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. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: Peter Valentine 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 Edited by Mark S. 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