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Topics - Erica McPhee

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 36
16
2023 Exchanges / Holiday 2023 Exchange Sign Ups are Now CLOSED
« on: November 03, 2023, 11:44:57 AM »
If you blinked, you may have missed most of this year as it flew by! It’s time for our final exchange of the year. As always a reminder that we have members from all over the world and many different religions so Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and many others' celebrations will be represented, expected, and welcomed.

Sign Up Deadline: Friday, November 17, 2023
Post Mark Deadline: Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Sign up form: now closed

NOTE:

- If you did not complete a past exchange you signed up for, you cannot participate.
- If you will be busy and cannot meet your obligation, please do not sign up. It is not OK to think, "Life happens" and not fulfill your obligation. It is OK if circumstances require you to send your exchanges late, however, you will still not be able to participate in an exchange until yours are sent.
- You must be a registered, activated member and you must have made at least one post, introductory or otherwise, in order to participate.

As always, the following guidelines apply:

1. Calligraphy should be used on both your exchange insert and envelope.
2. You will send a card to every member on your list (typically 7-9 members).
3. Must be related to the theme.
4. All skill levels welcome!
5. If you end up not being able to participate, please contact me ASAP. If you don't send your cards after the list has gone out, you will not be able to participate in the next exchange.
6. You must sign up before the deadline. No late sign ups.
7. HAVE FUN!

17
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Happy Halloween
« on: October 31, 2023, 01:28:01 PM »
I hope my listmates have received their cards by now. If not, spoiler alert.  ;D

The cards were done in ProCreate. But I handsigned the originals. For the envelopes, I used a style done by E.L Brown which I really love and hope to one day create a class for if there is interest.

Happy Halloween!  :-*

18
Technical Support & Feedback / How To Resize Photos for Web - 3 Methods
« on: October 31, 2023, 12:51:34 PM »
The best practice for scanning your work is to always scan at a minimum of 300 dpi. For even crisper images, 600 or even 1200 dpi work best. But 300 seems to be the agreed upon minimum. Anything lower and you lose resolution.

However, this makes a rather large file size - usually over 1.5 mb. You can then resize for web viewing while retaining the sharpness of your work.

I resize in photoshop for web viewing and keep the size at about 1,000 px wide and then 72 dpi. Following are three other methods if you do not have photoshop.

You can use a free online image resizer like Adobe.

You can use a free app called “Image Size” that has excellent reviews and seems pretty straightforward.
Image Size for Apple
Image size for Android

If you have an iPhone or ipad, there is another great, easy option. This is to use the “shortcut” app to create a shortcut to create the web sized image. Shortcut App on YouTube.

Hope that helps!

19
The Library / Sull’s Manual of Advanced Penmanship
« on: October 28, 2023, 01:50:31 PM »
If you are at all interested in Spencerian Penmanship, you know the name Michael R. Sull, as the two are often spoken of hand-in-hand. The calligraphic community has just received the most incredible gift in Sull’s new book, Sull’s Manual of Advanced Penmanship in which he does a deep dive into his 40 years of experience to share all he has learned. Chapters include American Cursive Handwriting, Ornamental Penmanship, Flourishing, and an extended appendix. What sets it apart from other calligraphy books is the depth and breadth of the experience Sull shares which so few in modern times have encountered.

Sull admits right in the preface that from the beginning of his career, he chose to write with combination muscular movement rather than whole arm movement. This may cause many a modern-day calligrapher to sigh in relief knowing they can openly embrace finger, wrist, and muscular movement. He further explains his reason for writing the advanced book was to preserve all he has learned and created over his extensive career that was not published in any existing text. This includes his Spencerian-styled monogram designs, Masterpiece Flourishing (a technique Sull created to emulate the lavish pen-work seen in The Universal Penman), signature writing, and the complex capital letters affectionately named super twisters. He also includes novelty penmanship styles such as connected, relay, cross, backwards, and puzzle writing.

In Chapter 2: Ornamental Penmanship, Sull explains the foundational elements of advanced penmanship such as curvature, negative space, line quality, shading, balance, and spontaneity & movement. These are the secrets to advanced lettering and composition that so few books address in detail. He further drills it down to ink qualities and condition of the pen point. Every question you’d hope to have answered by a master penman has been captured by the kind gentleman who has shared his knowledge with eager students all over the world.

Perhaps the most delicious part of the book includes tips for flourishing, how to manipulate shaded strokes, and extensive instruction on twister capitals. Included are several examples of ornamental capital variations. Beyond that, Sull explains in-depth how to lay out finished pieces, line breaks, negative space, flourish density, and composition. These are perhaps the most important insights we could hope to have shared with us to study, absorb, and apply in our own work. Very few of the many, many classes I have taken over the years discussed details such as shade control, understanding the use of curves, and the balancing of letters and flourishing in depth. Sull has left no detail out of this generous master class.

