If I Were To Learn Italic On A Budget Today...

[patrickfp]

I thought it would be nice to contribute a bit after having received priceless advice from this forum. Keep in mind that what I say here is my personal opinion. Others may disagree, and give their own opinion.

 

Book

If you were to buy ONE book, make it Italic Handwriting by Tom Gourdie. The other books I have read are Learn Calligraphy by Margaret Shepherd and Italic Calligraphy and Handwriting by Lloyd Reynolds. Learn Calligraphy contains a lot of valuable information, but it won't teach a beginner how to form the 26 letters of the alphabet when it comes to italic. The same can be said about Italic Calligraphy and Handwriting. That said, Italic Calligraphy and Handwriting together with Lloyd Reynolds' videos are powerful italic learning tools.

 

Pen

If your goal is to learn and produce great italic letters, and not to collect pens, then forget about custom ground nibs. If I were to do it all other, I would not have spent my money on a 0.7mm and 0.9mm custom ground Pelikan nibs nor on a Lamy Safari and a 1.5mm nib. Instead, I would buy a Manuscript set, and used the wider nibs. I think it's common knowledge that it's better to write relatively big letters at the beginning in order to better see any mistake. While my Lamy Safari 1.5mm nib can write big, it cannot produce the fine hairline the Manuscript pen can. As you get better, you can buy some dip pen nibs and a pen holder. They are a lot of fun to use.

 

Writing surface

Buy a drawing board, and use books to create a slope. While I did buy a drawing board, I only thought of using books to create a slope after I saw a video on YouTube. The difference between writing on a flat surface and a sloped surface is huge.

 

Paper

Get some fairly good paper. It does not have to the most expensive paper. The reason why I suggest good paper rather than photocopier paper is that the higher grade paper will make the whole experience more enjoyable and increase the chance of you wanting to keep doing it. I would avoid laid paper at the beginning because the surface may interfere with the pen.

 

Other

Spend some time on this forum. Seriously, spend some time on this forum. There are wonderful members here who go out of their ways to help.

Edited May 28, 2015 by patrickfp

[ac12]

Good thoughts.

 

How wide is the wide Manuscript nib? I'm trying to compare it to the Sheaffer nibs.

[patrickfp]

I have this one: http://www.calligraphy.co.uk/shop/calligraphy/classic-calligraphy-fountain-pen-set.html

 

So widths according to the package label are: 0.85mm, 1.1mm, 1.35mm, 1.6mm and 2.8mm. I don't think they are exact measurements to be honest. Waterman converters work very well with this pen.

[Randal6393]

Sound advice, patrickfp.

 

Particularly like your advice to get a good, dependable pen over trying for the more expensive pens. I learned with a set of Platignum pens that cost less than $5.00 for the set. Had F, M, B, 2B, and 3B screw-in nib units. It's too bad the company went out of business. Recently found that set on e-bay for $30.00 plus shipping from England to the USA. Bought it for reasons of nostalgia and to compare to modern pens.

 

Yes, a slope is great for working on lettering of all kinds. To me, it is the advent of American cursive that moved penmen away from writing on a raised surface. Or maybe the reliablility of modern fountain pens. Easier to avoid splatters and drops and ensure a continuous supply of ink. But be sure to practice on a flat surface as well. Won't always have a slope available to write on.

 

Paper that is fountain-pen friendly is much easier to come by than most people think. Even the dreaded moleskine notebook isn't really too bad. Many pens are just a bit too juicy and wet to get a good calligraphic line on. So many problems that are blamed on the paper are, IMHO, the fault of the pen. Learning to adjust ink flow and sharpen an italic nib are indispensable skills for a writer.

 

Enjoy,

[patrickfp]

I think we all eventually learn which combination of ink, pen and paper we like most. So far, my favourite paper is Velin de France. It is smooth, but at the same time offers a light touch of resistance which gives me more control.

 

How to sharpen an italic nib is something I would like to try one day. But so far, I have not had the need to do that. Maybe I should be sharpening my nibs but don't know it. Ignorance is bliss sometimes :-)

[ac12]

The Sheaffer won't match the 2.8mm nib in the Manuscript set. I think the Sheaffer set maxes out at about 1.9mm.

 

I recall reading "someplace" that a particular instructor recommended beginners (like me) start off with a medium or 1.5mm nib. I think the author/instructor said that writing large introduced its own set of problems, and the 1.5mm nib was a workable compromise.

 

About paper.

I found that if you use a guidesheet below your writing paper, 24# paper is about as heavy as you want to go, and still be able to see the guidesheet. 28# is difficult to see the guidesheet, and 32# I cannot see the guidesheet. I use 20# paper.

