Based on the Chancery Cursive hand of Bennardino Cataneo
Introduction
Elegant
handwriting for everyday use, Cataneo's Chancery cursive
hand and my adaptation of it, developing Italic
handwriting skills, glossary of terms. Go to the Introduction Page
Basics - Techniques & Methodologies
Writing
position and surface adaptation, pen hold, guidelines and
templates, using flexible nib fountain pens, online
references for left-handed writers, etc. Go to the Basics - Techniques &
Methodologies Page
Letterform Characteristics & Construction
Letterform
constructs & characteristics, "n" values,
construction, slope, spacing, Majuscule flourishing, etc.
Go to the Letterform Characteristics
& Construction Page.
Practice and actual Writing
Edward
Johnston's admonition: "Useful practice is the making of
real things", development, preparation & aids.
Go to the Practice and actual Writing
Page.
Italic writing using Fountain Pens
Employing
"out of the box" fountain pens with "iridium tipped" nibs
- notes relating to pen hold and nib selection. Go to the Italic writing using Fountain Pens
Page.
Random Notes with scanned Exemplars
Random
Notes accompanied by Scanned captioned Exemplars that
depict renditions using various types of pens, inks and
papers. Go to the Random Notes with
scanned Exemplars Page.
Supplemental Writing Hands
For use
with Practical Italic Handwriting. Humanistic Majuscule
(Capitals) and minuscule (small roman) letterforms.
Go to the Supplemental Writing Hands
Page.
Recent updates & additions
Date format: Year-Month-Day ( ISO 8601)
Custom Site Search
RSS Site Feed
This Feed provides notification
of new or updated content on all pages. To
subscribe to this feed using a live Bookmark in your
Browser click this icon 
in the header or use this
link to subscribe in selected Feed Readers.
Bennardino Cataneo
Bennardino Cataneo was Writing Master (maestro di scrivere) at the University of Siena, Italy, c. 1544-1560. The only known surviving exemplars of his writing are twenty vellum leaves bound in a manuscript copybook, dated 4 February 1545, which has been published in facsimile with explanatory notes by Stephen Harvard, the eminent calligrapher and designer.
Creative Commons License
The presence of this image on any of the sub-pages
of this site grants anyone permission to use content in
accordance with the terms of this
Creative Commons License. Used content should be
imprinted with: Used by
permission of James Pickering - http://jp29.org/
Handwritten Italic Reference Books
Printed Italic Reference Books
Online Resources
* All pages have W3C Validated Markup
and Style Sheets *
PRACTICAL ITALIC HANDWRITING -- Author and Webmaster: J.
Pickering, jp29@cox.net