After many, many years of admiring his work, I finally met and took a class with Mike Kecseg. The class, Copperplate: Beyond the Basics, was a great fundamentals class. More of an opportunity to practice and advance copperplate skills rather than produce a finished piece, we spent two days learning Mike's tips for taking copperplate to the next level.
Mike is a very generous and down to earth teacher. Gracious with both his lettering and his sharing of knowledge, his class is a "must do" for any calligraphy enthusiast. His instruction is well thought out, well paced, easy to follow, and the handouts are DeLiCiOuS! Although I've been doing pointed pen for over 18 years now (what?!), I still learned some great skills which I'm sure will further develop my style.
Below are two of my practice sheets from the workshop. After reviewing the basics of copperplate, we learned how to vary a number of elements, such as X-height, slant, spacing, pen pressure, ascenders, and descenders.
If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend taking a class with Mike.
Truly,
Erica
