And now for the final flourish

“Flourishes are like accessories for letters,” says Brenna Jordan in

The Lost Art of Handwriting. “Like jewellery, scarves and shoes, flourishing ties a piece together, creating a wow factor that brings basic to the next level.” Here are her top tips:

ALWAYS THINK BIG When creating larger, sweeping flourishes, utilise your whole arm,

not just finger movement, for a more natural-looking effect.

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES Apart from ascenders and descenders, capitals

and letters with crossbars (t) are also conducive to flourishing. The beginnings and ends of words also work well.

STRIVE FOR BALANCE Words like Friday, which contain both an ascender (F) and descender (y) nicely spaced, are ideal for flourishing practice since balance is more

easily attained.

TRY IT!

The following exercise with the words chocolate

and beautiful shows a progression of flourishing from simple to elaborate. Trace these, then pick words to make your own advancing levels.