# Are handwriting and art skill correlated? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120 "2010-11-10T00:33:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/1 "2010-11-10T00:33:05Z")
On another site, there was a thread debating the merits of teaching children to write in cursive. A teacher chimed in and said it was important that kids were still taught cursive writing because it taught them fine motor skills. I personally observed that I have terrible handwriting, and I also happen to be terrible at the visual arts (drawing, painting, etc) and I wondered if there was a correlation between the two. Is your skill at handwriting similar to your visual art skill? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/2 "2010-11-10T00:37:07Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Is your skill at handwriting similar to your visual art skill? Yes - very legible, but messy, writing matching an inability to paint and draw. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/3 "2010-11-10T00:44:04Z")
I would suspect that any correlation would be because those who are driven to practice their handwriting until it is very good are also likely to practice things like drawing as well. I don’t have illegible handwriting but it does lack consistency and uniformity in how I shape the letters. I also considered myself a failure at drawing until I began really practicing this semester under the unofficial tutelage of two of my professors and can now create passable sketches. I really think it’s just a matter of devoting the time to it. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/4 "2010-11-10T02:45:58Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > A teacher chimed in and said it was important that kids were still taught cursive writing because it taught them fine motor skills. That is probably true, but there’s a lot more to being a skilled artist than fine motor control. Most of bad art comes from an inability to translate something from your mind to paper, not due to mere clumsiness. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/5 "2010-11-10T03:01:36Z")
I’m a commercial artist with bad handwriting. I’ve never noticed a correlation among the artists I know, and personally I’m not going to put out the concentration to be neat unless I’m getting paid. The designer I know with the nicest writing is a “cool” guy. Laid back, listens to fusion, is very aware of his clothes. Maybe there’s a connection between neat writing and cultivating an image. However, his writing is more cool than legible. My sister has great handwriting (her Christmas envelopes look much better than mine). She’s a craftish-type person. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/6 "2010-11-10T03:16:57Z")
I have average handwriting (but it used to be bad, until I started printing in all caps). I can’t draw or paint worth shit but I’m extremely talented at sculpting… not sure what to vote. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/7 "2010-11-10T04:00:03Z")
Ds in penmanship, As in art all through school. I took two semesters of calligraphy while working on my Visual Design/Illustration degree, so I CAN write nicely if I must. Lately even my “neat” printing is getting more messy. My legal signature is unreadable. ---
**Author:** ![Skyscrapers\_Are\_Gravestones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Skyscrapers\_Are\_Gravestones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skyscrapers_Are_Gravestones)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/8 "2010-11-10T04:18:56Z")
My printing is uniform, all caps, and easily legible from a distance but still stylized and ‘mine’. My cursive is textbook, lettering and angles are uniform and consistent, and I’ve managed to throw in some flourishes that make my writing unique without making it difficult for others to read. I worked hard for both. I can’t draw a stick figure, let alone sketch anything, and I’ve never tried particularly hard. Drawing didn’t come naturally to me the way writing did, so I had no interest in putting time into practice. Most artist friends of mine have chicken scratch for handwriting, even though they draw beautifully. I’ve always suspected a correlation. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/9 "2010-11-10T04:19:45Z")
I find it funny that about 4 out of the first 5 responses to the poll supported my hypothesis, and now the choices are quite even. Go go sample size! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/10 "2010-11-10T14:50:17Z")
I have very nice handwriting and am a fair artist, very crafty, etc. As I remember, I did take pride in my writing. I wouldn’t say I practiced, as it comes pretty naturally, but when I first started writing regularly I definitely put effort into it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/11 "2010-11-10T14:58:24Z")
First of all, no, I don’t think there’s a correlation from my observations. Second, the teacher’s an idiot. A sweet idiot, perhaps, to try to preserve the fine art from of cursive, but an idiot. Does anyone honestly think that children texting 7000 messages a month from itty bitty keyboards have anything at all wrong with their fine motor skills? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/12 "2010-11-10T15:03:00Z")
I have awful handwriting and I have made a living as a painter and designer. When drafting, I can make my writing much better, but it seems that I’m using a different part of the brain when doing lettering on a plate versus, say, taking notes in a meeting. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/13 "2010-11-10T15:36:47Z")
I never write cursive, I always print. And I’m a professional artist. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/14 "2010-11-10T15:55:15Z")
Worst handwritting I know, and the worst speller, is a artist. The skills are unrelated unless the artist is drawing the letters. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/15 "2010-11-10T16:47:36Z")
I hate this kind of argument, “We teach x because it will help with y”. If you want to teach fine motor skills, teach art directly. When I was in school, we were told to take Latin because it will help you learn a Romance language more readily. But nothing like taking a Romance language. I took 2 years of Latin and two of French and four years of French would have actually taught me the language (I think). My handwriting is pretty gruesome, although I can crank it up to being legible, but I am really terrible at drawing. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/16 "2010-11-10T17:54:02Z")
I am pretty good, exceptionally fast artist. My handwriting appalls me, and I have really tried to improve it ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/17 "2010-11-10T18:01:05Z")
**Hari,** you don’t learn Latin to learn French. You learn it to learn _English._ ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/18 "2010-11-10T21:17:54Z")
Absolutely not. I have the worst sort of doctor/engineer writing, but I’m a very good artist (painting, drawing, computer, and sculpting.) I just don’t care that my writing looks bad, while I do care about my art. I can write legibly when I need to. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/19 "2010-11-10T21:36:27Z")
My husband’s handwriting is close to illegible. Sometimes, he can’t even read it himself. But he is a talented artist who paints well, draws beautifully and is accomplished in working with stained glass. I have very attractive, easily readable handwriting (though I admit it has deteriorated a bit over the years.) My drawing skills are no more than average, and my fine motor skills are probably a bit below average (I can’t cut a straight line with scissors for love or money, and am generally rather clumsy with my hands.) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120/20 "2010-11-10T22:16:26Z")
> [@VernWinterbottom](#): > > Ds in penmanship, As in art all through school. > > I took two semesters of calligraphy while working on my Visual Design/Illustration degree, so I CAN write nicely if I must. > > Lately even my “neat” printing is getting more messy. My legal signature is unreadable. My answer is similar to this minus the calligraphy classes. In my late twenties I decided that I no longer wnated to have messy handwriting so I made a concerted effort to improve it, and even get compliments on my handwriting now. Drawing and painting well took very little effort for me. Writing neatly took quite a bit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-handwriting-and-art-skill-correlated/560120.md?page=2)