Bastarda Italiana

with CECILIA BOSCHI

Class Description

Starting from a historical Italian example, with an overview that also extends beyond Italian borders, we will explore this fascinating calligraphic style used during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

Its exceptional legibility and clarity made it one of the three official scripts of the French royal court during those centuries.

We will learn to reproduce this style using pointed nibs, although it was originally written with goose quills featuring a very fine broad (chisel) tip.

During the first two sessions, we will cover the historical and technical background, basic strokes, and the minuscule alphabet.

The last two sessions will be dedicated to the majuscule alphabet, and we will work on adapting the style to a more contemporary look, suited to the modern tools available to us.

We can’t wait to see you put it in action after class with Cecilia!


— Scroll down to see exemplars, find out more about the class, and see the suggested supplies list. —

Bastarda Italiana at the 2025 IAMPETH convention

Cecilia is teaching Bastarda Italiana at the 2025 IAMPETH convention in Norfolk, VA.

Check the event pictures on Instagram!

Class
Details

CLASS DATES & TIMES
Sat 23 Aug + Sun 24 Apr • Minuscules [2hr + Q&A] • starting 9am Berlin time (CET/CEST)
Sat 20 Sep + Sun 21 Sep • Majuscules [2hr + Q&A] • starting 9am Berlin time (CET/CEST)
Check your time zone

WHERE: Online via Zoom

TICKETS: Sales open 18 July 2025

PRICE: EUR 175,00 • Check your currency

WHAT YOU’RE BUYING

Joining the class gives you access to:

  • 10 hours of live learning recorded for catching up in your own time (4 x recorded Zoom sessions, each providing 2 hours of instruction and 30 minutes of Q&A).

  • Cecilia’s alphabet exemplars, grid sheets and links to historical writing master books.

  • Access to an online platform (Padlet) allowing you to interact with your fellow students, share work, and be accountable with your practice.

  • recordings to watch until 22 Nov 2025 (7am CET) - add it to your diary!

LEARNER LEVEL: Experienced beginners

Important Sales Information

Tickets for Bastarda Italiana course will OPEN on the 18th July 2025 and will CLOSE on the 16th Sep 2025 (or until all places are filled)
(please note that depending on when you buy your tickets, you may miss a live class but will receive recordings and all relevant materials to join in and catch up).

Once you have registered for the class, you will receive an email and a PayPal proforma with the link to finalise your payment.
Once the payment has been processed, you will receive an email with the final confirmation that your seat in class is granted.

The Teacher

Cecilia started her calligraphy journey in 2013 specifically developing her eye for pointed pen styles.

She has studied and continues to study with world renowned teachers such as Iampeth Master Penman Harvest Crittenden, Maria Helena Hoksch, Rachel Yallop, Heather Victoria Held, Christopher Haanes, John Stevens, Toni Watts, Yves Leterme, Barry Morenz, Iampeth Master Penman Michael Kecseg.

She has been a member of the IAMPETH for several years and was awarded the IAMPETH Certificate of Proficiency in Engrossers (part of the new Master Penman Program) in April 2018 .

Since 2019 she has explored new forgotten calligraphic styles such as Bastarda Italiana, which she teaches online. In 2022 she was invited to do a demo at the online IAMPETH Virtual Conference of her Pointed Pen Roman Capitals. In 2025 she has taught Bastarda Italiana at the IAMPETH Conference in Norfolk, VA.

She is the founder at CeciliaB Calligraphy offering her students classes and private lessons and her clients bespoken calligraphy.

Find Cecilia online on Instagram

Suggested Materials

  • HOLDER: Cecilia will be using a straight holder, but feel free to use an oblique if you feel more comfortable.

  • NIBS: it’s not mandatory to have all the listed nibs, this is just a selection of the suggested nibs. If you have a couple of these, it will be more than enough to follow along and start your journey with Bastarda Italiana.

    Gillott303 (pointed nib) - suited for small x-heights

    LeonardtG (pointed nib) - suited for big x-heights

    Leonardt 41 Crown (pointed nib) - suited for medium x-heights

    Leonardt Round Hand nib #6 or Mitchell #6 (fine broadedge nib, just for your fun and curiosity if you want to try it, we will not be using this nib in class).

  • GUIDE SHEET: the giudeline sheet in PDF will be provided with the class handout.

  • PAPER: your usual practice paper provided it’s thin enough to see through (Cecilia uses Clairefontaine A4 Layout Pad / 80 sheets, 50g)

  • INK: Cecilia’s advice is that you use gouache, but walnut ink works as well. Basically all inks work, provided that they don’t flow too easily off the nib (fountain pen inks do that, if you want to use a fp ink be sure to add some gum arabic or honey to it).

Important Information

TERMS

Your place is secured once your payment has been processed. As the workshop recordings will be made available to students for a limited time after the event, no refunds will be offered for non-attendance.

DATA PROTECTION

As a stricter data protection regulation came into place in 2018 (GDPR), we follow specific guidelines on what we do with your personal information. In the case of booking a workshop, we will use your email address to keep you informed of everything you need to know in the lead up to the event. Please make sure our email address (info@pointedpencollective.com) and no-reply@squarespace.com is in your contacts or safe list to prevent it going to your junk or spam folder. We may contact you via phone if absolutely necessary. We will not use your contact details for any other purpose.

If you would like to stay informed about other upcoming events, please be sure to sign up to our mailing list or opt-in to this mailing list at checkout.

CONTACTS

Email: info@pointedpencollective.com (managed by Kate)
Instagram: @learnpointedpen (managed by Cecilia)