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General Categories => Design & Layout => Topic started by: Erica McPhee on January 01, 2015, 02:50:15 AM

Title: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 01, 2015, 02:50:15 AM
Hello Flourish Friends! We have a new board! In celebration, I created this mini-tutorial (PDF attached for download below) to help explain design principles and how they apply to creating a calligraphy piece. Enjoy and as always, let me know if you have any questions.

Also, I highly recommend these design resources (affiliate links):




 Before & After Design magazine (http://www.bamagazine.com/)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 01, 2015, 02:56:25 AM
Here it is as a JPG.
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: federart on January 01, 2015, 05:35:11 AM
Hi Erica,

thank you so much. That's great ;)
Enjoy your new Years Day.

Best regards,
Jenny
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: JanisTX on January 01, 2015, 08:14:07 AM
Thanks, Erica!  That is super helpful!!

Janis
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Moya on January 01, 2015, 08:25:27 AM
Awesome!!! Thank you! This is going to become the place I learn a LOT!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: flourishmetoo on January 01, 2015, 08:46:27 AM
Thank you Erica! This is a treasured gift. I am flourishing because of this forum.  :)

Kim
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Matt on January 01, 2015, 09:33:59 AM
Erica,

Thank you for your helpful post with .pdf guide and the list of books! Exactly what I was looking for to guide me as I take calligraphy from letter form practice to projects. Thanks so much and Happy New Year!

Best,
Matt
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Sarah Foutz on January 01, 2015, 12:27:27 PM
Wow, Erica, this is awesome!!! I am so excited to practice this stuff. But first, to the paper store I go! Woo hoo! (new year, New budget, right?)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: SarahP on January 01, 2015, 01:58:13 PM
Thanks, Erica! Happy New Year to you! :)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Nickkih on January 01, 2015, 03:25:31 PM
Thank you Erica - now I know what I've been doing wrong
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Marcia Aronow on January 01, 2015, 03:59:18 PM
Erica, your design guide is so helpful & very much appreciated!  Happy 2015 to you & the entire Flourish community.
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Shanti on January 01, 2015, 09:58:09 PM
This is so helpful and I truly appreciate this. I can't wait to be on this forum more this year!
Happy New Year everyone!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: patweecia on January 01, 2015, 11:13:44 PM
thank you erica!  as always, you're super helpful :)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Monica on January 02, 2015, 10:45:03 AM
thank you, this is awesome :)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: jeanwilson on January 02, 2015, 12:16:39 PM
Another tip when you are designing a piece that is to be framed.
If you are not going to have a custom frame, it is wise to have a selection of standard sized mats.
You may want to adjust your layout so that it fits nicely within the dimensions of the opening.

Or if you do not want to have mats on hand, you may draw a pencil line for reference.
I like to do layouts on graph paper.
It helps to keep things in a grid, which is one of the tips on the PDF.

When doing commissioned pieces, it is wise to discuss the framing before you do the artwork.
You may ask clients with a modest budget to supply the mat and frame and then you can do the
artwork to suit the frame.

Most clients appreciate suggestions for frames and I like to steer them towards choices that I think will look best.
It is always sad to see a nice piece of art that has been stuck in the wrong frame
because somebody did not have a good eye for how to frame the piece.

Jean
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 02, 2015, 04:49:34 PM
Excellent point Jean! And to be sure you are allowing enough white space around the design once it is matted and/or framed.
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: ElmaC on January 05, 2015, 04:24:31 AM
Thank you Erica for the tutorial! And thank you Jean for the tips about framing, I am learning so much here!  :)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: thistledesignstudio on January 05, 2015, 03:17:18 PM
You're just the best lovely Erica!  :D
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Erica McPhee on January 05, 2015, 11:23:33 PM
You're just the best lovely Erica!  :D

Aww... I'm going to sleep with a smile on my face.  :)
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Joel on January 11, 2015, 09:39:14 AM
Thank you so much Erica for the Tutorial!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: chantellehoffmann on January 16, 2015, 12:45:44 AM
Super appreciate this pdf, Erica! Thank you. Learning the correct letterforms is a fun challenge and I really like it. But the ambiguity of "design" scares me. If all I ever wrote was letters on lined paper or addresses on envelopes I would be set ;). Ha ha. This is the year to learn more about proper design elements. Thank you for starting the year off properly for me!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: chiarag on January 16, 2015, 04:48:22 AM
Hello Flourish Friends! We have a new board! In celebration, I created this mini-tutorial (PDF attached for download below) to help explain design principles and how they apply to creating a calligraphy piece. Enjoy and as always, let me know if you have any questions.


I just received THE NON DESIGNERS DESIGN BOOK - can't wait to read and practice!
Thanks for the tip
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: HeatherLeFebvre on January 26, 2015, 06:54:32 AM
Thank you Erica!!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: primpandpaper on October 22, 2015, 02:16:25 AM
Thank you for this concise tutorial, Erica!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: anamer on February 19, 2016, 09:28:55 AM
Thanks for sharing this Erica!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: DebbieIgnatowski on March 30, 2016, 12:18:24 PM
Thank you Erica--learning how to put everything together is so important, and this information will be so helpful.

Debbie I.
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Tasmith on March 31, 2016, 12:03:46 PM
I have just put your three recommended books on my Amazon wish list!
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: misstinydoodler on April 04, 2016, 03:19:53 AM
Oh wow! Thanks so much for this, Erica!!!  :-*
Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: The.SardaarJi on January 19, 2017, 01:34:30 AM
Hello @Erica McPhee

Thanks for the resources.

Regards
Aman

Hello Flourish Friends! We have a new board! In celebration, I created this mini-tutorial (PDF attached for download below) to help explain design principles and how they apply to creating a calligraphy piece. Enjoy and as always, let me know if you have any questions.

Title: Re: Design Tips for Calligraphers
Post by: Arabic calligraphy on April 27, 2017, 12:03:13 AM
Really , it is very helpful hints  .....Thanks