Practice: Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step-by-Step Manual (cont.)

Last week, I thought I would make it through Chapter 2, and be moving on to the capital letters in Chapter 3, but I am still making my way through the 'Letter Connections and Spacing' section of Chapter 2. I am glad I did not rush it.  I still need to go over my practice samples and mark areas of needed improvement.  For instance, I still need to work on matching the spacing with the counter space of my lowercase 'a' and watch the 'italic thrust'.  I am used to writing in italic calligraphy and am definitely having a hard time dropping those letter forms in this handwriting style.

I am continuing to practice with the Dixon HB2 pencil, and loving it. 

Practice: Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step-by-Step Manual (cont.)

I finished the the minuscule (or lowercase) letters in Chapter 2 of Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy.  I picked up more tips, such as, watch the length of the ascender on the letter 'd' and the descender on the letter 'p'.  I also learned an exciting new way to form the minuscule 'f'. 

This week I have moved on to the 'Letter Connections and Spacing' section in Chapter 2.  It is helping me train my eye to spot pleasing ratios for forming letters and words. I used a Dixon HB2 pencil to practice.  I love writing with pencil.  It takes the pressure off and helps establish good muscle memory.

Next week, we will move on to capital (or majuscule) letter in chapter 3.

Practice: Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step-by-Step Manual

I started practice out of Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step-by-Step Manual by Eleanor Winters.  I ordered this book from an online source.  I can't remember for certain, but I believe it was Barnes and Noble. 

Anyway, within the introduction and first chapter I have already picked up some pointers to sharpen up my calligraphy skills.  In some instances, I don't think I was holding the nib (I like the Brause 66EF flexible nib) with even pressure on both tips of the nib, which created fuzzy strokes.  I also tend to apply a little too much pressure.  I learned to avoid the the 'italic thrust' in the arches of some of the letters. I also, picked up a tip on forming lowercase 'H', 'K', and  'L' that will help me form them better.  I will be using the Brause 66EF and walnut ink on marker paper.  I am very excited.  I am improving already.

Last Week of the Irene Wellington Copy Book

I have made my way through the entire Irene Wellington Copy Book.  I learned to write faster and smaller. I picked up new ways to form 'X' and 'Q'.  I also acquired inventive techniques in connecting the letters and reducing the number of strokes I use to form italic letters.

Next week, we will begin working through Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step by Step Manual by Eleanor Winters. 

Class This Friday and Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book (cont.)

Love Letters is this Friday, February 9 at 6:30-9p at Oil and Cotton.

In this class we will cover warm-ups, how to hold your pen (we will be working with a classroom set of Pilot Parallel pens (1.5 mm)), the basic Italic lowercase, number, and uppercase to enhance your own handwriting, as well as a refresher about the parts of a letter, and ideas about what to put in the letter(s). 

I will also bring a variety to of helpful and interesting calligraphy books.

Materials List:
Pilot Parallel Pens (1.5mm) (available for purchase at Oil and Cotton)
Stationary (for you to take home and available for purchase at Oil and Cotton)
Line Guides (for you to take home)
Lettering samples (for you to take home)

Please be on the look out for the Italic Calligraphy online instructional course coming this spring.  It will be a great complement to taking the class by encouraging practice, providing a refresher for information covered in class, and introducing material we cannot get to in class. 

We have one more week left with the Irene Wellington Copy Book.  I am still improving in speed. I also learned a new way to make 'Q'.  We will wrap up next week with a quick sample of the skills I picked up.

Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book (cont.)

I am over half-way through the Irene Wellington Copy Book.  This week I am experimenting with holding the pen like I did when I was little (I used to hold it with my thumb, index finger, and middle finger wrapped around the pen with it resting on my ring finger).  This seems to give me a little more control by allowing me to go with the natural curves my hand wants to form. However, holding the pen like I have been for the past year and a half (I was trying out holding it with my thumb and index finger clasping the pen with it resting on my middle finger) seems to allow for more freedom of movement. 

