Learning materials

Most of the definitive works written on Spencerian and Ornamental Penmanship were published in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, with a few notable exceptions.  As a consequence there are some wonderful handwriting manuals out of copyright.  Look for Platt Roger Spencer’s, “Spencerian Penmanship” consisting of 1 theory book and 5 copy books.  This is the book on Spencerian script by the man who invented Spencerian script.  It is currently in print (and out of copyright as far as I know).  You can find it on Amazon.  “Lesson’s in Ornamental Penmanship” by C.P. Zaner is a personal favorite of mine.  It isn’t in print that I know of, but it is available as a PDF on the IAMPETH website.  I believe this one is also out of copyright.  I’ve spent a lot of time reading it on my tablet.

There is a ton of great learning material online.  If you want to branch out in the Zaner Bloser publishing family, at zanerian.com you can view “Lesson’s in Ornamental Penmanship” by P.Z. Bloser and E.A. Lupfer.  This is the most excellent guide to ornamental penmanship (basically a decorative form of Spencerian) I’ve seen online.  When you are feeling adventurous, you must check out “Lessons in Dashy Writing” by that pen wizard F.B. Courtney on the IAMPETH website.  Many, many articles and lessons, along with numerous Exemplars are available at zanerian.com and Iampeth.com

The definitive and free guide to Engrosser’s script has been published in serial articles on iampeth.com and in YouTube videos by Dr. Joe Vitolo.  He has a compiled and hyperlinked e-book available now for I-pad and android tablet at no cost.  The guidelines he uses in his videos are available for purchase at Paper Ink Arts.  Dr. Vitolo’s work is a must read.  Engrosser’s script is an extremely formal version of copperplate used in certificates and other engrossing.  The way he deconstructs the letterforms will help you understand both Copperplate and Spencerian on a deeper level.

Google Books is also an excellent source of free e-books on handwriting.  They have scanned copies of Gaskell’s Compendium of Forms, the book Legendary Penman Louis Madarasz taught himself from.  The Madarasz book is also available there.  Read it, you will be amazed.

Regarding contemporary study material, you may want to check out the DVD’s on Spencerian and Copperplate by Ron Tate available for purchase at Paper Ink Arts and John Neal, Bookseller where you will also find Michael Sull’s books and DVD on learning Spencerian.  Michael Sull’s work is considered derigueur.  He is probably the single best source of information on the history of American penmanship at the moment.  He has published two volumes on the subject.  He also taught a weeklong Spencerian Saga once a year. The Spencerian Saga was taught by Master Penman Harvest Crittenden in 2013.  Eleanor Winters book on Mastering Copperplate is available for sale far and wide, just about everywhere I’ve looked for a copy has it for sale.

Sadly the Zanerian Manual of Alphabets is out of print at the moment; its return is anticipated though.  This is THE book, the text book for the Zanerian College, that venerable school founded by C.P. Zaner and P.Z. Bloser, where E.A. Lupfer taught Bill Lilly, the man who has revived the traditions of the master penman over at IAMPETH.  If you find a reasonably priced copy, buy it.  It comes highly recommended by Dr. Vitolo, who has studied it extensively.

There are several more resources to cover, including some online offerings from university libraries.  I'll leave it for another post though.  You've got enough to get started with, and doing a little scrounging on your own won't hurt.

To wit:  use Google to find study material.  Searches on the following penmen will yield a lot of material: Gaskel, Madarasz, Zaner, Bloser, Courtney, Canan, Lupfer, Lilly, Sull, and Pat Blair (the Chief Calligrapher at the White House).  Lastly, if you are up for an adventure, and don’t mind using Google’s site search features to mine a website, buried somewhere among all the academic papers on algorithms and patterns (this guy is a mathematician) at luc.devroye.org is a treasure house of fonts, information on master penman, and pdf copies of whole handwriting manuals, etc.  Happy hunting.

A look at pen holders.

Now that we have discussed the most dynamic of the materials you will need for Spencerian and Copperplate script, it is time to discuss pens or pen holders, sometimes referred to as pen staves.  You have two basic types to choose from, straight and oblique.

