Writing Practice
Practice Sheet
Download a printable practice sheet for the following minim exercise. You may also use this sheet with tracing paper to trace these minims.
Download a blank printable practice sheet.
Minim 1
Description
The minims shown here are long, thin, upward strokes of the pen. Dip your nib in your ink (just past the breather hole) and gently draw a long upward stroke from the baseline to the ascender line. If your lines are thicker than the examples below, loosen your grip and apply less pressure to the pen. You should be able to produce at least 5 or 6 of these strokes before your ink runs dry.
Example
Minim 2
Description
These next minims are shorter, thicker, downward strokes. Rotate your pen downward and use less of the tip. You may only be able to produce 3 or 4 of these lines before you need to dip your nib into your ink bottle again.
Example
Minim 3
Description
Now it is time to combine the previous two minims. Rotate the pen in your fingers to change the thickness of the strokes. As you practice writing, you will need to refresh your ink supply less often.
Example
Minim 4
Description
Once you have learned how to vary the thickness of your strokes, practice alternating them between thick and thin.
Example
Minim 5
Description
This minim could be one of three letters: a lowercase l, a c if written between the midline and the baseline, or an /i/ if the minim has a dot above it. You may have already noticed that the strokes become light or dark depending on how much pressure you apply. if you wish, you may try adding swirls and loops to your minims. We recommend that you continue to make practice strokes for several lines on your own paper before you begin to write actual letters. (Click on the minim to animate it.)
Example
