Are there versions of "Copperplate" where the letters are enclosed and more readable?

July 28

Hi,

I am probably going to tick some people off, but I find both of those have small and capital letters that don't look like what I think they should look like and makes it not just hard to read for myself, but others that I have shown it too.

I am learning Copperplate, but I do not want to end up using some of the letters. Mostly those that are not completely enclosed. It is sometimes a guessing game to read what has been written if I cannot rely on the rest of the letters filling in the blanks so to speak, in order to make out the word or sentence.

Forget about the "crazy" Z and z. I will come up with my own to look like regular ones. I am thinking about letters like p which looks more like and h, minuscule r, and a few others including capitals. Maybe I am looking for a consistent alphabet(s) to practice and learn how to write, whatever it is called.

If I ever got good enough to write a formal document like a wedding invitations (not going there!) I would like it to be completely legible. How some letters addressed with Copperplate that I have seen ever make it to the proper recipient baffles me! 🙂

And everything is so "big" from what I have seen. I use italic for most of my writing (i.e., Lloyd Reynolds, Fred Eager,...) but want to learn something more formal for special occasions. Maybe certificates,.... although I do think Italic is beautiful especially some of the examples in Sheila Water's beautiful "Foundations of Calligraphy" book.

All right. That's it for now hehe

Don't suggest Spencerian because I hate it! 🙂

July 29

There's nothing stopping you from developing your own style and modifying letters to suit your taste. May not be strict Copperplate, but how important is that to you?

July 29

1 minute ago, effrafax said:

There's nothing stopping you from developing your own style and modifying letters to suit your taste. May not be strict Copperplate, but how important is that to you?

Not at all! I just seems like it is the "in thing". Everybody's doing it 🙂

Thanks!

July 29

20 hours ago, effrafax said:

There's nothing stopping you from developing your own style and modifying letters to suit your taste. May not be strict Copperplate, but how important is that to you?

It would be helpful if I had a sheet to trace and practice with a lightbox though!

August 17

If you learn the basic Copperplate then you can have or create your own version of copperplate. but the only thing in common would be respectful for all copperplate IS SLANTING , AND SPACING AND SHADING AND hair lines as for " old English round hand "

You can use some SPENCERIAN CAPITALS WITH COPPERPLATE.

If you look at THE CENTURY OLDEST AMERICAN Enoch Noyes American round hand which I believe before America Engrosser round hand it is very similar to ENGLISH ROUND HAND.

I am attaching two pages to show some specimens here .

That can be really used with English round hand.

Elinor Winter has a different approach in to copperplate and it was the contemporary copperplate calligraphy ten in her time I guess.

If you look at Paul Antonios and Zuzanne Cunnigham's work they have a very different Copperplate styles .

If you have << Sheila Water's beautiful "Foundations of Calligraphy" book >> it is a great start .

So to my knowledge there's not one rule for writing but first of all you have to identify what is the base and master it to a level so that you can show up with some thing you can call this the way I want my copperplate.

September 3

On 8/17/2024 at 3:25 PM, Inkyways said:

f you have << Sheila Water's beautiful "Foundations of Calligraphy" book >> it is a great start .

So to my knowledge there's not one rule for writing but first of all you have to identify what is the base and master it to a level so that you can show up with some thing you can call this the way I want my copperplate.

What a coincidence that I was just searching for legible, elegant script and I found a couple links to the FPN forum, one of which was this of mine! And noticed that I had a reply from you! I find Copperplate with all the extreme (my description) flourishes to borderline on illegible and distracting. I also am going to offend fans of Spencerian saying the same thing about that script: Mostly illegible. The shading is distracting and draws the eyes away from the letters. Look at the banner of the home page of IAMPETH. I think both require a trained eye to accept and read both scripts. "Yeah, I think that says XXXX but that letter I think is supposed to be a p looks like an h. I think I can make that out now...".

To my eyes and brain, this is barely legible and readable and decipherable, and this is only one letter:

I do have that book!! I have about 20 pages with post-it tabs on them! I keep wanting to go back to Italic for elegant stuff. I think pages 120, 130, 131 and others are beautiful! In fact, I really should get another copy and leave it unmarked. Maybe put it behind glass 🙂

Your examples that you embedded are exactly what I am looking for and want to be able to do! As beautiful and elegant as penmanship gets, as far as I am concerned. I want to learn that but haven't been able to find the resources to do so. Yesterday, I spent time searching for English Roundhand and Roundhand.

Thank you very much Inkyways!!

-paul

September 5

Once again, confirmed and affirmed that Copperplate and Spencerian is cryptic to her 🙂 I went a guitar lesson and I was asked what I was up to (besides practicing, of course! Always a good answer! hehe)) and I said I was trying to learn some calligraphy, The wife of my teacher immediately told me that she has trouble reading calligraphy, especially deciphering some letters. She had trouble making sense of a lot of what she has seen.

So more proof that I really need to come up with my own variation and style of some sort of elegant writing. Probably change what I have seen of Copperplate and cut back or get rid of the shading of Spencerian.

🙂