Learning Copperplate...

[smk]

I am going to learn Copperplate. This is a hand that I previously thought was beyond my abilities but having purchased an oblique holder recently has given me hope that I too can learn this lovely hand.

 

I have decided to put my learning experience online for two reasons:

 

1. 
    
   
2. I hope that others will join in and we'll all learn in a collaborative manner - critiquing, advising and supporting each other.
   
3. I also hope to receive advice from members who are experienced in this hand from time to time.
    
   

 

My preparations thus far:

 

Nibs

I have decided to use Gillot 303 and 170 (I have only one of these). I write with a naturally light touch and find the 303 very nice to write with. I also have Nikko G nibs but they are too stiff for my liking.

 

Holders

I have acquired the thicker Century Oblique and the Hunt/Speedball Oblique Pen holders. With a little bit of adjustment per Dr. Vitolo's videos on iampeth.com the Century Oblique holder is wonderful to use.

 

Ink

I am using Walnut ink for practice although I switch to Pelikan Brown and Brilliant Black on occasion. I tried Higgins Eternal Black but found it a little too thick - that might just be the paper though as I find it an excellent ink for broad nib work.

 

Paper

I'm using Daler-Rowney Marker pad for practice. The paper takes ink beautifully and is thin enough for the guidelines to show through clearly. I have tried out regular inkjet paper and it works fine, the only limitation is that the guidelines have to be printed on the paper.

 

Examplars/Guidance

I have decided to use the videos on iampeth.com (here) for guidance. I am aware that this guidance is for the Engrosser's script but I suspect that the strokes are similar and learning from here will put Copperplate within reach.

 

I started out with a practice sheet today. I mostly played around drawing different letters and getting a feel for the things I need to learn/fix, which, understandably, is a lot right now. Proper practice will start tomorrow. I am using a guide sheet with an x-height of 6mm and main slant guides at 54 degrees from horizontal.

 

I am attaching a partial scan of the page from today and will follow up with more scans as my skills grow. Would you like to join me on this journey?

 

Here's day1-sheet1 (partial):

 

[Signum1]

Daler-Rowney paper, I'm not familiar with it. Can you express the paper quality in terms of pounds or grams per square meter? The package will indicate the information I'm asking for. See below link. Click zoom on the picture and you see the quality of the paper is expressed as 32lbs or 120grams per square meter.

 

 

HP 32 lb Paper

 

I have the equipments to do copperplate. but lack the time commitment. I join you but I'm moving at a slower pace.

Edited February 6, 2011 by Signum1

[inky]

Fascinating, I am interested and following this thread. Let the fun begin.

[smk]

Daler-Rowney paper, I'm not familiar with it. Can you express the paper quality in terms of pounds or grams per square meter? The package will indicate the information I'm asking for. See below link. Click zoom on the picture and you see the quality of the paper is expressed as 32lbs or 120grams per square meter.

 

 

The paper is 70 g/m2 (30 lbs) bleedproof marker pad as shown here.

 

The HP paper would be excellent but I suspect you'll need to print the guidelines on the paper as it'll be too thick for them to show through clearly.

 

I'm using the pad simply because I have it and it works well with this nib and ink combination. I'll probably switch to printer paper when this runs out.

 

As for the speed - well I'm going to go slow too. I don't think I'll be able to practice every day, even though I want to. The idea is to learn from each other and have fun along the way. I may never become an expert but I'll be better at it than I am today :-)

 

Salman

[caliken]

I am going to learn Copperplate. This is a hand that I previously thought was beyond my abilities but having purchased an oblique holder recently has given me hope that I too can learn this lovely hand.

 

You've made an excellent and impressive start.

 

This Copperplate exercise routine from IAMPETH is a great way to develop an eye and feel for writing with the flexible nib.

 

caliken

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Exercises.jpg

[Wickwack]

I'm in!! I'll start practicing and share an example. I don't have a scanner so I have to photograph, upload and then resize in order to post a picture (if anyone has a better way please let me know-I have Windows Vista and go through the Manage Office Gallery to resize) Thanks also for posting the nibs you use -

How fun - sort of like a virtual classroom!

edit:

Edited February 7, 2011 by Wickwack

[smk]

Welcome aboard Wickwack and inky - I'm sure it'll be fun learning this very elegant hand.

 

Ken - thank you for pitching in with the very helpful exercise. I started with this today and immediately realized how far I have to go.

 

Out of the texts available on iampeth.com I have selected two; Lessons in Engrosser's Script by E.L. Brown and Lessons in Engraver's script by W.A. Baird (they are the first two on the list). Do you feel that one of these is more suitable for our purposes than the other?

 

I have included below my practice sheet for today. I didn't get as much time as I would have liked to spend on practice but half a sheet is better than nothing :-)

 

Here goes - warts and all:

 

 

What did I learn today? First off, I have noticed that I tend to write more upright than is required for this script. I had to keep adjusting the angle multiple times in a line. I also have a tendency to write too fast, the results are much better at a slower, more controlled pace.

 

The squared tops and bottoms in the flat ending are not easy to make, I thought I'll start the stroke with a tiny triangle by moving the point slightly left in a diagonal direction but it turns out to be quite hard to control - ditto for the lift at the end. For now I'm going to retouch these and learn this technique when I can consistently draw even shades and maintain the slant.

 

Goals for next lesson: Repeat this exercise, paying attention to the points noted above (and others if anyone cares to add to it)

 

Edit: Inserted links to lessons and edited for clarity.

Edited February 7, 2011 by smk

[Ghost Plane]

I'm lurking. Post on!

[mholve]

I wish I had a pen/nib that would let me partake, I'd be game for sure.

