Learning Spencerian...

[kalum]

Thank you all for this thread, it has been a great read! I too have now caught the bug that compels me to learn to write in this style.

I will post some images of my own attempts!

 

p.s. see this youtube video of someone who is rather accomplished... that is what inspired me:

 

 

[MrMGWard]

Haven't posted anything in here for a while... (oops)

 

Here is a sheet of B's I was working on the other day. The original sent to me by Mr. Sull to practice. I think the top left is the closest to the example.

 

[Scribe_Not]

Haven't posted anything in here for a while... (oops)

 

Here is a sheet of B's I was working on the other day. The original sent to me by Mr. Sull to practice. I think the top left is the closest to the example.

 

Wow... Inspiring Sir!

[MrMGWard]

Spent some time working on whole arm ovals this evening. Pretty shaky, but feeling better as I go

 

[MusinkMan]

Awesome!!!!!!!! I certainly know how much patience and discipline this kind of practice requires! It's long, tedious work...but now you are rewarded with an enhanced ability that will be forever yours!

[MusinkMan]

Wanted to show this antique inkwell I bought for myself (I need to send myself a thank you note, don't I). heh heh!

I have beeeeeeeeeeeen wanting an inkwell, and especially an old one. I saw Michael Ward's inkwell in an instagram photo, and that set me on a mission. You know when you just "have to have" something? I finally found what I was looking for on the 'bay. I kept trying to find one that was a "double" so I could keep water in one side to clean the nib...also had to be wide enough to accomodate dips from an oblique holder, had to be vintage or antique, and most of all had to be rather cool looking. This one has the image of Pan on it, with two Phoenix's on either side of him. It's not a repro, it's old as dirt. I had to do a little bit of repair to it, but nothing serious. I should clean out the old ink and whatever that green patina is inside the little lids...but I rather like that it looks it's age. And...it did have both original glass inserts (for the ink). Well, I didn't know which thread to post it...so I wrote one of H.W.Longfellow's poems in Spencerian script and stuck it there.

 

[fiberdrunk]

Absolultely awesome eye candy! And your Spencerian is just lovely! I love this thread!

Wanted to show this antique inkwell I bought for myself (I need to send myself a thank you note, don't I). heh heh!

I have beeeeeeeeeeeen wanting an inkwell, and especially an old one. I saw Michael Ward's inkwell in an instagram photo, and that set me on a mission. You know when you just "have to have" something? I finally found what I was looking for on the 'bay. I kept trying to find one that was a "double" so I could keep water in one side to clean the nib...also had to be wide enough to accomodate dips from an oblique holder, had to be vintage or antique, and most of all had to be rather cool looking. This one has the image of Pan on it, with two Phoenix's on either side of him. It's not a repro, it's old as dirt. I had to do a little bit of repair to it, but nothing serious. I should clean out the old ink and whatever that green patina is inside the little lids...but I rather like that it looks it's age. And...it did have both original glass inserts (for the ink). Well, I didn't know which thread to post it...so I wrote one of H.W.Longfellow's poems in Spencerian script and stuck it there.

 

[hzsimms]

Wanted to show this antique inkwell I bought for myself (I need to send myself a thank you note, don't I). heh heh!

I have beeeeeeeeeeeen wanting an inkwell, and especially an old one. I saw Michael Ward's inkwell in an instagram photo, and that set me on a mission. You know when you just "have to have" something? I finally found what I was looking for on the 'bay. I kept trying to find one that was a "double" so I could keep water in one side to clean the nib...also had to be wide enough to accomodate dips from an oblique holder, had to be vintage or antique, and most of all had to be rather cool looking. This one has the image of Pan on it, with two Phoenix's on either side of him. It's not a repro, it's old as dirt. I had to do a little bit of repair to it, but nothing serious. I should clean out the old ink and whatever that green patina is inside the little lids...but I rather like that it looks it's age. And...it did have both original glass inserts (for the ink). Well, I didn't know which thread to post it...so I wrote one of H.W.Longfellow's poems in Spencerian script and stuck it there.

 

 

 

I like it (the inkwell and the script)! I'd definitely clean the green stuff out. Could creep out of there like kudzu if you're not careful!

[shoz_on4u]

Hi all,

I have started to practice spencerian script and downloaded materials from IAMPETH.com but i have some limitations since i'm from india i cannot find oblique pen holders here ordering from johnnealbooks will cost me very much so i started practice with a normal gel pen and for shading i do it manually since no flex nib.

Anyone knows where in India can i get Spencerian nibs and oblique holder.

Here is something i've been practicing will keep on posting my progress but do let me know your comments be it positive or negative will help me a lot in improving my penmanship.

 

Regards,

Shoebreza

[MusinkMan]

Hi all,

I have started to practice spencerian script and downloaded materials from IAMPETH.com but i have some limitations since i'm from india i cannot find oblique pen holders here ordering from johnnealbooks will cost me very much so i started practice with a normal gel pen and for shading i do it manually since no flex nib.

Anyone knows where in India can i get Spencerian nibs and oblique holder.

Here is something i've been practicing will keep on posting my progress but do let me know your comments be it positive or negative will help me a lot in improving my penmanship.

 

Regards,

Shoebreza

I know where you can order a custom one from here in the U.S.; and have it shipped internationally. I'm just sayin'...

[MusinkMan]

Absolultely awesome eye candy! And your Spencerian is just lovely! I love this thread!

Thank you, Teri! Hey, how is it coming with our leftie pen creation? Are you getting those nibs to behave with it?

