January 24, 2011 - Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #2

Detail of Satomi's name-tag

Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #2:  The handouts this week are the monoline Uncial stroke sequence sheet, a chisel-point Uncial stroke sequence sheet, and a packet of Uncial examples. DeAnn had us warm-up by writing letters with the Speedbal B1 nib and an x-height of 1-inch. Then we practiced writing our names so we could make a name-tag for ourselves. We then painted the counterspaces with watercolors.

Setting up your workspace for watercolors:  have 2 water containers, one for dirty, one for clean. Always rinse brush in the dirty container first, then rinse again in the clean container. DeAnn highly recommends the 16-color Prang watercolor set, which is full of bright colors and is quite economical.

Use the lids of the Prang watercolor set as your palette. Soften the pan with a couple drops of water, then put the colors you want to use in a clean palette space and add drops of water to thin the watercolor to an ink consistency. The Prang colors stay vibrant even with considerable thinning. If you use the watercolor pan itself as the palette, the ink will get thicker and thicker.

Watercolor brushes:  The best quality brushes are sable Winsor Newton Series 7. DeAnn recommends getting sizes 2, 1, and 00. These brushes can be expensive. A more economical brush is the Utrecht equivalent of a Winsor Newton Series 7 (see Suppliers). Be sure to ask for the tube to store it in so that it will stay pristine if you go to Utrecht’s.

Creating name-tags: DeAnn handed out strips of Rives BFK paper. First line the paper so you have guidelines with an x-height of 1-inch, i.e. the waistline/headline and baseline are 1-inch apart. Line-up the bottom of the C-thru ruler with the bottom of the strip and draw a line; center it.

Then turn the paper and using the inch-line (the middle line of the ruler), draw a line 1-inch away.

Write your name in black ink with the Speedball B1 nib. Let it dry completely.
Then paint the counterspaces (the whitespace of the letters) with watercolors.

Use a size 2 watercolor brush. First wet the counterspace with water, leaving a thin “moat” of dry paper next to the ink stroke itself. Because Higgins Eternal is not a waterproof ink, wetting it will cause it to bleed. Then add a color into the wet area, letting the watercolor spread to the edge of the “moat”.

Also paint the space between the letters. Let the penciled waistline and baseline be the limits. For the beginning and end, let the watercolor fade away by spreading the color with water.

This technique can be used to make a unique card or other personalized application.

Satomi painted flower petals to match the shape of the A's counterspace

Writing Sequence for the following week:
1. Write with the Speedball B1 nib at an x-height of 1-inch.
2. Write with the Speedball B6 nib at an x-height of 1-inch.
3. Then write with the Speedball B6 nib at an x-height of ½-inch (4 boxes). You’ll need to line the paper.

Lining the grid paper:  Using the 18” C-thru ruler easily creates a 2-inch margin on each side of the 17x22 sheet. By placing it in the middle, you don’t have to move it back & forth, just downward as you draw the lines with a sharp pencil, preferably with 2H lead. The grid of the ruler matches the grid paper (on the 1-inch = 8 boxes side of the double-sided grip paper, the Beinfang paper with the blue lines is the same-size grid on both sides). Match the appropriate line of the ruler to the grid and draw ½-inch lines between the darker lines that every inch.

If the 17x22 paper is too large and unwieldy to write on at the ½-inch x-height, tear it in half.

Speedball B6 nib, x-height = 1-inch, half page

HOMEWORK:  Practice with the smaller B6 nib. Start at an x-height of 1-inch. Then go down to an x-height of ½-inch. Practice by writing alphabet sentences. DeAnn will talk about spacing next time.

January 10, 2011 - Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #1

Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #1:  The hand this semester is Uncial. After student introductions, DeAnn reviewed the supplies needed for this first week:  Speedball B1 nib, Higgins Eternal black ink, round pen holder, dinky dip, dropper bottle, clipboard, 17” x 22” grid paper, C-thru 18-inch ruler. See also Beginning Supplies.

Uncial is an all majuscule alphabet, meaning the letter forms are all capitals, with no lowercase letters. Miniscule refers to an alphabet which has both capitals and lowercase letters. The terms “uppercase” and “lowercase” appeared with the creation of the letterpress (1450) when metal type was stored with capitals in the upper part of a type case or drawer and miniscule letters in the lower part. Uncial was common in the 3rd to 8th centuries AD. Historically, it was written with no break between words and no punctuation.

DeAnn will be starting with teaching monoline Uncial using the Speedball B1 nib. Later she’ll teach writing Uncial with the chisel point pen using Brause nibs. Then students will create an illuminated manuscript project using Uncial. Intermediates who’ve done illuminated manuscript projects in previous semesters can talk with DeAnn about different projects.

Preparing the ink:  once you open the Higgins Eternal ink, the bottle may leak if it falls over. So transfer the ink to a dropper bottle and leave the remaining Higgins Eternal ink at home. The dropper bottle shouldn’t leak even if it’s on its side. Fill one of the ink wells in your inky-dip almost to the rim. You’ll be taping down the whole inky-dip at the table’s edge; if you’re right-handed, it should be on the right side, if you’re left-handed, then it’s on the left side.

Proper Set-up:  Set up your tools and workspace correctly so that it will be easier to write without any back or wrist pain. Remember to tape down your dinky dip on the right (or left, if you’re a left-hander) to avoid spills and for ease of dipping your pen. Sit so that the angle of the board in your lap isn’t too high. The ideal writing area of the board is slightly above table level where it’s the most stable. So adjust your chair accordingly. If you’re right-handed, the clips of the board should be on the left so they don’t interfere with the movement of your arm as you write. Remember to use your left-hand as an anchor. Clip several sheets of paper to the board or use a blotter sheet for some padding. The sheet you’re writing on should NOT be taped down; instead, you should move it as needed so that you’re always writing in the same area of the board and not stretching or hunched over.

