The Speedball B Series Nib

The easy-to-use B nib for creative styles of uniform-width lettering.

Class 3 in the Writing with a Bent Nib series by Randall M. Hasson

Buy Class 3 – The Speedball B Series Nib

Price $100. Hosted by Hasson Studio.

Writing with a Bent Nib Series

Enroll in ALL 5 CLASSES at special bundle pricing!

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Writing with a Bent Nib series is now hosted on Hasson Studio. Purchasing above will open this class in a new tab.

The Speedball B Series Nib – Class Summary

This class explores the smooth and easy-to-use Speedball B nib, introduced in 1916. The B nib is a lettering favorite that can be used for creative styles of uniform-width lettering, including scripts, architectural styles and art deco era lettering, as well as traditional calligraphic hands.

This is the third class in Randall’s Writing with a Bent Nib five-part series. Note that each class in the series is sold separately or you can also purchase all five classes at a special bundle price!

Students are invited to a private Facebook Group where you can get more information, ask questions, share your work, and meet your fellow students.

The duration of the B Series Nib class is 4.25 hours. Scroll down to view curriculum and watch preview movies.

A Bit of History & the Basic Strokes

The B nib is one of the easiest and most pleasurable nibs to use. In this section, you will learn about the origins of the Speedball B nib and practice the basic strokes that this nib can produce. Then we’ll focus on the lettering of the German poster artists of the early 1900s, including Ludwig Hohlwein, who was one of the leading poster artists in the world at that time.

How to Develop an Alphabet

German poster artist Ludwig Hohlwein’s lettering provides many possibilities for the lettering artist today. In this section you will learn how to create an alphabet from a limited number of letters from one of his posters. We will extrapolate the missing letters to create a unique alphabet – and yes, you can apply this technique to any other poster that inspires you!

Uncial Alphabets

If you’ve written Uncial with a broad-edged pen, you’ll notice we are beginning with a style that you already know. Using the B nib, you’ll morph this alphabet into new shapes as you create more unique letterforms. Using various sizes of the smooth B nib, you’ll render light and dense versions of these unique Uncial styles – made all the more fun with colorful Bister inks! 

Vanitie Roman Alphabet

Ross George created Vanitie Roman in 1925 using two different sizes of B nibs and a triple stroke feature on its stem strokes. To help you learn this fun but challenging alphabet, Randall breaks down each letter into its component parts and provides detailed diagrams on their construction. Vanitie Roman first appeared in the 9th edition of The Speedball Textbook.

About Your Instructor

Randall M. Hasson is an artist, calligrapher, instructor and speaker who has appeared on the faculty of arts, lettering arts, and educational conferences in the United States, Canada and England. He owned and operated the Randall M. Hasson Gallery from 2000–2013 in San Diego, CA and Santa Fe, NM. He is the author of articles on a variety of art or lettering art related subjects and has appeared as a mainstage presenter and/or teacher with lecture topics covering public art, art history, the painting process, collaborative art projects, and the history of writing including the recent invention of the ADLaM alphabet in West Africa. 

In 2015, Randall co-edited the 24th (Centennial) Edition of The Speedball Textbook. He is currently writing and designing his forthcoming book Teaching America How to Letter – The Speedball Story, a history of commercial lettering and American show card writing in the early 1900s. It is due to be published by Letterform Archive in 2020.
Barbara Close

To learn more about this 5-part series, visit the Writing with a Bent Nib page at Hasson Studio.

How it works

  • Classes are prerecorded with excellent HD video quality and audio so you can see every detail
  • Practice immediately after you check out – no waiting for the class to start!
  • Replay a particular stroke or letter as many times as you like – even at different speeds!
  • Bite-sized lessons make it easy to pick up where you left off in the course or jump to a specific topic
  • Videos are tightly edited so as not to waste a second of your time!
  • Progress through the lessons at your own pace – you’ll never miss a homework deadline!
  • Copious handouts, resources, or detailed materials videos are included with each course.
  • Hasson Studio offers 2 years of extended access for individual courses; 3 years for multiple class bundles.

 “All I can say is Wow! This B Nib workshop is utterly amazing! I am blown away by the detail, the illustrations, the instruction, the excellent quality of the sessions – everything about the class. I have learned more about Speedball nibs from this session than in my previous 15 years of calligraphy.”

Ann Cobb
Workshop Chair, Nashville Calligraphy Guild

Course Curriculum

“The Speedball Bent Nib is a new and unusual tool for me but I am really enjoying the journey. It is wonderful to learn about the history of these beautiful letterforms and to see just how versatile these nibs can be. The course content is wonderful and Randall is an amazing teacher!” 

Heather Victoria Held
heathervictoriaheld.com

Julie Gray​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“Great course! Not only for beginners, but as a good refresher for experienced copperplate calligraphers. Barbara makes everything clear, concise and professional. A nicely produced online class for everyone interested in pointed pen.”

Hasson Studio

The Writing with a Bent Nib Series is now hosted directly by Randall Hasson.  
Purchasing below will redirect you to Hasson Studio in a new tab.

Learn more about the other classes in the Writing with a Bent Nib series.

Single Class

$100

The Speedball B Series Nib
(class 3 in a 5-part series)
Hosted at Hasson Studio.

Writing with a Bent Nib Series (5 Classes)

$400

Special bundle price ($100 savings).
Hosted at Hasson Studio.

Writing with a Bent Nib Series (5 Classes)
Installment Plan

$70

Six monthly payments. Total $420.
($80 savings)
Hosted at Hasson Studio.

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