Reddit mentions of The Universal Penman

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The Universal Penman

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Duke Uranus Fat Man

Speaking from the "more practical" Copperplate school ;) - I learned Copperplate because I love the look/style, and I wanted to get into wedding calligraphy. Speed is important here since time = money.

I wouldn't say the "non-Engrosser's"-style Copperplate is "without particularly well defined basic strokes" as /u/BestBefore2015 has said, but it is definitely more "open to interpretation" than Engrosser's script. I would say that most of the modern pointed pen calligraphy that's so pervasive on Etsy today comes from this style of Copperplate. I have taken Copperplate from four different teachers who are all master calligraphers in their own right, and all four have different styles. That said, I bought the Eleanor Winters book because it was one of the only few available, and I did not particularly care for her interpretation. IMHO, her style is too rounded and too curved. I much prefer Gordon Turner's book which is much closer to the engravings from George Bickham's The Universal Penman, another must-have if you're going to study old-style Copperplate.

Most of the folks in this sub who do Copperplate are of the Engrosser's school, so you'll have a wealth of resources and feedback should you decide to learn it.

[edited to fix link]

Universal Penman - Here's a book that I'd recommend for some inspiration. It won't provide you with much in the way of instruction, but will definitely show you what can be done with the style you've shown.

Yeah, lots! Some of my old technique books were found in the library of a now-defunct printing school in NYC and thus will be very difficult to find again, but a few good ones that you shouldn't have trouble finding are:

– The Universal Penman is a collection of some of George Bickham's most beautiful calligraphic pieces. It's a lovely book for inspiration and general style (not so much technique but rather seeing how the letters are shaped and spaced, etc.).

– Spencerian Penmanship is a good technique for learning the basics of Spencerian letterforms. I purchased the version without the five extra copy-books on Amazon but I'm not seeing it there right now (just the version with the copy books, which could be useful).

– JA Cavanaugh's Lettering & Alphabets is a good place to learn the basics of a few different lettering styles, particularly loose script lettering for advertising layouts and some Roman + Caslon styles.

– Leslie Cabarga's Logo, Font, & Lettering Bible has some extremely helpful tips for digitizing your lettering work as well as other general design tips. It is, ironically enough, a horrendously designed and dated book but the methods are still instrumental.

– Finally, Colt Bowden's How To Paint Signs and Influence People zine is a really lovely modern take on lettering techniques. Though it is geared for signwriters, the techniques taught for building up letterforms has followed me through to my pen-and-ink work as well. Plus, it's a really fun little series and your money is going to a very talented and passionate dude.

Hope this was helpful!