French Cursive Calligraphy Masterclass

Name: French Cursive Calligraphy Masterclass
Rating: 4.8 (43 reviews)

Traditional pen-and-ink calligraphy using a broad nib that will take you on a (virtual) Tour of France

Created byMary-Jane Roussel

Last updated 1/2021

English

What you'll learn

Write beautifully in the French Cursive style.
Your mind and spirit will also benefit from this calming activity.

Course content

10 sections • 50 lectures • 2h 14m total length

Introduction4:36
This is the "welcome" video; the instructor will introduce herself.

FC Lower case 1: straight3:57
Learn to write the first set of lower case letters (letters with straight stems: i, u, t, n, m).
FC Lower case 2: loops6:23
Learn to write the second set of lower case letters (letters with loops: j, y, l, b, h, k, f).
FC Lower case 3: round6:59
Learn to write the third set of lower case letters (rounded letters: c, e, x, o, q, g, a, d, p).
FC Lower case 4: the oddballs3:33
Learn to write the fourth set of lower case letters (oddball letters: s, r, z, v, w).
FC Lower case sampler2:40
Write all the letters of the alphabet, in lowercase, in order (from a to z).

FC Upper case 1: I, K, F, P, B3:42
Learn to write the first group of upper case letters: I, K, F, P, B.
FC Upper case 2: R, D, H, X, T3:14
Learn to write the second group of upper case letters: R, D, H, X, T.
FC Upper case 3: U, Y, J, N, M2:55
Learn to write the third group of upper case letters: U, Y, J, N, M.
FC Upper case 4: O, Q, A, C, G2:51
Learn to write the fourth group of uppercase letters: O, Q, A, C, G.
FC Upper case 5: L, Q (variante), E, S2:07
Learn to write the fifth group of uppercase letters: L, a second version of the Q, E, S.
FC Upper case 6: Z, V, W1:57
Learn to write the remaining uppercase letters: Z, V, W.
FC Upper case sampler0:27
Lecture 17 is an exercise in writing all the letters of the alphabet, in both upper and lower case.

A as in Avignon3:56
Explore Avignon, the city of popes and its gothic palace and famous bridge, in a Tour de France of French cursive, tracing uppercase A.
B as in Bordeaux2:55
Master the letter b as in Bordeaux with calligraphy techniques, spacing and kerning, and alkaline ink that shifts from dark to light while noting x endings mark plural forms.
C as in Cannes2:17
Explore the Mediterranean coast to Cannes and its film festival heritage. Practice French cursive by joining letters in one gesture while managing ink.
D as in Dijon1:58
Explore Dijon and Burgundy heritage, mustard culture, and Gustave Eiffel's link to the Eiffel Tower. Practice calligraphy with ink, dotting i and g, and refine curves.
E as in Èze2:18
Learn e as in Èze and practice joining letters in French cursive, focusing on eu and r ligatures amid Mediterranean imagery.
F as in Fontainebleau2:17
Explore Fontainbleau's royal heritage in a French cursive calligraphy tour, focusing on ink handling, spacing, and letter connections like b and l from Fontainbleau to the Alps.
G as in Gap2:20
Learn to write the word gap in French cursive, shaping g and uppercase g, manage ink loading, and connect letters, while noting Gap’s Mediterranean-like summers and alpine winters.
H as in Hossegor2:54
Explore the Hossegor coast, its ocean, beaches, surfing, and festival culture. Practice French cursive skills, brush care, and letter formation, including stroke order and capital h.
I as in Issoire1:44
Explore the Tour de France stage of French cursive from the center of France to Israel, noting Roman-era history and Mediterranean architecture, while practicing joining letters and dotting the eye.
J as in Juno Beach2:12
Practice writing uppercase J and B in French cursive, spell Juno Beach in pink ink, and rehearse the word Junho, set on the north coast of Normandy.
K as in Koeur la Grande2:45
Learn how the French heart word is written with a k instead of a c in a village name, and practice joining cursive letters with careful letter height and overlap.
L as in Lyon1:38
Explore L as in Lyon in this French cursive calligraphy masterclass, using walnut hull ink to craft Lyon's letterforms while tracing Lyon's history from Roman ruins to Lumière inventions.
M as in Marseille2:04
Learn how to craft the letter m in the Marseille calligraphy style, with flowing, connected strokes and height variations, illustrated by Marseille's Mediterranean coast.
N as in Nice2:26
Practice French cursive calligraphy by using a regular watercolor palette as ink to write with a very liquid paint, in a piece inspired by Nice on the Mediterranean coast.
O as in Ouistreham1:54
Master the letter o as in Ouistreham, compare traditional and reversed upper-case forms, and practice seamless letter connections amid notes referencing D-Day sword code and the Longest Day.
P as in Paris1:52
Master French cursive by shaping p as in Paris with a water color palette, while tracing the Eiffel Tower and the Alexanders three bridge.
Q as in Quimper2:50
Master the q in Quimper through Breton-inspired calligraphy, using water brush techniques, mid-word color changes, and careful ink management to create earthenware-rich lettering.
R as in Rouen2:02
Master French cursive calligraphy in 'R as in Rouen,' tracing a gothic cathedral, a medieval Anglo-Norman city, and hands-on ink flow and watercolor technique.
S as in Strasbourg2:58
Explore S as in Strasbourg in the French cursive masterclass, using a bamboo nib, dip ink, and baseline guided five-step height to set x-height and letter proportions.
U as in Uzès1:53
Learn the letter u as in Uzès through French cursive calligraphy, focusing on tapering strokes, accent placement, and the correct pronunciation of Jesus while exploring the Uzès landscape.
T as in Tignes2:13
this lecture explores t as in Tignes in French cursive, linking Alps inspiration with Savoie ski resort, and offers tips on two parallel pens and the uppercase t stroke.
V as in Ventoux2:03
Master the V in Ventoux through uppercase V practice, pen loops, and x-height guidelines, blending Tour de France imagery with French cursive calligraphy techniques.
W as in Witry les Reims2:10
Explore the letter w in French cursive through a practical demo with a parallel pen, adding dots, a diacritic, and a crossbar, while practicing upper-case R.
X as in Xaintray2:50
Master the uppercase X in French cursive by forming rounded connected strokes, following the suggested order, noting cross-bar timing, spacing, and handling ink when a pen runs dry.
Y as in Yvoire2:10
Explore the y as in Yvoire by practicing a steady hand and the long stroke on the right side of uppercase letters, with dabbed ink to pull curves.
Z as in Zoza1:56
Practice the Zed in uppercase and lowercase as you complete the Tour de France in French cursive, with Corsica context and breathing tips for steady strokes.

