Looking For Help Finding An Italic/round Hand Style.

[LeonW]

Thanks for the link.

[Inky.Fingers]

[Inky.Fingers]

Ludovico Vincento is another good character to follow for italics...it just daunted me.

[dms525]

Ludovico Vincento is another good character to follow for italics...it just daunted me.

 

 

Generally known as "Arrighi."

 

David

[Inky.Fingers]

Is that right? Wow, I have been studying the same master from the start. Duh! No wonder the scrip is so similar.

 

Italic is wonderful, Cancellarescha and its variants is so beatissima. Maybe I should take up on learning Italian at the same time.

 

His other hand, rotunda is so inviting. I now have a good grip on Italic now. Time to move on...or back to English Roundhand (pointed pen.)

 

David, have you ever considered Cataneo? I could hardly find more exemplar that is available for study. An Italic copy book: Cataneo Manuscript is so hard to find or affordable. Time to browse the auction sites or amazon.

[Randal6393]

Harvard University's archives have four downloadable sheets from one of Cataneo's books. And there are a few pieces around on the net. But not much. However, his letter forms are very similar to Arrighi's, Palatino's, Tagliente's, etc.

 

Where Cataneo differs, IMHO, from his peers is in the ending and form of his strokes. If you look carefully, he puts a bit of twist before the final flick. That gives a graceful appearance to his lettering that is quite elegant. And he has a great hand with swashes and flourishes.

 

James Pickering has done a lot of study on Cataneo. Well worth looking at.

 

Best of luck,

 

PS: When you study rotunda, be sure to study the pen angles needed to do it well. It requires a twist of the pen to form the square endings of strokes. Looks simple but can be quite difficult. Have fun.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Randal6393

[dms525]

David, have you ever considered Cataneo? I could hardly find more exemplar that is available for study. An Italic copy book: Cataneo Manuscript is so hard to find or affordable. Time to browse the auction sites or amazon.

 

 

What I have seen of Cataneo's writing is on James Pickering's web site that Randal referenced. Here is a link to his home page, in case you haven't found it: http://jp29.org/itdr.htm

 

I find Cataneo's script very beautiful, but I prefer a more modern style for my personal use. I learned italic script from Lloyd Reynolds' materials. And Reynolds was probably most influenced by Alfred Fairbank who, in turn, was most influenced by Edward Johnston, his students and his students' students. So, we are talking about a style that reflects the aesthetic of 1915-1940. I would describe it as very "clean" and simple. To my eye, it is much closer to a cursive version of Poggio's "humanist book hand" than that of any of the italic hands of the 15th and 16th century writing masters.

 

I will upload a couple examples reflecting this style that you may find interesting.

 

 

 

This page was written by Alfred Fairbank as one of a set of instruction cards used to learn italic script. As such, it is meant to be a model and was, no doubt, written slowly and carefully. Yet, you can see the cursive elements such as letter joins. It is a good example of the style I have adopted for my own everyday writing.

 

 

 

This is a photo of a letter from Lloyd Reynolds to Tom Gourdie, one of the great calligrapher teachers of the 20th century. The letter appeared in Gourdie's book, Mastering Calligraphy. This is an interesting example. It is of intermediate formality. It is neither the calligraphic italic Reynolds wrote for public display nor the more informal italic he used for, say, a "to do list."

 

I hope you find these examples helpful.

 

David

Edited January 3, 2016 by dms525

[Inky.Fingers]

Randal, could you show or demonstrate this difference of Cataneo? I am most intrigued.

David, I couldn't see the images on my mobile phone until I have a desktop computer. Thank you for the samples, it is of most interest value. I will model myself along those examples. Very readable and pleasant.

 

I myself like a little of flourishes if possible...so by ways of Palitinus or Ludovinco...as for JP's version of Cataneo...I am not sure if I follow (I don't see the difference that Randal pointed out) due to my lack of understanding.

 

I know...I am miles away from calling it italic but here's my current, fast attempt (writing without looking at letter forms)

Edited January 3, 2016 by #InkyFingers

[Inky.Fingers]

[Randal6393]

 

Here's a quick sheet to show you what I meant.

 

Enjoy,

[Inky.Fingers]

Edited January 13, 2016 by #InkyFingers

[Randal6393]

Getting on very well with the small flourishes and slab capitals. Looking good. Think I would look at the miniscule "l" again, it is more of a capital than a lower-case. But you do make it work. Keep up the good work.

 

Enjoy,

 

PS: How is the every-day cursive coming along?

[sakayume]

I hope no one minds me jumping in, but I've been wondering, if it were a choice between Fred Eager's book and the one by Lloyd Reynolds, which would you pick? I taught myself some sort of Chancery Italic by downloading a sheet of letter forms off the internet, but I'd like to learn to write cursive italic and I think I'd benefit from properly going through a dedicated book on italic writing. The evenness and regularity of Alfred Fairbank's example above is something I aspire to.

