Messages

31

Copperplate Tutorial by SMK / Re: Copperplate Minuscules - Group 2

« on: October 17, 2016, 07:16:56 AM »

Thanks for the quick reply. And for the concise explanations. As a matter of fact, I feel a bit dumb: I think I might have misused the terms. I said engrosser's and ...well, I don't think this what I'm after. A "more flowing Copperplate" -like you said- is what I'm trying to achieve. For example I love what I've seen in some of W. Baird's instructions on IAMPETH - though I don't know what term to use for that. On the other hand, it doesn't really matter as long as I stick to one style. ...I guess. Anyway, I'll start with your first group of minuscules and see what's coming up.
Thanks again for your time and sorry for my ignorance.

32

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: October 15, 2016, 05:36:54 PM »

Wow, so glad to hear that. Coming from you ...just made my day. I've also "shouted out" to Salman and we'll see what to insist on.

PS Really liked your "must return to my Sisyphean existence"! It feels like, somehow, we are all in the same club. Hope you don't mind I quote this to my friends...

33

Copperplate Tutorial by SMK / Re: Copperplate Minuscules - Group 2

« on: October 15, 2016, 05:29:13 PM »

Hi!
I'm struggling with my engrosser's and followed @jeanwilson advise to ask for your help. I'll post my latest practice sheet (which you can also find it on Kind Critique section) and maybe you've got the time and patience to tell what's wrong with my writing and where should I insist on. Or anything else you consider important. For the moment, I'm becoming more and more frustrated because of the 'm' and 'n's - can't figure why is so difficult to do them well.
PS Not sure if this is where I suppose to post this, so sorry if I'm not in the right 'spot'.

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Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: October 15, 2016, 06:57:00 AM »

Hi everyone!
I'm posting my latest practice sheet not because it's something worth looking at, but because ...yeap!, I'm using my first ever walnut ink made by myself  . For the moment I'm not really sure if the color is the right one - but it's something I made and it's working...

Ooops. It's not color. Should check my scanner settings.
OK. Now I think I have a color version.

35

Find a Pen Pal / Re: The next person to post gets a letter (and the next, and the next, etc)

« on: October 12, 2016, 05:25:50 AM »

Wow. Just found this. Looks like a lot of fun. So Terasleen, seems like I'll send you my address via PM. Love to see this working...

36

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: October 06, 2016, 02:26:55 AM »

Trying to wipe off my shame for the previous image I'd posted: it looks like crap. This one is a bit better. I know, just a bit.
Any comments and guidance - welcomed.

37

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: October 03, 2016, 05:00:56 PM »

“I’m back”. 
I think I owe the community here an explanation regarding my looong silence (of course, you can just skip to the next paragraph in case you’re not interested in the ‘why’). The thing is that after we got back from the holidays, we had to remodel our kitchen. That meant that everything was done by my wife and myself. I am a DIY-er in most of what I’m doing and I considered remodeling the kitchen to be a good project to do. That took over a month to do (put down a wall, new floor, new floor / wall tiles, some plumbing, painting, etc ). And then my mother-in-law ( ) asked me to consolidate the exterior terrace at her house (which is at the 1st floor, the floor tiles were old and with cracks so the water from the rain found ways to infiltrate into the hallway at the ground floor). That took me until about 2 weeks ago. And you know, it is not wise to decline a mother-in-law’s wish….

So, I’ve just restarted working with my nibs. A BIG THANK YOU (again) to Stefanie who was so very very kind to send me some nibs and some walnut ink. Yeah! I consider myself very lucky to know you, guys, and to be part of such a wonderful community. I’ll post part of my latest practice sheet – used a Velleda nib from Stefanie ( ) and was very thrilled to write with it. Now, as for my practice: I know it’s not much and I’m not happy with it at all. Of course, any comments will be greatly appreciated.
OK. There is something I don’t quite understand. I took a closer look at Baird’s well known “letter to students”. And at some of Brown’s instructions too. What I’ve noticed is that both of them used a greater (??) slant – I mean it’s not 55 degrees, but less, somewhere around 50. Which I thought it’s something specific to spencerian… Question is: what slant are you guys using? Or is it ok to write engrossers on 50 degree slant? I know Dr Vitolo uses 55, for example, but I want to know your position on this matter. Secondly, I zoomed in quite a lot, and it looks like Baird used lots of pen lifts. Like for letters ‘m’ and ‘n’. I know you are supposed to lift the pen whenever you finish a shaded stroke, but it seems to me that he lifts his pen when finishing an upstroke too. Is that true, or it’s just an optical illusion? And, speaking of letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ – I can’t write them well. Can anyone tell me what is the problem? Or how can I fix it?

PS Apart from my apologies for writing a long and boring novel here, I start being off-topic: I’m in the process of making my own walnut ink.. Yeei! Everything was boiled down, a few hours for 3 days, and now I don’t know how much alcohol to add. Or what else to add to finish it? Thank you.

38

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: July 21, 2016, 06:16:32 AM »

Thanks everyone for writing so many interesting things. Problem is I'm on "holiday", right now I'm on a summer camp and barely have time to breath looking after so many kids... Plus my own. Energy levels are dropping by the day. Kids have a natural born talent to wear you out so fast...
 By the end of week I'll be going home and hope I can get some time to use my beloved nibs... So, just for the community here to know, I'm not dead. Yet  .

