Copperplate Foundations

A comprehensive 9-week introductory course to walk you through all the basics of learning this gorgeous and widely popular traditional script!

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Registration is currently closed until Fall 2024.
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"Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise"

- Michael Jordan


You've seen calligraphy everywhere on Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest and now you're ready to learn. But the thing is, like any skill, calligraphy is not something you can pick up through random videos and tips here and there. It requires both study and thoughtful practice to develop muscle memory in order to see your script improve over time.

Copperplate Foundations is designed to be your 1-stop course packed with instruction, extensive handouts, exemplars, tips/techniques, and suggested homework so you can stop wasting time/money, walk away with a solid foundation and start creating more!

 

What Exactly is in the Course?

The course is made up of 6 teaching modules, with individual lessons within each module. The structure is set up so that you can easily move along the lessons and pick up where you left off. Including all the bonus videos, there are over 30 video lessons provided for you! 

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Module 1

Introduction to Copperplate. Learn the history, how to practice using guidesheets, set up your workspace, have a proper posture, and take a peek into my favorite supplies!

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Module 2

Warm Up Exercises & Drills. We will begin by loosening up our muscles with various warm up exercises. Then we will do some nib exercises to understand the flexibility of the nib. 

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Module 3

Lowercase Letter Basic Strokes. Master the 7 basic strokes that are fundamental to writing consistent lowercase letters! I will share tips and common errors so you can know what to watch out for.

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Module 4

Lowercase Letters. Now it's time to combine the basic strokes together! We will go through 4 groups of lowercase letters by breaking down each letterform and and how you can practice with intention.

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Module 5

Connecting Letters. Learn how to connect different combinations together as we examine various ligatures. We will also talk about ways to handle double letters by implementing slight variations.

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Module 6

Uppercase Letters. We will begin with additional warm ups, go through uppercase basic strokes and then move onto 7 groups of uppercase letters. Learn how to beautifully execute them with confidence!

3 Bonus Videos

In addition to the core course videos, I've included 3 bonus videos that will further equip you and supplement your Copperplate journey!

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Bonus #1

Lowercase Letter Variations. What to do when you encounter words with double letters? Can we do slight variations? You sure can! In this bonus lesson, we will go over ways to make adjustments to your letters for visual interest while maintaining the basic letter structure.

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Bonus #2

Copperplate Numbers & Symbols. Knowing how to write your numbers and symbols is just as important as letters! Addressing envelopes, designing wedding invitations, or working on commission work are just some reasons why learning your numbers will be so beneficial.

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Bonus #3

Video for Lefties. If you are a lefty, welcome! Learning calligraphy as a lefty myself came with its challenges. In this video, I share my personal journey and changes I made to my choice of pen holder and what helped me to overcome certain trials ❤️

What students are saying...

Chelsea W.

"Whoa. I remember redoing homework #1 over and over... I wanted it to be my best. When I submitted it, I thought it looked fantastic (compared to my previous work). Now, I am in awe of what we have accomplished in just 9 weeks.  The proof is in the writing.    

I still have a long way to go on the capital letters, but you know what? I didn't even dare attempt them back in February.  Improvement will come as constructive practice occurs...Younghae, Thank you for taking the time to teach this course. It was really eye opening and your gentle, welcoming instruction was such a reprieve from the chaos outside.  It kept me eager to keep learning and tune in for ways to make the letters even more elegant. This was a blast". 

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Ling Lin - @ling.lettering

Singapore

"After the local course I realized, 'yes I can write something, but my writing is not consistent.'...Younghae's class explained how to write each stroke and how each alphabet is formed by strokes. This helped me a lot in terms of consistencyI can soon see a improvement after the first few homeworksYounghae's style is different from the other calligrapher that I followed. I love her simple, but elegant style. So when I know that there's class opening, it's a MUST to sign up. Not to mentioned that the price is reasonable and there's lifetime access.

