Dr. Joe Vitolo's Book

Dr. Joe Vitolo spent a lot of time creating an ebook with videos that you can download - for free. It is in the Apple format, so if you are a PC person you can only download the PDF. There might be a way to watch the videos on a PC. I will figure that out and update this post, once I know.
In the video section of the IAMPETH website, you will find all the videos that are included in the book.
Scroll down to the ones that are by Dr. Joe Vitolo.

http://www.iampeth.com/videos.php

It is a very thorough book and covers everything you need to know about copperplate. I'd love to hear from someone - anyone- who has the patience to do the lessons. There is so much information. I think it might be intimidating. But, I also think it might be a fantastic way to learn if you are not able to take a course in person. Keep in mind, he has many tips about paper, ink and nibs that are useful even if you have no interest in traditional calligraphy. If your goal is to write contemporary, quirky scripts, you will still benefit from watching the videos.

This is a reprint of one of his recent posts, reminding people how to access the book:

Just a reminder that my free interactive iBook, ‘Script in the Copperplate-Style’ made specifically for the Apple iPad and Mac’s running OS Mavericks is available for immediate download. This is the first interactive iBook for Pointed Pen script.

The multimedia instructional materials contained within will help both the novice and advanced students. The fundamentals of Copperplate-style calligraphy are the focus of this Book with particular emphasis on letterforms. In addition, advanced concepts including Needle Stitch Script, and Gilded Script are explored.

This iBook’s more than 80 pages are packed with instructional text, images and more than 35 instructional videos presented in an interactive format that will allow the student of the art form to accelerate their learning.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/script-in-copperplate-style/id547108521?ls=1

A NOTE TO MAC USERS: iBooks is now available on your Mac desktops and laptops if you have upgraded Apple’s latest Operating System. This means that anyone with a Mac computer running the new OS 10 can now download and view my instructional iBook directly on their computer!

The use of ‘guidelines’ in script writing (Copperplate, Roundhand, Engrosser’s/Engraver’s script) is essential for the novice. The guidelines serves as a ‘grid’ that allows one to learn not only consistent x-height and slant angle but also the proportions of the letterforms. There are many expert script writers that only require a single baseline to write beautiful script. However, the novice must take the time to learn the forms first before discarding all the lines. It should be noted that some experts still use guidelines too. Once you learn the fundamentals THEN you can experiment with different letterforms. The guidelines that I use in my free instruction videos are available online at:

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons/guidesheets/VitoloScriptGuidelinesFromVideoClips.pdf

I also created a video on ‘How to Use Guidelines’. You can view it at:

http://youtu.be/YNOfcL1pGc4