11/7/16 Sinai Temple Fall 2016 Class #2: Monoline Italic

Today DeAnn reviewed letters that students had problems with and explained spacing for monoline italic.

o :  think of an olive shape, overlap beginning and ending of second stroke when joining.

z :  draw a parallelogram to practice

s :  if the "stomach" is not out far enough, the "s" will look like it will fall over.

v, w :  when writing these letters at a slant, the first stroke is straighter than the second stroke.

Spacing:

Picket Fence spacing:  for Italic monoline, Italic and Copperplate, 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.

Think volume:  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 help 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 or visual spacing.

Every hand has a "color". Italic is grey. Squint your eyes and look at the word written in Italic – the “color” should be grey, meaning that the positive and negative space is about the same. Copperplate is light while Gothic is dark. Gothic is called "blackletter" because the black strokes are greater than the white space. In Italic, 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. 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:  Write words and sentences on the 1/2-inch x-height guidelines with the 5-degree slant, using either 2.4mm Parallel Pen or dip pen with 2 1/2 mm Brause or Speedball C2/LC2 or Mitchell 1 or 2 nib.

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

Next week:  chisel point Italic

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.

writing carolingian with 5mm & 2.5mm nib. Spacing

October 5, 2009

Beverly Hills Adult School Class #3:

Warm-Up:

1. Come in and set up your work area

2. Tape down your ink well

3. Line your paper if needed

4. Put your drawing board into your lap

5. Write at the right level on the Board

6. Practice the pen angle & letters

7. Rehearse for the performance!

Today DeAnn discussed spacing for Carolingian. Unlike Italic or Copperplate, Carolingian does not have picket-fence spacing because the letters are so wide. Curved letters can be quite close together – think of Carolingian spacing as a pearl necklace. The overall look of the writing is round shapes placed close together running along the horizontal lines. Don’t place the stem strokes of the letters too close together; you don’t want to create dark spots.

For spacing between words, only put enough space to distinguish each word from one another. Too much space will make the sentence look like individual words in a list.

Archaic = old or ancient. In old manuscripts, the “long s” was used – it looks like a modern f but without the cross-bar. To create an archaic-looking manuscript, calligraphers will use the long s.

We began using the 2 1/2 mm Brause nib. For this width, line the grid paper with 3-2-3 boxes: 3 boxes from ascender to waist, 2 boxes for the x-height (waist to base), 3 boxes from base to descender; then repeat. Cut the 17” x 22” grid paper in half vertically (11 x 17) and line it as a landscape page (lines along the 17” length).

For practice, it’s OK not to put the beak serif in, so you can concentrate on the flow of the words and letters.

Pay close attention to the white-space of each letter form; this is called the “counter space.” Really examine and think about the counter space this week while practicing; this will help you form the letter correctly. Color in the counter space with colored pencils/markers and compare the colored shapes to the exemplar.

Tip: Let the left side of the nib slightly pierce through the base-line so that the strokes look the same length (e.g. the “i” or the 2^nd stroke of the “n” where it meets the baseline).

Illumination Project

Start thinking about what text you want to use in the illuminated manuscript project for this semester. It should be about 50 – 100 words and can be from scriptures, classic poetry, or just pretty poetry that you like. Even if the poem or original text is too long, you can choose an excerpt for your project.

HOMEWORK: Practice writing text with the 2 1/2 mm Brause nib. X-height = 1/4 inch. Ascender/descender = 3/8”.

Interlinear space will have the descender meet the ascender. We will increase this in later assignments.

Westchester Adult School beginning class

We finished the alphabet today. Everyone worked letter by letter and we were sure to get each letter just right. We are still working with a pencil at 1 inch x-height. Then we worked on spacing between letters.

Vertical + vertical = farthest apart = the inside space of n

Vertical + curve = closer

Curve + curve = closest

Spacing is more important than the construction and accuracy of the individual letters. Overall good spacing will let the writing have a good rhythm and texture. We need to remember that each letter is basically the same size. We are going for "picket fence" spacing. Even space throughout. The assignment is to make up words to write keeping the spacing even. No dark spots of light areas. Practice and after writing some words, turn the paper upside down and see if it has even texture and "color". Look at it in the mirror. I like to squint my eyes down tight so all I can see is the "color" of the writing and it will show you if some are too dark or too light. When you practice, put in margin lines, be deliberate with every stroke. You are REHEARSING for the performance....don't take practice lightly! Here are some pictures of the demonstration in class.

Beverly Hills Begins Carolingian

September 14, 2009 

written by Judy Shibata

Beverly Hills Adult School Class #1:  Carolingian will be the hand this semester. It originated in Tours, France, during the time of Charlemagne (8th Century). It spread all over Europe and the 10^th Century English Carolingian version is the basis of Roman miniscule type.

DeAnn distributed basic supplies. For this week, students will need ink (Higgins Eternal or sumi),  round pen-holder and Brause nibs (5mm, 2.5mm, 1.5mm, 1mm),  8x8 grid paper, inkwell, and a drawing board. We’re starting with the 5mm Brause nib.  For supplies call Helen Gershen 310 837-3604    3101 Federal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066 DeAnn will have the supplies in class next week.