The course is just super good! And I really love the lifetime access part. As most of us are not doing this full time, lifetime access gives us the change to manage our own time and really provides the flexibility"

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What's Included

 

  • Lifetime Access + free Updates to Course  (value $597)
  • Private Community Group  (value $297)
  • 93 pages of Course Downloads  (value $79)
  • Over 7 hours of Instructional Videos broken down into 30+ bite sized Video Lessons  (equivalent of taking 5 of my workshops = $750)
  • Exclusive 25% student discount to use towards my digital practice workbooks for supplemental resource
  • Invitation to 2 Live Sessions per round with unlimited opportunity to join in for future live sessions  (value $297)
  • 9 weeks of guided support from me + classmates
  • & more!

Frequently Asked Questions

Live Sessions

In addition to the support you will receive from the private Community group, I will be hosting two live sessions per round. During the session, I will be providing group feedback using your classmates' homework examples, share things to watch out for, help answer any questions that come up, and offer additional demos! 

Can't make it live? No worries, you will have access to the replay videos!

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Younghae, I found your homework critiques very useful.  Also, it felt community-like to see everyone checking in from corners of the world and from many different states.  Your explanations were clear and kept moving along.  Thanks for doing the live session.

 

 

 

 

-Shelby B

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Your instruction videos are great.👍💜 You explain how to break down each letter in a clear and understandable way so it's easy to practice on your own. I love the tips and tricks you show us. I've tried learning Copperplate from various books, and you just don't get that from a book. Now a lot of things about doing Copperplate has fallen into place for me. You have a unique teaching style, that I love... I like that you always reply to our questions and your feedback is so useful. Thank you so much for a fantastic course.

- Anne

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"Thank you so much for the detailed live session the other day. I watched it on replay due to the time difference. The ways you explained and demonstrated were practical and specific, which really deepened my understanding. So, I’ve been able to practice more mindfully since the live session. The coursework videos and the live sessions are both so significant and inseparable for me"

 

 

- Yoshiko

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I find your live session helpful and reassuring. I love that we can go back and rewatch and I like that you show what to look for.  That is the most helpful.  Often it is easy to trace and practice, but it is harder to see what to look for or strive for. In the live session, you showed us many things to keep an eye out for. 

 

 

 

-Jennifer

What Copperplate Foundations alumni are saying...

 

“Doing your warm up has definitely made improvement. I never realized how deadly I grip my pen (pencil in this case). It was really relaxing as well. Thank you! ☺️” - Reena

“Younghae, Your systematic instruction and what to watch for as you form these letters has been extremely helpful as I practice. I hear your voice-"pick up your pen "as well as other exhortations as I practice. Thank you for that level of detail in the beginning of our journey. Looking forward to practicing this week. I am so encouraged.” - Regina

“I am very happy that I took this course because the way you broke them down into basic strokes was what allowed me to understand them. I am serious when I look at the uppercase exercises that I wrote. I cannot believe that my hand produced that. Of course it's just the beginning and I can see huge room for improvement, but at least now I feel like I grasped them! I am sooooooooo satisfied, really!” - Stefania


“You are the most patient instructor. When you wrote something "incorrectly," you pointed it out, rewrote it, and continued. From that, I have learned to be gentle with myself in critiquing my work. As you spoke to us, your students, I felt like you were speaking only to me. Your soft, well-modulated voice was soothing. You have a sweet spirit, and it comes through in your tone and encouraging words - your pep talks. I never felt intimidated, only inspired. Thank you for sharing what you've learned. I am so happy that I invested in learning from you. I will re-work this course many times in the future; after all, mastering the basics is essential. I want to let everyone know that you are sweet, focused, and thorough as an instructor and inspirational as an artist" 
-Dianne S


