Thanks so much for your replies Erica, Stefanie, Donna, & Lori! I nearly missed a great discussion here.
Donna , thank you for the kind words! The brushes we used are flat brushes. Specifically, it needs to have a real "sharp" edge so we can get the thin lines that emulate the nibs. I had to go realllll slow. My teacher recommends the Winsor & Newton Series 995 Flat Wash Brushes to create really nice & sharp lines. I bought a generic store brand for $5 (vs. the W&N one for $10) and the different is pretty clear:
http://instagram.com/p/jnY4DoR7cj/Stefanie, you made a really good point about Blackletter. Not sure if it's widely used this way in Germany, but here, Blackletter scripts are used a lot in certificates. When I first started taking Copperplate classes, I told myself I only wanted to learn copperplate, and that was IT. I wasn't interested in anything else. But I liked my class and teacher so much and I see how dedicated she is to the art of calligraphy - she made me want to not just be good at copperplate, she made me want to be a
good calligrapher. Then I started learning other hands in broad pen and noticed how they helped my pointed pen improve too. I want to be proficient at many calligraphy styles because someday I may get asked to do a commission for a certificate.
And someday I would like to teach calligraphy too.
I think there is a very strong/renewed interest in Blackletter.
Luca Barcellona started out as a graffiti artist and now he is commissioned by big companies all over the world for his work. Check out his amazing portfolio on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luca-beanone-barcellonaBefore I joined Tumblr and Instagram, I was lamenting about the possible loss of handwriting and calligraphy as an art - but now I don't feel so bad because I see so many young people picking up calligraphy pens and posting their work online! I feel very hopeful. I don't think calligraphy will ever become a lost art.