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General Categories => Guidelines => Topic started by: Estefa on January 30, 2014, 05:16:42 AM

Title: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 30, 2014, 05:16:42 AM
I just updated my Copperplate grids, added some new x-heights and thought maybe someone is interested! These are with x-heights from 3 to 10 mm with the standard ratio (3:2:3 descender:x-height:ascender) with 2 sheets with a smaller line spacing for more condensed writing. If anyone has a question, just ask!

And no guarantee that they are 100% correct! ;)

Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 30, 2014, 03:34:46 PM
These are GREAT! Thank you so much for sharing Stefanie!  :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 30, 2014, 05:08:19 PM
I am really glad if they are not just sitting in my computer ;)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Roseann on January 31, 2014, 01:06:54 AM
So nice. Thank you! 

Roseann
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 31, 2014, 01:18:00 AM
You are welcome :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: tintenfuchs on January 31, 2014, 07:37:24 AM
Cool, thanks!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: ErikH on January 31, 2014, 09:34:49 AM
Lots of choice - and in mm for extra awesomeness, thanks! :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Martín on January 31, 2014, 09:44:37 AM
Since we're sharing, I'll add mine to the mix :)

10, 6 and 4mm, 55º slant; 3:2:3 with auxiliary lines for short ascenders and descenders.

Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 31, 2014, 11:47:48 AM
Love the 4mm! Thank you!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Martín on January 31, 2014, 04:24:15 PM
Love the 4mm! Thank you!

Glad to hear that. I'm mostly using the larger ones, as I'm still working on achieving good form, but the 4mm one seems good for actual writing.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Starlee on February 01, 2014, 09:24:49 AM
Thank you for sharing!!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: crooked spruce on February 02, 2014, 10:29:26 AM
Thank you for sharing them!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: GuitarianVirol on February 04, 2014, 08:58:26 AM
Thank you very much!!! Very useful.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Whitney Gothra on February 04, 2014, 09:14:44 AM
Thank you so much, Estefa and Martin!  I'm so thankful for the different sizes.  I was going to try to come up with my own in Photoshop, but you all did the work for us!  ;)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Martín on February 04, 2014, 10:33:14 AM
Thank you so much, Estefa and Martin!  I'm so thankful for the different sizes.  I was going to try to come up with my own in Photoshop, but you all did the work for us!  ;)

You're welcome :) If you need other sizes, just let me know...
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Maurelle on February 05, 2014, 12:55:25 AM
thank you for sharing!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Blotbot on February 25, 2014, 08:50:54 AM
Hello,

Check out this website for generating copperplate guidelines, as well as guidelines for other hands:

http://calligraffiti.in/rulings

I like this generation program in particular because it will put in the diagonal guidelines at any angle you want.  In addition, the lines are dark enough to see through a blank sheet of paper.  I prefer to put my guide sheet underneath my paper with a clear plastic sheet between rather than print the guidelines on each sheet.  Finally, the program allows both portrait, landscape and circular formats.  The only drawback that I see is that it only prints on A4 and A5 paper sizes, but most printers will convert to the US sizes.  The instructions are also good I think!


Ellen
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Erica McPhee on February 25, 2014, 09:58:14 AM
SWEET! Thank you for sharing this! How awesome!  :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Blotbot on February 26, 2014, 02:03:18 PM
Here is another program to generate guidelines. This one was recommended by someone at the Fountain Pen Network.  I haven't tried it, but it looks like it has more variables that can be set.  A bit complex.  I am  interested how people find working with these two programs.  My experience is only in copperplate so I have little to say about the other styles of calligraphy.

http://www.allunderone.org/calligraphy2/calligraphy.php
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Perfectsettings on March 12, 2014, 02:28:23 PM
I was totally not going to open this thread... I'm so happy that I did!!! Thanks for the grids, guys.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Peninhand on March 20, 2014, 11:04:02 PM
Thanks, you have saved me many hours of making my own in Photoshop! ;D I am a newbe to calligraphy and a lefty, so it is going to take time but I'm sure it is going to be worth it.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: treehugger9 on May 19, 2014, 12:13:48 PM
Thank youuu!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: ultraQuiche on May 19, 2014, 02:39:05 PM
Saved and pinned, thanks a lot guys.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: inkcatcher on May 20, 2014, 09:13:53 AM
Downloaded them! Thank you for sharing Stefanie! :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: JeannieK on May 27, 2014, 11:35:41 AM
Thank you!  I am a complete newbie and yesterday was hand drawing grids - this is so much better!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: ErikH on May 28, 2014, 09:34:39 AM
Spiffy!
I was thinking of making something like this, but I guess I don't have to do that anymore :D Some enhancements, however...  ::)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Faeleia on May 29, 2014, 02:32:50 AM
Nice! More options! I'm a gridline junkie (Gotta have the soulmate grid paper and have the perfect nib and the perfect mood and the sun rays to hit this rock at this point on some obscure mountain and align specific zodiac stars before I settle lol). I love having more options to work with. *downloads them all* MUUUUUUAHAHAH.

