Learning Copperplate...

[caliken]

I think that it does no harm to remember, from time to time, what this Copperplate business is all about.

 

This exemplar was written in 1730 by the English writing master, Willington Clark.

and is, in my view, absolutely breathtaking in its simplicity and beauty.

 

It just doesn't get any better than this!

 

Ken

 

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/clark600.jpg

[smk]

todays practice sheet

 

Looks pretty good Sniper. Your lettering is quite uniform.

 

The only observation I have is that the letters seem to be a bit too rounded. The miniscules are supposed to be twice as tall as they are wide. A minor adjustment for you given the fair degree of uniformity in your exercise sheet.

 

Looking forward to the next one.

 

Salman

[smk]

I think that it does no harm to remember, from time to time, what this Copperplate business is all about.

 

 

A good point Ken. Thanks for bringing this up. Its quite easy to get wrapped up in the decoration and forget the lettering itself. All the flourishing in the world cannot improve a poorly executed script.

 

Your examples are eye openers though. No. 2 was like a jolt of awakening for me, linking two letters like that hadn't occurred to me.

 

Thank you for enlightening us. Your help is much appreciated.

 

Regards,

Salman

[sniper910]

Thanks salman,after looking at kens examples above I see what you mean. While writing I started to notice that too about certain letters, especially "m" and "n". I think what may be the problem is that I was writing with a smaller x height to see if I could stay consistent. But my ink is too thin which made it hard for me to control. I'm looking to get some gum Arabic soon to see if that helps. Thanks for the observation and tip

[WestLothian]

Ken,

 

I wonder, was the Willington Clark sample from writing or from an engraved plate?

I like the milder shading and the cursive appearance without leading links at the first letter and trailing links on the final "s" in a word.

The double "ss" used to be quite confusing when reading old script, it would be fun to bring that back into handwriting.

 

Thanks,

Alistair

[caliken]

I thought that it might be useful to highlight a common, and easily corrected, mistake in the script of beginners in Copperplate.

 

1 shows a normal copperplate 'n'

 

2 when writing a reduced size of the same letter, the nib is flexed to the same extent, which naturally produces a letter of different proportions - i.e. square in format.

 

3 the letter, when at a reduced size, should retain the same proportions as the original, both in flex weight and letter width.

 

 

Ken

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/compare200.jpg

Edited October 1, 2011 by caliken

[caliken]

I wonder, was the Willington Clark sample from writing or from an engraved plate?

This example was from an engraved plate. To the best of my knowledge, no example exists of his original writing. It is my belief that, prior to engraving, the handwritten copies were traced in reverse onto the copper plates, destroying the originals in the process.

 

I can think of no other way that the accuracy of engraving in reverse could be achieved, especially with really small letters. This would account for the fact that not a single original handwritten copy from "The Universal Penman" has ever come to light - to the best of my knowledge.

 

Ken

[WestLothian]

It is a pity that there are no samples of his manuscript originals.

It is good to see examples of the concurrent writing from the period of the plates being cut.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=HFbYTVZ4qwYC&pg=PA160-IA18&dq=%22willington+clark%22&hl=en&ei=4qeHToviCI_ItAbay-DgAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=%22willington%20clark%22&f=false

[sniper910]

Ken, I was attempting to do as you suggested with my practice sheet, but with the ink flow so quick, I think it made my shading thicker than I wanted, I hope to correct that soon and work on my forms

 

When working with gum Arabic, do you get it in powder form? Also, do you mix it with distilled water then add to the ink, and what ratio? And lastly, how much do you mix at a time so you don't waste both the distilled water or the gum?

Edited October 2, 2011 by sniper910

[caliken]

It is a pity that there are no samples of his manuscript originals.

It is good to see examples of the concurrent writing from the period of the plates being cut.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=HFbYTVZ4qwYC&pg=PA160-IA18&dq=%22willington+clark%22&hl=en&ei=4qeHToviCI_ItAbay-DgAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=%22willington%20clark%22&f=false

Alistair,

 

It's interesting to see actual handwriting of the period. Thanks for posting.

 

Ken

[caliken]

Ken, I was attempting to do as you suggested with my practice sheet, but with the ink flow so quick, I think it made my shading thicker than I wanted, I hope to correct that soon and work on my forms

 

When working with gum Arabic, do you get it in powder form? Also, do you mix it with distilled water then add to the ink, and what ratio? And lastly, how much do you mix at a time so you don't waste both the distilled water or the gum?

sniper910,

 

I have Gum Arabic in liquid form but I rarely use it. Your problem seems odd to me - what ink are you using? I never have excessive flow problems with Higgins Eternal Black which I use with all my dip nibs.

 

If your ink is too thin and flows too easily, it could be intended for fountain pens and not for use with dip nibs. You could try leaving the container top off for a few days. This may thicken the ink sufficiently.

 

I'm not much help here. Perhaps someone with better knowledge of inks and their properties, could pitch in here, with better advice. I tend to find something that works well, such as Higgins Eternal Black ink, and stick to it without question!

 

Good luck!

 

Ken

[smk]

Sniper910 - I have used the following FP inks for Copperplate without any flow problems:

 

1. Lamy Black

2. Pelikan Brilliant Brown and Brilliant Blac

3. Sheaffer Skrip Red

 

In addition to these I have used a number of Calli and Winsor & Newton Calligraphy inks that work pretty well most of the time, some of them need a little water added for them to make them flow better.