I am a very technical writer, so I may go back to holding the pen like I did when I was a little girl sometimes.  I really prefer more control.

Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book (cont.)

Now well into part two of the Irene Wellington Copy Book, I am writing a little faster and learning to connect the letters in a few different ways. 

I am enjoying the combining of the close cousins, italic and cursive, in order to write faster and with expression.  I have picked up a great way to write 'x' beautifully, and connect 'e' and 't' to other letters from their crossbars.

Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book (cont.)

I have been continuing to work my way through the ...Copy Book. 

This week, I am connecting letters and writing with a pencil.  This is instructed in preparation to write more quickly. This is new for me. I usually write very slowly, so it will be nice to practice writing a little smaller and a little quicker.

Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book (cont.)

Happy New Year! I am continuing in the The Irene Wellington Copy Book.  I am wrapping up the lowercase we started a couple of weeks ago. 

This week I ordered a Pilot Plumix pen this week from JetPens.  The pen produces thicks and thins with a medium straight cut nib for italic calligraphy.  I may keep this as an everyday pen, but I am still getting use to it. It seems a little more appropriate for the smaller italic I am practicing in the ...Copy Book.

Practice: The Irene Wellington Copy Book

This week I am starting practice out of The Irene Wellington Copy Book.  I found this book at a bookstore housed in an old movie theater (the Iris) called Books and Crannies in Terrell, Texas. 

So far I learned a new way to write my lowercase 'c' that I like.  I am enjoying the practice of writing smaller. Since I am writing small, I am sticking with the 1.5mm Pilot Parallel Pen and writing directly in the ...Copy Book.

The book begins with practicing the basic forms in lowercase and progresses to writing uppercase and lowercase in paragraphs with connections and faster (leading to a natural slant). 

I may skip posting the next week or two, but will pick back up in The Irene Wellington Copy Book.

Practice: Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick (cont.)

I am continuing my weekly post about calligraphy books. 

This is the final practice sample from Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick.  It contains straight forward, but deeply informative instructions.  I am sharing a sample of me practicing flourishing and ornaments using two of the easily accessible tools suggested in the book: a Parallel Pilot pen (size 1.5 mm nib) and college rule notebook paper.  

Next week I will start work out of The Irene Wellington Copy Book.

Practice: Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick (cont.)

I am continuing my weekly post about calligraphy books. 

I am still work my way through 'Simply Calligraphy' by Judy Detrick.  It contains straight forward, but deeply informative instructions.  I am sharing a sample of me practicing flourishing using two of the easily accessible tools suggested in the book: a Parallel Pilot pen (size 1.5 mm nib) and college rule notebook paper.  

Next week we will wrap up with ornaments, and move on to the next book (which I will reveal next week).

Practice: Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick (cont.)

I am continuing my weekly post about calligraphy books. 

I am still work my way through 'Simply Calligraphy' by Judy Detrick.  It contains straight forward, but deeply informative instructions.  I am sharing a sample of me practicing numbers using two of the easily accessible tools suggested in the book: a Parallel Pilot pen (size 1.5 mm nib) and college rule notebook paper.  

Next week I will look at flourishes.

Practice: Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick (cont.)

I am continuing my weekly post about calligraphy books. 

I am still work my way through 'Simply Calligraphy' by Judy Detrick.  It contains straight forward, but deeply informative instructions.  I am sharing a sample of me practicing uppercase Italic using two of the easily accessible tools suggested in the book: a Parallel Pilot pen (size 1.5 mm nib) and college rule notebook paper.  

Next week we will look at numbers.

Practice: 'Simply Calligraphy' by Judy Detrick

I will be doing exercises from books about calligraphy, and posting about them weekly.  I hope this will help me stay sharp through practice and spread the word about some great books.

