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Technique / 10 minute exercise

Space the shapes, not the letters

Equal measured gaps rarely look equal. Letter spacing is an optical judgment: the open areas between forms should feel related, even when their widths differ.

Take it step by step

  1. Write a row of n shapes. Look at the white spaces between strokes and aim for an even repeating rhythm.
  2. Compare “oo”, “nn”, “on”, and “no”. Curved sides and straight sides enclose different-looking spaces; adjust by eye instead of forcing identical distances.
  3. Write a short phrase. Make the word space clearly larger than the internal letter spaces without splitting the phrase into unrelated pieces.
  4. Turn the paper upside down or squint slightly. Reading becomes harder and uneven dark patches become easier to notice.

Your turn

Try this on paper

Write “moon room” three times: deliberately tight, deliberately loose, then balanced. Mark one gap you would change and write a final version.

Make a practice sheet →

Before you move on

Does the word read as one unit, with no letter stranded or crowded?

Repeat the exercise if you want to. Marking a lesson complete records your practice, not a claim of mastery.

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