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3 - Romitalic Letters (1hr 20min)
10 Lessons -
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4 - Caps and Sentences (1hr 22 min)
8 Lessons
Romitalic includes a 46-page color PDF with the exemplars for lowercase and capitals plus variations. This handout also details many traditional and show card lettering styles that could have conttributed to the lettering styles that inspired for Romitalic. If you’re new to calligraphy, Randall also shares his favorite materials, as well as some tips for filling your nib with ink. The materials needed are minimal: A Speedball C-4 nib, a gridded pad, and a supply of a free-flowing ink (view Materials List).
Randall’s journey through the process of developing Romitalic will give you valuable ideas on how you can analyze a letterform you like and then create something specific to your hand. The main inspiration for Romitalic came from an advertisement by Edgar Yates – the soft, rounded letterform with a forward slant had an attractive lyrical quality. Further research made connections between historic calligraphic hands and the show card writers of the early twentieth century.
After summing up the characteristics that make Romitalic unique (slant, branching, spacing, serifs, and more), this section takes you through the basic letterform in the minuscule or lowercase letters. The alphabet is presented in letter groups so that you can practice with letters that have similar characteristics, followed by writing the full alphabet from A to Z. You’ll also learn about when and where to use alternate letterforms, so that you can adapt your letters in the course of writing words and sentences.
After a discussion about how the capitals were adapted to match the miniscules, Randall writes alphabet sentences and talks about putting all these forms together. You’ll also learn valuable tips for writing Roman and Italic forms without guidelines – or with just a baseline. The idea is to arrive at a comfortable x-height and proportion for whichever letter style you are writing – along the way you will personalize the letterform based on what your hand actually wants to do!
A superior quality, informative presentation is the highest priority in Randall’s Course offerings.
He has a focus on the WHY of his subject matter. Each course has detailed introductions with history and background, information on materials, and skill session videos geared towards your learning style. Short videos allow a more focused concentration, while longer presentations can give a greater overview for those who learn better that way.
Extended access allows you to learn at your own pace.
Classes are ready to begin as soon as your payment is processed.
We also recommend adding Randall's Live Sessions and Session Replays for a full year (10 sessions)
These sessions include presentations, projects, questions and answers, and the ability to interact with fellow students. Live Session Replays are posted so new students can catch the ones they missed, and a private Facebook Group allows you to comment, share your work, and get inspired.
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