Category Archives: Handlettering

Welcome to Bill’s Space.


 <img source="pic.jpg" alt="My logo, lettering ."</img>.

Bill’s Space is aimed  at  anyone who has a love of calligraphy, or lettering. Especially beginners and those who  are  having trouble getting started.  Featuring videos and worksheets, links and articles, all with a bias toward art, calligraphy, lettering, and teacher’s resources, and updated as new material comes to my notice.

A Jack of All Trades. Always aspiring to become a master of lettering, I learned a basic italic hand at school, and became a regular at the local library calligraphy section. It took some years to find a local evening class but once there I found myself able to help fellow students with their struggles. Shortly after this I became a tutor myself at evening classes and also started a local church group.

Back in the eighties my work was exhibited in Luton Library.

For 6 years I was privileged to lead a Calligraphy Workshop/Retreat at Belmont Abbey, Hereford.
Any scribe will tell you that people wrongly assume that if you can put letters on paper you will be able to paint them onto almost anything. Brushwork, though, is a completely different technique to master. Luckily I was able to join a 1 year full-time C&G signwriting course and then worked for some time as a signwriter, but I never lost my love of penmanship.
I hope I can help you on your journey.

UPDATE
Bill’s Space was originally set up to promote good lettering. It has now metamorphosed into an all round meeting point for artists, calligraphers and teachers, worldwide, to relax while they search for that little something different to put in their resources locker. Recently a new group, CALLIGRAPHY at Bill’s Space Mk II, has been set up on Facebook to run alongside the original site. Whether you are a beginner or have years of experience come and join in the fun. The more experienced scribe is encouraged to give help and assistance where needed.

A click on this image will take you to a comprehensive catalogue of tools and materials

I recommend that beginners go straight to Getting Started in Calligraphy where you will find a comprehensive guide on what you need to get started and links to the various lessons.

If you are looking for inspiration a browse through the links pages might just give you the nudge you need.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me through the contact box here-under.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Please come again and tell your friends.

For embedded links to all my pictures, prices for commissions etc.,  don’t forget to visit my website, Calligraphy by Bill Grant .

Keep watching this space.

Cheers.

If you would like to donate a few pennies to help with the upkeep of Bill’s Space, please click on the button to link with Paypal.  Many thanks.

PEACE. A work in progress.


Walking through the studio on Christmas day, deep snow and everything frozen outside.  A sudden beam of bright sunlight lit up this piece that I have been adding to over the last few months. I knew at that moment that I must use this image to usher in the new year.  The work is words of peace in many languages repeatedly woven through this quote by Adlai E. Stevenson.

We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed, for our safety, to its security and peace. Preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and the love we give our fragile craft.

I post it here on the last day of 2010 in the hope that mankind will collectively see the light, and that we and our children will at last see a world where war, suffering, torture, famine, disease, pollution, usury, and all the other ills of the present day will become just another distant blot in the history books. Let us hope we can prove that another of Mr Stevenson’s thoughts is unfounded :-

Man is a strange animal. He generally cannot read the handwriting on the wall until his back is up against it.

Gill and I wish you all a Happy, Peaceful and Inspirational New Year, and pray  that you are able to find that  ” Peace which passeth all understanding “.

ITALIC WORKSHEETS. With thanks to Richard Crookes. Updated May 11th ’11


Some time ago, you might remember, I mentioned that one of my friends might just happen to come up with a lesson on Italics and save me the trouble.

He heh.  Today he has graciously given his consent for me to show these pages he put together for a recent workshop he conducted in Thailand.  What a lovely job he has made of them.

If you would like to see more of Richard’s work, and download these worksheets, have a look at his Website.  Also he has Videos on YouTube.  Here is one to compliment these pages.

Many thanks Richard.  More power to your elbow.

(Update)

At last, Calligradoodles -0005 Italic minuscule.

Over all,  I am quite pleased, apart from one or two wayward ascenders.  Bear in mind that the x height here is one and a half inches ie five nib widths.

I have tried to give an indication of the rhythm generated by the italic script. Though the music is added after the video is published. it does seem to fit in quite nicely.

I hope you enjoy it and that it is some help.

UPDATE 11th May ’11

Once you have got your teeth into italics you will need some capitals. These are my version. It has taken some years to reach this stage. I strongly recommend that the beginner first studies Richard’s example before adding flourishes/swashes.

These are eight nibwidths in height. That is two and a half inches. You will note that the minuscule x height was five nibwidths / one and a half inches. Whatever you do with Initial capitals, the capitals within a body of script look more balanced and seem slightly weightier if kept to approximately half the height again of the minuscule.

Once again there are one or two letters here that have gone slightly awry. Rather than stopping to rub them out, thus spoiling the rhythm, I have again elected to carry on and show the whole sequence, warts and all.

You might also like to have a look at Lloyd Reynolds’ epic series.

If you have any questions regarding this lesson or any of the others, please ask them in the comment box. Others might like to see the answer too.

Keep watching this space.

Gallery

Calligradoodles_0002 How to write a roundhand alphabet with double pencil


Learn Roman Capitals.


2009_0427roman

 

FREE downloadable worksheets. Best viewed first in the slide show .

 

 

Calligraphy.Roman capitals alphabet.double pencils.img.jpg

 

Monumental capitals might be 8 to 10 nib-widths high. These are 7.                         Pen angle 30 degrees except for diagonals – 45 degrees, and legs of N, almost upright pen. Capitals in body text are better kept to perhaps half again as high as the minuscules. Widths of Roman capitals vary from 1 nib width – “I”, to half a square – “E”,  3/4 – “G”, 1 square “O”, to one and a half squares -“W”.

Holy Father Benedict

Keep watching this space.