Straight holders are, forgive the pun, fairly straightforward.  Buying a cheap one or an expensive one won’t have much effect on the quality of your writing.  Determining what works best for you will be a matter of personal taste, and whether your favorite nib will fit the holder.  These holders come in a wide variety.  Speedball makes a cheap and sturdy basic black plastic one, while some of the online stores have rather ornate turned wooden holders for sale. There are some nice ergonomic manga pen holders available, and Brause makes an odd, hexagonal holder that takes a nib at either end. Writing with a straight holder is difficult for the right handed, but sometimes recommended for the left handed.  Should you be right handed, writing in script with a pointed nib will require a special grip.  It is difficult to master, and a number of torturous looking contraptions were devised to train people’s hands to it.  If you do not get the nib angled to the paper correctly, one side of your line will have a ragged edge as the following tine of the nib lags behind the leading edge and skips all over the place.  This yields ugly letters and breaks nibs.

Oblique holders are recommended for Spencerian and Copperplate scripts.  Specifically they are recommended for the right handed scribe, though a number of left handed penmen use an oblique holder.  They do make them for left handed use, though if you watch a John Decollibus video, you’ll notice he is using a right handed oblique holder in his left hand and writing vertically, descending the page with his script.  Mostly, you only see right handed oblique holders for sale, if you desire a left handed one, you may have to commission one.

It is my recommendation that you avoid the Speedball oblique holders.  The flange on the ones Speedball make themselves are loose, insuring that your nib will wallow as your vary your pressure.  They are $1-$3 depending on where you get them, and they are a waste of your money.  You can get a Speedball holder with a brass flange from several online stores. They make them from a variety of Speedball’s straight holders.  A dremel tool is used to make the cutout and insert the brass flange.  These are ok, if you are only going to spend $12-$16 because you aren't sure you will stick with calligraphy, maybe these are for you. I personally don’t care for the modified Speedball holders, once I bought a nice oblique holder, I never looked back.  They are good for learning a few things though, like adjusting a flange.  You don't want to wreck the flange on your nice holder.  If you do buy a modified Speedball, at some point I suggest you take some wire cutters and clip the tail off.  Afterwards wrap some sports take around the barrel.  It is the cheapest way to find out whether you would rather have a carrot oblique holder.

In the mid-$20 range there are a number of good choices from several stores.  The century oblique and the zanerian oblique come to mind.  These are quality turned wooden oblique holders.  Everyone should consider purchasing a Buddy Blackwell holder at some point.  The unique style of adjustable flange in the Buddy Blackwell holder allows you to try most any nib you come across without having to get out a pair of pliers to adjust your flange.  The wooden version with brass fittings is around $40.

Ranging above $40 is where you see your truly premium oblique holders.  Paper and Ink Arts has an hourglass oblique holder with adjustable flange.  Joe Vitolo had design input on this one.  You can see him using one in several videos.  Master Penmen Bill Lilly and Michael Sull both sell handmade unique holders for around $50.  The Lilly flange and the Sull flange are very different, the Lilly flange being longer with a wider angle of attack and the Sull flange being shorter and more acute.  They are both very high quality pens, and I recommend finding one of each to try out after you have had some practice.  Once you begin to develop some as a calligrapher I absolutely recommend upgrading to one of these pens.  When you are ready, it will make a huge difference in the quality and ease of your work.  After you have been working with these for a while, you may be content to continue with them, and I go back to mine fairly often, or you may desire something fancier.

From Left to Right:  an Hourglass Adjustable Oblique, a Lilly Pen, a Sull Pen, a Blackwell Holder, a Yoke Pen Company Pen, a Tachikawa Manga Holder

I must stress, upgrading from a Lilly or Sull pen is mostly an aesthetic choice unless you are after a pen of specific length or diameter.  If you are after something fancier, I recommend Christopher Yoke over at the Yoke Pen Company.  He does made-to-order work.  The flanges on his pens are set at the same angle as a Lilly pen, but are shorter like a Sull pen.  I have a very beautiful Yoke pen I have done wedding invitations with.  Also, a fellow calligrapher has recently recommended Brian Smith to me.  Brian has a shop on Etsy.  He does beautiful work based on historic examples.  There are of course, other people out there making pens, but I’m not personally familiar with their work, nor is anyone I know familiar with them. Pens by Jake Weidman are purported to be of excellent quality, but I’ve yet to encounter one.

Discussing what is available is well and good, but the important thing to know about an oblique holder, is how to set your nib in the flange.  The nib should be set in such a manner that the end of the nib is even with the center line of the barrel of the pen.  You may set it 1 or 2 millimeters past that if you wish for slightly thicker shades.  This is not recommended for beginners though.  The flange should be canted in such a way that when the barrel is level, the shoulders of the nib are angled back and down, and the nib gently rises up toward the top of the barrel when you are viewing the flange edge on.

