Author Topic: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...  (Read 3551 times)

Offline Kukyukuwai

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You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« on: March 03, 2018, 07:30:52 PM »
Hello Everybody,

After spending almost six hours yesterday to write a letter to a dear friend — my first ever since (my attempt to) starting learning the engrosser's script hand two months ago — I had really weird dreams last night that involved louds of black ink all over the house :-)) so I woke up with the instant idea of sharing some of my writing to the forum, despite not feeling pleased at all with my general strokes and consistency of the letters.

I would very much appreciate reading your thoughts and sharp critique, especially since I'm not seeing any kind of improvement from myself for about two weeks now, ever since I got my oblique holder and the Leonardt Principal nib which were also used for this piece. If you need any close-up shots, just let me know.

”The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind: The access of perfection to the page.“ — Wallace Stevens

Offline InkyFingers

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2018, 09:59:49 PM »
Wow!  Brilliant!  I only wish I could do 10% this good.

Offline jeanwilson

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2018, 07:58:28 AM »
My standard contribution to critique is usually the spacing between words.
To my eye, tighter word spacing looks better.
There is a nice example of tight word spacing at the IAMPETH website.

https://www.iampeth.com/artwork/zanerian-certificate-engravers-script

If that link does not work, you can go to IAMPETH.com
click on Artwork
and scroll through until you find
Sample Zanerian Certificate
for Engrosser's Script
by Earl A. Lupfer

or do a search for it - and it should pop up.

Offline Kukyukuwai

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 10:40:35 AM »
Wow!  Brilliant!  I only wish I could do 10% this good.

In light of my recent efforts, that's really encouraging to read, thank you, InkyFingers!


My standard contribution to critique is usually the spacing between words.
To my eye, tighter word spacing looks better.
There is a nice example of tight word spacing at the IAMPETH website.

https://www.iampeth.com/artwork/zanerian-certificate-engravers-script

If that link does not work, you can go to IAMPETH.com
click on Artwork
and scroll through until you find
Sample Zanerian Certificate
for Engrosser's Script
by Earl A. Lupfer

or do a search for it - and it should pop up.

Cheers, Jean, that's a beautiful piece of advice.

I should do better in taking the time for research which I somehow skipped lately due to lack of time, etc.
Besides iampeth.com, could you recommend any other platforms that feature documents/manuscripts (written more recently)?

I'm preparing for writing a cover letter which I need for an application by April 1st, and I'm unsure about the layout I should be using.

Here's my first try after reading your thoughts this morning — it's probably a little better since I haven't drunk my morning coffee yet :-)

”The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind: The access of perfection to the page.“ — Wallace Stevens

Offline Bianca M

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2018, 02:37:11 PM »
Wow, look at those beautiful Ws!   Overall, this looks so good- consistent, good forms, etc.  I do suggest lightening up on your "thicks" for better balance.  Your hairlines are beautiful, but the eye is drawn primarily to your downstrokes/swells.  You're using a very flexible nib, so it'll require quite a bit more conscientiousness, but in time you'll achieve more slender, balanced strokes like the ones shown in the example Jean referenced.

Offline jeanwilson

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2018, 09:43:11 AM »
<<Besides iampeth.com, could you recommend any other platforms that feature documents/manuscripts (written more recently)?

The only thing I can think of is to check out individual scribes.
Two names popped into my head.

Jake Weidmann probably has some examples of large blocks of text.

For sheer beauty and consistency on large blocks of text - John Stevens is amazing - but I'm not sure he does much engrossers script.
So, you won't get specific help with that style. But for design and spacing - sheer elegance - John's work is top notch.

Hopefully others will chime in with the names of other scribes I am forgetting.... I know there are tons of them.
You might check Jake and John's IG - and see who they are following -

A recent IG post of John's mentions the need for people to practice the skill of writing large blocks of text.
I highly recommend both his IG as well as his website.
https://www.instagram.com/calligraphile/

This is the section on his website with many examples of blocks of text - don't miss the other sections.

http://www.johnstevensdesign.com/project/resolutions-documents/


Offline Kukyukuwai

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Re: You know Stevens' rolling in his grave...
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2018, 10:21:02 AM »
Bianca, Jean, you're both too kind. Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts, friendly advice and leads.

I will dedicate my weekend to browsing through the links you've shared, Jean, and I'll see from there.

If anyone else can add critique and suggestions on the pieces above, please chime in!
”The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind: The access of perfection to the page.“ — Wallace Stevens