This course covers broad-nib calligraphy, with an emphasis on medieval calligraphy. In broad-nib calligraphy, the thicks and thins are caused by the shape of the nib and angle at which the pen is held. Pointed nib calligraphy is a different skill set entirely, wherein the thicks and thins are caused by pressure.
Learning Specific Hands
Learning calligraphy hands is a matter of precisely copying or tracing letters from your source, using correct calligraphy methods (as covered in session 1).
A hand or script is sort of the analog version of a font. Fonts are specifically typeface. In this course, the word hand will be used. While this class will only cover techniques for broad classes, hands get very specific.
A ductus is an instruction set for a hand (the plural is also ductus). It shows the order and direction of strokes for each letter. A ductus can be as published in a book (David Harris’ Art of Calligraphy and Marc Drogin’s Medieval Calligraphy are highly recommended for this) or prepared from a document.
Ductus are a primary method of learning how to do calligraphy or a new class of hand. Copy each letter until you are either comfortable with how yours look, or until you get tired of it. I recommend a half line minimum for each letter.
Another primary method of learning calligraphy hands is to trace a source document. It is an excellent method of refining a hand and correcting misconceptions. The primary downside is that it requires a lightboard, and a basic understanding of how to do calligraphy. When I use this method, I trace the scroll text until my letters are correctly shaped and the writing flows nicely.
Once you are comfortable with the letters themselves, choose something to copy. An award text, a passage from Shakespeare, a religious text. If I am learning a hand for a scroll, I copy the award text. I usually write out the text of a scroll twice before I write it on the final page - this allows me to get my spacing figured out, and identify any words I am especially prone to misspelling.
If you are learning from a ductus, practice big, work small. Use a larger nib for practice so you can identify and correct faults. When you are ready to use the hand on an end product, use a smaller nib, so any faults are less noticeable.
