Copperplate Calligraphy

Dick Jackson

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9780486810034
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

No need for copper or plates to achieve the distinctive calligraphic script of eighteenth-century Europe ― just a pen, ink, and this comprehensive workbook will do. Master calligrapher Dick Jackson explains the basic strokes for almost all letters of the copperplate alphabet. Simple instructions and examples introduce the swirls, flourishes, strikings, and thick and thin strokes that make copperplate calligraphy a source of pleasure for the practitioner and a delight to the reader.
A historical introduction traces the growth of copperplate from its roots in the French ronde of the seventeenth century, to its adaptation by English clerks into their copybooks, and the development of the style known as round hand. In addition, guide sheets and instructions for individual letters and numbers offer aspiring calligraphers a practical approach to this enduring art form.

Minuscule Letters

THE BASIC STROKES once again are

They will be used to make up all the letters except q, s, x and z.

Though it won’t be presented as a separate stroke, you should be aware that all letters-alone, at the beginning of words or anywhere in a word—begin with a lead-in hairline. If it’s within a word, that hairline is the finish of the last stroke of the preceding letter. If it’s alone or beginning a word, you start the letter by pushing a hairline from the writing line up as though it were the finish of a letter. You will see how this is done as you go through the construction of each letter.

You are going to be using another guide sheet, number two, for practicing the letters. In order to make the instructions easier to follow, the guidelines will have names. If you look at guide sheet two, you will see that it consists of four sets of guidelines. Each set looks like this:

The name for each line is shown to the side. The a in each set is there only for reference so that you can easily identify each line.

Now you have a little history, a few principles, seven basic strokes, and a new guide sheet, so you can now begin making letters.

– a –

Stroke 5 + stroke 2

Remember, every complete letter has a lead-in hairline.

The lead-in appears to blend with the first stroke at about the midpoint.

The second stroke—stroke 2—is tangential to the first stroke—stroke 5. It does not intersect it.

At the finish of stroke 5, lift the pen and move up to the waist line and far enough to the right to allow the left side of the nib to pull away from the right side when you add pressure. The left side of stroke 2 just touches the ellipse.

The lead-in does not stick into the ellipse like a straw in a watermelon; it blends with it.

Now try a row of a’s and check each stroke of each letter.

– b –

You’re only to the second letter and already there’s something new. Don’t worry, there’s very little more.

The lead-in + stroke 6 + stroke 2 + loop

On letters with ascenders, the hairline appears to blend into the ascender at the waist line. By putting a hitch in the movement, the lead-in can be continued as the first stroke—stroke 6—of the letter like this.

Notice that stroke 6 continues into stroke 2. You do not stop before stroke 6 and start stroke 2.

Are strokes sloped properly?

– c –

Lead-in + stroke 5 + a dot

Stroke 5 is obviously made a little wider at the bottom to leave the ellipse open.

The dot is made as wide as the dark stroke of the letter. This will be true for dots in any letters—minuscules or majuscules.

Note that the ellipse that forms most o...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Materials
• Getting Started
• The Strokes
• Minuscule Letters
• Majuscule Letters
• Numbers
• Comprehensive Exercises
• Additional Hints
• Some Examples
• Guide Sheets