How to Prepare a Week‑Long Copperplate Calligraphy Course

Between 2014 and 2018, I traveled to the south of France to attend several week‑long calligraphy courses with Keith and Amanda Adams, studying Brush Roman Capitals, Italic, Celtic, Fraktur, and Copperplate calligraphy.

After a couple of years traveling from Australia to Europe for these residential courses, I developed a process to ensure I made the most of my time and learning experience. Below are a few tips I’ve learned along the way that may help you prepare for any course involving letterforms.

Photo source and credit: 

Saint-Antoine L'Abayye 2014-2018

1. Prepare your content before starting a Copperplate calligraphy course

Photo source and credit: 

Calligraphy materials from Keith and Amada Adams.

Ask yourself: Are you more interested in writing captions, titles, or headings? Or do you want a longer text to showcase your work? I recommend preparing short, medium-length, and long texts:

• Short texts/titles are usually larger, so individual letters, capitals, and spacing take centre stage.

• Medium texts make you think about line spacing and the final text size.



• Longer texts shift focus to the calligraphic texture of the page—the “typographic colour.” In these cases, text size, line spacing, and layout matter more than individual letter shapes. As Matthew Carter said: “Type [and calligraphy] is a beautiful group of letters, not a group of beautiful letters.”

Image captiom: 

Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” — Jacques Cousteau, explorer and marine researcher.

A few days before my last week‑long Copperplate calligraphy course, I visited “Basics,” an exhibition curated by Studio Pichiglass and Needlab at Barcelona Design Hub. Its content was so inspiring that I chose several quotes and reflections from it to feature in my work—like the one below.

Image captiom: 

“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.” — Alanis Obomsawin, from Who Is the Chairman of This Meeting? (eds. Ralph Osborne & Ted Poole, 1972).

2. Select a diverse range of calligraphy papers

Think about paper type and size. In the first hours or day of a week‑long course, you're warming up your hand, arm, and eyes while wiring your brain into Copperplate calligraphy.

• Use regular 100% recycled copy paper for this stage. If you’re using acrylic paint and a brush, old newspapers work well where the column width can naturally define your x-height.

• Once you’re warmed up, experiment with smoother surfaces like bleed-proof or marker paper. These are thinner and very smooth—perfect for Copperplate calligraphy. I use Arttec (Australian made and owned) and Canson XL Marker 70 gsm.

• On the opposite end, try thicker, textured papers—such as Canson Watercolour (300 gsm)—ideal for cards and greeting work (more on paper).

• Bring different paper sizes (from A5 to A2) and various inks/paints so you can plan short and long pieces. Learn more about calligraphy paper.
  

Photo credit: Canson XL Marker paper and Canson XL watercolour paper.

3. Choose the best Copperplate nibs and brushes

Spending consecutive days writing? Bring several nibs to experiment with. For Copperplate, nib flexibility is key. You can also use synthetic or natural brushes for a pressure-sensitive feel.

I recommend trying:

• Nikko G, Zebra G, Zebra G Titanium, Tachikawa G – medium flexibility, beginner-friendly.

• William Mitchell Elbow – stiffer, great for those who apply more pressure or want less stroke contrast.

• Gillot 303, Gillot 404, Hunt 22B Extra Fine – softer than G nibs, offering thinner upstrokes.

• Hunt 101 Imperial, Leonardt Principal EF – very flexible, ideal for intermediate/advanced work. I’ve used Hunt 101 since 2020 for large x-heights and I love it! (more on nibs)

Try different nibs and find what fits you—there’s no one-size-fits-all. More on pointed flexible nibs.

An alternative to metallic flexible nibs are felt brushes. This is my go to:

• Pentel Sign Brush, Pentel Touch, Pentel Fude Sign Pen – these brush pens are highly flexible and portable. Be aware, though: their tips soften over time, resulting in thicker strokes—so plan to replace them. They’re under USD $3 each.
  

Image captiom: 

“Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking.” — Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

4. Bring a selection of inks and paints

Here are my top picks:

• Walnut ink – great for learning and final pieces. Using crystals lets you customise your ink colour.

• Liquid watercolours – I use the global brand Talens Ecoline and the Spanish one called Vallejo. Similar to walnut ink in consistency, semi-transparent, and great for gradients and stroke visibility.

• Gouache – Talens for practice and Winsor & Newton for professional work. Also bring a low-quality brush, small jars, and a dropper or syringe to mix your gouache with water till finding the perfect consistency that will run though your nib.

• Gum arabic – adds gloss and durability to final pieces—Talens liquid version works well. A bonus: adding gum arabic prevents ink bleeding on regular copy paper (more on inks).
  

Image caption: “We’ll never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” — Thomas Fuller, historian and royal captain

5. Progress Is the Inspiration!

I’ve been practicing Copperplate calligraphy since 2011. Believe me, at first I totally sucked at it! But instead of giving up, I did the opposite – I decided to spend even more hours working on it.



One trick that’s helped the most? Dating and filing my work. Whenever I feel stuck or see no improvement, I revisit my Copperplate work from a year ago. Then I realise how far I’ve come – and I keep going. So here’s my final tip:

On Day 1 of your week‑long Copperplate course, write the following lines on a sheet of paper and date it:

The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog  

The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over A Lazy Dog

On the last hour of your course, write those same two sentences on a new sheet and place them side by side. Seeing your progress will be your inspiration!

6. Conclusion: Your eye is the muscle to train

Calligraphy, lettering, and typography courses are all about learning to see—understanding that positive and negative spaces are equally important. Copperplate calligraphy synchronises your brain, eye, and hand. There are no shortcuts; only practice and awareness.

Image caption: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man (and woman’s) needs, but not every man’s (and woman’s) greed.” — Mahatma Gandhi, activist and pacifist

7. Recap

Here’s a checklist to prepare:

7.1. Content Prep

• 10 short messages (2–5 words)
• 10 medium-length messages (1–2 sentences)
• 5 longer texts (1–3 paragraphs)
  

7.2. Paper Selection

• 100% recycled copy paper (daily warm-up)
• Canson XL Marker paper (smooth practice)
• Canson XL Watercolour paper 300 gsm (final pieces)
• Bring sizes from A5 to A2
  

7.3. Tools

• Flexible pointed nibs: Nikko G, Gillot 303 & 404, Hunt 22B, Hunt 101 Imperial, Leonardt Principle EF, William Mitchell Elbow
• Pentel Touch/Sign brush pen(s)
  

7.4. Inks & Paints

• Walnut ink crystals
• Liquid watercolours
• Gouache
  

7.5. Observation Skills

Train your eye to see balance and inconsistencies. Learning to see and enjoying the process are the keys to progress!

Hey! I'm Maria Montes, a Catalan-Australian multilingual, multicultural designer, calligraphy-and-type educator. My creative practice is set by the principles of never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work.

I have been teaching calligraphy independently since 2014. My favourite way of learning is by teaching others. I offer in-person and online calligraphy and lettering courses, corporate in-house workshops, as well as private one-to-one tuitions.