Because it was a snow day...

I've been busy today.  I thought I would follow the normal post with pictures of what I have been up to lately.  I spent the morning preparing more material for www.OneSwellLoop.etsy.com.  Followed by an afternoon of taking pictures and editing.

The newest and fanciest envelope addressing option at the shop.  Ornamental Penmanship.

Lowercase Spencerian script, a new addition to the shop, plain and economical, yet still elegant.

E.A. Lupfer's take on Spencerian, with the return address on the front.

E.A. Lupfer's take on Spencerian, this time in gold.  The actual return address is on the back flap.

An example RSVP envelope done in walnut ink.

Another RSVP envelope, done in Waterman's Black.

The following photo's are from my growing horde of signature cards.  Maybe your name is among them.

What is the proper term?  Are they a horde?  Is it a "fan" of calling cards?  If I were the guy that gets to make this stuff up, it would be an "Announcement" of calling cards.

Don't be shy folks, leave a comment.  I want to know what you think.  The comments are moderated, so curse and defame me all you want, your comment will feel the gentle tap of my mallet of loving correction.

Nibs

Some Zanerian Number 3 Medial's sitting on my writing desk.

Good starter nibs are “G” nibs (from several manufacturers), and Hunt 22b’s.

The G nibs are durable and chromed.  They last awhile.  The three I’ve come across are nearly identical, though the Nikko G may be slightly superior.  Zebra and Leonardt also make “G” nibs.  In the interest of full disclosure, I have not used the Leonardt G nib, but it looks a lot like the Nikko G nib.  I bought a couple of Nikko and Zebra G nibs when I was starting out.  I found them to be quite good.  A prominent contributor to /r/Calligraphy loves the G nibs and you can see them in her pen where it is visible in pictures of her work.  While they are a great nib for beginning, they don’t stop being a good nib when your work gets more technically complex.  The Zebra G is more flexible than the Nikko G.

Hunt 22b’s come in two flavors, vintage and current (not to be confused with currant).  The vintage 22B’s are of slightly higher quality.  You will notice the difference after you have been writing awhile.  Of course the vintage 22B’s are also about $1 more.  The Hunt 22B is a great way to transition from the G nibs onto more flexible sharps like the Hunt numbers 56, 99, and 101.  Hunt nibs in general are sturdy and turn an acceptable hairline and shade.  These are the medium sharps, a good place to cut your teeth before moving up into the more finicky points.  I’ve said sharps now several times.  Generally it is slang for any pointed nib.  Some of them actually are fairly sharp too.

I can recommend several nibs once you are ready for something a little more challenging / expensive.  A widely used workhorse for wedding calligraphy is the Brause 66EF.  They are in a medium price range, and quite easy to work with.  They yield nice hairlines and somewhat thick shades.  When you see very thick shades on larger letters, there is a good chance a Brause Rose nib was used.  These are also lovely, sturdy pens.  Everyone should try the Gillott 303 and 404 once to see if they like them.  They are both very sharp, the 303 being very flexible and the 404 being relatively stiff.  You should buy several of each as they are cheap, and you may get 3 good pen points out of every 5.  When you are ready for something extremely flexible that produces a very thin hairline, I recommend the Leonardt Principal EF.  It is a sword hilt nib (you will notice this is the shape of the cut out), similar in appearance the Hunt 101 “Imperial”, and specifically modeled after the fabled Gillott Principality.  A number of Master Penmen are on record as saying this is the closest thing you can buy to the Principality, which many of them will tell you was the finest nib made.

There is a lot to say about nibs.  Bob Hurford has said quite a bit of it in his articles "A Look at Fine and Flexible Nibs," and "A Look at Fine and Not So Flexible Nibs," on iampeth.com.  He outlines the lineage and classification of a wide variety of nibs.  This is very useful information once you begin shopping around for vintage nibs.  Most of the rest you need to know is found among Dr. Joe Vitolo’s articles on iampeth.com and zanerian.com.  Pay specific attention to what he has written about his 5 “dream points.”  For more general information on nib anatomy and manufacture, read “The Steel Pen Trade” by Arthur Charles.

Putting ink on the paper.

