This is the most complex one I've done so far, and I almost ran out of material (single straightened coathanger), so ~8 letters max. Coathanger is surprisingly difficult to bend into such intricate shapes. It took me around 2½ hours to do with two different types of pliers plus hand bending.

I literally freehanded this though, no predrawn pattern or anything, just following as close as I can to my own freehand cursive writing. I'm thinking about making a bit of a side job out of it, like $5 a letter..

What you folks think?

Edit: I made a point to weight balance it at the tip of the T for hanging on the wall or wherever.

Edit 2: Criticize me as necessary, my cursive is still slightly rusty..

https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/cursive.html

$16/hr for this project.

Cowtney

This fella crunching the hourly figure, and you're right 👍

The one I posted was more of a practice piece to get back into the hang of it, this one for free, because she did us a good solid favor, plus I'm pretty sure she'll at least try to share my work and try to get me some more business..

Never learned cursive did ya?

Courtney

Your U and R blend together, does look like a W to a T.

Need more definition on the R.

Shit's hard to bend at the scale to cram 8 letters in, but I hear ya. I do have smaller wire bending tools than what I used for this, but the toughness of the coathanger would probably break my smaller tools almost instantly.. 🤷

Like I said, this indeed is a bit of a practice session, that's the tightest I've been able to bend letters in a single coathanger. 6 letters or less is easier to define, but by 8 letters, I was more worried about running out of material, which I almost did..

Practice practice practice...

My mom wants one sometime soon too, but her name is only 6 letters..

I dunno, playing it by ear right now, but yeah I might need to look into other sorts of pliers or tools to better define the curvature of the R...

If it was a w, it wouldn't drop to the bottom and then go into the t. It would just directly go to the right and start the t. At least how most people write cursive.

I think the point is that this is pretty cheap. Might want to go a bit higher.

I take it Kurtneigh is right out of reach.

I could read it fine, it was obviously Courtney to me.

Thank you for that. Cursive writing is becoming a lost art, plus it's difficult to bend by hand tools in metal.

I did my best, I'm practicing, and I'm open to constructive criticism..

Everyone that knows cursive writing knows it in their own way, but I get you that sometimes some people's writing kinda 'blurs' together like that..

If I may ask, constructive criticism, could you show me examples of where I could try to improve?

Bending stiff metal like this isn't exactly easy ya know..

It was constructive, whether you liked it or not. A person conveyed that the word can be read differently. It is absolutely your choice to do or not to do anything about it, but you just got protective and started saying that the person who criticized you has to learn or show you something.
Nice work, but I kind of don't like you already, so that affects how I see it.

Kinda, I'm really just pointing out numbers. OP has to decide what they want out of their hobby; Is it just for fun and recouping some cost makes it worthwhile (hobbies can be expensive) or is it to earn a profit?

I just like data.

I meant that I think how you did it is correct. If it was a 'w' it would be a direct line to the 't'. It wouldn't go to the right, then have a 90 degree turn down. So I don't think it makes much sense to read it as a 'w'.

Cursive is never going to have letters quite as distinct as printed text simply based on all letters being connected. So people can always interpret it differently than intended, but I think what you wrote is legible and easy to read.

I agree that it's readable as Courtney. I don't think this would necessarily be easy, but you could try pinching the left side of the R like this:

It's been a long time since I've written cursive, so I asked constructive criticism, not for an asshole.

I learned cursive in second grade, like 8 years old, and it drifted from there into my own form of cursive writing. So sorry if I don't remember every exact way to curve an R or a T.

You don't have to be an asshole about it, I'd MUCH rather an A/B comparison, graphically, how I might have better drawn it..?

Bending metal by hand tools isn't exactly easy, but if you got a better pattern to follow, then I'm all open eyes...

I ask graphical constructive criticism rather than asshole attitude, please.

Just trying to get back into art.

okay

Now this is productive advice!

This isn't a detail I was taught in cursive writing, but I'll definitely keep that in mind for the next round.. 👍

Do you have any particular advice links for any particular 'standard' on cursive writing?

I really am practicing here, I learned wire bending before I learned cursive, so any and all criticism and advice is welcome..

back into the hang of it

heheheheheh

Data? I used to pull 7 letter names out of paperclips like this (still can actually).

That was a hobby, coathanger is hands on practice for something bigger, which I'm already getting local requests for...

I learned well over 30 years ago, but after looking through a few sets this site matches the lettering I was taught.

Mind you, I don't think many people will recognize that Q for what it is anymore, my name includes a capital Q and I always write it in block and start the cursive from the squiggle. (I was taught the Q as it is in that practice set though)

Hmm, that's pretty cool. I think you could drastically speed up the process by superheating the metal somehow (blowtorch or something?)

