Laura is a writer, illustrator, and artist living in New York City.

These days, we type more than we write. Letters to friends, school papers, work reports, your favorite source for fun and uplifting news, and even shopping and to-do lists are done more and more by computer or on phones.


Going paperless is great when it comes to saving trees, but there’s also something to be said for the skill of penmanship.

Most of us remember penmanship lessons from school, learning all the proper loops of cursive writing. Maybe you hated it, but maybe you liked being able to write with style and flourish. Maybe you marveled at how your fingers developed the muscle memory and you were soon penning cards and notes like a pro.

Handwriting is a skill just like drawing or playing a musical instrument, and it takes a certain degree of discipline and technique.


But there’s also something warmly personal about it. Getting a letter in the handwriting of a loved one makes you feel a little close to them than an email might. And some people even believe that a person’s handwriting holds secrets about their personalities.

But if you fear handwriting is going the way of the dinosaur, don’t! There are still people who love the hand-lettered look, and not only that, but they’re elevating it to an art form.

Check out some of the amazing penmanship samples below, and use them as inspiration for your next greeting card!

[H/T: BoredPanda]

Cover photo via Flickr / liz west