Of course I'm a geek

[seanlanefuller]

Thanks so much for the guidance.

I should have known about not splitting it 50/50.  When I take photographs of the horizon I know not to do that.  Pictures of the ocean always look better with the sky taking up 1/3 or 2/3 and not 1/2.

The space filling also makes sense.  That will be harder because of my lack of mastery of the lettering and flourish.  I'm game though.

I think I will just do the best job I can for now and then maybe return and do some of the same quotes after I have more practice and better technique.  It might be fun to compare maybe a year from now.

[seanlanefuller]

How about this version?  Can I combine the big ship drawing and letters together?

[jeanwilson]

I should have known about not splitting it 50/50.  When I take photographs of the horizon I know not to do that.  Pictures of the ocean always look better with the sky taking up 1/3 or 2/3 and not 1/2.

The space filling also makes sense.  That will be harder because of my lack of mastery of the lettering and flourish.  I'm game though.

I think I will just do the best job I can for now and then maybe return and do some of the same quotes after I have more practice and better technique.  It might be fun to compare maybe a year from now.

Yes - design principles are universal. It is so helpful to reference design principles that you use in another area of your life and apply them to calligraphy. Integrating is usually better than compartmentalizing.

You are wise to dive in and try things when you are feeling adventurous. Not a good idea if you are a first year medical student hoping for a career in brain surgery, but perfectly harmless with pen and paper. You don't need to be timid at art. Or intimidated by teachers who have a strict recipe for how to achieve your goal.

Your plan to keep revisiting the project is a great plan. Once upon a time, a fellow guild member with no art background asked me for advice on how to get better at layouts. I recommended she choose one quote and do a new version every single day. I would see her monthly at guild meetings and she showed me the pages. It was clear that she was getting better and more creative as well as more refined. She went along for several months - did not make it through a full year, but, she agreed that it was a very valuable exercise. I'm glad you thought of it yourself. Your understanding of the multiple tasks of learning the skills of lettering as well as the skills of design will serve you well.

Other forum readers might want to join you. Daily, weekly, monthly - choose a quote and post all the different ways it can be rendered.

[jeanwilson]

How about this version?  Can I combine the big ship drawing and letters together?

Why - yes you can.
Calligrams are a wonderful way to loosen up. When I first got into calligraphy, I thought they were cheezy. Then, a guild member requested that we do a program on them. I didn't want to do it, but, did not have any better suggestion and figured I would learn something by trying to do something that did not appeal to me. I was pleasantly surprised that they are really fun to do. And all the people at the program were amazed at how well they did - on their first try. So, I started to offer them in my classes, towards the end of a session, as one more way to brainstorm a design. If your lettering is not quite ready to stand on its own, a calligram can be a nice way to present the quote and let the image help your lettering shine. Of course, it can go the other way....but even if the lettering and the image are both completely wonky, it can still be charming - because it is heartfelt.

Your ship is a wonderful example. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully it will inspire others to try some calligrams. I just Googled calligram and there are a ton of examples. Then I did a search on Pinterest and was even more impressed with the selection. Pinterest has the cream of the crop. If you do not have a Pinterest account, it is worth it to sign up just to use the search option.

The repetition of the word sail-sail-sail is very effective. You might try writing -water- multiple times to create tiny waves - more in scale with the ship.

There is enough space between the words -to steer- to drop the tail of the p in ship down into that space.

Thanks again for sharing.

[seanlanefuller]

I got a lot of books for Christmas.  I decided to concentrate on Copperplate.  I have been doing exercises.  I see so many things I can improve upon.  I'm hoping that I will get more precise, smooth, and consistent as I practice more and more.  I have already been asked if I take jobs.  I've said I'm not ready for that.  My wife did ask me to create two birthday cards.  I will definitely be doing those of course.

[Mike A]

I think the sailing calligram is great Sean - particularly the last version. Jean has some good suggestions. The only thing I would add is that I don't think the word star, at the top left, helps - it draws my eye away from the main part of the image. I think moderate use of the 'ink-drop' or drawn stars are good - perhaps a subtle arc shape of them would form a 'frame' for the top of the image?

I hope you'll do a final version of this - I'd love to see it! Keep up the great work!

[seanlanefuller]

Thanks, Mike.  You are right about the word "star".  I got carried away with making everything a word.  I had to quickly give that one away because an old friend was leaving town and I wanted to give him something.  You are also right about the ink spots.  I learned how to do it and started adding them to everything for a while.  It is an easy way to fill the page and give it depth.  I overused it on several calligraphy drawings for a while.  I plan to do a version of this for myself some day and post it.  Thanks so much for the feedback.  There is so much to learn.