Last, but certainly not least, is the section on off-hand and title flourishing which includes instruction for bird flourishing, artistic line work, filigree, and banners. The final pages cover Sull’s self-titled Masterpiece Flourishing which simplifies what appears as complex - the flourishing seen in George Bickham’s The Universal Penman. This is the only instruction of its kind and Sull leaves no stone unturned in sharing his legacy.

Not to be missed is the awe-inspiring story of the Master’s Pen: a pen made from 40-million-year-old amber Sull sourced from Russia and 5,000-year-old bog oak. I’ll save the rest of the story for enticed readers. The manual finishes with handouts, exercises, guide sheets, historical and modern work from many of today’s accomplished calligraphers (all students of Michael R. Sull), and Sull’s “Secret of the Ovals” which I won’t reveal. But I highly recommend you purchase the book to find out!

Erica McPhee
P.S. The images are my practice from the book.

20
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Many, Many Thanks!
« on: October 28, 2023, 01:05:19 AM »
There are so many members who have helped make Flourish a success over the past ten years. A great big thank you to every member who has answered questions, welcomed members, shared their work, calligraphy thoughts, and participated in exchanges. I’d also like to say thank you to those Super Hero Members who have been with us almost since the start and are still here contributing on a regular basis. I could not do it without you!  :-*

@AnsaziWrites - you have been here since early 2014 and have logged almost as many hours as me! Thank you for all of your contributions and for participating in so many exchanges. It has been a true pleasure watching your skill improve over the years and being a part of your journey.

@Ken Fraser  - you also joined in early 2014 and even though I have almost 7,000 posts and you have over 2,000, you have started more topics than me! Thank you for sharing your work with us and inspiring us over the years.

@JanisTX - you have been with us since early 2014 and are one of our top 10 posters. Thank you for giving so much to our community!

@Starlee - you joined us in December 2013 - a SuperHero who rarely misses an exchange. We appreciate all you have done for us!

@jeanwilson - you joined us in 2014. We miss seeing your wisdom and detailed posts but thank you for the in-depth information you have shared with us.

@Estefa - you joined us in November 2013 - almost the very beginning! Your insightful and educational posts have helped us all so many times. Thank you!

Thank you to our past Super Heros and so many others who may not have reached 1,000 posts but still contribute so much! We are so grateful for each and every one of you. As a member once said, “Come for the calligraphy, stay for the people!”

21
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Happy 10 Year Anniversary Flourish!
« on: October 28, 2023, 01:04:24 AM »
Ten years ago today, our first member signed up at Flourish Forum! Happy 10th Anniversary! One thousand, one hundred, and thirty-nine hours. Several times per day, almost every single day for the past ten years. That is how much time I have put in online for Flourish. This does not include the countless hours offline. And I have loved every minute of it! When I started this adventure ten years ago today, I had no idea where it would lead. Today we have thousands of members from all over the world and together we have created a truly incredible resource for calligraphers everywhere.

When we started in 2013, Instagram was just getting started, and there was only one online calligraphy learning site! One! I received a little bit of fuss over creating free tutorials when I launched the forum for fear I would hurt business. LOL – we had no idea what was to come! Today there are a plethora of online calligraphy classes, tutorials, YouTube videos, Insta reels, and more. And we are all better students and artists because of it.

Seeing other calligraphers do calligraphy and studying their work has helped me to grow and improve so much over the past decade. I relearned Engrosser’s Script and have been studying and practicing my Spencerian, as well as many other different hands. Who knew the internet would help calligraphy to grow and thrive over the years!

I would like to thank our many members for always being so willing to answer questions, share their work, and participate in exchanges. We have Super Hero Members (those with over 1,000 posts) who have been with us almost since the beginning. @Ken_Fraser has started more topics than me! @AnasaziWrites has logged almost as many hours as me. And @gloria_dawn is our longest standing member, who participates in almost every exchange. There are so many more who have dedicated so much time to helping us all.

Things have changed so much for me in the past ten years, including moving four times! A change in my husband’s employment has put me back to work and I am currently wrapping up a calligraphic calendar for 2024. I also have plans for a new artistic adventure which I will be announcing shortly. Finally, I have been working for almost 5 years on my Flourishing book. This is a very deep dive into the world of flourishing, Engrosser’s Script, and capital variations. And I seriously cannot wait for it to be ready! I sincerely hope it will go to print in the first part of next year.

As a special thank you for being a part of Flourish and helping us create this amazing calligraphy community, I have used one of the illustrations I created for my upcoming calendar to design a year-at-a-glance calendar PDF that can be downloaded from the forum. You have to be logged in to download. Calendar

P.S. Check out our new logo!

