The choices at the top are roundish, then oval.
With ovals, you can have them more vertical or more horizontal.
Be consistent with the overall shape of the oval.
If you go round, keep them all round. If you go slanty, keep them all at the same slant.
Keeping the shape and the slant (if there is one) the same allows you one variable and that is size.
You can adjust the flourish to be larger or smaller depending on the letter.
Other choices are if you have a curl that does not overlap. I call that a cinnamon roll. Keep them big and yummy. You can curl them around so they over lap like the first one in the second row. I calls those fish.
Looking at the third row, the second one, overlaps and then curls in on itself. I call that the kidney bean.
And I do not have a name for the second one in the top row. It has that little extra loop inside the major loop. I guess I will call that the *DeLuxe* model. You can't make those until you have mastered the basic ones.
And what are the pit falls. Pig tails. Don't make flourishes that look like little corkscrew pig tails. Unless you are doing something really whimsical. It's a matter of personal taste. I love whimsical, quirky, naive, rustic, outsider lettering. But, it's a little like dessert. Too much of it makes my teeth hurt. Unless I have some good reason to go on a dessert bender. I try to stay away from making any absolute edicts on what looks right.
This page has nice fluid, quickly done without any practice....flourishes.
As every instructor I ever had says...you only make nice flourishes by making a lot of them.
I like to just toss them off.
If I have a job where I am doing a lot of flourished envelopes. The first 25 will be fine. But, after that, the next ones always look so much better -to my eyes. Nobody else can tell the difference. But I can.
Happy Flourishing
