Author Topic: Please RIGHT if I'm WRONG - Copperplate  (Read 55436 times)

Offline prasad

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2016, 07:59:44 AM »
Unfortunately I haven't ordered the walnut ink crystals. May be will do that in my next order. Currently i use Sumi ink and sometimes Pilot Blue or Black.
Your post and receipe on how to make you own ink is just amazing. And im very tempted to try it out myself. Hope the ingredients are easily available or let me knw if there is any online site from were you order.


I am out of Pune right  now.  Will be getting back around the month end, and I shall send you info on making your own iron gall ink.
Send me a private message with you address, will send you the Walnut crystals.
As you are already using fountain pen ink, see if you can lay your hands on Bril ink.  They have lovely colours and it writes beautifully.  If you find it a little too liquidy, you can add some Gum arabic to it and make it more viscous.

Prasad, why did you not send me that awesome link when i began?!  :D


You posted here too late ;D  all I could do is send you the holder ;)  Another reason why you need to join this Forum as soon as you think of calligraphy.  By the way,  have enough crystals left or do you need some more? 


I will talk to you later about the frequency of orders you place with PIA and time it takes to get delivered.
Right now my friend is getting for me so no worries about duties and customs,

Ashok

Custom duty is a hit and miss for us.  Sometimes they catch a random packet and you end up paying duty.  This is when it's sent by USPS from the States and taken over by Indian Post here.
If you get material by FedEx, DHL, EMS or any of those courier services,  you not only have to give a KYC to the clearing agent (courier guys) but 99.9.% of the time, you pay duty.  There is no hard and fast amount and rates can vary from 12.5% to 22.5%
Safest is by USPS or their local mail from Europe like Deutsche Post. 
It takes longer (can take unto 15-20 days) but gets here for sure and is Duty free.

Happy writing
-Prasad
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Remember - An amateur built the Ark and Professionals built the Titanic
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ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2016, 08:04:49 AM »
I've probably visited this thread half a dozen times now, and each time backed away thinking I'm not competent to comment.  Which is true!

All the same, sheets 3 and 4 look particularly attractive to me: written with confidence and panache.  I see very little to critique in those.  As for sheets 1 and 2, your slant wanders a bit, but I'm guessing that you're well aware of that and have probably gone a long way towards curing it.  For my taste the writing is heavy for copperplate, but that's a judgment for you to make.  With a bit of luck some of the copperplate specialists will turn up and have something to say for themselves before long.

Hi Andy,
Sincere apologies for not replying. I dont know how i missed that.
I think your comments were very helpful and appreciate your kind words.
So thats what im going to do. After a through worksheets practice im going to write a para and compare it with the worksheet.
And again go back to worksheet drills and write a para. Hope to see some substantial change and will post them for your valuable comments.

Thanks again
ashok

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #17 on: June 19, 2016, 08:44:54 AM »
Hi Prasad,

I think i missed this msg.
Anyways i have sent you my address.
And thanks for the PIA order clarification.

Ashok

ash0kgiri

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Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2016, 10:42:15 PM »
Hello everyone,

Here is another practice sheet done over the weekend. Im still trying to get my angle consistent. And what I noticed is each upper stroke is not smooth. May be it's lack of practice and paper for sure as it tends to get stuck on upperstrokes. I have bought brit's Royal exec bond thanks to Prasad and Garima and its way better than what I use.

There is so much to learn and I have realised how important is to do those drills and worksheets. Thanks @Erica for taking so much effort in making those. So this is what I'm going to do start with the worksheet and after through practice do a paragraph or two. And then repeat the same. Suggestions and critique are most welcome so please don't hesitate. Looking forward from other members to comment.

Thanks,
Ashok

Offline Salman Khattak

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #19 on: June 21, 2016, 12:23:58 AM »
Ashok - what kind of Copperplate are you shooting for? It can be confusing that Copperplate can be interpreted in different ways and execute formally or more like handwriting. Your efforts seem more on the handwriting side.

It might be a good idea to pick an exemplar you like and then work towards it. After a while you will be able to write both formal and not-so-formal Copperplate but in the beginning it helps to focus on one.

Regards,
Salman
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Copperplate Tutorial :: Toronto Pen Company

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2016, 04:39:59 AM »
Hi Salman,

Thanks for the reply. And agree to what you saying.
So in copperplate im focusing on Engraver's and Engrosser’s script.
I follow Dr. Joseph Vitolo closely and been studying his style.
I agree that the posted drill looks more like a handwriting, the reason been i was trying a different nib and it was very stiff.
Had problem creating think shadows. Also the paper was not working in my favour.

Regards,
Ashok

Offline Salman Khattak

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #21 on: June 21, 2016, 03:26:10 PM »
Thank you for the clarification Ashok. Engrosser's script is highly disciplined and is drawn quite slowly. It seems to me that you will need to slow down a lot in order to form the letters that way. The four items I mentioned in my previous post all still apply so more work is needed.

Dr. Vitolo's lessons are excellent. I learned a lot from them too when I was starting out.

I have found that a structured approach to learning the letters individually usually works best. For example, in the first group Dr. Vitolo has the letters c,e, o, s, a, d, g and q. A session (or three) focussing on these and the forming words using only these letters will give you better results quicker than if you just write out the whole alphabet over and over again.

Regards,
Salman
I have an opinion and I'm not afraid to use it.