Not quite sure how to use the website ruling generator but I'll print all these out! Thanks for sharing, guys :D
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: prasad on June 23, 2014, 04:32:38 AM
HI all,
Got one more option for generating gridlines.  It is designed primarily for Spencerian and Copperplate with lots of options of how many lines a page are needed.

I found it wonderful for a beginner as there aren't too many values to be entered.  You can even adjust the darkness of the guidelines so that the final print can be used under the main sheet or as a printed guide sheet depending on the thickness and darkness of the line.

http://www.shipbrook.net/guidelines/

If this one has already been posted before,  I do apologise  :)

Prasad
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: lindsay723 on June 25, 2014, 08:41:02 AM
Awesome! thank yoU!!!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: anam_t on June 28, 2014, 01:27:17 PM
Thanks Estefa! I'm new to the calligraphy world and I'm on the lookout for grids that would be comfortable for me to practice. Will definitely print off yours! :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: zygalski on November 20, 2014, 10:20:02 AM
Hi.
What's the best size to use to begin my journey with on the minuscule alphabet? 
For reference I'm using Eleanor Winters' book as guidance & have A4 sheets.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Brad franklin on November 20, 2014, 11:21:46 AM
 Eleanor's book says 1/4 of an inch. which is about  6.35 mm  and E.A Lupfer says to start off at  3/8 of an inch which is about 9.52 mm. Then after you feel    comfortable reduce size for need.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: zygalski on November 20, 2014, 12:51:27 PM
Thanks.
I'll try a few different sizes & see how I get on.
Promise not to laugh  ;)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: artcyva on December 03, 2014, 10:25:47 AM
My oc-ness kicked in and I just had to do my own copperplate grids using Adobe Illustrator. It's in letter size with 1/4" x-height, 3:2:3 ratio, and 55° slant lines (.5" between slant lines).  :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Moya on December 03, 2014, 07:35:50 PM
Thanks.
I'll try a few different sizes & see how I get on.
Promise not to laugh  ;)

Nobody here will laugh at you, don't worry!  (And if they do, we'll make them very sorry :D)

Good luck!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: patweecia on December 03, 2014, 08:49:44 PM
My oc-ness kicked in and I just had to do my own copperplate grids using Adobe Illustrator. It's in letter size with 1/4" x-height, 3:2:3 ratio, and 55° slant lines (.5" between slant lines).  :)

i like it :) thanks for sharing :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: simonxuanshen on December 08, 2014, 06:38:49 AM
Thanks so much for this!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Lann on December 09, 2014, 09:13:33 AM
Hi All! These guidelines are great everyone - thank you for sharing. During the summer I found some practice sheets/ guidelines in various scales by Bob Hurford. I foolishly wrote on some and now I can't find them on the net. Anyone here know where they are lurking? :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: imdcruz on December 10, 2014, 07:24:45 AM
Thank you for all the variety of grids! They make life so much easier.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Bella on December 24, 2014, 01:10:14 AM
thank youuuuu
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: faithyms on December 28, 2014, 02:32:00 AM
Thanks so much for these grids. Helped a lot especially to newbies like me  :) :) :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Sarah Foutz on December 29, 2014, 03:06:17 PM
Wow, thank you so much!!! I love it when other people do the "dirty work" for me! ;) Sending karma love your way....
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: wurlocke on January 02, 2015, 03:50:04 AM
Thank you so much for posting these guides. So great for practice and to use!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Sarah Foutz on January 03, 2015, 03:21:42 PM
Thanks, Estefa! I printed them all off and i just slide them under my practice pad-works like a charm, even without my lightbox!  :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 04, 2015, 02:23:45 AM
Thanks all for your thanks :). Yes, Sarah, I also use them without a light box! I made some more and will try to think of uploading them!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Sarah Beth Brown on January 06, 2015, 03:21:36 PM
These practice sheets are great! I've made my own in all sizes using adobe, but my poor brain can't ever figure out how to get the angle right... these are a huge help!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Afreen Gaffar on January 06, 2015, 11:07:44 PM
These are AWESOME!! Downloaded them! Thank you for sharing Stefanie!  :-*

Also thankyou to the others who shared the links to generate Grids!  :D

Regards,
Afreen.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estrella on January 12, 2015, 12:12:52 PM
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!  ;) :D
These are great... especially for a newbie!!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: josh on January 13, 2015, 09:05:11 AM
This may seem like a dumb question.

Why is it that "Copperplate" guidelines are so varied. What exactly is traditional copperplate, Is it as demonstrated by Dr. Joe Vitolo, because he uses 5 spaces of equal height. If so that's the type of script that I would like to continue studying. Am I doing it all wrong?, because with only 3 spaces, I doubt I would be more consistent, like with the letter "t" and "d" starting point or where to end the lower part of an "f" likewise capital "J" top to bottom height. Do I need to remove brain, wash with soapy water and replace or raise my hand and put it firmly over my mouth?

