55º 55º 55º

137,5º

90º
AXIS

COPPERPLATE SCRIPT
TRAINING WHEELS

PART 1

5º A RESOURCE TO HELP YOU RETRAIN YOURSELF 55º

222,5º ON HOW TO APPROACH COPPERPLATE SCRIPT.

ONLY USE THIS PDF IF YOU ARE WILLING

137,5º
TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS

AND THAT MEANS TAKING YOUR TIME

NOT ONLY TO DO THE EXERCISES,

BUT TO CORRECT THEM 222,5º

AND TO NOT RUSH THE LEARNING PROCESS.

137,5º

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS PDF,

IF YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW ABOUT IT,

PLEASE SHARE THE LINK

55º 55º 55º

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Facebook PAScribe Calligraphy Classes Group is We are all adults, follow the above as it takes time for
where you can post work and work along with others the admins and myself to manage posts. This is a free
using the PDF information. pdf, you have not paid for this information, the least
you can do it use it, in the group, in a way that will
The group can be found at this link not have the admins and myself wasting time to help
https://www.facebook.com/- you further. I am sorry to be blunt about this, but it
groups/1454801508150240/ takes time to manage poorly placed work.

Please read the group rules in the Announcements. After posting, double check to see if your post is in
the correct orientation. The pages are Portrait, the
DO NOT post random work in the group you will images must be uploaded accordingly. If you have
simply be blocked with no warning. not double checked this, and the orientation of your
image is incorrect your post will be removed, and you
Posts using this PDF MUST be posted in the album will be blocked.
titled “PAScribe New Grids – Copperplate Script
Training Wheels Part 1” If you want to show a detail, show an image of the
whole page and then a photo of the detail zoomed
Go to the left column, click PHOTOS, next to into what you want people to look at. This will help
photos in the task bar, click ALBUMS, click on the give a frame of reference.
PAScribe New Grids – Copperplate Script Training
Wheels Album, on the top right, click ADD PHO- The idea here is to use pencils to generate muscle
TOS/VIDEOS. Upload your image and add some memory, this group is not for pen and ink use nor is
text to accompany the image. This could be issues it for marker use. The reason being, helping you to
you are struggling with, insights into how you have cultivate the movements and pace of writing, and
been working previously vs now, tool information, allowing you to develop a more accurate simulation
etc. of a nib, with a pencil, you will gain more control
over your letters and your writing implement.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?se-
t=oa.2317917768505272&type=3
Above is the direct link to the option to add an image
or video.

DO NOT POST YOUR PIX IN THE MAIN

DISCUSSION GROUP, YOU WILL BE BLO-
CKED.

Keeping the work in the album will help you interact

with those working on the pdf as well, I will always
have a look at what is in there. I will comment and
make my own post for people to follow along with in
order to help you in your practise and understanding.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS

PENCILS PAPER
You can use 2 types of pencils for this.
You can work either directly on the paper itself so
H pencils are hard pencils and work well when you can see exactly what you are doing or you can
working on trying to keep a solid hard line. This is place 5 sheets of copy paper to the bottom, the grid
good for showing you were you are speeding up and on top and paper on top of that to use it like a
slowing down. As they are hard, not soft, it is more guideline. Ensure you use two paperclips to secure
like using a ball point pen to write with, a solid, hard the two top corners. Paper for this can be
mononline. Problem with H pencils is you may be
pressing too hard. The aim is to press lightly.
Clairefontaine Tracing Paper
Brands I go to for H pencils are Clairefontaine Goldline Layout Paper
Rhodia No. 18 and 19 Pad
Blackwing 16.2 / Pearl London Graphic Tracing Paper
Palomino Centre
Derwent Graphic 2H & 4H Bienfang Marker Pad
Faber-Castell Castell 9000 2H & 4H Canson Marker Pad
Staedtler Mars Lumographic 2H Reflex Layout Pad
& 4H
Strathmore Layout Bond

2B and 4B Pencils are softer considerable softer than Borden & Riley #37 Boris Marker
the H pencils. I tend to use the 4B as I have a light
touch. If you know you have a Death Grip and both Above are the less expensive practise papers I have
squeeze and press the pencils too hard on the surface tested for visibility. Both Colorplan and Tomoe River
of the page, use the 2B, once you have graduated to papers work exceptionally well, especially when
that stage. moving to the B Pencils. Gmund, Fabriano, Fedrigo-
ni and Cranes, all have higher grade papers which
Brands I go for B pencils are make this kind of practise more exciting, but remem-
ber it is practise. You may end up planning a final
piece using this PAScribe Copperplate Script techni-
Blackwing Matte que and so testing other papers other than layout,
Palomino marker or tracking papers will come in handy.
Derwent Graphic 2B, 4B &
Inktense
Faber-Castell Castell 9000 2B & 4B
Staedtler Mars Lumographic 2B
& 4B

I have also included the Blackwing Palomino and the

Derwent Inktense in the above, they do not work
like the graphite ranges H and B, but I find I perso-
nally use them, as hard and soft based on the H and
B grading.
THE PRACTISE

