Copperplate Minuscules - Group 3

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

Sue, this picture is a bit too small for my tired eyes. It serves well to see the overall effect but I can't really see the details of the strokes.

It looks like the compound curve is a bit weaker than the strokes around it. Also, it seems to be a bit shorter than the strokes around it.

The slant is quite uniform now. The shades need to be more even though, see the 'u' in 'quilt' creating a hot spot.

Also, watch out for the taper in the long letters. You seem to start lifting the pen too early resulting in wedge shaped 'l' and 't' in 'quilt'.

- Salman

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

Sorry Salman, it did look a bit small. I was pretty pleased with that one as far as the shades/slants etc. but......if you think the long strokes look off .....Here's another try.

Sue

ps might add the original too :-)

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

You are almost there Sue. Only a couple of minor adjustments and you will have mastered this group of letters.

- The compound curve does turn too soon compared to the other letters. This is most noticeable in the 'n' in the first 'one'. This is quite common. I do it too if I am not careful. Just make sure you include the tiny width of the guideline within your stroke and you will have uniform strokes.

- The slant is straying a little in places. Notice the 't' and the 'l' in 'talon' are going in slightly different directions.

- The shade of the round strokes starts a bit too soon. The heaviest part should be above mid x-height but only just. Start the stroke with a hairline and build up the shade quickly by about 1/3 of the way from the waist line - your shade starts pretty much at the waist line.

You will notice now that the adjustments are becoming more of 'refinements' to the structure you have developed. My main goal in having you work on these is so you can start seeing these kinds of things in your own and others' script. This study is a critical part of learning a script.

- Salman

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

One more time Salman........thanks for your patience

Or this one using bleed proof white :-)

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

You are making great progress Sue. The shade of the round letters is much better balanced now and the slant is also quite consistent.

The next step is to gain a bit more control over the heaviness of the shade. You will notice that there are hot spots in your writing. The 'que' are much denser than the 'nch' in 'quench' - either spacing is find as long as it is consistent. I would recommend something between the two though. Also, the descender strokes of the 'q' and the 'g' are much lighter than the other letters in the word.

you should also pay attention to the tops of the round strokes - these should include the waist line in the stroke. Some of them have a bit of a gap between the top of the letter and the waist line.

Kindly try to take the picture of your work head on - that way I can see the strokes more clearly than having to work out the changes caused by the shallow perspective :-)

Salman

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

Please find my latest practice sheet

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

Hello Salman, it’s been very quiet around here......Ihope it’s because you’re busy with exciting things and not because you’re unwell or dealing with chaos is ‘the real world’.

😊 You’re words of encouragement are missed.

Sue

[Salman Khattak]

Thank you so much for your concern Sue. I am sorry for disappearing. I have been a bit preoccupied with some life challenges. I will be getting back to these lessons soon. I hope to be able to provide feedback in a day or two.

Salman

[GretchenC]

Thank you so much for your concern Sue. I am sorry for disappearing. I have been a bit preoccupied with some life challenges. I will be getting back to these lessons soon. I hope to be able to provide feedback in a day or two.

Salman

Hoping things turn around for you quickly!   I can say, even as a total novice, I have been reading through the 27 pages of Lesson 1, and learning a lot from your comments of others.     My eye is developing, I can self-critique, and I see what I need to fix.   We will be here when you are ready, but focus on you first!   

[Diane Bennett]

Hi Salman,

Sorry to hear life is not being kind to you at the moment, but happy you are in good health.

As Sue has already said you have been missed, not only for the lessons, but your imput on the forum in general, I enjoy reading all your post as they offer good advice.

Hope things take a turn for the better soon.

I look forward to your return.

Take care

Diane

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

OK - I am back :-)

Looking at your last exercise sheet, you seem to have trouble with spacing after letters with descenders. I suspect this is because these letters don't have natural exit hairlines. The exit hairlines in Copperplate play a very important role of helping us gauge spacing. The exit hairline from a 'j' should be exactly like one from an 'i'. Also, take care to space the following shaded stroke so the join occurs at mid x-height.

The spacing in 'tot' is beautifully judged.

It looks like your basic 'i' stroke has suffered from all this talk of ovals and spacing. The taper is happening too early and the shade weight varies within the same letter (see the 'u' in guage (sp?)). The two 't's in 'tot' are different weight. It might help to go over the previous groups in isolation from time to time.

The descender loops are all good but the ones in the last 'g' and 'q' are just beautiful. Interestingly, you have spaced the 'o' after 'g' quite nicely so the issue seems to be limited to just straight strokes.

- Salman

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

Hello Salman, good to have your feedback, as always thank you for taking the time.

I've got to agree with you I think I've concentrated on ovals and overturns (which I'm still not happy with).

Hopefully, this one is better

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

This is much better than the last one Sue. Both in spacing and the shape of the shaded strokes.

The tapered part of the 'i' strokes start a bit too soon though. Some of them start almost as mid x-height. That is too early and leaves the turns at the base line a bit too pointy.

Also, your exit hairlines are too straight. There is a very slight curve to them as they achieve the slant angle of 55 degrees (matching the slant guide) by mid x-height. This should help a lot with the spacing as well.

You are almost there. Lets see another go at this group.

- Salman

[Sue W]

@Salman Khattak

Hello, once again Salman    attached my latest practice.
I have tried to make my exit strokes more curved and also to improve the taper on my 'i' stroke.

Have a great weekend (its Friday pm here )
 

[Salman Khattak]

@Sue W

You are absolutely on the right track Sue. The next step is just to achieve consistency.

You should also start squaring up the tops and bottoms of your strokes where they are flat on the waist and base lines. This is done by touching up. There is no need to worry about doing it in one stroke. Just finish the top by drawing a tiny 7 at the waist line and filling in any empty areas. Take care not to make the stroke too long by going above the waist line. The process for the bottoms is the same, just use and L instead of a 7. This takes a bit of practice but it will become second nature in time. I prefer, and recommend, this method over learning to square tops in one stroke (although that automatically comes with time) as it is much more consistent and precise.

Onwards and upwards.

- Salman