Beit Yosef script

This sheet is intended to be used in conjunction with the laws of letter forms as
given by the Mishnah Berurah in Mishnat Soferim.
Verticals and horizontals: learn to make rectangles with clean lines and neat
corners; four rightangles. !et a feel for the effect of "en angle on your rectangles.
!et into the habit of "ulling your "en# not "ushing it.
Basic letter beit: joining vertical and horizontal strokes in a controlled way. !et a feel
for letter "ro"ortion. $emember never to "ush your "en. %ver.
&urves. $eish: a smooth curve from a horizontal line to a vertical line. 'traight khaf:
same# but learn to control when you turn. Vav: learn to turn early and control when
you sto".
(n the ideal world# vav has an e)tra vertical stroke inside the leg# so that the outside
of the corner is a curve and the inside is a rightangle.
&losed mem: an e)ercise in sto""ing. *earn to bring a horizontal into an e)isting
vertical to make a neat join# without overshooting.
+"ward curves; a smooth stroke from horizontal to vertical.
Bent khaf: joining a downward curve to an u"ward curve# as for closed mem; such
that the join doesn,t show. 'amekh and straight "eh: same idea# different
configurations.
-ine lines. *earn to use the "oint of the nib# ti""ed u" sideways# as a very
small "en# to "ull ink out of a letter while it is still wet and sha"e it into lines.
.ow you can use this skill to give beit its two corners# its tag# and its heel. /ou can
also attach a vav to a bent khaf and adorn the vav# to give lamed.
-ine lines also give you a method of making the curves on the righthand sides of
letters. /ou need it for yud; you may choose to use it also for bent khaf.
Tilted vav is made like a regular vav# but with the nib at a stee" angle to the line#
rather than "er"endicular to it# and without the rightangle inside the corner.
Tilted vav# a sort of s0uarefooted khaf# and a fine line will give you o"en mem.
&ombining a neat rectangle# a neat vertical# a stroke starting at an angle to the line#
a righthandside curve# and some fine lines gives you tet. .ote the relative heights
of the taggin: from left to right low# high# medium.
1arallelograms: symmetric legs. 1en angle is the key here. 'ymmetric leg skills give
you zayin.
2en Taylor -riedman# 3445.
6ne can also make a symmetric leg with two strokes. This is useful for straight nun.
7ayin 8 fine lines 9 basic het.
(deally# het,s to"right corner is rounded. This uses the same curve techni0ue as for
yud.
Bent khaf 8 zayin 9 kuf.
:symmetric legs. There are several o"tions for asymmetric legs. &hoose one you
like and use that. -or instance# one can use a symmetric leg at an angle# use curve
techni0ues to construct a less symmetric leg# or rotate the nib during the stroke to
create a wedge.
&learly# this gives dalet. : variety of dalets.
;hich leads to hey and gimel.
-ine control: nun
'imilar techni0ue: tav
More fine control: bent "eh.
Tilted yud: sha"e with nib "oint.
(n different configurations and with greater or lesser involvement of other skills# will
give you straight tzaddi# shin and ale"h.
:yin,s foot is made with at least two strokes. 'tart at the bottom and "ull it u"wards.
'u"erfine control: bent tzaddi.
2en Taylor -riedman# 3445.