callig-beg-msg - 3/12/96
Hints for beginning calligraphers.
NOTE: See also the files: 4-newcomers-msg, calligraphy-msg, callig-suppl-msg, paper-msg, parchment-msg, scrpt-develop-art, quills-msg, Easy-Gilding-art.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: Peter Valentine <valenti at primenet.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Beginner Calligraphy Materials
Date: 8 May 1995 19:45:10 GMT
I have started trying my hand at calligraphy & illustration recently,
and was wondering if there are some good resources that I can use to
ensure that I am heading down the right path.
A couple of initial queries:
First, monograms, are we expected/allowed to place monograms on our
works as they do today?
The indication from modern calligrapy if that most if not all
calligraphers assemble the components of their favorite fonts and then
basically develop a unique lettering style, again another form of
signature. Is this practice discouraged in favor of accurately
reproducing period styles? Are variations within a period style
acceptable?
Wolfgang von Hesse
Baroney March of Mons Tonitras, Atenveldt
From: markgodwig at aol.com (MarkGodwig)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Beginner Calligraphy
Date: 14 May 1995 15:14:14 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
jerryn at crl.com (Kati Norris) writes:
I have taken up calligraphy and would like to get better at it. My
problem is I end up gripping the pen so tightly that my hand starts
to cramp up. Any suggestions?
Well, the easy and cheap advice is to relax. Once you get into the
Zen aspect of it, calligraphy can be surprisingly relaxing. But first you
need to figure this out. Just try to remember to breathe. As for not
strangling the pen, it helps to bear in mind that there needn't be much
physical effort in writing. With a good pen and ink, the ink flows out
easily from merely pressing the pen lightly against the writing surface.
Broad-nib calligraphy therefore requires less force from the hand than
might copperplate calligraphy, in which the downward force determines the
width of the line, or in the common mundane practice of writing with a
pencil, in which darkness of line is largely a function of pressing (and
gripping) hard. You have to unlearn some of the pencil habits.
On the easier but more expensive end, you might wish to consider what
you are using to support your writing. Are you doing calligraphy at the
kitchen table? This can get uncomfortable for the back and neck in a very
short while. A very good lap desk can be had for $50, and some with fewer
bells & whistles can be found for less. The better ones, which have
built-in sliding rulers etc. are recommended to aid you in writing guide
lines. For even faster guide lines, combine a ruler with an Ames
Lettering Guide, a handy little tool available in art or drafting supply
stores at a low enough price that I'm surprised they don't give them away
as prizes inside specially marked boxes of Frosted Scribal Flakes.
If you have the money and the space, a drafting table is also a
useful thing to own. Pitch it steeply enough that the cats don't sit on
it, and it can be a useful reminder to finish that scroll that's been
sitting there for the past few days/weeks/whatever.
Godwig Eadfrithing Jararvellir, Northshield, Middle Kingdom
Mark Gordon Madison, WI, USA
From: sclark at blues.epas.utoronto.ca (Susan Carroll-Clark)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Beginner Calligraphy Materials
Date: 9 May 1995 23:15:54 GMT
Organization: University of Toronto -- EPAS
Greetings!
Here's a slightly different perspective. The beginning calligrapher
should ask his/herself "what do I want out of my calligraphy"? There are
two basic responses. One is "I want to learn to letter beautifully
for SCA and modern purposes, and have it look essentially "medieval". For
this, Drogin and many of the modern manuals should provide ample hunting
ground. The second is "I want to reproduce the look and feel of medieval
script...including illumination, layout, etc." For this, start with Drogin,
but pick up Bernhard Bischoff's _An Introduction to Medieval Latin
Palaeography_, which will take you to the next level and give you the whole
history of script. (Then e-mail me--I have some script-specific bibliographies
if you're interested in a particular hand). Both approaches are valid--
but the scrolls that make my jaw drop are the ones in which both illumination
AND calligraphy look like someone ripped a page out of a medieval manuscript.
Cheers!
Nicolaa/Susan
Canton of Eoforwic
sclark at epas.utoronto.ca
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