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The Technique of Copperplate Calligraphy: A Manual and Model Book of the Pointed Pen Method
Copperplate, a calligraphic style popular in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, remains one of the most elegant and popular styles among calligraphers. This volume is a complete manual on the technique of writing with the pointed pen in roundhand, which is the American version of copperplate.
You'll find detailed step-by-step instructions for executing the straight stroke, variations on the straight stroke (heavy strokes, hairline), curved stroke, push stroke, shading, ligatures, and other components of the style. Mastery of these strokes will in turn enable you to form lowercase letters and variations, capitals, alternate forms of capitals, numerals, and more.
The author has provided numerous sample letters in both upper and lower case, alphabet sentences, and two short compositions for use in learning to draw the letters properly. Also included are helpful suggestions on selection and care of a calligrapher's inks, nibs, paper—even how to make your own pens.
A model book as well as an instruction book, The Technique of Copperplate Calligraphy is completely written in roundhand. By carefully studying its elegant script and practicing the formation of letters according to the author's expert advice, even beginning calligraphers can achieve mastery of the influential and distinctive copperplate style.
You'll find detailed step-by-step instructions for executing the straight stroke, variations on the straight stroke (heavy strokes, hairline), curved stroke, push stroke, shading, ligatures, and other components of the style. Mastery of these strokes will in turn enable you to form lowercase letters and variations, capitals, alternate forms of capitals, numerals, and more.
The author has provided numerous sample letters in both upper and lower case, alphabet sentences, and two short compositions for use in learning to draw the letters properly. Also included are helpful suggestions on selection and care of a calligrapher's inks, nibs, paper—even how to make your own pens.
A model book as well as an instruction book, The Technique of Copperplate Calligraphy is completely written in roundhand. By carefully studying its elegant script and practicing the formation of letters according to the author's expert advice, even beginning calligraphers can achieve mastery of the influential and distinctive copperplate style.
48 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2013
An attractive book, almost entirely handwritten in Copperplate, with plenty of alternate letter forms and clear, short instructions.
However, the instructions are TOO short. The total instruction for minuscule letters amounts to eight pages, diagrams and all, and peters out on the last page with the comment, "You will notice that there are a few strokes in the alphabet below that have not been introduced yet. They are not difficult and will not present problems." Encouraging words, but in practice, Copperplate is so exacting that anyone who needs a manual needs more precise instructions.
The author also tells readers to make thick strokes separately from thin strokes. You place the pen on the page, apply pressure, and make the shade; then you lift the pen, place it back down, and make the hairline. It's a bewildering technique. It works for the author, whose calligraphy is beautiful, but I'm not sure how beginners are supposed to learn to use the pointed pen correctly when they keep interrupting the flow of the line.
I'd recommend this book for slightly more advanced students of Copperplate who want a different perspective on letter shapes and style. However, I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.
However, the instructions are TOO short. The total instruction for minuscule letters amounts to eight pages, diagrams and all, and peters out on the last page with the comment, "You will notice that there are a few strokes in the alphabet below that have not been introduced yet. They are not difficult and will not present problems." Encouraging words, but in practice, Copperplate is so exacting that anyone who needs a manual needs more precise instructions.
The author also tells readers to make thick strokes separately from thin strokes. You place the pen on the page, apply pressure, and make the shade; then you lift the pen, place it back down, and make the hairline. It's a bewildering technique. It works for the author, whose calligraphy is beautiful, but I'm not sure how beginners are supposed to learn to use the pointed pen correctly when they keep interrupting the flow of the line.
I'd recommend this book for slightly more advanced students of Copperplate who want a different perspective on letter shapes and style. However, I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.
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January 28, 2016:D
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews