31 August 2015

[art] Jake Weidemann, Master Penman

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Of all the things I do, my handwriting is perhaps my proudest thing. I have developed a personal italic script that I feel is rather unique, and am always tuning it with interesting things I have seen. When I found that my natural handwriting closely resembled the italic style that Fred Eager promoted or the ones currently promoted by Getty and Dubay, you know I had to be pretty gratified by this.

There is a level to which one can aspire even above that of beautiful, calligraphic everyday handwriting. The IAMPETH – the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers*, and Teachers of Handwriting is an association of people passionate about penmanship … the sort of thing they used to teach in colleges, the sort of skill you needed to get ahead in business. They certify Master Penmen (and presumably, penwomen). In design,  you learn how to paint with type. Penmen paint pictures with the most exquisite handwriting you've probably never seen, and almost certainly never were taught.

What follows is a lightly-sponsored UPROXX video giving a glimpse of what the most recently-matriculated Master Penman … Jake Weidemann … does and a hint of that passion.



The IAMPETH is located on the web at http://www.iampeth.com/, and anyone can join … you don't have to be a master penman, though if that's on your bucket list, this would be the idea place to start. Non-members  have access to community and back-issues of the newsletter, but anyone can take advantage of the protips and see the art and watch the videos.

* An engrosser, in case you were still wondering, with respect to handwriting, is someone who copies out text beautifully.

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