"I would like to thank you for your kind words and encouragement using my exemplar to critique for the recent live session in Copperplate Foundations. Your gentle approach, your teaching technique and professionalism makes such a difference for me. I am a visual, hands on learner so your courses provide that with the videos, live sessions and practice sheets. It's a perfect non-threatening learning environment that encourages one to go at their own pace, not give up and keep on trying. I appreciate that so much and continue to enjoy this beautiful calligraphic journey. I showed my granddaughters the video with all your lovely compliments. They beamed with pride and hugged me with all their might, and my precious 5 year old Katherine whispered in my ear "Great job grandma!"  How precious is that!!!! I hope this also teaches them to never give up, especially on things in life that create beauty and can be shared to enlighten others! It makes me sad that I couldn't have done this earlier in my life but am grateful for the opportunity now." -Anna Marie K

 

Course Registration

This course is valued at $2,000+ and has been curated, developed, upgraded since 2016 to provide the best online learning experience so that you don't waste any more money or time to get started!

Here are the payment options for this course:

One Time Payment

$379

Best Value

Join Waitlist

3 Monthly Payments

$129/month

Bite Sized Payments

Join Waitlist

6 Monthly Payments

$65/month

Extended monthly payments

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Lei (@_letterjoy) Sharjah, UAE 

I've been doing modern calligraphy since 2016, but didn't really study the basics so there was very little improvement in my writing. The Copperplate Foundations course was a game changer for me. By the 3rd module, I already started seeing the difference in my script. Right now, I love rewriting old pieces that I did years ago and just do a quick comparison. The difference is inspiring! Thank you, Younghae for creating this course. It's one of the best investments I made. So worth it. ❤️

 
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Lucy (@lucy.nagy

Younghae's courses are the perfect blend of real instruction (both recorded and live sessions), realistic pacing for practice and homework, homework feedback, and community building. The patient teaching, the interest in answering questions in live sessions, the helpful feedback (from both the community group and Younghae) all made this beautiful writing form seem possible to learn. 

I would absolutely encourage a friend (Ha! I'd encourage a total stranger, too.) to work through Younghae's workshops or courses. Younghae didn't just record a couple of quick lessons and say, "Good luck." She works to refine her handouts, update videos, address current class questions during live sessions, and she actively posts and responds to the community group's homework, questions, and chatter. She keeps these classes amazingly personal and approachable.

 

Supplies Needed for the Course

The following is a recommended list of materials you will need for the course:

  • A Pencil & Eraser - I recommend using a mechanical pencil (.5mm or .7mm). Any brand is okay but I like this Pentel Graphgear 500.
  • Pen Holder - I personally write with an oblique, but if you prefer the straight, that's fine! A good starter holder is the Dual Workshop Holder ($6.49) or the Moblique holder. You can read more about penholders on my blog here.
  • Paper to print guidesheets on. HP Premium32 is a good one, but if that's not available in your country, use any smooth paper that takes ink well without bleeding! You can also place a translucent paper on top of your guidesheet. Some recommendations: Borden & Riley #37 Marker Layout PaperCanson Pro Layout Marker Pad, Bienfang Graphics 360 Marker Pad
  • Ink - My favorite is the Moon Palace Sumi Ink. I also love practicing with walnut ink
  • Pointed, flexible nib - I personally enjoy writing with a Hunt 22bNikko GLeonardt Principal EF, and Gillott 404. Because everyone's hand is so different, it's good to try a variety of nibs to see what you are most comfortable with. I offer a nib sampler set in my shop.
  • Computer/Laptop with Wifi - The course videos can only be accessible through a browser and internet access. Course registration is for ONE person onlyDownloading/sharing/recording the videos is strictly prohibited
  • Printer - I will be providing scans, worksheets, homework exercises that you can print out at home. You may want to put them in protective sheets in a binder for your self study!


If you need to purchase supplies online, I have a teacher page set up through John Neal and Paper and Ink Arts. Please use code "LOGOS" for extra 5% off. I also offer a student discount off supplies from my shop

Join the Waitlist

Registration is currently closed. Please join the waitlist to be notified of course updates.