To date I have not received my new nids, ink nor book so it's another day sitting under a palm tree at the beach...:)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 13, 2015, 10:55:18 AM
Here are my two cents: it's complicated ;).

First, what Dr. Vitolo teaches is strictly speaking 'Engraver's script', which is a late 19th century version of what is now generally called 'Copperplate'. Its original form (17th Century, England, then called 'English Roundhand') you can find in the 'Universal Penman'by G. Bickham (you can get a decent and inexpensive reprint on Amazon), btw it was written with a very thin, but still broad cut quill ( a quill has much more flex than a broad steel nib). There is at least one, maybe even more threads here in the Forum where you can find discussion about that:

http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=230.0

Regarding your question about guidelines. I for one like the 3:2:3 ratio that I use in my guidelines more than the 2:1:2 ratio that Dr. Vitolo uses. I find the descenders and ascenders are just a bit too long with the second proportions. But that is a question of personal taste. I have also no trouble finding the right height for the t's, d's etc. … historically most ascenders like in l or h were mostly not looped btw, that means they were also shorter (with loops longer, because they seem too short optically otherwise).

Sorry if that is confusing. Some of the guidelines I made also have overlapping spaces, I use that for example when I want to write with a not too small x-height, but don't have so much space (on an envelope, for example), and sometimes I just like the more dense texture a piece of writing gets with that guideline. Of course that needs a bit of luck or planning so that the ascenders and descenders don't bump into one another …

If you want to practice exactly after Dr. Vitolo's book, which is a fantastic ressource, I'd make exactly guidelines as he proposes. You can practice variations in proportions still later :).

I hope all that makes sense. As always, this is not written in stone … just my opinion.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Meredith S on January 13, 2015, 11:25:23 AM
To add to Stefanie's comments, here is a blog by DeAnn Singh:
http://deannsinghcalligraphy.blogspot.com/2012/01/january-23-2012-copperplate-class-2-at.html

About 1/4 of the way down she explains the ratios. There is also a diagram comparing the 3:2:3 ratio to the 2:1:2 ratio.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: tangledpen on January 13, 2015, 03:55:35 PM
thanks for the guideline - for some reason I only found them today (well, I guess I was never really looking for them until tonight ;))
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: ria_inxpensieve on January 19, 2015, 10:35:45 AM
Just what I was looking for! Thank you, Stefanie! :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Lyra Pandy on January 21, 2015, 12:09:17 AM
These are very helpful! Thanks for sharing, Stefanie!  :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Aristogama on March 07, 2015, 08:34:46 AM
thank you, estefa and martín :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: ericp on April 13, 2015, 05:25:26 PM
From a total Copperplate newbie:    A big big THANK YOU for those guidelines!

The link to DeAnn's site was also of great help to me.   Fantastic compact explanations of small but important details.

[ Also the idea that Copperplate can be seen as a combination of a limited number of strokes that are uniquely identified with a number ID just tickled my software developer neural connections   :D  ]
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Faeleia on January 08, 2017, 09:04:25 PM
Thanks Stef!! I've been using the IAMPETH ones for a while but I always found the spacing way too big, I really appreciate your overlapping ones as well as the ones with usual sizes, the lines are totally dark enough :D
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 09, 2017, 02:47:35 AM
Glad to hear it, @Faeleia :)! I've added some more guidelines on my website, have a look if you want:

http://federflug.com/about/ressources/index.html

(They are all the way on the bottom of the site!)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Faeleia on January 09, 2017, 04:14:53 AM
Yay thanks stef you amazing human being!!!
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Estefa on January 09, 2017, 04:26:00 AM
@Faeleia Your comment really lightened my day, dear!! (Having a hell of a fight with a flourish design just now  >:( …)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Karlco on January 09, 2017, 06:29:10 AM
Thank you so much Estefa and Martin.  Very usefull for me.  I also used those on the website of David Grimes ( www.masgrimes.com ). Bye bye...
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: DebbieIgnatowski on January 26, 2017, 09:40:41 AM
Estefa and Martin--thank you.  I am just getting back into practicing copperplate/roundhand and was happy to find these wonderful guidelines.  Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: Avinash_calligraphy on February 27, 2017, 05:27:10 AM
THANKS FOR SHARING :) :) :)
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: cejohnson on April 30, 2017, 10:29:28 AM
Estefa and Martin,

Thanks for taking the time to create these grids, and then, generously share them with the forum. Now I do not have to draw my own.

It was kind of fun though digging out the old protractor; brought back memories of Geometry classes  :o

- Catherine
Title: Re: Copperplate Grids
Post by: MatildaPug on September 24, 2019, 05:10:14 PM
Thank you, thanks, thanks-a-bunch! I just got my supplies in to start my road to learn today and these will be a great help!

Thanks some more,
Pug