[Inky.Fingers]

Candide,

 

IMHO, it doesn't matter who you follow, but be a strong follower. That is until you can do the hand as naturally as walking or singing. Do it to a rhythm of good taste.

 

Fairbanks is lovely, light, and lively. Reynolds is very formal, Formosa, and forgiving.

 

Don't be like me, jumping and pounching everywhere like a little mice scurrying across the floor, flourish, and flowers.

Edited January 13, 2016 by #InkyFingers

[dms525]

Candide,

 

IMHO, it doesn't matter who you follow, but be a strong follower. That is until you can do the hand as naturally as walking or singing. Do it to a rhythm of good taste.

 

Fairbanks is lovely, light, and lively. Reynolds is very formal, Formosa, and forgiving.

 

Don't be like me, jumping and pounching everywhere like a little mice scurrying across the floor, flourish, and flowers.

 

 

I think your advice is good. Avoid jumping around. Here is my less concise version:

 

First, choose a model. If a particular calligrapher's style grabs you, go for it. Practice letter forms, but several teachers of calligraphy I respect advise avoiding "drills." Write whole words, quotations, poems - whatever is most enjoyable. But, after you have written, stop and examine letter forms, letter spacing in words, spacing between words, etc. Where you find fault, work on correcting it. Don't just write as fast as you can at first. You are actually retraining your muscles and developing new habits (laying down "muscle memories."). You need to make the movements that produce the letters correctly. Over, and over, and over and over again. That process can last many weeks, months or years with a lot of improvement at first then slower but perceptible improvement continuing. As long as you "practice critically." (One of my other passions is bread baking. A very famous baker and baking instructor is quoted as having said something like, "You start to really get the feel for how to shape a baguette after you have shaped ten thousand baguettes.")

 

Once you approach consistent production of good quality and are able to use your new hand for everyday writing, you will inevitably develop idiosyncrasies that make your own handwriting uniquely yours. Some of this can be intentional. You can choose to adopt a particular variation of some letters. Some is subconscious. Many of the instructional books of the 1950's and 60's, now unfortunately out of print, have numerous samples of everyday handwriting solicited by the books' authors from individuals with exemplary penmanship, particularly italic. The example of Lloyd Reynolds' italic hand comes from one of these books. You see incredible variation, all beautiful, and all based on the same basic letter forms.

 

Okay, I have been offering generalities. Here is some more specific advice: I confess to a strong bias based on my own experience, but I think the second best way to learn italic writing is to study and use Lloyd Reynolds little handbook in conjunction with his series of videos. Here is why: The value of the videos cannot be overemphasized. Writing is inherently kinetic. What you see on the page is merely evidence of the pen's movements at some past time. Seeing the movements themselves is enormously helpful and can accelerate your learning considerably.

 

The very best way to learn is in person with an outstanding calligrapher who also happens to be an outstanding teacher. Few of us have that opportunity.

 

Happy writing!

 

David

[sakayume]

Thank you #InkyFingers and David. I'm having some difficulty choosing just one model (they're all beautiful to me!), so will have to give it some thought and lots of googling. I'll have to see if my library has Fairbank or Gourdie, both of which seem to be out of print now. And the Book Depository is very inconveniently out of stock of Reynolds' book (quite strangely, since I understand it's readily available on Amazon). In the meantime, I'll keep practising what I already have.

[dms525]

Thank you #InkyFingers and David. I'm having some difficulty choosing just one model (they're all beautiful to me!), so will have to give it some thought and lots of googling. I'll have to see if my library has Fairbank or Gourdie, both of which seem to be out of print now. And the Book Depository is very inconveniently out of stock of Reynolds' book (quite strangely, since I understand it's readily available on Amazon). In the meantime, I'll keep practising what I already have.

 

 

Besides Amazon, another source of out of print books is Powell's books in Portland, OR. I found several of my calligraphy books there. They do have a web site from which you can order.

 

David

[sakayume]

 

 

Besides Amazon, another source of out of print books is Powell's books in Portland, OR. I found several of my calligraphy books there. They do have a web site from which you can order.

 

David

Thanks, I'll have a look at their website. I usually do an Abebook search if I'm looking for a used book (I collect books, instead of fountain pens), but I've unfortunately found that my idea of "fine" often does not match the bookseller's.

[Inky.Fingers]

Don't mind me, I'm mixing them up like crazy. Following today Palaltino, next Ortiz, next Arrighi, next Tagliente. I am LOST...and I LOVE IT.

 

[Inky.Fingers]

Over joyed! WoooHoooo!!!