10/31/16 Sinai Temple Fall 2016 Class #1: Monoline Italic

This semester DeAnn is teaching Italic, starting with Monoline Italic, then chisel-point Italic, and then helping students develop their own style of Italic.

First DeAnn explained the proper posture for writing so that you can move your whole hand. Sit at a slight angle to the table so that your right arm can rest on the table. User your left hand as an anchor. Left-handed folks should do the reverse. Use several sheets of paper underneath the sheet you're writing on for some padding. We'll be using a pencil on regular blank paper and use the 1/2-inch guidelines.

DeAnn explained the guideline sheet - we started with the 1/2-inch x-height guidelines. The x-height is the height on the letter x (or n, a, c, etc. - any letter without ascenders or descenders), waist is its height and base is the line on which the letter sits. The ascender-line is the height of the letter l and the descender-line is the length a letter like g dips below the baseline.

For monoline italic, the ascender and descender are the same height as the x-height.

The 1/2-inch x-height guideline in the handout has a 5-degree slant, which is the slant for Italic. All vertical strokes should be written parallel to the slant line. However, the Italic Monoline exemplar has no slant, so you can practice on the grid-paper and not worry about the slant line yet if you prefer.

First DeAnn had us write an i from the waist to the base, parallel to the slant. Then we practiced the l from ascender to base. For the "t", the crossbar is longer on the right side. For the "f", start slightly below the ascender.

o-family:  For the "o", start slight below the waist for the first stroke, then overlap the second stroke at the start and end. The "e" loop ends with a horizontal stroke, not a slanted one.

branching-family:  for the "n", go down, back up halfway, branch out, hit the waist line, then go down. Be aware of the distinct triangular shape made by the branching-out stroke of the "n"; it's not a Roman arch. The "b" is like an "h" except start to curve slight above the base, then connect to the first stroke along the base. For the "r", branch-out above the half-way point, as you don't want to make the letter too wide. For the "p", after pulling the first stroke down to the descender, lift your pencil and start at the base to form the branching-out stroke.

a-family:  the "u" should be exactly like an upside-down "n". For a, g, q, and d, start at the waist and curve slightly before making the "u"-shape. Then connect the top.

diagonal family and s:  if you're using the guidelines with the slant, for v & w, make the first downstroke straighter and the second stroke more slanted. This gives the impression that the letter is parallel to the slant.

For the "s", practice on the 8x8 grid paper by drawing a 1/2-inch rectangle that is 4 x 2 boxes. Draw a line at the midpoint and sketch a circle in each square. Then the main stroke of the s follow the curves and the top and bottom ending strokes are straighter than the circular curves.

Don’t move your wrist when writing – for long downstrokes, move your whole arm. Remember to use your left hand to anchor the paper. Using the other hand also helps to keep you from clenching your writing hand too tightly.

Picket Fence spacing:  for Italic monoline (and Italic,),picket fence spacing means that all the counterspaces, or negative spaces, match. The positive spaces (i.e. the strokes or the “pickets” of the fence) are equidistant. The counterspace is the inside space of the letter. This will be the basis of flourishing that you’ll learn later. If the picket fence foundation isn’t strong and steady, the flourishing will look weak. DeAnn says "look at the space you just created and create one that's similar."

HOMEWORK:  Practice the Monoline Italic alphabet with pen or pencil on regular paper or 8x8 grid paper. Trace the letter on see-through paper or tracing paper. DeAnn's mantra is:  quality of practice is more important than quantity of practice. Slow down and really study the exemplar.

Remember to put your name and date in the lower right-hand corner. DeAnn will review all homework and make corrections where needed.

February 4, 2013 - Class #3 at Sinai Temple

DeAnn demonstrated spacing of the Italic Monoline hand, which is called “picket fence” spacing. Both Copperplate and Italic with the chisel point pen have picket fence spacing.

First DeAnn reviewed using the B-1 nib:  Insert the Speedball B1 nib toward the right-side of the Brause pen holder. The tip of the nib is like a pancake. You want this pancake to be flat on the paper always. Hold the pen naturally, like you would a pencil. The pancake should point upward, it could be slightly slanted toward the left.

Don’t flip the stroke at the end. Come to the end of the stroke, stop, then lift up. Don’t choke on the pen holder – pull back where you’re gripping the pen to get a better angle on the pancake.

Don’t move your wrist when writing – for long downstrokes, move your whole arm. If you’re having trouble with the black sumi ink flowing smoothly, add a couple drops of water to your inkwell.

Picket Fence spacing:  for Italic monoline, Copperplate and Italic, picket fence spacing means that all the counterspaces, or negative spaces, match. The positive spaces (i.e. the strokes or the “pickets” of the fence) are equidistant. The counterspace is the inside space of the letter. This will be the basis of flourishing that you’ll learn later. If the picket fence foundation isn’t strong and steady, the flourishing will look weak.

Imagine the counterspace as water. When writing the next letter, the space you create between the letters should be able to contain the same amount of water that was inside the first letter. DeAnn’s mantra is:  Look at the space you just created, and make the next one be similar.

When you first start writing Italic monoline with the correct spacing, the letters may look too far apart – but we need to train our brain & eyes. Letters are spaced too closely in advertising, so our eyes have grown used to this squished spacing in words. But picket fence spacing is the basis of Copperplate and Italic, so understanding it will also in writing those hands.

As a general rule, the space between letters is the space of the counterspace of an “n”, which should be similar to the counterspace of an “a”, “o”, “b”, “u”, etc. For letters that aren’t composed of vertical lines, you need to use optical spacing. Squint your eyes and look at the word – the “color” should be grey, meaning that the positive and negative space is about the same. Copperplate is light while Gothic is dark. If you see a dark spot in your word, then the letters are too close together.

Spacing rules:
Vertical + vertical = farthest
Vertical + curver = closer
Curve/diagonal + curve/diagonal = closest

The worst combination is “rt” – think of the “r” as an open “n” and place the t where the downstroke of the “n” might go. It’s OK if the r and crossbar of the t touch.

Spacing between words is the space of an “n” from outside to outside stroke; with the B-1 nib, it would be about 5 boxes on the 8x8 grid. Between sentences, place a period, then the width of an “n” before starting the next sentence.

Remember:  Spacing is more important than the individual words.

HOMEWORK:  Practice the spacing exercise words in both B-1 and B-6 size. Then write the alphabet sentences. Don’t worry about capitals yet. It’s OK to practice using markers.
Remember to put your name and date in the lower right-hand corner. DeAnn will review all homework and make corrections where needed.

January 28, 2013 - Class #2 at Sinai Temple

(interim post - more details to come)
DeAnn will be teaching two hands this semester. Most of the class is learning Italic while a few students are learning Copperplate.

DeAnn reviewed the supplies needed for the first weeks:
Italic:  Speedball B-1 and B-6 nibs, Brause pen holder, black sumi ink, vermillion ink, dinky dip, dropper bottle, clipboard, 17” x 22” grid paper, C-thru 18-inch ruler.
Copperplate:  pointed pen nibs, oblique pen holder, black sumi ink, vermillion ink, gum Arabic, cotton comp pad
See also Beginning Supplies.

For getting started with Copperplate, see this entry from a previous semester:  Copperplate Class #1 at Sinai Temple. It covers how to set up your workspace and write the basic strokes.

More info coming on monoline italic. In the meantime, see this entry from a previous semester about using the B-1 nib, Uncial Class #1.  Although this is a different hand from Italic, setting up your supplies and workspace is the same, as are the tips to writing with the B-1 nib.