Requirements

Before taking this course, it's best to have had a look at the Calligraphy Basics course (available on Udemy).
Arm yourself with a 2.4 mm parallel pen (or a 2.5 mm broad nib and penholder).
Have a printer handy to print out the worksheets on good quality white printer paper.

Description

If you like calligraphy, and the French Cursive style appeals to you, then this course is for you.

If, in addition, you like the idea of a virtual visit to France while honing your calligraphy skills, then this course is DOUBLY for you!

Here's how it works: after the introduction and three general information lectures, you will learn how to form each letter through video demonstrations. Exercise sheets are provided so that you can sharpen your skills through repeated practice. There are 13 lessons dedicated to learning how to form each letter (lower case, upper case, numbers and punctuation).

Next, two practice texts are proposed. Knowing how to write each letter is one thing, putting the letters together to form words and sentences is another thing!

The last part of this course is "A Tour of France". That's right! Starting with the letter A, will will visit Avignon (and practice writing the name of the city on the exercise sheets provided). While watching the instructor do the calligraphy, you will hear a short text describing the city. You will also see where the city is located, geographically speaking, in France. A photo of the city brings a bit of colour to the exercise sheets.

We will do our "tour of France" by moving down through the alphabet, next to Bordeaux, then Cannes ... all the way down to Zoza! As there are 26 letters in the alphabet, there are 26 lectures in this part of the course.

This course will appeal to beginners and those with an intermediate level in calligraphy, although even the most advanced calligraphers will enjoy the Tour of France.

Join in!

P.S. note that, since putting this course on Udemy, the name of our site has changed to calligraphycollective (.cc as in "calligraphy collective").

Who this course is for:

This course is definitely for you if you'd like to learn a bit about France while honing your calligraphy skills!
French Cursive is a traditional style of calligraphy (as opposed to the modern calligraphy, that follows very few rules!).

French Cursive Calligraphy Masterclass

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 5min

Some basic information3 lectures • 8min

Warm-up exercises1 lecture • 5min

Lower case letters5 lectures • 24min

Upper case letters7 lectures • 17min

Numbers and Punctuation1 lecture • 2min

Making good use of what you've learned so far2 lectures • 7min

A Tour of France in French Cursive26 lectures • 1hr 1min

Photo samples1 lecture • 3min

Conclusion3 lectures • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: