Topics

1

Tools & Supplies / Gillot pen company

« on: December 12, 2016, 05:57:52 PM »

Seems like Gillot is going to be my the grinch for me this Christmas! My Mother ordered me some 303's for Christmas. But they have not told the vendor why and when they will get their order so I can get mine. I  figured they would be a better company than this. I hate the words back order!

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Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Gothic Fraktur Hand course

« on: May 25, 2016, 10:50:05 AM »

Hello Gang,

I wanted some opinions on something. I purchased a course for Fraktur. I have been struggling trying to learn it for years. I like this fellows style so I got it. Anyways one of the things he says to do is trace the letters for some time and then try on your own. Do you think this is a ideal way of learning them? I trace them and they look great. I try on my own and they look not so great. I just don't feel right tracing them. Maybe I have to trace them for a long time and get the muscle memory on the strokes, I don't know. What do you think?

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Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / paul antonio's scope

« on: February 10, 2016, 06:02:56 PM »

I know a lot of you here have been watching Paul's scopes. The one he posted today about straight vs. oblique holders was very interesting. However I have been struggling with this every since I started pointed pen. When I started calligraphy I googled it and Paul's videos popped up and I immediately felt a connection. I have tried to use a straight holder and failed. I tried off on on ever since and failed. My tines will cross, the lines are not even. It scratches real bad. I know a lot of you are going to give your straight holders a go, but I am curious will you stick with them? or go back to the oblique? I have personally ask this question to IAMPETH and was told I use my oblique with everything except business handwriting and flourishing. Thoughts?

4

Show & Tell / Look what I found

« on: September 13, 2015, 06:47:06 PM »

I like to browse Good Will stores here in America for Calligraphy books or supplies. You can always get a good deal. I finished looking at the books and did not find anything. So I went over to the  portrait section that has paintings and such. I see some really nice script so I picked it up and looked at it. It was very beautiful. I turned it over and it read Calligraphy by John Decollibus Jr. I was ecstatic to say the least! I paid $1.57 frame and all. So happy.

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Calligraphy Book Reviews / Introduction into Engrosser's Script with Bill Lilly "DVD"

« on: August 20, 2015, 12:10:49 AM »

I wanted to take a quick moment and review the Bill Lilly DVD. Now unfortunately I can't write beautiful explanations like some of you can. So I will write it in my own words. I received it today and was not very excited because of the weather here in Georgia. It's been raining and and flooding everyday creating problems by creating a indoor pool (basement) in my house to flooded streets and yards. So it's been gloomy time right now. The DVD itself was just inside a wrapper, no cover as most DVD's have so I was a little nervous about this. So I finally got the chance to pop it into the player and sat down just to watch at first.

When I started this journey I was into engrosser's script and that's what I have tried to emulate. Sometime maybe coming out like English round hand or sometimes even chicken scratch.  So I was excited to see  Penman and Zanerian graduate Bill Lilly in action because if it were around today that is what I would try and achieve. I was so blown away of the techniques he used maybe picking them up at Zanerian College or something over the many years but it was just so amazing. To getting the nib to work, to cleaning it, to inking it. I was utterly amazed at all the pen lifts and paper manipulations as he wrote. Some of the terms he used that the old masters would say for example we say squaring the tops off or retouching they called it doctoring and they doctored a lot he said. So now I will have to throw most of the stuff out the window and start over with his teachings. He is unbelievable. I know Connie Chen has had the opportunity to learn from him personal what a treat that must be. And to top it off at the end he holds up his Zanerian Certificate with the Gold Seal (I cant believe how big it really is) To me that stuff impresses me maybe even more than a Master Penman Certificate.  Not taking anything away from that program (hopefully you understand where I am coming from).  To sum it up I am so glad I purchased this DVD and was able to see (on screen anyhow) a Zanerian Master!

Sorry for any typos or grammar its late.

6

Show & Tell / Pariscope

« on: June 04, 2015, 04:26:53 AM »

Has anyone checked out this apt called Periscope. Twitter is the owner of this company. If you don't know what it is, I will give a layman's explanation. Basically you make you phone into a broadcasting camera where anyone can join and watch what you are doing. News station and some big stars like Opera are using it. If you fell the urge to show a letter or two it could be a great teaching / learning tool. I waste a lot of time and battery power on the site. It's a lot of fun.

https://www.periscope.tv/

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General How To's & Projects / Getting rid of ink?

« on: May 11, 2015, 01:46:58 PM »

Not sure if this is posted anywhere a quick search came up null. My question is does anyone pour ink down the sink. I have read someone say when they do the sink gets dirty, well only imagine what it does to the pipes. Does it have the capacity to clog the sink? Most people don't think twice about what they put down the pipes but I do because I have had mine cleaned and know what was stuck in there. Plus my job has required me to go to a sewer plants and I see first hand some of the stuff that claims you can flush but does not. I will not go into detail but I no longer but ink down the sink even while cleaning. I am only familiar with American systems.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / AME

« on: February 21, 2015, 07:59:57 PM »

Debbie and I at AME having a good time and good conversation. And of course spending money!

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Tools & Supplies / wanted to clear up a subject

« on: January 18, 2015, 04:49:26 PM »

A lot of people when putting the size of their calligraphy say it's a certain size. I don't think sometimes they are correct. Now keep in mind I am a Land Surveyor and drafter so I have drawn and laid out huge buildings on paper and on the ground. We however use engineers scales which are in Tenths (i.e. .1, .5, .10 of an inch and so forth). So if I am wrong about this I will feel really stupid but I do not think I am. I have questioned very popular calligraphers on their measurements and they say they are right. So  out of respect I do not want to argue my point. A ruler in the USA and I think the UK has the same measurements. Some rulers say mm and some say cm and some say both as the example in my picture. I have drawn a 1 inch line (not to scale) a 1 CM line and a 1 MM line. Some have said they write at 1 mm size and even half that. I do not see how that would even be readable. Basically what I am saying is even if the ruler says mm does not mean the numbers 1 , 2 , 3 and so on are 1 mm 2 mm 3 mm. They are actually 1 cm 2 cm 3 cm or if you want to be technical 10 mm 20 mm 30 mm. There are 10 mm in 1 cm.  If I am wrong please feel free to correct me and please back it up. I am not saying no one can write 1 mm I am just saying put the right x height. Just a lesson if I am coming across snooty I don't mean to.

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Tools & Supplies / White Ink On Black Paper (Help a brother out)

« on: January 11, 2015, 12:06:06 AM »

Hello calligraphy friends I have a question. First I would like to say that when you write white ink on black paper it looks so much better to me than black on white. I guess its just different. Anywho my question is I decided to give it a try so I was at my local Hobby Lobby and picked up some nice think black paper and some Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay white India ink. When I try to write the ink is like a consistency of 2% milk, very watery. It just falls off the nib. I know there have been other discussions on this but it was Dr. Martins Pen Ink. Well Hobby Lobby only has a limited supply so this is what I have. Can I make it work? Maybe some gum Arabic? Please give me suggestions before I take it back. It will not write on anything, I even tried a blue envelope no luck. However vermillion sumi looks awesome on the black paper. But I purchased it for white. I will be eagerly awaiting any suggestions. Many thanks.
Brad

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General How To's & Projects / starting with a pencil

« on: December 11, 2014, 07:33:04 PM »

When I look at the old master's work on IAMPETH and sometimes new penman they pencil in the work before putting ink to it. My question is when they do pencil it in they always ink it right beside the pencil marks not right on top. I see it all the time. (you can go to IAMPETH and look at artwork and see what I mean) What is the reason for this? The only practical guess would be it would be more erasable because you did not have ink on top of the pencil lead. Can someone explain why?  Many thanks.

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Calligraphy Book Reviews / Calligraphy & Lettering Design

« on: October 12, 2014, 11:43:56 PM »

I picked up a cute little book called Calligraphy & Lettering Design by Arthur Newhall published in 1989. It shows a couple of different hands and how to execute them. One of the chapters is on Spencerian Script. I was kinda surprised because none of my books mentions this script just Copperplate. I will enclose of few pictures of the exemplar. To me it looks like Copperplate, what do you guys think?

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General How To's & Projects / Setup?

« on: September 21, 2014, 04:14:10 PM »

I would like to ask a question if it has already been answered I apologize. I work on a glass dinner table that is 30 inches high that's about two and half feet now when I add my light box that adds about an inch more. Now myself not being very tall sorry ladies just kidding my elbows are not 90° to my body when I used to draft for living we worked on drafting tables that were very tall and it was very ergonomically painful. If I lower everything to like a TV tray type set up I feel more comfortable and more in control. Should I do it that way instead of my current set up because I think It might would result in better writing. A taller chair is really not an option right now. Kind of a stupid question I know but what do y'all think?

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Show & Tell / nothing works right!

« on: September 15, 2014, 01:38:37 AM »

My wife and I was suppose to go to a wedding this weekend of one of my wife's coworkers. I got a emergency with my dad who had surgery last week on his ankle developed a blood clot in in lung so needless to say I did not go to the wedding. My wife went alone but got sick at the reception and had to leave early. I decided to write a nice letter to the newly weds to explain the situation. I sat down and started. First I misspelled something. OK no problem I started over. The next thing that happened it started to smear. It when on and on until I could not take it anymore I threw my pen across the room. Now in this picture is a leonnardt principle EF NIB. I don't think this one will be fixable. I think I will stop for a few days to I can figure out these personal issues. Read thru past post and you can read what happen to my Mother and her accident , what a summer.  I just want to scream.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / What is a Zanerian Holder?

« on: August 18, 2014, 11:43:28 PM »

Can someone explain to me the difference a zanerian holder and whatever else kind of holder? Erica move this if it's not placed right i just figured we were on the topic?