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Topics - jeanwilson

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16
Open Flourish | General Discussion / the loss of a few pens
« on: March 09, 2016, 01:14:00 PM »
Anasazi requested that Empty of Clouds move this discussion to a new topic.

I apologize for using your *pen-names* but I do not know your given names.

Anasazi, your comments sound like you think EoC is making excuses over the loss of a few pens. I think he was pretty open about many of the circumstances going on in his life. We all struggle with how to find the right (and affordable) creative outlet to balance the other parts of our lives. I appreciate that EoC has shared some very personal feelings. The friendships we make on these forums can end up being very personal. Some FF members would prefer we stick to business. Sometimes I don't have time to read through all the personal posts. Other times the FF becomes an oasis where I can jabber away because I want to take a break from the mind-numbing things that I deal with on a daily basis (really elderly family members - nuf said). Yesterday I took envelopes to decorate during a 2 hour wait in a waiting room. Calligraphy can be a life-saver or brain-saver. So, sometimes, when we lapse into topics that are not just business - it's helpful in other ways.

EoC, thank you for sharing your story on the FF. If I broke all of my handmade oblique pens at once (and I only have 3) it would take me a while to recover and it would be hard for me to decide if I wanted to spend the money to replace them - even though I could do it in 3 clicks and the shipping would be minimal.

Your comments about the difficulties of your residence seem valid. I had the best trip of my entire life - visiting a few spots on the south end of the south island in NZ. Unless you have been there, I don't think anyone can appreciate exactly how remote it is. Also - it is a very expensive place to live. And I want to apologize for being a tourist - yikes - they really are swarming all over the place.

So...we have a new thread to continue the discussion. I looked at your work, EoC, on IG - and IMHO, you have really pretty penmanship and you are too critical of your work. No, it is not the crazy-mad-skill level - but it reflects a level of care that is beyond beginner level. Since writing is an everyday activity, I bet you will be drawn in once again.  Even if you never dip into ink again, you can have an immense amount of enjoyment with other kinds of tools.

17
Open Flourish | General Discussion / translation help
« on: February 29, 2016, 02:17:46 PM »
can anyone tell me what this says?


18
Tools & Supplies / Slider Writer Laser Liner for guidelines
« on: November 23, 2015, 06:06:57 PM »
Recently, there was a thread about using lasers for guidelines instead of penciling them.
Most people were recommending the ones you get from the hardware store.
I forgot all about this one which is for calligraphers.
John Neal carries it.
Maybe someone on the forum has one and can discuss it.

ww.johnnealbooks.com/ 
search for the name of the item or the product code.

S937. SliderWriter Laser Liner

This amazing tool eliminates the need to draw guidelines by projecting a line using a laser. No more erasing the pencil lines from envelopes!

Especially useful for dark or lined envelopes that are to opaque too use a light box and master guidelines. Note that only one line is projected and will only provide a baseline for your writing.

The unique design of this tool keeps your paper in place with the paperholder. There is a built-in ruler, as well as a 3/4" Calligraphy Guide, so the lines can easily be spaced evenly. Included are two large rubber bands that allow simple placement of vertical margins.

Left-handers can use this as well. Simply unscrew the clip and then screw it back into the holes on the opposite side of the board.


This product uses a Class 3R laser and is not suitable for use by children. It is not a toy. As with laser pointing devices, the laser beam should never be pointed at anyone. The laser beam pointed directly at the eye has potential to cause damage. Be careful of a reflected beam as well. Do not use around children whose eyes would be level with the Slider Writer in use.

19
The Library / Robert Genn's articles for artists (and calligraphers)
« on: November 13, 2015, 06:01:24 PM »
http://painterskeys.com/

This is a link to a website with letters (articles) written by Canadian artist Robert Genn. Robert passed away in 2014 and his daughter, Sara, (also an artist) re-posts some of his letters and writes some new ones as well. You can subscribe to the letters and receive two letters a week or read them online in the archive. Many of the topics apply to calligraphy as well as the lettering arts. The range of topics is very broad.

At the top of the website, to the right, there is a tab called Art Quotes with over 370 topics. It is a wonderful resource for quotes for calligraphers to letter.