Still enjoying your pomegranate ink...awesome stuff! The Cooked Walnut gall is pretty awesome stuff as well!

Those gall inks are hard on nibs (corrosive), but they write so beautifully! I still love them and use them regularly!

[MusinkMan]

Thank you all for this thread, it has been a great read! I too have now caught the bug that compels me to learn to write in this style.

I will post some images of my own attempts!

 

p.s. see this youtube video of someone who is rather accomplished... that is what inspired me:

 

 

I ordered myself one of those Mottishaw modded Falcons after I watched this gal write in these videos. I thought a pen like that would change my life! LOL. But in honesty, I hated it. It's still in my case with my fountain pen collection. The least used one of the lot. I don't know how this gal is writing with so much whip and snap with this pen. John Mottishaw sharpened mine like a needle, and I think it would cut the paper if I whipped it with that kind of fervor (and pressure, judging from the soundbytes on the clips). Even now, I enjoy watching her write with her Namiki Falcon.

[smk]

These videos make me cringe. I'm surprised that Mottishaw promotes them (or at least one of them) on his website.

[caliken]

These videos make me cringe. I'm surprised that Mottishaw promotes them (or at least one of them) on his website.

+1

 

Ken

Edited October 24, 2013 by caliken

[Mickey]

+1

 

Ken

Not that I'd want one, but I did get a chance to give one a test drive a couple of weeks ago. With a light enough touch, something fairly Spencerian can result, but an oblique holder and nib are a much easier solution. The dynamics are entirely different with these mods. It takes a fair amount of pressure to get a decent swell, but then you need to back off to almost nothing to avoid snags. I suppose one can learn this technique, but why bother.

 

That said, I doubt there's a production FP nib that can be adapted to Spencerian, unless it is something like the Romillo K nib. (Anyone with a spare $1000 lying around willing to give it a try?) To get the sort of flex needed for copperplate or Spencerian, the nib maker really needs to start with raw metal. (see the link below) I don't think any nibmeister can convert a standard point into a nib suitable for serious OP.

 

http://www.zanerian.com/303.html

Edited October 24, 2013 by Mickey

[caliken]

Not that I'd want one, but I did get a chance to give one a test drive a couple of weeks ago. With a light enough touch, something fairly Spencerian can result, but an oblique holder and nib are a much easier solution. The dynamics are entirely different with these mods. It takes a fair amount of pressure to get a decent swell, but then you need to back off to almost nothing to avoid snags. I suppose one can learn this technique, but why bother.

 

I got one a few years ago, but found that it was pretty useless for controlled, flex-nib writing. I just use it as a very good monoline nib.

 

Ken

[Inkysloth]

I wonder if the sound is indicative of really heavy pressure / scratching, or if it's just the microphone picking up the sound close to the video, and artificially amplifying it. I wonder this because the iphone picks up certain sounds as being far more loud than they really are - the door opening / closing beeps on DLR trains, for example. If I'm talking to someone who's sitting on the DLR, and the beeps go off, I'll be half-deafened by them, which isn't indicative of their actual volume on the train.

 

 

I ordered myself one of those Mottishaw modded Falcons after I watched this gal write in these videos. I thought a pen like that would change my life! LOL. But in honesty, I hated it. It's still in my case with my fountain pen collection. The least used one of the lot. I don't know how this gal is writing with so much whip and snap with this pen. John Mottishaw sharpened mine like a needle, and I think it would cut the paper if I whipped it with that kind of fervor (and pressure, judging from the soundbytes on the clips). Even now, I enjoy watching her write with her Namiki Falcon.

[Mickey]

I wonder if the sound is indicative of really heavy pressure / scratching, or if it's just the microphone picking up the sound close to the video, and artificially amplifying it.

 

Almost surely. The paper looks very lightly textured (Crane's Crest or similar) and the sound definitely has that close spot-miking sound so beloved of DGG recording engineers in the 70s and 80s, the goal in the video to evoke the atmosphere of an old business school, like Gem or Zanerian college.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Mickey

[cellmatrix]

I have an old waterman with #2 nib and Parker lucky curve safety pen. Both are very smooth extra fines with full flex from the 30s and 20s respectively. These have great snap back and don't catch much at all on the upwards writing movements. They work decently for Spencerian, at least my attempts at it. However I suspect an oblique dip pen would be even better.

Edited October 25, 2013 by cellmatrix

[fiberdrunk]

Thank you, Teri! Hey, how is it coming with our leftie pen creation? Are you getting those nibs to behave with it?

Still enjoying your pomegranate ink...awesome stuff! The Cooked Walnut gall is pretty awesome stuff as well!

Those gall inks are hard on nibs (corrosive), but they write so beautifully! I still love them and use them regularly!

 

I practice with the Purple Eegore almost every day, working through those Spencerian copybooks by Mott (been meaning to post some of those practice pages here, but they embarrassingly pale compared to so many of the awesome writing samples I've seen!) I've tried a couple of different nibs in the Purple Eegore (wrote you a letter yesterday with a vintage silver alloy #203 nib by the Birmingham Pen Co. from England). Yes, unfortunately, iron gall inks are corrosive (black walnut, too). I've been keeping an eye out for gold-plated flex nibs but I don't think they exist any more. JBB here on FPN sells the silver alloy nibs. They do seem to be resisting the acidity better.

 

Glad the pom ink is working out. I hope to make more of that this winter, only I'm going to try to concentrate the gallic acid even more next time, to see if I can coax an even blacker color out of the pomegranates.