Look at all the sheets you have downloaded. Telmo Next, look closely at the shapes and where the
and I have decided to do this in two stages to help pressure is demonstrated on them. In the letter ‘i’
you not to rush the process. Work with the first set as better know as ‘the swelled stroke’ at the bottom of
long as you need to. If you feel you are ready for the the page, look at where the dashes are. I applied
second set, that will immediately tell you, you are not pressure where the dashes are, this immediately forces
ready. The idea here is to take it slowly, cautiously you to slow down at those points. The slowing down
and patiently. allows you to not only write the line slower, but to
plan the next part of the stroke and execute the turns
Look at all the sheets, inspect them, understand what more slowly and consequently, more accurately.
they are asking you to do. None of this is guess work.
If at anytime you are guessing, STOP. Put the pencil The aim here is help you gain consistency in the
down, walk around the room and come back with internal make-up of the letters. Consistent internal
the mindset to want to change your approach. This is spacing and consistent spacing between the letters
not about me helping you with your approach, this is and how they are connected. These connections are
about you learning MY approach. You have commen- known as ‘ligatures’. The stroke number and order is
ted on how regular my letters and spacing is, this is know as the ‘ductus’.
why.
I am asking you to make the preceding stroke first,
then the preceding ligature, then the letter and finish
EXERCISES off with and exit ligature, the whole thing. You are
accustomed to only thinking of the letter not the all
Do one whole page of each exercise, at the end of of the parts. This is a big leap and will confound you
each line correct the line with a find red ink pen, sometimes, be patient with yourself.
showing arrows pointing to mistakes, circling
mistakes, wiggly lines, lines which are off the grid, or We are ONLY moving UP and DOWN the 55°
are not following the straight lines and circles accura- lines. Follow the straight line to where it joins the
tely. circle, follow the circumference of the circle around
until you intersect with the next straight line. When
Hold the pencil how you feel comfortable holding it, you reach the next circle, follow it around and so on
this practise is about the shape structure and spacing. and so forth.

Straight lines are straight, not kind of straight. Get The letters follow the same pattern as the exercises
them straight. which make them up. They are not what you are
Write them in the direction of the arrows, this is not accustomed to. Stick to what is here in front of you.
a haphazard exercise.
Write the shapes in sequence.
Take your time, exhale on the downstroke, inhale on
the upstroke.
Every time you change direction, pause at the vertex.
Don’t drop down or flick off, control the stroke from
start to finish.
WORD PRACTISE SHEET PASCRIBE RHODIA PADS

REMEMBER, this is not about what you know or As some of you know Rhodia and I have teamed up
what you think you know, this is about following to produce 3 writing pads.
what I have laid out here for you to follow. Do not
think you know what I am hoping to achieve at one An A4 black pad with fine black horizontal lines, an
glance, nor even from one page of practise. This is A4 grey pad with find grey lines and an A4 off white
about you learning a new method. This is NOT how pad with horizontal and 55° lines geared for Copper-
the letters are written, this is a construct to help you plate Script with a nib or brush pen. All the pads can
learn better spacing, this is also only the first part of be used, front and back. They had an amazing
the study-practise, so please stick to what is here and response at the recent Paperworld Show 2020.
do not deviate because you think you know what you
are doing. The Copperplate Grid pad is a new grid I developed
specifically to teach budding calligraphers and
There are two versions of the word ‘minim’ you can seasoned calligraphers alike, the structure of the
clearly see how they work. Practise a few pages of script and the spacing of the letters. The angle on the
each word, one variation per page. Do not do pad also allows one to use the pads as a template for
different variations on one page. One page = one keeping the angle of slant for people practising
variation. Practise the varying of the pressure based cursive handwriting.
on the ‘i’ on the alphabet page, this will help you
with the turns. The black and grey pads are great for pale colours and
metallics. They also make wonderful correspondence
Look closely at what I have done here, you can see pages for letter writing. It is my hope this will make
the variations, under no circumstance are you to people to want to write letters. Imagine receiving a
place a sheet over mine to copy it. That is simply not black sheet with white handwriting. The lines are also
allowed. If you do that, you are wasting your time, super fine and disappear on images for posting on
this is not about copying but understanding. Instagram. With so many practitioners online being
forced to rule up their own sheets, these two pads
The two alphabets vary in that the top one is based will be a real help especially for those wanting to get
on the above pressure value and the second one, is more practise in light ink on dark paper.
allowing the pencil to mimic what happens with a
pointed flexible nib. For this you will need a soft The grid in this giveaway is to help prepare you for
pencil like a 2B or 4B pencil. the gird on the PAScribe Rhodia Copperplate Pad.

Follow the shapes in the exercises and the letters. If you are interested in the pads, please do send an
Videos and updates will be posted in the Facebook email to
group to help you along and to see how you are Email - [email protected]
progressing Subject - PAScribeRhodia Pads
Body - Include your name, city, country
Remember, only post the work from Part 1 into the
album which is labelled PART 1, this is to help those As soon as I have information on the pads I will
starting with part 1 not to be confused with work contact you. Please be patient with the sending of the
from Part 2, and DO NOT POST ANY INK information. The pandemic has put a halt on produc-
WORK in either album, that is for another album. tion for the moment, but we are confident to get
production started again soon.