39

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: July 01, 2016, 03:32:35 PM »

Thank you, Jean, for taking the time to answer and provide valuable critique. To be entirely honest, I myself can't see much of improvement. The only good thing I see is that I draw the shades thinner than before (I guess) and I understand this is a good thing. Or at least this is what it looks/feels like to me...
Yes, I used guidelines under the paper, but slant doesn't feel much of a problem for me. Getting letters right is. Anyway, I followed (am following) your advice and concentrate on words without ascenders/descenders. I'll scan some of my practice sheets and will post them, it's just that I NEED them to look better - and me being sure they are better. On the other hand I still go crazy when I see I can write/draw the letters quite fine with a pencil and they suck when using the nib...
Thanks again for your time and valuable feedback.

40

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 29, 2016, 04:22:02 AM »

Hi!
I thought of posting one of my practise sheet mainly for 2 reasons: 1. everyone to know that I didn't quit and 2. to seek for any criticism that you can provide for me. I didn't post much lately because I understand my letters are not even ...decent at all and wouldn't be nice to overload the thread with ugly letter forms. Nevertheless I still need guidance so...
The ink was a Pelikan red with gum arabic added (thanks Stefanie  ) and used a Nikko G and a Hiro 41 for the last rows. Question on the following issue - I tried writing stuff with a pencil and following the rules for copperplate/engrosser's (obviously w/o shading, but I DID try shading letters after). How come the upstrokes are much better when done by pencil and get wobbly with a nib? 

Sarthina, I hope you do try making walnut ink.  It's not hard or time consuming at all.

I'll try to for sure and I consider the cooking method - hope it'll work. I've already laid my eyes on one of my wife's pots in the kitchen and declared it 'doomed'  . Plus I didn't know about  pomegranate hulls. Cool. I'll try to find the recipe. And since my summer holiday is just round the corner maybe I'll have some fun with it - providing I can find some pomegranates.

41

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 09, 2016, 04:03:21 PM »

Well... Thanks everyone for the replies. And yes, Calli is acrylic based and the pad I used for writing is a Clairefontaine, so I suppose this is not an issue. My problem was (and still is) WHY the ink behaves like that. I only have one bottle of it and I need(ed) to know what should I do: make it thinner or make it thicker? It sounds like I'm being stupid, but until now I didn't really bother about inks. The cartridge in my fountain pen was just fine. Now it's a whole lot different...
And as for the Nikko G - I think of ordering (a) new one(s) since everyone says is smooth and everything - mine just happens to feel scratchy. Plus I have to press quite a lot for the shading (which obviously doesn't happen with the LP EF).
But back to the ink issue: I did read quite a lot and I know about McCaffrey and sumi and walnut ink and that they have good reviews. BUT I live in Eastern Europe (Romania to be exact) and getting those ink is like digging for water in a desert. Sort of... Seems like the 'almost' half of a century of communism threw us another century back... But I really consider making my own walnut ink - that's on my to do list for this autumn...

PS Schin, I wasn't criticizing your ...hand. God forbid! I too consider it as a touch of style (as Andy stated). And whenever I feel depressed because of my wobbly letters I watch some of your videos to get inspired...

...and then get depressed again seeing your work and others and thinking I never gonna get there and that...  , well, don't mind me..

42

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 09, 2016, 11:05:48 AM »

OK. Need HELP. I've bought a D Rowney Calli ink and ...I'm ready to shoot someone (...myself?). So far I've been using Pelikan ink "for fountain pens" and thought it was too fluid and couldn't wait for the Calli to arrive. Now I have it and ...something is wrong. Hairlines are no longer thin and, above all, it looks like colour is fading away when the nib starts to run out of ink. I've tried LP EF and Nikko G but it's the same.
So, PLEASE, can you make some light!? I attach a picture so that you can see what I am talking about. Thanks.

43

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 08, 2016, 03:14:33 AM »

OK. Besides uploading a new image I have a question. I was watching Schin's videos and I tried to pay attention to how her nib touches the paper. To me, it seems like the nib is somehow rotated clockwise in relation to the axis of slant. Is it correct what I've seen or it's just because of the angle of camera or something??? And if yes, then the nib is not really aligned to the axis of the slant, is it? Or...?

44

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 03, 2016, 12:52:41 PM »

Well, I think I just need to leave that particular ink aside for now. Water didn't help... I'll buy some other inks (by the way, anyone knows how Scribblers calligraphy ink feels like?) and test each one of them with different papers/nibs...
For now I'm just struggling with my grip and how to hold the 'naughty' pen holder and try to tame it.. Or is it the other way around - like, I should be tamed   
And here goes some of the work I've done...
 

45

Kind Critique / Re: Seeking critiques on my first (shy) copperplate

« on: June 02, 2016, 07:56:11 AM »

Thanks a lot for the kind words. I think I'll post new image(s) during this weekend, but until then I bumped into o problem I didn't find the answer anywhere.
I've tried a new ink, it's a drawing black ink, not a known brand, and the thing is the hairlines are no longer "hair"lines. They are much thicker regardless of how light I do the upstrokes. It looks and feels alright in use, it's just that the upstrokes are very thick. Anyone knows what that can be? Thanks.