Today's letter is a good one:
http://painterskeys.com/wabi-sabi/

20
Just for fun, I asked Google and I was very pleased with the very first hit.
I don't even have anything to add to this description.
Maybe this will be a very short thread  ;)

http://www.denisdutton.com/rnz_craft.htm

21
I just saw this on Pinterest - 13 free exemplars of fun and easy techniques and lettering styles for beginners - using broad edge markers - including brush markers. While my first contact with the broad edge was very traditional italic, using nibs and ink, I really didn't fall in love with italic lettering until I started playing around with all the loose casual styles that you can do with these colorful markers. In my classes, I always offer both ends of the spectrum. Some people do not have the patience to stick with the the traditional lessons. The fun, loose, playful styles can be a very creative alternative.

http://www.kuretake.co.uk/Craftingwithkuretake/Pentechniques/letteringideas.aspx

22
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Hobbit writing
« on: January 29, 2015, 06:47:50 AM »
A nice article about the person who created the lettering for the Lord of the Rings films

http://imgur.com/gallery/2zMBx

23
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Touching up and correcting lettering
« on: December 24, 2014, 08:11:04 AM »
Andy T wrote:
A new thread on the relative merits of spontaneity and precision would be most welcome.

Precision is different from perfection. Good scribes aim for precision but understand that perfection is an unrealistic expectation. Spontaneity is that lovely quality where you can see that the writing was done with enough speed that the scribe had some serious confidence to *nail it.* To have complete control - and speed - only comes with time.

Rock stars who teach (at least the ones I have encountered) always include tips on how to do successful touching up. If you go back and add a tiny bit of ink to fill in a tiny gap or straighten an edge, it is not cheating and if done successfully, it is imperceptible. If you can scrape away a tiny bit of ink with a scalpel, again, that is not cheating. It is just doing your job.

Any job that is done for reproduction may have as much cut and paste and correcting fluid as necessary. It is not to be framed. The goal is entirely different.

The hardest place to do any touch up would be a hairline flourish in Spencerian...but, I bet there are people who can do it. Not me.

IMHO, corrections are different from touch ups. Many scribes become very skilled at making corrections. If you are addressing envelopes and have extras, it may be easier to just address a new envelope. If the envelope took 5 minutes to address and the ZIP code has a 1 instead of a 7, you might be able to correct that in 30 seconds. It's not cheating, and it does not invalidate your title of *calligrapher.*

All of the rock stars instructors of the classes I have taken, have shared stories about mistakes and corrections. I would be very interested to hear if anyone who is actually making a living as a scribe would suggest that touching up and corrections are not acceptable. That sounds like a comment coming from someone who has an opinion, but not much experience in the day to day life of a scribe.

I had one client who said to me, "I assume there will be no mistakes, since you are a professional." I politely told him that I was not perfect and mistakes happen and while I proof my work, the final responsibility for catching mistakes was actually his responsibility. When I delivered the job, I returned the address list. There were 5 mistakes on his list that I had caught. I circled them. I told him that I had caught 5 typos and corrected them....and if he could find 5 errors (made by me) in the envelopes, then we would be *even.*

I'm sure he would have been thrilled to find a mistake in my envelopes, but I did not hear from him, so I assume they were all fine.
I do think it is important when doing envelopes to remind the client that they need one more final proofing by the client. This would be something I would include on a contract if I ever used contracts.

Jean
Lettering Artist
(See, I don't even call myself a calligrapher - there are too many conflicting opinions surrounding that title - I have a degree in Art and the subject matter of my art includes letters. It is of no concern to me if anyone thinks they are beautiful.)

24
Introductions / Hello from Iowa
« on: October 18, 2014, 08:03:24 PM »
Hi everyone:
I exchanged envelopes with Erica many years ago and am just getting around to joining the forum.
Every single day, for nearly 5 years, I have posted a new decorated envelope on my blog:
pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com
The blog includes a mixture of my own envelopes as well as the ones I receive.

In addition to teaching I do a fair amount of commissioned work.
I look forward to the conversations on the forum.

Jean Wilson
Des Moines, Iowa

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