Romitalic

An exploratory journey into the process of developing a unique, personalized letterform

Learn how to Analyze Letterforms and then Personalize them to Your Own Tastes

Join Randall Hasson on a journey of discovery and come away with a new lettering style as well as valuable ideas on how you can analyze a letterform you like and create something specific to your hand. 
The lettering on a book cover provided the first spark of inspiration, while an advertisement from the 1920s set in motion the process of developing this new personalized letterform.
Learn a soft, rounded, lyrical hand: Romitalic.
After the hand was created, Randall conducted research into traditional Italic and Roman forms – as well as show card lettering styles of the early twentieth century, to pull together the influences that led to the lettering that was his initial inspiration. He teaches this hand in these lessons.
His new book, Romatalic, is a 46 page work that is included as a PDF in this course. Printed copies are also available at discounted prices. 

The duration of the Romitalic class is 3.5 hours. Scroll down to view curriculum and watch preview movies.

Getting Started & Handouts

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).

The inspiration for Romitalic

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.

Romitalic Lowercase

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.

Romitalic Capitals

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!

Why choose Courses from the Hasson Studio?

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.

Features of these Online Courses

Extended access allows you to learn at your own pace.
Classes are ready to begin as soon as your payment is processed.

  • Classes are prerecorded, allowing you to watch on your own schedule
  • Videos are recorded in High Definition video with multiple camera angles
  • Videos are paced for the artist; unnecessary pauses and wasted time are edited out.
  • Copious handouts, resources, or detailed materials videos are included with each course.
  •  2 years of extended access for individual courses; 3 years for multiple class bundles. 

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. 

Ann Cobb

The small bites make the courses easier for those who do not have 2 or 3 hours of dedicated time, and the way they are organized – the detail, the illustrations, the instruction, the excellent quality of the sessions – helps everyone to grasp the content more completely. 

Course Curriculum

Course Pricing

  • Romitalic

  • $125 USD

    Personalize your Letterforms

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Reviews

Randall Hasson

Randall M. Hasson is an artist, calligrapher, instructor and speaker who has appeared on the faculty of over 25 Arts, Lettering Arts, and Educational Conferences in the United States, Canada and England. He is the author of articles on a variety of Art or Lettering Art related subjects and has appeared as a mainstage presenter and/or teacher with lecture topics covering Public Art, Art History, the Painting Process, Collaborative Art Projects, and the History of Writing including the recent invention of the ADLaM Alphabet in West Africa.

In 2015, he co-edited of the 24th (Centennial) Edition of The Speedball Textbook. In addition to a series of online workshops called Writing with a Bent Nib, Randall is currently writing and designing his forthcoming book Teaching America How to Letter – The Speedball Story, a history of commercial lettering and American show card writing in the 1900’s.

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