DOMESTIKA COURSE – ENGLISH CALLIGRAPHY – BEGINNING TO WORK ON CAPITAL LETTERS
As with the lowercase letters, we began this unit with the basic strokes needed for capital letters.
A change of paper
Before I started the lesson, I remembered the 120 gsm smooth card that I have for my Zentangle drawings. I wondered if this would be suitable for dip pen work, and it was fantastic! The pen didn’t pick up any fibres at all, and there was no bleed-through. The pen flowed easily over the smooth surface and I was very happy with the results. This paper is bright white with a satinised coating.
The beauty line
Our teacher described the basic line used for capitals as “the beauty line.” Doesn’t that sound lovely? To quote the teacher, describing this part of the course: “This is a very nice part since these lyrics are full of beauty and add to the composition a unique character.” I love the translations of her Spanish!
We practised this long curved line using the guideline grid. There were variations – a dot at the bottom, or a spiral. I practised several lines of each.
Thick lines can only be down-strokes because if you try to press hard on an up-stroke, the pen digs into the paper. We experimented with the beauty line working both downwards and upwards. You can identify which is which by where the thick lines are. I am very pleased that the nib I have started using, and my change of paper position, have made the thick lines much better.
She told us not to worry if the lines weren’t perfect. There is always variation, and the more you practise, the better and more consistent you will be.
Warming the hand
This was the title of the second lesson in this unit – really a sort of warm-up exercise.
Lines of spirals
We began by making a couple of 1 cm lines and filled them with overlapping spirals. We used both the down-stroke and the up-stroke to create variation.
Squares of spirals
Then we took the square grid we were told to print out, and laid the paper over it. Again I used my light panel. We filled the squares with diagonal spirals and elongated “infinity” shapes, working in different directions, and always keeping the down-strokes thick and the up-strokes thin.
Here’s a detail shot.
Plenty more room on the sheet for further practice! When I’d got this far, it was time to stop and come down.
The teacher said that she constantly practises these spirals and lines, often doodling them on a pad while she’s on the phone or waiting for something.
In the final lessons in this unit, we will begin to draw the capital letters. They are highly decorative and beautiful, and it will be great fun. The teacher told us that there are many variations, and encouraged us to seek them out. She has given us some examples to look at in the “further resources” section of the unit. I shall also be looking at my book “The Universal Penman,” to see if I can find different exmples there. In the lowercase letters unit, there were a few letters which had alternative versions, and I chose straight away which I preferred, which I would stick to in future. It is probably going to be the same with the capitals, although the context may determine which version one chooses. There is obviously quite a bit of freedom in this art form.
I am looking forward very much to learning how to form these highly decorative capital letters and also learning how to draw all those beautiful flourishes!