There are four preferred types of writing fluid.  The most commonly used inks, and I use the term loosely here, are iron gall ink, fountain pen ink, sumi ink, and gouache.  Ink can be fast or slow.  Slow inks are more viscous and less likely to bleed.  Gouache and sumi ink are on the slower end of the spectrum, with iron gall inks sort of in the middle, and fountain inks on the faster end of the spectrum.  It will become apparent, with use, what I mean by fast and slow.  I’ll say that you get a better line with slower strokes with slower inks, and faster strokes with faster inks.  Ink can be thinned to make it faster, or it can be thickened with gum arabic, which will slow the ink down somewhat.  It is best to start with a slower ink; it will be easier to control your lines as you learn.

I recommend starting with an iron gall ink or a sumi ink.  They are slower inks.  Their viscosity is higher relative to fountain pen ink for instance.  Pen white (which is usually a gouache) is also a slower ink.  You can move on to pen white fairly quickly if you want to buy some black card stock.  Really, any color card stock will do, but black is most useful because the high contrast makes your letter forms very visible.  You may also want to purchase a soapstone pencil to draw your guild lines onto colored card stock.  It leaves white pencil lines.  I should also mention several companies make black erasers; these are the best erases to use on black card stock.

Iron gall ink settles into the paper, as do most fountain pen inks.  This is sometimes referred to as a biting ink.  Sumi inks and gouache sit on top of the paper like paint.  Gouache is paint, opaque watercolor paint.  Most pen white is gouache, or acrylic paint.  Sumi inks belong to the family of carbon inks, which are emulsions of carbon particles, soot in the case of sumi.  India ink, which we won’t be discussing, is another carbon ink.  Iron gall, sumi, gouache, and fountain pen ink may all be thinned with purified water, or ox gall (a watercolor medium).  You will find ox gall makes ink dramatically wetter and faster.  Gum arabic, another watercolor medium, can be used to thicken all of these.  Windsor Newton sells a line of paint mediums, including ox gall and gum arabic. 

Here is a list of inks I’ve used and can recommend.  The iron gall inks are:  Old World Iron Gall Ink, Blott’s Iron Gall Ink, Brian Walker’s Copperplate Ink, and Neil McCaffrey’s Penman’s Black.  The sumi inks are Yasutomo sumi, Yasutomo Vermillion sumi, Moon Palace sumi, and Best bottle sumi.  Yasutomo also makes a fairly cheap student grade sumi stick.  It makes nice ink, but grinding is tiresome.  Fountain pen inks that I’ve used are Private Reserve, Montblanc, Lamy, and Waterman. I prefer Lamy Blue-Black.  I keep hearing it may have some iron gall in it.  I've not been able to confirm this, but believe it to be true because it etches nibs just like an iron gall ink.  Every calligrapher should also have some walnut ink.  Buy your first batch premixed, but considering getting the crystals when you are more familiar with it.

Starting out you will be fine with the Old World Iron Gall Ink, or the Vermillion Sumi.  Old World is the cheapest of the Iron Galls, and good to learn with.  There is not so much a quality as a property difference between the available, pre-made iron gall inks.  Old World goes on the darkest.  The others get just as dark over time, through oxidation.  The vermillion sumi is one of the easiest inks to control.  If you find yourself getting frustrated with a letter form, get out some of your vermillion sumi and practice a little while with it.

My favorite inks are Brian Walker’s Copperplate ink, Best bottle sumi, walnut ink, Vermillion sumi, and Lamy Blue-Black.  They all behave differently on the different papers I’ve listed. Each can be used legibly with each paper I’ve listed though.  I’ve also found I can turn a good line on the Clairefontaine Japon Papier with Selennier India Ink, but I wouldn’t recommend it for any of the other papers.  I wouldn’t bother with india ink at all if you are just starting out.

There are some things I should tell you about the various iron gall inks I have recommended.  Neil McCaffrey’s Penman’s Black requires constant attention.  It grows mold, and must be skimmed.  If you are not going to use all of it quickly, or if you are sensitive to mold, don’t buy it.  Blott’s Iron Gall Ink is made directly from a medieval recipe.  I consider Brian Walker’s Copperplate Ink to be the best, but only by a narrow margin.  It is an adaptation of a mediaeval recipe.  His ink is considered to be of archival quality.  I don’t have direct experience with how these iron gall inks age compared to one another because I don’t have work that is 10 or 20 years old.  Iron gall ink will begin to eat at the paper if the paper doesn’t have a basic ph., or if the inks were mixed too acidic.  If your iron gall ink seems like it needs some freshening, strain it with a fine wire mesh and add a cap full of white vinegar.

