Copperplate Minuscules - Group 2

[AngieD]

@sarthina

I have been using a Brause EF66 nib.  I like it the best of all the ones I have tried, but i am still trying to get a handle on varying the pressure with it.  Sometimes I feel like if I put too much pressure, I am not successful at tapering the bottom 1/3rd of the letter.  This often results in me starting to taper too soon.  Still practicing to get it right

[AngieD]

I have been practicing more since my first post.  I also have been working to adjust my pen and think I've finally gotten it right.  I feel like it's had a positive affect on my calligraphy.  I look forward to your feedback.

Thank you,
Angie

[Salman Khattak]

@AngieD - nice start with group 2 Angie. I am glad to see you have a reigned in the width of the letters very nicely - good work.

Your letter shapes are done well. There are a few minor tweaks needed but you are most of the way there.

- The inverted 'i' shapes are wedge shaped i.e. the shade gradually increases from the top to the bottom. The shade should achieve full thickness 2/3rds of the way from the base line and then be uniform all the way down. They should match your 'i' strokes if you turn the paper upside down.

- The slant tends to 'stand up' a bit - especially on the compound stroke like the first stroke of the 'y' in 'nymph' on the second line.

- The increase and decrease of thickness of the compound stroke at the top and bottom respectively should be uniform. You can see that the top part is much thinner than the bottom in the 'v'.

Lets give it another go with these in mind.

- Salman

[Salman Khattak]

@sarthina - sorry it has taken me a while to get to these lessons. I have been busy catching up with things.

This is a good start for the group 2 letters. Your script has a nice flowing quality that is quite attractive.

Here are a couple of things to consider for your ongoing practice:

- The branching of the 'm' and 'n' is too high. The hairline strokes of the second and third strokes in the 'n' and 'm' should leave the shaded stroke at 1/2 x-height. Yours are joined at around 1/4 x-height from the top - this is too high and gives the script an Italian Hand feel.

- The shaded strokes are not uniform. This will need some work as this can make the difference between good and merely o.k.

- Your slant is generally good on the 'm' and 'n' you seem to make the first 2 strokes at a higher slant that the rest.

Please have another go at it with the above in mind.

- Salman

[sarthina]

Thanks, Salman, for the valuable feedback. Here goes another upload though I must confess it was a crazy week (the next seems to be the same) and I couldn't practise as much as I would have liked/wanted/needed. Anyway, I really hope you can see there where I cannot... And right me!
Have a lovely weekend.

[AngieD]

Not a lot of time to practice this week, but here is my second attempt.  I look forward to your critique.  I really tried to improve the wedge look on the overturns and the shading on the compound curves.  Let me know what you think.

Thank you,
Angie

[Salman Khattak]

@sarthina - very nicely done. You have a tendency to make the compound stroke in the 'n' and 'm' a bit wavy so watch out for that but you are ready to move to group-3.

- Salman

[Salman Khattak]

@AngieD

You have indeed improved the compound stroke but the wedge shapes on the inverted 'i' remain - the first stroke of the 'm' in 'mint' i line 2 shows it very clearly although it is present in other places too.. Also, the slant is too upright on almost all the letters. You might want to turn your paper so the slant lines are approximately aligned with the slit in the nib.

Lets give it another go :-)

S.

[AngieD]

Another try.  I worked very hard on improving the wedge shapes.  I also worked on the slant.  I am haivng a lot of trouble achieving the correct slant.  My paper is turned almost 90 degrees and I'm still struggling.  Any additional tips?

Thank you,
Angie

[Salman Khattak]

@AngieD

What an improvement. This is good work. I do see the slant going upright in places but I think you are good to move to the next group.

Your paper should not be so far turned. You should be drawing the slanted strokes into your body i.e. the slant lines should be at around 90 degrees to your body. Your holder should be pointing over your right shoulder (since you are right handed). Move closer to the table if you are resting your elbow on it so your elbow is about 8 inches from your body.

All of this should result in the slit in your nib to be pretty much aligned with the slant lines. This is the test - so adjust things accordingly. Check it often and it will become second nature soon.

- Salman

[ash0kgiri]

Another try.

Amazing improvement Angie. Keep writing.

- Ashok

[Chetwyn Clarke]

@SMK  First shot at this group of minuscules.  I have to work on joining the shades and hairlines in all of them, and the compound stroke was a bit tricky in some places.  On the fist group of m's, I had a bit of a brain fart, and morphed back into n's.     I'll have another go at them tomorrow.

Chet

[ash0kgiri]

Hi Chet,
Your first attempt is really good. Nice to see you analyse your worksheets. Salman will give his detailed comments. Till them keep writing.

-Ashok

[Chetwyn Clarke]

Thanks @ash0kgiri !  Your encouragement means a lot.

@SMK : This morning I was working on joining the different parts of the m and n.  They came out alright; some a bit cleaner than others.  I was also working on the shape of the compound stroke.  Sometimes I start the shaded part a little too close to the waist line, e.g. the first n, and the first p, and then other times I get in more of a hairline before I start the shaded part e.g. the 4th in the second set of y's.

I think I also need to work on the spacing between the different parts of the letters. 

-Chet

[Salman Khattak]

@Chetwyn Clarke - this is a good start Chet. You are right about the inconsistency in the compound stroke. It takes a while to get it right. I would expect about a week's worth of practice to get the m's and n's consistently right.

What I see is that you are making the first clockwise turn too sharp in the 'm' and the 'n' while the same part of the stroke in the 'y' is more rounded and natural. The first stroke of the 'y' and the last strokes of the 'm' and 'n' should be identical.

Also, you have a tendency to introduce a curve in the shaded part of the compound curve. There shouldn't be any curve in this part - the illusion of a curve is created by the top and bottom turns.

Do not forget to break your strokes at the waist and base lines. It gives you more control and will help get over the issue of making your compound strokes differently in the 'y' and 'm'.

- Salman