THE PROFOUND AND FAR-REACHING FULSOMENESS
OF THE FOUNDATIONAL HAND
A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP
When Edward Johnston first developed his Foundational hand from the 10th Century Winchester hand of the Ramsey Psalter, he probably had no idea of its far-reaching effects. This hand is still the yardstick by which we can measure our progress; it is the one hand where the letters stand or fall entirely on their own without embellishment of any kind.
During this workshop we will cover the hands of the Carolingian era especially the Tenth Century Winchester Hand as seen in the Ramsey Psalter, as an introduction to what Johnston took as his model. We shall also look at how that basic and rather severe letterform can be adapted for present day use, and how it may be utilized in the future.
Please bring samples of your own work with this hand so that we can work on your own style of Foundational, rather than a blanket, one size fits all approach. Please do not put any identification on the piece because I would like to begin the workshop with a general critique and I do not wish to embarass anyone with loud or faint praise!
It is always a good idea to bring a notebook and cameras are permitted in class, but please keep flash to a minimum, and use only when writing is not in progress! Thank you.
You will need to bring:
• A selection of large pens, such as: Coit, Automatic Lettering, Horizon, Hiro, etc. at a minimum size of 3/8" (8mm)
• Some Mitchell's (size 3 and 3 1/2) or Brause (size 1.5mm and 2mm) pens and penholders
• A goodly supply of ink preferably of the aniline dye variety - Pelikan 4001, Quink, etc,
• A pad or two of layout/detail paper, 14" x 17" (or A3) minimum
• An HB (#2) pencil and pencil sharpener
• A drawing board and T square
• A water pot
ON THE LUSCIOUS, NAY, LASCIVIOUS “LETTERS
FROM HELL”
A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP
There is a feeling held by a number of calligraphers that the best learning hand is the Gothic Black Letter, and while it is true that there are two basic strokes in a Gothic hand there are many subtleties which require earnest study...
and then there are the “Letters From Hell”.
These manipulated Gothic letters caused one well-known calligrapher at a recent conference to opine that he had never been so humiliated in all his life! Well, they are not as bad as that. With a little practice and application the basics of these attractive manipulated letters can be yours, and the more decorative and interesting ones will follow as you become more proficient. There may be much cursing and gnashing of teeth to begin with but all of this will change to sunny smiles and feelings of superiority very quickly.
While these letters are very modern in their look and application, they are very definitely rooted in the historical hands of the Eleventh Century and on. For this reason, a working knowledge of a Gothic letter would be an advantage, but not essential, especially as regards the "picket fence" rhythms of the hand.
It is always a good idea to bring a notebook and cameras are permitted in class, but please keep flash to a minimum, and use only when writing is not in progress! Thank you.
You will need to bring:
• A selection of large pens, such as: Coit, Automatic Lettering, Horizon, Hiro, etc. at a minimum size of 3/8" (8mm)
• Some Mitchell's (size 0 and 1) or Brause (size 4mm and 3mm) pens and penholders
• A goodly supply of ink preferably of the aniline dye variety - Pelikan 4001, Quink, etc,
• A pad or two of layout/detail paper, 14" x 17" (or A3) minimum
• An HB (#2) pencil and pencil sharpener
• A drawing board and T square
• A water pot
ON THE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF CORSIVA CANCELLARESCA
A TWO-DAY ITALIC WORKSHOP
Oh, boy! I love alliterative phrases. This workshop will be devoted to the study and/or improvement of the most delicate and graceful hand that we, as calligraphers, keep in our arsenal. The various names that the Italic hand has been called are legion, but the Chancery cursive (Corsiva Cancellaresca) is the hand that developed directly from the Humanist hands of the early Renaissance in Italy.
Rather than have me teach you a whole new Italic alphabet, I hope to work on each person’s hand individually, in order to make adjustments and improvements appropriate to each student. Obviously, there will be general pointers that we will cover at the beginning, but the flavor and tenor of the workshop will be one-on-one instruction.
With this in mind, each person should come armed with a piece of his or her own italic hand. This does not need to be a finished piece but should consist of several lines of writing and not just an alphabet. It necessary to see a few written lines in order to be able to judge the rhythm. Please don't put any identification on the writing, because I would like to start the workshop with a general critique.
It is always a good idea to bring a notebook and cameras are permitted in class, but please keep flash to a minimum, and use only when writing is not in progress! Thank you.
You will need to bring:
• A selection of large pens, such as: Coit, Automatic Lettering, Horizon, Hiro, etc. at a minimum size of 3/8" (8mm)
• Some Mitchell's (size 3 and 3 1/2) or Brause (size 1.5mm and 2mm) pens and penholders
• A goodly supply of ink preferably of the aniline dye variety - Pelikan 4001, Quink, etc,
• A pad or two of layout/detail paper, 14" x 17" (or A3) minimum
• A sheet of Arches 90# Hot Press Watercolor Paper or similar
• An HB (#2) pencil and pencil sharpener
• A drawing board and T square
• A water pot
UNCIALS ANCIENT AND MODERN
A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP
Uncials derive their name from the Latin for "inch" and had their origins in the later part of the Roman Empire. Indeed, Stanley Morison raised the question as to whether they weren't instituted by the Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. His reasoning was that it didn't seem to be appropriate to be writing Christian texts in a hand used by the oppressors of the early Christians. Whatever the reason, Uncials and Half Uncials remained the text hand for some four or five hundred years, finally being superceded by the Carolingian hands.
In this workshop we shall look at the versions of the historical hands, both Uncial and Half-Uncial, and how we can adapt them to a more modern usage. The historical forms were rather slow to write and therefore difficult to inculcate with a sense of rhythm which we consider to be more important, these days.
Some knowledge or understanding of the Uncial and Half-Uncial hands would be an advantage but is not essential.
It is always a good idea to bring a notebook and cameras are permitted in class, but please keep flash to a minimum, and use only when writing is not in progress! Thank you.
You will need to bring:
• A selection of large pens, such as: Coit, Automatic Lettering, Horizon, Hiro, etc. at a minimum size of 3/8" (8mm)
• Some Mitchell's (size 3 and 3 1/2) or Brause (size 1.5mm and 2mm) pens and penholders
• A goodly supply of ink preferably of the aniline dye variety - Pelikan 4001, Quink, etc,
• A pad or two of layout/detail paper, 14" x 17" (or A3) minimum
• A sheet of Arches 90# Hot Press Watercolor Paper or similar
• An HB (#2) pencil and pencil sharpener
• A drawing board and T square
• A water pot
