I heeded the advice of an old thread here explaining that copperplate is more of an engraving than handwriting.... and that its near impossible to replicate by hand ... and so decided to write .... !

A potpouri of cursive, 'copperplate', spencerian hands with undisciplined flourishes thrown in ... The local dish here is called 'rojak' (my favourite too) .... We use that term to describe anything thats 'messy' , 'disorganised '.... not a cuss word ... neither is it a compliment ... definitely not positive ...!

Can someone try to categorize for me what (mutant) hand I have created? (shock , horror)

The paper is too toothy for me ... Will try again on smoother paper to get smoother formed letters...

Done just now with Irongall ink and oblique holder with Brause 66EF nib on Daler-Rowney Calligraphy pad, 90gm paper .... (frankly , yucks ...!) The ink hasn't darkened to a very dark black yet ... Takes time , I noticed ...

I think I may have disappointed Bill deeply...

[one of my favourite passages.... good material for a Wolfgang Peterson movie ... ]

On hindsight, I shld have done the accent with watercolour or whatnot before embarking on the text... My daughter beside me says its too hard to see... But I just adore her ... she's my greatest fan...



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I am no expert, but your penmanship is beautiful! (Loved your writing selection as well.) My father-in-law gave me 2 flex copperplate nibs for my dip pen. Even on super smooth paper I can't get good results. The nibs seem to catch on anything. What you accomplished is just incredible to my untrained eyes!

Defiantly nice writing.

Let us know what nib you are using so I can get one and my handwriting will turn into something beautiful.... sure.

Ron

On the contrary -- I am delighted! You didn't quit, and you're working on your own unique solutions to the challenges of roundhand with a pointed dip pen. As long as you keep working on it, you'll keep refining it into what pleases you.

Nice work!

I am no expert - but whatever you have mixed together here, I think it hangs together quite nicely. It's in a far better class than my own, that's for sure!

If I may presume to criticize: The cross on the small t becomes too much for me after a while, almost a distraction. In my opinion, it would be even better-looking to change most of the t-crosses to a more orthodox style, and save the flourishes for the end of a sentence or similar places.

Rojak is good, and so is your penmanship. It might not be classic roundhand, but sometimes good things come out of experimentation. I'll bet that's how rojak came about. And how much poorer our cuisine would have been if nobody dared throw turnips, pineapple, cucumber, sugar, bean sprouts, peanuts, shrimp paste, and deep fried crullers into a salad bowl.

What? No Lima beans? No gravy? No whisky? What kind of a dish is this anyway?

yes david... i am struggling with my 't' s ... don't know why but whether in Copperplate or here , just don't look good ... I will try yr suggestion ...

dear Ron .. the tools used ....

Yes Bill U are spot on again, I am working out what will eventually look 'all-together' .... appreciate all yr incisive observations ..

Hi nimrud .. good to hear from someone here too ... will ask u abt inks ....

'chiak pa ah buay ?"

Ya ,, and BTW , U set me off wondering how did this popular salad dish was 'invented' ....

thanks p-zero for yr encouragement .... I experimented and found that some dip nibs are more toothy. So far the tiny Brause nib 66EF seems to be least toothy. the angle of pen to paper will determine how much it catches the paper. Next , U just have to experiment with pen pressure and determine when too much pressure bcomes too much.

I am fast getting convinced an oblique holder is a must. I sometimes cheat a little in the way the nib is mounted in the holder. In essence, the main stem is held such that the oblique extension is closer to the writing surface. This allows the nib angle to get even more shallow. (I am sure the real skilful practitioners here will frown on this)

Last nite , was flipping thru a book on Calligraphy ... one recommendatioin stood out... whatever calligraphy U are doing, U have to use high quality paper. The Daler-Rowney Calligraphy pad doesn't suit what I am doing now. Its quite textured. I am sure other hands will have no problem..

So far the cheap Maruman blank pad (made in Japan) is simply astounding. Very smooth. Its smooth like the Campus notebooks (made in Japan) you see readily available in stationery stores. The made in Korea versions (cheaper labour costs I presume) are noticeably inferior in quality. But only just barely.

Paper, nib, tools , and off you go ... enjoy ....!

My compliments on your choice of writing material!!! Your handwriting is also very nice - keep working at it. Encourages me to get to work on my trainwreck chickenscratch and improve. Maybe one day it'll look as nice as yours. Thanks for sharing.

Always great to get to know more pen enthusiasts, especially from this part of the world.

"Chiak pa liao"

Hope you had a good weekend.

TMLee,

Your handwriting is BEAUTIFUL! I've noticed that what I admire in other people's handwriting is uniformity. I seem to be drawn to almost any style of handwriting as long as it's uniform. Anyway, thanks for posting this example. I am now more observant of my own handwriting. I'm not trying to change my style of writing, but I can see that I could improve in the uniformity department.

Judybug

thanks Southpaw & judybug for yr encouragement.
I used guidelines underneath...
I have to improve my ascenders. Its curved and not straight. As Bill have correctly diagnosed - due to finger movt instead of whole hand I suppose.
Now you mentioned uniformity, I am beginning to see that the letter forms are not consistently formed. A sign of lack of practice and concentration and too hurried a pace.