more stuff already online

http://julieblanner.com/learn-calligraphy/

i keep finding more and more stuff online that has tutorials for lettering.
so, i am not really motivated to keep adding my own quick and easy lessons

u-n-l-e-s-s

readers tell me what they want.
so
if you have been following the flourishing  - or started on the upright script
and you want more
you need to either leave a comment
or
email me at jmwilson411 at  yahoo  dot com
and tell me that you want more
i'm happy to add things, if you are finding these lessons helpful
but
if you are all going on to other things, that's fine.

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

Other Scribes and a Tutorial

You could spend a lot of time at this site looking at a variety of tutorials. This is the most recent.

http://antiquariavintage.blogspot.com/search/label/calligraphy

Click on Mrs E & Mrs B to read about the two ladies who run the blog.

I am finding so many tutorials on line that I hesitate to create any new ones. I might continue to post things I find. If readers have specific questions....ask away.

Other scribes

Here is another scribe to listen to: Jake Weidmann
He is literally a Master Penman. There is a process to being designated a Master....which you can read about at the IAMPETH website.

His talk is about 15 minutes long and full of interesting information about the value of writing by hand. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bqT904VWA

You may see more of his work at his website and see another interview at the IAMPETH.com website

http://www.jakeweidmann.com/

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

Jake:  If it is not OK to repost this to my blog, please let me know and I will remove it. I could take time to email you and ask permission, but, then I would not have time to keep my blogs going and I trust you are happy to have people linking to your website :-)

Other Scribes

http://handletteringtutorial.com/ryan-hamrick-hand-lettering-tutorial-series/

This just popped up on Pinterest.
I have not had time to read through any of it, so, if there is someone out there who has time, let me know what you think.

I will update this post when I have time....  :-)

Links to Everyone Else

Anyone who knows me or *reads* me knows that I am a big fan of one cup of coffee and an hour of surfing every morning. Then one cup of coffee and an hour of surfing at noon. The rest of the day is spent on my penmanship and a few other chores.

During my surfing, I run across many other people who are infatuated with penmanship. Yesterday I found Emily Schuman who has this blog:

http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/diy/faux-calligraphy#feed=/tag/paper-goods

I will be posting every example of fun quirky lettering that I find so that you may benefit from comparing all the different techniques. Hopefully, you will not get lost looking at all the other fun things that Emily has on her blog. She is young and stylish and for now, she has time to dabble in design in every aspect her life. She has a husband and two dogs. Over the years, I have seen several blogs run by young enthusiastic designers who eventually have a baby and then the blog phases out. A few of the young mommies manage to keep their blogs going. If you are young and trying to learn how to write with nibs and ink, good for you, this is an energetic time of life and you will do well, if you can squeeze in some time to practice. If you are old and have lots of spare time, congratulations, you have found a perfect activity to master. And if you are somewhere in between, still juggling work+play+responsibilities...penmanship is easy to do in bits and pieces and you will enjoy what a flexible activity it is.

I will label all the links to other people who have tips and lessons on penmanship and calligraphy - OTHER SCRIBES.  It is unusual to lump all the scribes together. Some of them are supreme masters, others are crafty DIYourselfers with no training whatsoever. Why am I lumping everyone together? Because they do have one thing in common. They are all writing words. It is too complicated to create categories. I'm lazy. I'd rather focus on YOU finding your own style and enjoying the variety.

Emily's style is not a nibs-and-ink style. So, if you have not purchased your nibs and ink, you can still practice making lettering that looks like it was done with nibs and ink. Understanding that the thicks are made on the down stroke and the upstrokes are thin is an essential part of the process. Is there anyone who does not understand thick-down and thin-up?