Copperplate Minuscules - Group 1

[ash0kgiri]

Hi @jeanwilson,

Thanks for the kind words and valuable support through my journey on this forum. It wouldn't be possible without all your help.

Many Thanks,
Ashok

[jtandy]

Ok Salman, I think I finally recognized the problem with my wedge shapes. Though it still pops up occsisiobally, I think I now know the proper stroke technique. Also note I get upright occasionally.

[Salman Khattak]

@Chetwyn Clarke - nice worksheet you have there Chet. very nice work. I really like the second 'jut' on the last line even though the crossbar of the 't' is a bit wavy.

You are moving the pen to the right correctly but have started tapering the width a little too early in some places. Just be aware of it and it will go away in time.

The looped descender on the 'j' should not be as wavy around the base line as you are making it. The 'j' in the second 'jut' on the last line is a good example as is the abandoned 'j' (second last) in the groups of 5 on the last line.

Don't worry about the slant too much, just check that the paper is oriented correctly every time you move it (check the alignment of the nib slit and the slant guides) and you will get a feel for it before long.

Your letter shapes and spacing are both good. Lets keep an eye on the shade and the looped descender and move to group 2. Keep practicing the group 1 letters though :-)

- Salman

[Salman Khattak]

@jtandy - you have gotten the hang of it Jim. I see more than a few good ones in there.

The next step is to refine the stroke a little and add 't' and 'l' and 'b' to the mix.

Here are the things to work on next:

- Square the tops. Start your shaded stroke a little lower so it doesn't go over the waist line (as it does on this sheet in several places). Then go back after the letter is complete and draw a tiny '7' at the waist line over the top of the shaded stroke to square it off. This is delicate work and will give you blobby tops for a bit but you will get the hang of it.

- Tighten up the turns at the base line. Your turns a bit too rounded. They look ok for this group but the rounded letters will be almost square if done this way. This will also bring your joins a bit higher i.e. your exit hairline will join the following letter at around 1/2 x-height.

- The blob at the top of the last stroke on the 'w' should be a bit wider. You don't have to make it with flexing the nib - feel free to draw it without any pressure and then fill in with ink if that is easier to do.

- Add 't', 'l' and 'b' to your practice sessions.

I will be looking forward to your next submission :-)

- Salman

[jtandy]

@smh
I see that my shade weight tends to differ between my "l" and the remainder of the letters. Not sure if that is too heavy, or my others to thin... Enjoying practicing more than i,w,u. 
Thanks as always for your time offering critique.
-Jim

[jtandy]

Continuing to practice lesson 1

[Chetwyn Clarke]

@jtandy  Jim, just wanted to say that you have improved quite a lot!  Keep at it!

[jtandy]

@Chetwyn Clarke Thanks for the encouragement. ! It is fun to see how the strokes, though far from perfect, are becoming more consistent. Watching you progress has been helpful to me as well as reading Salman's critiques. I'm in this for the long haul!

[Salman Khattak]

@jtandy - This first group will give you the most trouble but it is good to see you sticking with it. I can see improvement not only in your work on paper but also in your assessment of it. In some ways, this is more important than the execution.

It might help to spend some time with just the letters with ascenders so you get used to them. It helps greatly if you move your whole arm on the downstroke such that your wrist and the elbow are moving in parallel i.e. there is no arc being formed in the movement with your elbow at the center. I hope this makes sense.

Also, keep a eye on the alignment of the nib slit with the slant guides. A mis-aligned nib can also throw off your slant and cause inconsistent shades when you try to compensate.

Keep up with the practice with group 1 and post your work in a few days.

- Salman

[jtandy]

Here are my ascenders.
I believe I eliminated the curve to my ascenders. I can see still some variation with shading thickness but looks better with my B's. I'm pleased with my fine lines, particularly with the b's. I also see I didn't hit baseline with many of the t's. Easy fix there.

[Salman Khattak]

@jtandy

Jim - here are the things you need to continue to work on:

1. Draw the shades and hairlines as separate strokes i.e. draw the shaded stroke up to the base line and stop there, continue with the hairline as a separate stroke after lifting the pen off the page a bit.
2. Touch the base line at the bottom turns.
3. Square the tops - this is done by retouching i.e. go back and square the top after the shaded stroke is made. This has to be done for the 't' as well as the 'l' and 'b'
4. Maintain consistent shade width throughout the stroke until you get to the last 1/3rd above the base line when you start to taper off to a hairline as you reach the base line.

Continue your practice while evaluating your work in these areas.

- Salman

[jtandy]

@smh ok, I lifted on every upstroke! I see how that create more consistency with curve, reducing tendency to be too rounded. Arrows point to shading problems. I now notice slight tendency to become upright, particularly with last letters of groups. Need to move paper closer for these. Looks like I'll continue to find faults  especially when letters are magnified with photo. Oh well, my wife thinks they look good

[Salman Khattak]

@jtandy - This group is much better than the last one. The bottom turns are very nice and you are consistently hitting the base line. The slight mismatch at the transition will disappear with continued practice.

Keep at it - maintain what you have achieved and get the shaded stroke to be consistent. I recommend relaxing through this stroke - breathe out (don't hold you breath) and look at the part where the stroke is supposed to end. You are almost there.

Compare your current worksheet to the ones you did at the beginning - I bet it will put a smile on your face.

- Salman

[jtandy]

@SMK it's lonely here alone in lesson 1, ha ha
Doing lots of practice with other strokes with future lessons but won't move forward and post until I earn it!
Here are my latest ascenders.

[vonking1980]

This is fantastic @SMK ! Sorry I'm a little late to the party, but thank you very much for putting this together. I JUST started to buckle down on learning and practicing Engrosser/ Copperplate. You have made my day!

Thank you @ash0kgiri for posting the link. I happened across it this morning in Simone's introduction. I haven't been on in a while until a few days ago, so what a treat this morning!