22
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Twisters
« on: October 20, 2023, 10:25:31 AM »
Anyone else practicing their Twisters from Michael Sull's new book?! So fun!

23
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Michael Sull’s new book
« on: October 19, 2023, 11:08:47 AM »
This is me when I opened the amazon box yesterday…

Michael Sull’s new book, “Sull’s Manual of Advanced Penmanship” has arrived! This is a must have for every Spencerian enthusiast. It is full of knowledge and beautiful exemplars.
 
Amazon affiliate link:
Sull’s Manual of Advanced Penmanship

24
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Happy Birthday sign
« on: October 08, 2023, 12:45:11 PM »
For those of you who haven’t seen this Happy Birthday bit from comedian John Mulaney, it’s a must watch for lettering artists and calligraphers. We’ve all been there when trying to put together a piece without doing a mock up. Hilarious because I did exactly what he talks about when I was a kid! (Any maybe still do sometimes…)   ;D

Note: One curse word is used.


25
A Flourish favorite! Our annual Day of the Dead | Halloween Exchange sign ups are now closed.


Sign up Deadline: Wed, Sept 27, 2023
Postmark Deadline: Mon, Oct 16, 2023

Sign Ups are now closed.

YOU MUST SIGN UP VIA THE FORM ABOVE OR YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED SIGNED UP. You should receive a confirmation email.

NOTE:

1. If you did not complete a past exchange you signed up for, you cannot participate.
2. If you will be busy and cannot meet your obligation, please do not sign up. It is not OK to think, "Life happens" and not fulfill your obligation. It is OK if circumstances require you to send your exchanges late, however, you will still not be able to participate in an exchange until yours are sent.
3. You must be a registered, activated member and you must have made at least one post, introductory or otherwise, in order to participate.

As always, the following guidelines apply:

1. Calligraphy should be used on both your exchange insert and envelope.
2. You will send a card to every member on your list (typically 7-9 members).
3. Must be related to the theme.
4. All skill levels welcome!
5. If you end up not being able to participate, please contact me ASAP. If you don't send your cards after the list has gone out, you will not be able to participate in the next exchange.
6. You must sign up before the deadline. No late sign ups.
7. HAVE FUN!

26
Inktober 2022 / MOVED: Inktober 2023 - Preliminary
« on: September 12, 2023, 09:16:16 AM »

27
Open Flourish | General Discussion / An Egg-celent Pen-Pal
« on: September 07, 2023, 10:24:33 AM »

28
Workshops & Conference News / Calligraphy Envelope Pro Class
« on: September 06, 2023, 02:50:06 PM »
Liz Yung from Flourished Hope Designs has created a new class detailing everything calligraphers want to know about addressing envelopes. The class is very well done with easy to follow modules including making a DIY drying rack, envelope liners, wax seals, envelope etiquette, using gold ink, and more. For those looking to make calligraphy their business - she also covers wedding envelope addressing and pricing considerations.

Check it out: Calligraphy Envelope Pro:)

29
2023 Exchanges / Fly Away with Me 2023
« on: August 16, 2023, 11:29:43 AM »
Is it a bird, a butterfly, a flying squirrel? Is it an airplane, a UFO, or a weather balloon? Whatever flies will fly for this one!

Join us for the Fly Away with Me exchange.

Sign Up Deadline: Sun, Aug 27, 2023
Postmark Deadline: Wed, Sept 13, 2023

Sign Up form: sign ups are now closed.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of issues with spam bots, the form is now password protected.

YOU MUST SIGN UP VIA THE FORM ABOVE OR YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED SIGNED UP. You should receive a confirmation email.

NOTE:

1. If you did not complete a past exchange you signed up for, you cannot participate.
2. If you will be busy and cannot meet your obligation, please do not sign up. It is not OK to think, "Life happens" and not fulfill your obligation. It is OK if circumstances require you to send your exchanges late, however, you will still not be able to participate in an exchange until yours are sent.
3. You must be a registered, activated member and you must have made at least one post, introductory or otherwise, in order to participate.

As always, the following guidelines apply:

1. Calligraphy should be used on both your exchange insert and envelope.
2. You will send a card to every member on your list (typically 7-9 members).
3. Must be related to the theme.
4. All skill levels welcome!
5. If you end up not being able to participate, please contact me ASAP. If you don't send your cards after the list has gone out, you will not be able to participate in the next exchange.
6. You must sign up before the deadline. No late sign ups.
7. HAVE FUN!

30
Everyday Handwriting | Penmanship / Transcribe Historical Penmanship
« on: August 14, 2023, 03:16:49 PM »
As member @Zivio alerted us, there are several opportunities to transcribe historical documents for the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and others. This thread is to create a clean link to these opportunities.  :) See original thread here: Historic Penmanship Volunteer Opportunities


Smithsonian

National Archives Citizen Archivist mission

Library of Congress

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