If you use a lightbox/lightpad, you can use the heavier papers. But that is just another piece of gear to spend $$$ on.

[Randal6393]

Needing to sharpen a nib becomes apparent as you work on italic letterforms. When you notice the thick-to-thin ratio is too small and your letters are a bit "blurry", it's time to sharpen the nib. Best quick glimpse is in the video by Hallmark Cards. It is honoring Hermann Zapf and Zapf shows how to sharpen a nib, make Japanese ink, and use a brush to load a dip pen. Really great for a variety of reasons. Think it is still on YouTube. I love dip pens for showing one how to do basic lettering. Very useful and much less expensive than a fountain pen.

 

@ac12: Yep, 1.5 mm is a good size to work with. For study and to learn the proper ductus, I like a 1.9 mm nib. Or even a 2.8 mm nib. That's why I feel the Pilot Parallel is so useful a pen. As far as guidesheets, I am still trying to learn to write a straight line without one. Somedays, chicken, other days, feathers, as the old hound dog said.

 

Enjoy,

[patrickfp]

If you use a lightbox/lightpad, you can use the heavier papers. But that is just another piece of gear to spend $$$ on.

If you live in an area where you can buy a good size scrap plexiglass, then it can be used instead of the drawing board with a source of light behind it.

[Randal6393]

The Sheaffer won't match the 2.8mm nib in the Manuscript set. I think the Sheaffer set maxes out at about 1.9mm.

 

I recall reading "someplace" that a particular instructor recommended beginners (like me) start off with a medium or 1.5mm nib. I think the author/instructor said that writing large introduced its own set of problems, and the 1.5mm nib was a workable compromise.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The Sheaffer NoNonsense set is designed to be written with daily, so limits itself to fountain-pen widths. The Manuscript is made for the study of letterforms as well as daily writing. So it goes out to wider nibs. I keep wide nibs around for studying letters and learning the ductus of a script. Also use translucent, watered-down ink so that the strokes show up clearly. For daily use, I use Goulet JoWo 1.1 mm nibs that I have sharpened myself. Amongst other pens. My favorite Black Ink Pen is my Lamy 2000 Broad, ground to a nominal 1.1 mm width. And filled with Noodler's Black. It works well on just about any paper, without feathering or bleed-through. Mostly.

 

Enjoy,

[ac12]

 

@ac12: Yep, 1.5 mm is a good size to work with. For study and to learn the proper ductus, I like a 1.9 mm nib. Or even a 2.8 mm nib. That's why I feel the Pilot Parallel is so useful a pen. As far as guidesheets, I am still trying to learn to write a straight line without one. Somedays, chicken, other days, feathers, as the old hound dog said.

 

I NEED the guidesheets. I am hopless without them to keep my lines straight and for somewhat even letter heights. I can't even write evenly on small Christmas cards.

[patrickfp]

How wide is the wide Manuscript nib? I'm trying to compare it to the Sheaffer nibs.

I started using the widest nib yesterday and noticed that the feed had some difficulty keeping up. To solve this problem, I put a sheet of paper towel under the sheet I was writing on.

[delano]

Spend some time on this forum. Seriously, spend some time on this forum. There are wonderful members here who go out of their ways to help.

 

 

 

Thank you for your guidance based on your experience. That, and the above quote, are the most useful guidance thus far.

[patrickfp]

 

 

 

Thank you for your guidance based on your experience. That, and the above quote, are the most useful guidance thus far.

You're welcome. I wanted to bring my modest contribution to the "cause" like many have done already, and continue to do.

[Chouffleur]

I learned italics as a schoolchild and then screwed up my handwriting when I transferred to a school that force-fed me the Palmer Method. I'd like to take it (italics) up again. Is the Gourdie book the one mentioned on the richardspens.com site?

Edited June 2, 2015 by Chouffleur

[patrickfp]

I learned italics as a schoolchild and then screwed up my handwriting when I transferred to a school that force-fed me the Palmer Method. I'd like to take it (italics) up again. Is the Gourdie book the one mentioned on the richardspens.com site?

I cannot help you there since I don't know which book is mentioned on richardspens.com. This site has changed so much anyway. The book is only 96 pages and is about the size of an A5 sheet. Maybe this book needs to digitized.

 

The book mentioned on richardspens.com is by Fred Eager. I've head some good things about it, but have never read it myself.

 

 

Edit: I must have type the url wrong. I was directed to a pen distributor.

Edited June 2, 2015 by patrickfp

[Randal6393]

There is an ebook copy of the Gourdy book floating around in espace. It is an annotated copy, very useful. Not sure where it is posted.

 

Best of luck,