Month: December 2020

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Learning Fraktur blackletter style with Luca Barcellona

  • Fraktur blackletter practice sheets
    All the sheets I’m willing to share. There are a good many more …
  • Fraktur blackletter practice sheet
    Fraktur practice with 6mm Pilot Parallel Pen.
  • Fraktur blackletter practice sheet
    Fraktur practice with 6mm Pilot Parallel Pen.
  • Fraktur blackletter practice sheet
    Try the same materials but a shorter x-height.

I’m taking Luca Barcellona’s Advanced Fraktur blackletter class through the Society of Scribes, New York City’s calligraphy guild. The last of the three session will take place at the end of next week. Meanwhile, the floor of my studio is simply littered with sheets of blackletter practice. After a similarly structured class with Elmo van Slingerland, I’ve become a little more accustomed to working large. Most of the sheets pictured above are 18 in x 24 in. I’ve done these with a 6mm Pilot Parallel Pen on sheets cut from a roll of white butcher paper. Creamier-toned sheets are Strathmore Drawing 400 paper.

I haven’t taken blackletter from a teacher before, at least not in the past 25 years, and this has been a valuable experience. I missed the previous intermediate class, but I think I’ve been able to catch up. (Having taking two classes through Society of Scribes now, I’ve got to say that Phan Nguyen is the best facilitator ever. He makes the online experience a real pleasure.)

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The memory of Christmas presents past

As I work on cards and presents for the holiday season, I think fondly of presents past. One of my very favorite pieces I ever made was for my mother. The text is the lyrics to “Here I Am, Lord,” one of her favorite hymns. The verses are ranged around the circle, surrounding the chorus in the center. It is hard to believe that I made this 24 years ago.

Gouache, ink, colored pencil, pastel on watercolor paper, 16 inches square
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More in Elizabeth McKee’s pointed brush lettering class

Have I mentioned how much I’m enjoying Elizabeth McKee’s brush lettering class? Well, it bears repeating. Here are just a few pages of the homework I did in November, the 3rd month of classes.

  • A low-tech word cloud of favorite authors
  • Lizette Woodworth Reese – WN Series 7 + gouaches
  • Improvisational sentences in alphabetical order
  • Copying Carl Rohrs for the kinetic knowledge
  • Studying Villu Toots’s capitals
  • Hot Fuzz and Pentel Color Brush, suki tip
  • Going for longer ascenders and descenders
  • Fun ligatures
  • Very little line leading
  • Importing some things I learned in John Stevens’ italics class
  • Writing on acrylic ground
  • The text says it all
  • More capitals practice
  • WN Series 7 + Nicker paints
  • Gold gouache on acrylic-painted ground

I’ve mostly been writing with Pentel Color Brushes (all four tips), Winsor & Newton Series 7 pointed brushes (1, 2, 2 mini), and the Pentel Pocket Brush. I’ve mostly been using fountain pen ink, Schmincke gouaches, Winsor & Newton watercolors, Dr. Martin’s Pro White, and FineTec metallic watercolors.

I’m happily balancing this kind of work with the formal, slower work of study in Elmo van Slingerland’s Roman minuscules class through the Society of Scribes … and the geometry and paper handling of folding portfolio folders and fulfilling orders for my ABC portfolios. I’ll post some of my work in the Roman minuscules class next time.