[caliken]

Salman,

 

You've made a great start. The basic principles are few, and easy to learn.

Try to maintain the same stroke weight throughout a piece of writing. The classic angle for Copperplate writing is 55 degrees from the horizontal. Try to maintain this angle throughout. In the exercises, try to keep the inter-stroke spacing even.

 

For squared tops and bottoms of the diagonal strokes in the first exercise, try this. Place the nib at the top of the stroke and press to open the tines then start the downstroke. At the foot, stop and lift the nib straight off the page so that the tines snap shut and give a clean edge to the stroke. To produce perfect squared-off terminals, often requires a little retouching after the letter has been completed.

 

As with every discipline, a little practice every day is better than a lot once a week.

 

You've made some very sound observations and you're already producing nice results with even stroke weight, consistent angle and good spacing - you're well on the way!

 

Ken

Edited February 7, 2011 by caliken

[Achim]

Here's some doodling with my new Zebra G nibs done last weekend - these nibs are quite sturdy in comparison to e.g. the Principal EF or the Esterbrook 356 and I had quite some difficulty using them.

This is one of my first pages exercising Copperplate, using Ken's DVD and the Dick Jackson book to learn - highly recommended, because the examples show that they are written by hand, not perfect as in the Universal penman, which defeats frustration . X-height is 7 mm, using a cheap plastic oblique holder with the Zebra G comic nib and Higgins Eternal on mondi IQ selection (100g/m2) - kudos to Ken for suggesting this paper which is much more affordable than the Conqueror smooth/satin that I used before.

 

 

 

Best, Achim.

[caliken]

Out of the texts available on iampeth.com I have selected two; Lessons in Engrosser's Script by E.L. Brown and Lessons in Engraver's script by W.A. Baird (they are the first two on the list). Do you feel that one of these is more suitable for our purposes than the other?

 

Although they are both excellent in their own way, I think that the lessons by W.A. Baird are closer to the ideal.

 

Of course, every serious student of this style of writing should have a copy of "The Universal Penman" by George Bickham. This inexpensive book, first published in the 1700s, has been the starting point for every attempt to produce Copperplate; Engrossers; Engravers handwriting/lettering.

 

This is where it all started and the copper-engraved examples, are staggeringly beautiful and are surely the exemplars to end all exemplars.

 

If you don't have it - get a copy. It will blow your mind!

 

Ken

[Dueller]

I too am using a 303 in a century 3/8ths oblique. I have tried many of the usual nibs but much prefer the feel of the 303. I use a 170 for smaller x heights. I have also found the Brause 66 ef to be vevy good for larger x heights and flourishing, they have an awesome tine spread.

 

Have a look at this

 

 

Lee

[mholve]

^ Wow, Lee. Most impressive.

[Dueller]

^ Wow, Lee. Most impressive.

 

Occasionally when i want some inspiration i watch a couple of his vids on you tube, they are very inspiring. There are many more.

[caliken]

Thanks for the endorsement, Achim!

 

If you use "The Universal Penman" by George Bickham for inspiration and "Copperplate Calligraphy" by Dick Jackson for instruction, you won't go far wrong.

 

Your work is most impressive. You have a very steady hand and your long evenly-weighted downstrokes are excellent.

Also your slope angle is very consistent at 55 degrees. Thanks for posting.

 

Ken

Edited February 8, 2011 by caliken

[Achim]

Your work is most impressive. You have a very steady hand and your long evenly-weighted downstrokes are excellent.

Also your slope angle is very consistent at 55 degrees. Thanks for posting.

 

Thank you for the heads up! Makes me really proud hearing that from a master like you.

 

Fortunately the specimen is reduced to 50%, else you would see that my hand is quite shaky sometimes, especially when doing the long upstrokes on "h", "k", "l" etc.

 

Now if all the downstrokes were not only consistent in themselves but also across different letters - I tend to make them fatter when I know I have to do a longer stroke (e.g. in the "p", "y", "q", "f"). Letter spacing also needs improvement, and sticking to the given base line and x-height (there's a tendency to make letters too small). Time will show if I'll take all those hurdles.

 

I agree wholeheartedly that the examples in the Universal Penman are the ideal that we should try to get to as near as possible.

 

Achim.

[bigstick]

Salman, if you like the Gillot 303 you will absolutely adore the 404.

[smk]

Ken - thanks for the detailed feedback and the recommendations in exemplars. I'll try to get my hands on the The Universal Penman. I've downloaded whatever scans I could find on the internet. You are right, the examples are pretty awesome.

 

I think it'll get very boring very fast for everyone if I post each and every exercise sheet. I will post each lesson the first time I do it and then when I think I've got it right to a fair degree. This will show progress as well get me some feedback off the first attempt.

 

Achim - now thats some nice Copperplate. How long did it take you to get to this level?

 

mholve - the nibs and holders used for Copperplate aren't expensive. It'll be great to have you onboard if you can source some when you get a chance.

 

bigstick - I hear you on the 404. I have one of these but I find it a tad stiff for my liking - but these are early days. I'll be sure to give it another try when I know what I'm doing :-)

 

 

Wickwack - we'll be looking forward to the results of your practice.

 

Salman

[Wickwack]

Ok, here we go.... this is my first practice lesson. I'm using a great book I found on Amazon. Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy, A Step by Step Manual by Eleanor Winters. This is not the best paper so there is some feathering. I'm loving seeing everyone's writing, they're inspiring! I used my Noodler's Ivory Darkness Piston Fill flex nib filled with Diamine Steele Blue first then switched to Esterbook SJ with Caran D'Ache Storm at the end because I ran out of ink!! I guess I'll just HAVE to change inks....