Using black ink in the nib, dip the pen so the reservoir is 3/4 full. Wipe the nib on the edge of the ink well to take off any excess. We need to get fully familiar with this chisel point nib. Practice making straight lines with the nib. You need even pressure on both sides of the nib. Not a lot of pressure just even pressure. The ink will flow better to begin with if you give a little side to side "rub" with the nib. Or touch the tip to some wet ink on a previous stroke. As you draw the stroke down the page, EXHALE. This helps give a more controlled stroke. Also, set your opposite hand near the work so you can give slight pressure as you start down. These tips will help you have success quicker.

  Preparing the grid paper:  8 boxes on the grid paper equal an inch, with the darker blue lines indicating the inch-marks. Leave a 1 1/2-inch margin on top & bottom, 2-inch margin at the left & right. Label the top line “A” for ascender, the next line “W” for waist, then “B” for base, and the 4^th line is “D” for descender.

 Pen angle:  The Brause nib is a chisel-point pen, able to create thicks & thins within one stroke, based on the angle of the pen. Using a protractor as the reference, a pen angle of 0-degrees equates to holding the pen so that the nib is parallel to the horizontal lines of the grid paper.  A vertical stroke at this pen angle is the thickest; a horizontal stroke is the thinnest. If the pen angle is 90-degrees, then a vertical stroke is the thinnest and a horizontal stroke is the thickest. For a 45-degree pen angle, use a box as a reference and place the pen so that you’re placing it on the diagonal of the box. At this angle, both a vertical stroke and a horizontal stroke should be the same thickness.

 x-height: is the height between the waist and base. Each hand has a specific x-height measured in nib-widths. At a pen angle of 90-degrees, draw short horizontal strokes to measure by pen widths.

  Carolingian has a pen angle of 20-degrees and an x-height of 3 pen widths (equal to about 4.5 boxes on the grid paper). In class, we’ll use an x-height of 4 boxes for the 5mm nib. The ascender & descender are 1 1/2 times the x-height, so that will be 6 boxes above the waist line, 10 all told.

  Homework:  Become really familiar with this nib. Practice vertical & horizontal strokes at different pen angles. Practice the “i” and “l” that DeAnn demonstrated in class.

Carolingian Supply List

Beverly Hills Class fall 2009

1.    Round pen holder

2.    Nibs: 5mm, 2.5mm, 1.5mm, 1mm Brause Nibs

3.    Black ink: Higgins eternal or Yasutomo sumi in the round green bottle.

4.    Ink well

5.    Bienfang:  17x 22 inch grid paper 8x8 cross section.

6.    Ruler: C-Thru 18” gridded ruler

7.    Pencil and Eraser pencil sharpener

8.    Notebook to take notes into

9.    Rag to clean your nib and wipe up spilled ink

Project materials: (don’t buy any of these, you can will buy them in class)

10.  Pergamanatta paper for illuminated manuscript

11.   23.5K gold leaf

12. Gouache or watercolors

13. Fine watercolor brush # 1& #00

14. When we start designing our page, bring a digital camera if you have one so you can take pictures of examples of illumination and decoration that will help you design your manuscript.

Class of Copperplate for April 27 at Beverly Hills.

Today we learned how to connect letters into words and sentences. As you write each letter you begin with the #7 as an entrance stroke. When you connect letter to letter the last part of the previous letter creates the entrance stroke to the new letter. Take an l, it's made from; #7,#5, #3. The right side of the #3 becomes the entrance stroke to the next letter. Look at the Alphabet Sentences that were written by Satomi Wada. These will help you see the connections of each letter to the next. The homework is to write the alphabet sentences using the vermillion ink, Gillot 404, 1/4" guidelines. Then use all the other nibs, be sure to make notes on your nib identification chart, and make notes on your homework so you can remember which nib you wrote with each time. You will learn which nib writes best on this paper for this ink and this size. Then try all the other sizes of guidelines, 3/16" (medium) and 1/8" (small). Some of the nibs aren't the best for smaller writing. These are things that you need to learn to be successful at copperplate. 

Assignments for classes week of April 20, 2009

Hi Folks,

I want to try and blog the assignments that took place this week so you can get the homework for next week. Today in Beverly Hills we went over the strokes of copperplate again. Remember to memorize the strokes according to the exemplar. Make all the white space of the strokes the same.

* Check the white space of #2, #3, #4, #8. They should all be similar.

 *Make all the down strokes the same widths. 

*I tested everyone to see if they had the strokes memorized.

We then combined the strokes into letters. Look at the exemplar that says, "Stroke Sequence"

This will show you letter by letter how to combine the strokes to create each letter. Also the Exemplar that is in color has a different color for each stroke. This will help you see each part separately. There are a few letters that don't fit into the regular strokes, these are; k, r, s, x, z. We learned each letter and compared to the size and spacing of each letter before it. The k is a #7, 5, upstroke for next part and down for the last stroke. Remember, if it's thin, it's an up stroke, if it's thick, it's an down stroke. Look at the other letters and do them the best you can. ****The homework for this week is to use all the different nibs to write letters. Don't skip ahead, just write the letters. When you write with different nibs, be sure to label on your paper which nib that your using. This is how you will learn how each nib performs. It's as important to know how the nibs work as it is to be able to write each letter. Write with Vermillion ink. It works the best so you won't have to struggle with that aspect. Look to see if you are holding the nib correctly. In future I'll be able to add pics to this information. I will post more if I get the chance. so check from time to time.