 

Higgins Eternal Black works perfectly for me except with two nibs (Brause Rose and Blue Pumpkin - I suspect I need to add a bit of Gum to the ink for these nibs.)

 

My absolute favorite is Walnut ink made from crystals sold by John Neal Bookseller.

 

I second Ken's recommendation of leaving the ink uncovered for some time. I left a lid improperly closed and the ink was noticeably thicker when I used it a few days later.

 

Salman

[Mickey]

Thicker does not necessarily mean superior performance. I recently had to strain my two IG inks (Old World and McCaffery's Penman) which had become too thick to yield great hair lines. (I believe exposure to oxygen caused some of the iron to precipitate out of solution.) I ran both inks through fine mesh filters (to remove the suspended particles and sediment), added a couple of drops of white vinegar, et voila, almost good as new.

[caliken]

Higgins Eternal Black works perfectly for me except with two nibs (Brause Rose and Blue Pumpkin - I suspect I need to add a bit of Gum to the ink for these nibs.)

 

My absolute favorite is Walnut ink made from crystals sold by John Neal Bookseller.

 

Salman,

 

You've reminded me that I had flow problems with my Brause Rose nibs, until I added Gum Arabic. Now the ink flows perfectly and they are among my favourite nibs.

 

I posted this little clip of a Brause Rose nib recently, but it is no longer available, following my recent youtube problems. As I've been asked to re-instate it, here it is now.

 

Ken

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtmBiOlPtGA

Edited October 2, 2011 by caliken

[sniper910]

Ken and Salman, i'm using dr. ph. martin's bombay black india ink. i'm guessing it's for dip pens, though it doesn't say specifically for dip or fountain pens. i'll try leaving it open overnight and see if that helps. but i may just switch inks. i just use this one because it's the only one i've found here in hawai'i for sale. all the others will have to be mail ordered, and at the time i had just gotten into dip pens and hadn't heard of different inks or this forum. for edged nibs it's ok, but i still find myself writing off a lot of excess before writing because of too much flow, even if i use the dropper to control how much ink i put into the reservoir. i will definitely order some of the other inks mentioned and hopefully they will help, since they've worked for you.

 

Mickey, thanks for the input. i don't need it much thicker, just a little so that it doesn't flow so quickly off the nib, giving me a little more control of the pen without rushing to keep up with the flow of ink. i'd be able to take my time and put more concentration in my lettering. white vinegar huh? i got some speedball ink that seems a little too thick for my edged nibs. i may try that to see if i can thin it a little so it's not so pastey. thanks!

[Hex]

 

I posted this little clip of a Brause Rose nib recently, but it is no longer available, following my recent youtube problems. As I've been asked to re-instate it, here it is now.

 

Ken

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtmBiOlPtGA

 

Ken, your videos are always very instructive. I was watching closely so I could see if I am holding my nib holder anywhere near like you do. Some observations.

I hold mine further up the handle.

This will be hard to describe, but the relationship of the nib end to the paper seems not quite as straight-on in your hand as it is mine and you were still able to get a nice broad line. It looks a bit like you are making the broad lines, partially with the edge of the nib. Hmmm, I will pay attention to this when I practice later today and see if it makes a difference or is uncomfortable.

 

At some point during the practice, I wind up with a solid black thumb. Somehow the ink is getting out of the pen and on to my thumb. Messy, messy.

Just for reference, what nib holder was that for the Brause Rose video ?

 

Thanks again

[Mickey]

 

Mickey, thanks for the input. i don't need it much thicker, just a little so that it doesn't flow so quickly off the nib, giving me a little more control of the pen without rushing to keep up with the flow of ink. i'd be able to take my time and put more concentration in my lettering. white vinegar huh? i got some speedball ink that seems a little too thick for my edged nibs. i may try that to see if i can thin it a little so it's not so pastey. thanks!

 

The white vinegar is specific to iron gall inks and (I believe) is to adjust for pH changes due to oxidation. Simple dilution seems the correct course of action for non-IG inks.

[ihtzazqamar]

Still practicing Capital letter. Here is a mix.

 

 

Ihtzaz

[caliken]

Just for reference, what nib holder was that for the Brause Rose video ?

 

It's an 8.25" Rosewood "Zanerian" oblique holder purchased from John Neal.

 

Ken

[smk]

Ken and Salman, i'm using dr. ph. martin's bombay black india ink. i'm guessing it's for dip pens, though it doesn't say specifically for dip or fountain pens.

 

Sniper910, I'm not familiar with that particular brand. India inks are heavily pigmented. I'm surprised that you find an India ink too watery, they tend to be rather thick and require fairly regular wipes of the nib to keep the deposits from messing with your work.

 

Some pigmented inks do say that they are non clogging and some india inks are perfectly safe for use in technical pens but they are not usable in regular FPs. I have some Calli calligraphy ink that actually says its safe for use in fountain pens but I have never dared use it in one.

 

I'll be looking forward to see if the 'thickening' process works for you. In the meantime, why not give regular fountain pen ink a try.

 

Another thing that gives surprisingly good results is gouache. Just mix some in a shallow saucer to the consistency of milk, apply to the underside of the nib with a brush and pen beautiful letters. You'll be surprised at how nice it is (at least I was :-) You don't need to get artist quality gouache for practice. Its easy to clean up and you can reuse the leftovers by just adding water.

 

Salman