And now a few more facts about sumi ink.  If you are going to use Moon Palace sumi, you may wish to dilute it up to 50% with purified water.  Some tap waters will cause mold growth in ink.  Best bottle sumi is considered ideal for use straight out of the bottle.  Moon Palace and Best bottle are two of the finest liquid sumi inks you can buy.  Sumi sticks are generally of better quality than liquid sumi.  Sumi sticks that yield a brown black ink are made with vegetable soot and are mostly Japanese in origin.  The sticks that yield blue black ink are predominately Chinese and made from pine soot.  sumi and india inks are carbon inks and do not mix well with the iron gall inks.  Small amounts of sumi will sit in an iron gall ink, but you may notice tiny granules in your ink.  Mixing India ink with iron gall ink will immediately cause a precipitate.  It is a foul sludge, don’t mix them.  You can of course mix like with like, all day long.

It starts with the paper (not the pen).

You can start out with a 36 lb. laser jet paper.  This kind of paper is not ideal, but you are going to be throwing a lot of it away.  You can buy a ream for about $15.  It is the absolute lowest grade of paper I would use.  It’s made from wood pulp.  HP, or Hammermill would both be fine.

100% cotton rag papers are much better.  You are looking for hot press paper with a smooth finish.  It can be any weight; the important thing is the finish.  There is smooth finish cold press paper, but you will find it has more texture than the hot press.  This is a problem because your nib will pick up more fibers from the cold press paper.  

Some preferred types of paper are Layout paper, Bristol board (vellum finish is medium texture, plate finish is smooth), and Japan paper.  Bristol board is not universally 100% cotton.  It comes in a range of quality; the expensive stuff like the Strathmore 500 is 100% cotton.  Paris paper is similar to Bristol board but more flexible, and illustration board is more rigid.  Here is a list of papers I’ve used that I like:  Borden and Riley Marker Layout, Canson Pro Marker Layout, Bienfang Graphics 360, Clairfontaine Triomphe Stationery, Clairfontaine Japon Papier, Clairfontaine spiral lined notebook paper, Rhodia spiral lined notebook paper.  If you can find it Mnemosyne spiral graph notebooks are amazing as well.

A Beginning

Several times now, people have asked me how to get started writing in Spencerian or Copperplate script.  Typically people want to know what kind of pen to buy, which books to read and what videos to watch.  Striking out on your own to learn one of these styles can be an arduous and frustrating journey.  If you aren't careful, it becomes an expensive one as well.

Some practical advice for getting started is on the way.  When I struck out on my own to learn calligraphy in the summer of 2011, there wasn't anywhere to turn to for wisdom.  Let me tell you, I lasted maybe two months before I angrily shoved everything in a box and left it there for more than half a year.  Pointed pen is trench warfare.  It requires cunning, patience, persistence, mental fortitude and sometimes alcohol (though I don't personally recommend it).  Also, lets face it, you've got to be a bit of a bastard too.  If your heart soars in the face of chaos and adversity, if you are excited by the cussedness of a task, you've got what it takes.  

I didn't begin to learn Copperplate and Spencerian in earnest, or with any progress until sometime around June of 2012.  Through cussedness, doggedness, and fearlessness I slowly began to improve.  I broke quite a bit of equipment trying to alter it during this period.  Then I joined my local calligraphy guild and made an absolute pest of myself.  Bitter tears of joy were wept at the gift of their wisdom.  Deliverance from suffering was at hand.

By September of 2013 I found myself far away from home, sitting in my brother's kitchen, doing last minute table cards for his wedding.  I had a smile on my face, and the pens minded me.  The event coordinator at the hotel asked for my card.  It was worth all the late nights, burning eyeballs and hand cramps to get to that point.

Let me stress very emphatically that if there is calligraphy guild anywhere near you, it is folly to start down this road on your own.  Joining my local calligraphy guild has been one of the most rewarding things I've done.  Watching someone use a pen, up close, and in person, is vastly more helpful than watching a video.  It is also an interactive experience, where you can ask whatever questions that come to mind.  So, read on, but also visit Cynscribe’s webpage for an international list of calligraphy guilds.  Find one and join it, they will be happy to see you.

Whether you are setting out to learn Spencerian or Copperplate or a contemporary style of pointed pen calligraphy, there is one important thing you must come to grips with immediately; having the proper supplies accounts for 90% or more of the final result.  Good script with solid and consistent letter forms comes from a dynamic mix of the right type of paper, a suitable ink for your paper, and a suitable nib for your ink and paper choices.  The choice of pen holder for your nib also plays a role, albeit a less important one.  In several posts I will discuss all of these.