Today, I am a starting with 'Simply Calligraphy' by Judy Detrick.  I found this book at Jade and Clover in Deep Ellum (downtown Dallas, Texas).  It contains straight forward, but deeply informative instructions.  I am sharing a sample of me practicing lowercase Italic using two of the easily accessible tools suggested in the book: a Parallel Pilot pen (size 1.5 mm nib) and college rule notebook paper.  

Next week, I will post a sample of uppercase.

Epistolary Paper Quilts and More this October

October is an exciting month for A. Scribe. 

After (or before) you check out Yayoi Kusama's 'All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins' at the Dallas Museum of Art, please come by my exhibition 'Epistolary Paper Quilts' on Sunday, October 1st from 1:30-3:30p at the Dallas Public Library on the 4th floor in the Lillian Bradshaw Gallery. The show will run through Sunday, October 29. 

Epistolary Paper Quilts' is a celebration of the connection between calligraphy, and letter writing and journaling; as well as paper, ink and origami. Excerpts from five epistolary novels ('Dracula' by Bram Stoker, 'The Screwtape Letters' by CL Lewis, 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker, 'Parable of Sower' by Octavia Butler, and 'Super Sad True Love Story' by Gary Shteyngart) are featured.

Also, I will be offering my online Italic Calligraphy course for the entire month of October (1st-31st).  The first 100 students to sign up for any section will get the supplementary material (found on this site under products) for free and proceeds will go to Dallas Academy (a private school for children with learning differences) and schools in the southern sector of the Dallas Independent School District. 

I will offer my Spencerian Method class at Oil and Cotton on Friday, October 13 and Friday, October 20 from 6:30-9p.  Spencerian Script is a traditional American handwriting style.  Experiment with a variety of inks and range of paper surfaces, and improve your own cursive handwriting skills with the Spencerian method in the process.  Also, learn to make your own quill pen.  Materials include dip pen nib with holder, quill pen, ink, and marker paper pad.

Intro to Calligraphy

My Intro to Calligraphy class is tomorrow night at Oil and Cotton 6:30-9p.  My three part Italic Calligraphy course will be released this Saturday, July 15 at 10a. 

Epistolary Paper Quilts

I am getting far along in creating seven paper quilts for an exhibition I have coming up at the Dallas Public Library, Main Branch in October 2017. 

I also have a calligraphy summer camp for children ages 6-10 coming up July 5-7 from 1 to 4p, and an Intro to Calligraphy class Friday, July 14, 2017 at 6:30p.

Intuitive Calligrapher

I had a wonderful time as always being the Intuitive Calligrapher (a terrific idea by Shannon Driscoll).  I was the Intuitive Calligrapher this Saturday from 3-5p at the Dallas Festival of Ideas with Oil and Cotton.  Connecting with people through this activity is immensely enjoyable and so special.

Oil and Cotton, Online Calligraphy Course, and the Festival of Ideas

This Friday, April 28 at 6:30p I will have a Pen and Ink class at Oil and Cotton. In this class we will cover warm-ups, how to hold and ink your pen (we will be working with a classroom set of nibs, pen holders, and ink for left and right handed students), and Foundational Hand lowercase and uppercase. We will also make accordion style booklets. 

Beginning April 28 at 10a thru May 6 at 10a, I will be accepting registration for an online Italic Calligraphy course that will be offered through Vimeo.  Calligraphy is a wonderful and accessible skill to have.  Italic is simply elegant and legible, which makes it a great introduction to writing calligraphy. In this 3 part course, learn this versatile style and use it for handwriting projects like envelope addressing, invitations, and more.

This Saturday, April 29 11a-5p, Oil and Cotton will be participating in the Festival of Ideas.  I will be the Intuitive Calligrapher (a stupendous idea by Shannon Driscoll) from 3 to 5p. It's an exhilarating experience were I look into the eyes of each visitor, I write the first word I feel, and the participant walks away with a personalized, handwritten word.