Copperplate Tutorial :: Toronto Pen Company

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #22 on: June 22, 2016, 01:53:31 AM »
Mrng Salman,

Agree with you. And thats what im trying to achieve. I usually watch the video of Dr. Vitolo's when im practising and its quite informative.
Will definitely try the method you mentioned. Also wanted to know if there are any specific work sheets for Engrossers on this site or any other which i can refer to? Prasad have helped me with Erica's copperplate drill worksheets and guideline generator.

Thanks,
Ashok

Offline Salman Khattak

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #23 on: June 22, 2016, 02:22:40 AM »
I used Engrosser's Script by W.A. Baird in conjunction with Dr. Vitolo's video. In the Baird instructions, the lessons are divided into strokes which then add up to letters. Working this way gives one a good grounding in the shapes of the letters and the overall feel for ES I think.

As for the guidelines, I find it very useful to write at a large x-height. For the minuscules, I recommend no smaller than 1/4 inch x-height. The Majuscules are 3 x-heights tall, so they can be written at a smaller size and still be big enough to see the transitions.

I have attached the 1/4 inch guide sheet I use in my workshops. It works best if you print it out on the paper you are going  to be working on.

I hope this helps.

Salman

ps. I attached the A4 version of the guide sheet. Please let me know if you need the US-Letter version.
I have an opinion and I'm not afraid to use it.

Copperplate Tutorial :: Toronto Pen Company

Offline flummoxed

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #24 on: June 22, 2016, 03:26:17 AM »
Your practice sheets look really cool Ashok, and those with a better eye/hand than mine have already helped you.

In terms of the paper, just to add to what Prasad has mentioned, the BILT 100gsm and 85gsm have both been wonderful for me. Also try TNPL if you have access to it (Amazon/Flipkart or your local wholesaler).

Can I ask which brand of graph paper you had used in one of your earlier posts in this thread?

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #25 on: June 22, 2016, 07:44:13 AM »
I used Engrosser's Script by W.A. Baird in conjunction with Dr. Vitolo's video. In the Baird instructions, the lessons are divided into strokes which then add up to letters. Working this way gives one a good grounding in the shapes of the letters and the overall feel for ES I think.

As for the guidelines, I find it very useful to write at a large x-height. For the minuscules, I recommend no smaller than 1/4 inch x-height. The Majuscules are 3 x-heights tall, so they can be written at a smaller size and still be big enough to see the transitions.

I have attached the 1/4 inch guide sheet I use in my workshops. It works best if you print it out on the paper you are going  to be working on.

I hope this helps.

Salman

ps. I attached the A4 version of the guide sheet. Please let me know if you need the US-Letter version.

Hi Salman,

That was very helpful and thanks for the guideline sheet. Usually i like printing on paper i practice so far so good.
Let me do some basic first group letters on the sheet provided. Will post them as and when i finish for you comments.

Thanks
Ashok

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #26 on: June 22, 2016, 07:48:49 AM »
Your practice sheets look really cool Ashok, and those with a better eye/hand than mine have already helped you.

In terms of the paper, just to add to what Prasad has mentioned, the BILT 100gsm and 85gsm have both been wonderful for me. Also try TNPL if you have access to it (Amazon/Flipkart or your local wholesaler).

Can I ask which brand of graph paper you had used in one of your earlier posts in this thread?

Hi Flummoxed,

Appreciate your kind words and taking time to see my work.
Will look for TNPL. No harm in trying.

The graph paper i use is of a Indian brand called 'Navneet'
To be frank its not a good quality paper and not friendly with pointed nibs. It tends to stuck on upside stroke.
But since i was desperate to start and i had not joined this amazing forum before i started drilling on it.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you want to know anything else.

Thanks
Ashok

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #27 on: July 18, 2016, 09:16:44 AM »
Hello everyone,

Was busy shifting cities and now got a bit settled. Here are my latest drills and experiments with different nibs. Also i used the oblique for the first time on these practise sheets, till now i been using the straight nib holder and i can definitely feel the difference.
Right now i have shortlisted two of the lot, which is Gillotte 303 and Brause 361. Have attached my practise sheets done with these two nibs.
Would appreciate your advice and comments.

I been also working on the most interesting 'Envelope Exchange' project from IAMPETH and it was wonderful to be part of it. I will be mailing out to the respective people on the list this week. @evjo let me know if its ok if i post it on this Forum?

So please RIGHT if im WRONG.

Thanks,
Ashok

Offline evjo

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #28 on: July 18, 2016, 05:28:15 PM »
Hello @ash0kgiri  ~

Usually we don't post exchange pictures until we know that everyone has received their envelopes.  This allows each person to enjoy being the first to see their own mail.

About whether it is appropriate to post IAMPETH exchange envelopes on the Flourish Forum... that's an interesting question.  You could ask @Erica McPhee what she thinks about this.

I'm not in charge of anything involving the IAMPETH forum, but it seems to me you could post them there in the envelope exchange thread.

By the way, I'm impressed with your focus & the improvement in your script.  I am soooo very unfocused that I make slow progress.  Thanks for the pictures.
Ev

ash0kgiri

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Re: Please RIGHT if im WRONG
« Reply #29 on: July 18, 2016, 09:38:31 PM »
Hi @evjo

Understand, and thats why i thought i would ask before i post. Off course @Erica McPhee needs to approve those. And i was planning to do it once they have received the envelopes. Since im learning i just want as much feedback on my work as possible and areas of improvement.

Thanks for your time Ev. Appreciate.
Ashok