Interesting that you were able to balance it from the 't' like that. Do you mind sharing how you did that?

I could see these also becoming popular for people to watch if you were interested in video production as well.

The balance was sort of a last minute idea, totally cold metal work.

Once I was basically done with the overall curve shape, I figured the tip of the T would be the best balance point, but the left side hang a little lower.

So, I ever so slightly compressed the left side and stretched the right side, until it balanced out. Just a little fudging on the kerning, until it balanced where I wanted...

Git good 7 of 9.

I think that's the basic practice set I learned from as well, yeah Q is fucking weird, looks like a fancy 2...

Thanks for sharing that link, I just added that link to my original post. 👍

It really is becoming a lost art, let's try to not let that happen...

That practice sheet shows the confusion pretty well too, a U and W are identical except the swoop on the W that looks exactly like a R after a U.

Fwiw I know a lot of my personal cursive quirks I have picked up from online script fonts. You could try looking through sites like 1001fonts, filtering by script font, and seeing if you notice any details that make letters unique that also seem doable with wire.

True, although you'd start the t from the edge of the vertical line of the w rather than the ground line. I actually couldn't see the confusion until you pointed this out

Have you thought about getting a 1/4 or 3/16 pipe bender? They’re like $20 on amazon. Still “hand” tools.

like this

It's a very cool and unique idea. Don't let haters get you down. But squeeze the vertical bar of the 't' together above the crossbar, for God's sake. I just can't with young people these days, half-arsing their way through life, I dunno ... !

😉

I’ve got messy writing, I was taught to drop the R at a slant and come back with loop before starting the next letter.

It’s also wire, so some allowances for material ductileness. Context makes what it should be obvious,

Just like Cowtown could be confused as courtown, but ones more likely than the other. Cowtney is just poking fun though.

It's very difficult to fully fold the lowercase T in like that, hell I want to as well..

I mean like it's not impossible, but I also think to myself, like if you had to cross the T while you're writing a word, rather than after you're done as conventional, then how would your single solid stroke go?..

Thanks for criticizing my T's actually, I was wondering when someone would...

I have actually considered similar tools, but I'd probably make the tools myself from scrap wood and screws.

I prefer the true craftsman style though, I don't want anymore tools than I need for handcrafted works of art.

Let the imperfections be, so what? At least my works are made with love and care..

All I'm really looking for is details like how to better distinguish letters, such as the R as many have mentioned, and the T, which finally someone mentioned!

The lowercase R is difficult to get the distinguishing curl and curve on.

The lowercase T is like the most difficult, as however I fold it, I can't exactly come back over to cross it later, so the cross has to come along with the fold..

cowitney is a baller name... (I kid, must have been murder to bend this up, have used same material for sculpture armatures and it's cheap but strong)

and when they get older they can heat them up and use them to brand their mates and/or cattle.

Nope. It's either boobs or a poorly formed W. UU. Boobies!

Boobies: 333

People shouldn't need to learn how to read cursive, only how to write it. You should aim for a font that is as easy to read as possible, that's just standard advice for any form of writing.

Be less prescriptive in the right and wrong way to do cursive. For example, the join between the u and the r could use a distinctively different curve to the curve used in the u. Less symmetrical, probably a wider arc. That would reduce and resemblance to a w, which people are seeing due the level of symmetry. That probably conflicts with the arbitrary rules you've got in mind for how to do cursive writing, but it would make it easier to read and still be in keeping with the cursive style.

I learnt only cursive and it still looks like Cowtney to me.

Great idea. But i agree, the r is weird.

This how I would write "urt" in cursive.

This is a weirdly specific coincidence because Courtney was the first name I ever bent a metal wire into. I love that name and I love how it looks in cursive.

Next you should do "minimum"

People shouldn't need to learn how to read cursive

Uhh, citation needed? There's tons of (beautiful) artistic cursive that's probably completely illegible to people who only learned printing. And then to accuse OP of being prescriptive and in the same breath prescribing a completely arbitrary requirement that cursive mimic printed script.

Holy shit you got a harsh audience

It's pretty

CoП4ney

Cool! You inspired me to try something like that. I'm gonna try a slanted cursive modelled from my own writing.

Criticize me as necessary, my cursive is still slightly rusty..

That's why I use plastic hangers

No citation needed for my opinion.

There are good and bad cursive fonts. If you want to write in fonts that people need to learn how to read, go ahead. Just don't get butt hurt when people read it as Cowteny.

I've offered some advice which OP is under no obligation to read or act upon. Reading the other comments here, they are showing frustration that people aren't constructive enough so hopefully it is well received.

My advice to you, which you are also not obligated to act on, is to chill.

Might need to reevaluate pricing. I certainly wouldn't do that for $16 an hour.

If people won't pay more, then it might not be feasible.