner/4003631932/in/set-72157622056384219/
My handwriting is a lost cause, but the grid is nice for keeping my scratches under control. I like to think of the grid as two overlapping sets of lines, allowing me to write on the pad wither “correctly” or sideways, as needed. Ah, if only a dot-grid was available — then those unruly letters could stay put, but with less visual noise than a grid produces.
Oh but there is a Rhodia dotPad! http://www.biffybeans.com/2010/04/review-rhodia-dotpad.html
Eek! DotPad! I wish my local suppliers would actually *supply* instead of burying the Rhodia. Tell me again how much it would be to buy a case of those 3×4′s wholesale. :-)
When I read somewhere that French schoolchildren learn to write on French-ruled paper, I bought a French-ruled Clairefontaine staple-bound notebook just for practicing my handwriting. Its too soon to see any improvement, but somehow I fell like the ruling works almost subliminally to guide my writing toward greater consistency.
Mike – you can place your request here: http://www.rhodiapads.com/contact.php :o)
One of the best thing about grid or Seyes paper is that it can be used as cursive handwriting guideline very effectively.
Another bonus is the ease of outlines and bullet point annotations.
There are two main reasons I prefer graph to lines for my regular notebook (as opposed to journal–though I have done graph journals, too). A. Doesn’t matter whether you hold the pad tall or wide, you don’t contradict the printed pattern–you get diversity and legibility both. In fact, I just started separating themes in my Reverse by splitting the page in half. Half coil up and half coil on the side. Easy to keep track. And B. I tend to doodle interconnected cubes surrounded by circles. Graph paper lends itself wonderfully to this meeting induced habit.
i’ve never got the grid thing much either, although I have a couple of notebooks. The first graph notebook I had I bought was a pocket Clarefontaine that i use for travel, the grid helps for lists and small drawings of things that I see, but it’s too busy for me for everyday use.
I know a lot of folks that use graph and dot grids for improving handwriting. It helps with margins especially. But when folks really get serious about improving writing, that’s where Séyès (French rule) paper really shines. I know Rhodia doesn’t have this ruling, but Clairefontaine does, in a variety of notebooks.
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