Use a document holder  (like a PageUp) so that it’s easy to see your exemplar or whatever sheet you’re looking at. Place it so that you don’t have to move your board to see it.

Writing on the grid paper:  The 17” x 22” grid paper is 2-sided, but one side has 8 boxes per inch and the other side has 10 boxes per inch. For now, we’ll be using the 8 boxes per inch. This lines up exactly with the C-thru ruler.

Leave at least a 1-inch margin all around. We’ll be starting with an x-height of 1-inch, so you don’t need to line the paper. Write the letters between two “dark” lines. X-height is the height of the lowercase letter “x” in the hand, but since Uncial is all capitals, ascender/descender lines won’t be needed. All the letters will be written between the baseline and the waistline.

Using the pen:  DeAnn recommends a round pen holder for the Speedball B1 nib. The tip of the nib is like a pancake. You want this pancake to be flat on the paper always. Hold the pen naturally, like you would a pencil. Don’t force your hand to hold the pen so that the pancake is vertically placed on a page. Your elbow should be at an angle and so should the pancake.

Dip the nib into the inkwell so that about half of the reservoir is filled. Wipe off any excess with the rim of the inkwell. Start by making vertical strokes that are 1-inch long. Put even pressure on the pancake, not a lot of pressure, just even pressure – the stroke should be the same width all the way down. A brand new nib can leave dips or jagged edges.

As you draw the stroke down the page, EXHALE. This helps give a more controlled stroke. Also, set your opposite hand near the work so you can give slight pressure as you start down. These tips will help you have success quicker. At this large size, ink will puddle at the end of the downstrokes; don’t worry about it now, it’s natural & expected.

TIP:  if your hand hurts soon after starting to write, you’re probably holding the pen too tight.

At this time it’s OK to wipe off your nib to clean it. When practicing, wipe your nib every 20 minutes or so to remove any paper residue, etc. For a more thorough cleaning, remove the nib from the pen holder and rinse it in water. Be sure to dry it before putting it away.

Notes on individual letters:  Uncial is a very wide and round hand, hence it’s called the “chunky hand.” To get a better idea of how wide each letter form is, place your C-thru ruler over the letter and count the boxes. DeAnn has written some of the widths in, but not all.

I :  should be the same thickness throughout.

J :  the descender is short, about 2 boxes at most. Originally Uncial had no “J”. “I” was used for both sounds.

L :  The cross-stroke is not curvy, but slightly diagonal.

T :  The exemplar has the stroke sequence with the horizontal stroke first, but practice writing it both ways.

O :  imagine a grapefruit to visualize its shape. At 10 boxes, the O is wider than it is tall.

C :  it’s like an “O”, but end stroke 1 about 1 box above the baseline.

D :  think of it as an “O” with a serif – you can practice writing it that way if it helps you with the proportion.

E :  like a “C”. The crossbar is higher than center and extends a little beyond the top & bottom strokes.

G :  like a “C”, but take the first stroke a bit higher, than go back diagonally.

Q :  stroke 1 is at least 1 box above the baseline.

P :  set the pen inside the vertical stroke for a smoother transition for strokes 2 and 3.

H :  start about 1 box above the waistline. Then place the pen inside the vertical stroke and curve stroke 2 in slightly.

M :  start stroke 3 inside of vertical stroke for a nice connection.

S :  think on an O-shape, the S should fit inside. Stroke 1 should go horizontally at the middle.

A :  is the problem letter since it is so slanted. The belly of stroke 2 should extend slightly beyond the start of stroke 1.

N :  start stroke 1 slightly below the waistline to make room for stroke 2.

TIP:  if you’re having a hard time writing any of the letters, try tracing them to get a better feel for them. Use tracing paper over the exemplar.

HOMEWORK:  Go ahead and practice the rest of the letters by studying the exemplar. DeAnn will go over them again at the next class. Practice the letters, then write alphabet words. See DeAnn’s website for a list of alphabet flowers: www.designingletters.com. Go to “About”, then “About Calligraphy.”

NOTE:  No class next Monday, 1/17/11, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Class will resume on Monday, 1/24/11.

New Class at RAND in Santa Monica

The RAND Calligraphy; Book Arts Club is pleased to offer

Carolingian Lettering
A 6-week study of this beautiful, historical alphabet.  Open to all levels – Newcomers to calligraphy WELCOME!  This alphabet is a good starter, as well as a beautiful addition to the calligraphic repertoire for those with more experience. 

In the late 8th century. Charlemagne sent Alcuin of York to find an alphabet to use as the official alphabet of the holy Roman Empire. These letters had to be beautiful, legible and easily and quickly learned. It had to be rapid to write. Carolingian was the outcome. It was preceded by Half Uncial and eventually evolved into cursive Italic. Needs materials for Chisel Point letterforms. chisel point

If you have been thinking of taking a calligraphy class – DON’T WAIT. DeAnn Singh is an excellent instructor, and the number of students is limited so that everyone receives personal attention.  This is a golden opportunity. Don't hesitate,  sign up NOW!!

                6 Tuesday evening classes
                5:30-7:30 pm
                1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 3/1
                Location:  RAND Corporation
                Instructor:  DeAnn Singh
                Cost:  $72

TO ENROLL:  Make check payable to Marian Oshiro and send to:
Marian Oshiro, M5N
RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA  90407

FOR MORE INFORMATION:   Send email to "shirleycromb@hotmail.com"
(310-204-3324), Or... "marian_oshiro@rand.org"