arcangel6

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
141
Location
Brookfield, WI
Hi folks,

I am new here and I am also not an engraver.....at least not on metal. I practice a form of Copperplate script named Engrosser's or Engraver's Script. We describe this form of shaded script as 'engraving on paper'.

Some of you may already know about The International Association of Master Penmen and Teachers of Handwriting (IAMPETH) web site. The content including rare books, art work, articles and videos are available without cost. My entire series of instructional video clips and articles are available there for free. You may visit the site at:

http://www.iampeth.com/

I am responsible for a fair amount of the content on that site and I am also a specialist in Engrosser's script. I am posting a specimen of my work below.

Regards,

Dr. Joseph M. Vitolo

 

Sam

Chief Administrator & Benevolent Dictator
Staff member
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Messages
10,489
Location
Covington, Louisiana
Hi Dr. Joe, and welcome to the Cafe! :tiphat: I'm certainly familiar with Iampath.com. I believe it was Cloudy Kennedy who showed me the (amazing!) site the first time. I've also seen several of your videos and have a great appreciation for your art. Just fantastic! It's a pleasure to have you here and I hope you'll be sharing more photos with us. While it might not be metal engraving, it certainly has a very close relationship and you and other penmen are very much welcome here.

~Sam
 

JJ Roberts

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
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Nov 10, 2006
Messages
3,456
Location
Manassas, VA
Dr.Joe,Welcome I spent the last hour on iampeth web site fascinating,in school penmanship was one of my favorite subjects.I collect antique fountain pens,dip pens & ink wells.Still write letters to family & friends,email is new for me.Adding iampeth to my favorites & thanks for posting.J.J.
 

Cloudy

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Oct 27, 2007
Messages
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Chatham Center, NY
Dr. Joe- GREAT to have you here- been a member for several years, having done calligraphy long before engraving in metal!
 

AndrosCreations

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
464
Very nice... I went to an Iampeth meeting years ago when I was very young. My mother is a calligrapher and is / was a member. It was very cool! I had the pleasure of seeing allot of peoples work and got to meet a calligrapher from the white house.

Seeing this post made me do a search and I see Rick is still working at the White House.

Calligraphy and Engraving certainly have things in common and I'm certain I find myself in this pursuit because of my parents interests.
 

Ed Westerly

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Mar 16, 2011
Messages
1,224
Location
southern California
Thank you for joining us and sharing the website. I just loved this quote I found on it.
The Art of Calligraphy has twice been killed stone dead by mechanical invention, and has twice found a new set of justifications. As an industry for the manual copying of texts, it was destroyed by the printing press. As an essential tool of commerce and finance and an evidence of gentility, it flourished for three centuries and was strangled by the typewriter. In its third and present lifetime, it stands with the fine arts, safe from any further technological threat.

The Times Literary Supplement, 1965

Could this apply to engraving, too?
 

DakotaDocMartin

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Oct 15, 2007
Messages
1,835
Location
Grand Forks, ND
I've also done calligraphy years before engraving like Cloudy. I taught myself chancery italic and gothic perhaps 30 years ago.

I just forwarded your website's URL to an old calligrapher friend that has been at it for 35+ years. I'm sure she will enjoy it also. Thanks!
 

arcangel6

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
141
Location
Brookfield, WI
Hi Folks,

Thank you for the warm welcome. Sam, I am glad you joined IAMPETH. I have always held the work of Engravers in very high regard. The lineage of the Pen Master is intimately intertwined with the Master Engraver. Here is a sample of Offhand Flourishing from my collection penned by past master Francis B. Courtney signed and dated 1929.

Regards,

Joe
 
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dave gibson

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Aug 18, 2009
Messages
323
Location
Livermore,CA
Great web-site, I had to bookmark that one for future reference. I've always been a student of calligraphy, in and out of school, on the job, drawings with calligraphy style, sculpted lines. I think (wish) everyone would learn something here, I've only known a slight few who's penmanship couldn't use some help. Top 3, Mom, Mother in law, Step Mom. I wish some would have rubbed off on me, my handwriting stinks,,, my penmanship/calligraphy is good but I have to think of it as "drawing the letters" but if I write a check or a note to self, I have trouble reading it.
 

arcangel6

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
141
Location
Brookfield, WI
Hi,

I know that the approach to forming letters in different for pen versus burin; however, the resultant letter forms should be the same visually. Master Penman John DeCollibus once told me that every shade has two lines. As you already know, the pen nib forms these lines in one stroke whereas the burin requires separate strokes. I took John's advice to heart and spent MANY hours drawing my letters one line at a time similarly to the way the Engraver for form the letter.

Now on to the point of my post. I make ALL of my instructional materials available without cost since my day job pays my bills. At some point I will publish a Book/DVD instructional manual for my style of script. If any Engravers on this site are interested I’ve decided to make my complete Copperplate Workshop Handout available to members of this site. There is no cost and no catch. You may download and print the complete 87 page Workshop Handout at:

http://www.zanerian.com/VitoloBookHandoutComplete3.pdf

I just ask that you do not distribute this file since it will serve as the basis of my future instructional book. The instruction is composed of several of the more than 60 articles I’ve published over the years. Please keep in mind that these are individual articles pasted together so the narrative does not read as a cohesive book. Even though it is intended for pointed pen instruction it is my hope that Engravers will find the concepts contained with in helpful.

One of the most important concepts that I've learned is something I call 'The Symmetry of Curves'. You can find the article here:

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons/engrossers_script/VitoloSymmetryOfCurves.pdf

The image below from the article listed above illustrates the point that when curvature and spacing are consistent even disparate lowercase letters such as d, o, t and e are almost identical in their lower third. This element is the key to why the script of past masters.



This is further illustrated in my video clip here:

http://www.iampeth.com/videos/pages/vitolo_symmetry_of_curves.htm

Regards,

Joe
 
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arcangel6

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
141
Location
Brookfield, WI
Hi Joanne,

I do appreciate your compliment but my handwriting is sadly pretty poor. My form of script is more akin to drawing and engraving than it is to handwriting. This can be seen when I write large letters as in this video:

http://www.iampeth.com/videos/pages/vitolo_writing_large_letters.htm

Oh, just to clarify, I am not a medical doctor (MD). I have two doctorates, one in Dentistry and the other is a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

;)

Regards,

Joe
 

Andrew Biggs

Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
5,034
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
Hi Joe

That is incredibly generous of you and an invaluable resource for anyone involved with lettering..................thank you very much!!!

Much appreciated.

Cheers
Andrew
 

Sam

Chief Administrator & Benevolent Dictator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Messages
10,489
Location
Covington, Louisiana
Fantastic and valuable info you're sharing with us, Joe. Very much appreciated. I'm downloading for study.
This is great stuff...every Cafe member should be soaking this up! :)
 

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