Author Topic: Pencilling it in  (Read 3324 times)

Offline Blotbot

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Pencilling it in
« on: November 12, 2015, 06:38:11 PM »
I am curious, how many people pencil in the letters and then go over them in ink?  Under what circumstances?

Offline Doesy

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2015, 07:04:17 PM »
When practicing, I don't pencil in the letter itself but I do like penciling in the component oval forms that I see in the letter and then inking the letter onto this scaffolding in monoline (for copperplate). I find this helps me understand what the letter is doing on the paper and lets me see where, and sometimes why, I'm not forming the letter correctly.

Offline SunnyMoni

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2015, 07:06:45 PM »
I don't but I generally use an underlay with guidelines so I keep the slant and height the same throughout. I would probably pencil in a larger piece or something that would be sold though I'm not nearly at that stage yet.
Monica

Offline AndyT

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2015, 07:13:28 PM »
Occasionally, for the first line of a fancy envelope.  (I think you might have had one of them, from the ransom note exchange, Ellen.  You'll have probably found traces!)  I don't stick closely to the pencil lines.

Offline Ken Fraser

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2015, 07:51:32 PM »
When I'm writing a Copperplate majuscule backwards, (from right to left) to reverse the shading, I draw it in pencil first, as I can't visualise the letter when I'm writing it backwards.

Ken

Offline Bianca M

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2015, 09:46:47 PM »
Ken, I feel like this might need another thread, but I am so curious to hear more about this backwards writing business. 

I only pencil for layouts for finished pieces (like vows), but not for practice or envelopes.  Well, actually, sometimes I draw out some ovals and work around those when I'm working on particular forms.

Offline Brad franklin

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2015, 11:13:49 PM »
Sometimes I will write in pencil. Then put it on a light table with a clean piece of paper on top and trace my pencil marks. That way I don't have to erase.

Offline Estefa

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2015, 03:28:49 AM »
I often do layouts in pencils (with sometimes many, many layers of transparent paper) to try out different versions of capitals and flourishes, when I work on invitations, sayings or something similar – so usually when I do stuff that is going to be printed. As others said, I use the pencil lines mostly as a rough guide, nor for exact tracing, when I ink it. – And sometimes I do the finished piece then freehand again, to avoid the stiffness that comes from the tracing! But by then I know where all the lines and ovals should go, where I place my shades etc. :).
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Offline Ken Fraser

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2015, 06:46:35 AM »
Ken, I feel like this might need another thread, but I am so curious to hear more about this backwards writing business. 

This was discussed in this topic.

http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=2617.0

Offline ekeyart

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2015, 07:43:26 AM »
On card I lightly pencil both the slant and the letters out but that's more to get the spacing right than actually trace over the words but on thinner paper I use a guide sheet underneath with my little homemade light table so no rubbing out needed. ;) 
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Offline jeanwilson

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2015, 08:54:51 AM »
Pencil guidelines as well as penciling in all the words is something I do when I have a very specific outcome in mind and when I am not in a hurry.
If I am writing out a chunk of text, I ALWAYS pencil the words first. It is the only way I can avoid spelling errors since I focus on the individual letters and ignore the words.

On my blog, which features a lot of ideas that are experimental, I frequently comment, "This would have been better if I had penciled in some guidelines. When teaching, I encourage the use of pencils since many students have the wrong impression and assume that everything works out beautifully without any guidelines for old-timers.  Not this old-timer. But, I like to do some of the experimental work without guidelines.

A tip that I need to add to my master list of tips:
If you want your lettering to be level, it is really hard to accomplish this when:
you have no guide lines -AND- you have your paper at an angle.
If you are in a hurry, and no time for guidelines, orient your paper -in front of you- and level.
Your eye will be pretty good at writing on a level line.
Although this is not an ideal position for some styles.
And once you are wearing bi-focals, it can be even harder to write in a straight line.

Tip no. 2
On small items, like place cards,
if you want to write on a straight line,
but you do not want to pencil the line
and you do not have a light table
draw a heavy black line on a piece of lined paper
wider than the place card
and then put the place card over the heavy line so that it extends on both sides
this will help your eye see where to begin and where to end
PLUS
you can do this at a slant.
this tip was something I learned many years ago at IAMPETH
from the NYC scribes - who do a lot of place cards and escort cards
and it has been a great time saver.


I am going to put  -  Jean's Tips -
at the end of all my tips so that -hopefully- it will be easier to find them
when I get around to some kind of master list.


Offline Blotbot

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2015, 10:18:21 AM »
Yes, I think pencilling in would help getting things crntered on envelopes.  I like the tip of wriing on one sheet and then using the light box to trace over!  This gives me hope of improvement, if only I take the time.

Offline AnasaziWrites

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2015, 12:22:56 PM »
Tip no. 2
On small items, like place cards,
if you want to write on a straight line,
but you do not want to pencil the line
and you do not have a light table
draw a heavy black line on a piece of lined paper
wider than the place card
and then put the place card over the heavy line so that it extends on both sides
this will help your eye see where to begin and where to end
PLUS
you can do this at a slant.
Great tip.
You might like this approach as well:
http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=3890.msg51912#msg51912

Offline Doesy

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2015, 04:51:42 PM »
And once you are wearing bi-focals, it can be even harder to write in a straight line.


I had to chuckle at this. It is very timely and might have been directly written for me. I don't wear bifocals but I do wear fixed focal length glasses. I was trying to write some small letters and I couldn't write in a straight line even with guidelines. After much  :o  :( and  >:( I finally stole the giant magnifying lamp that my hubby uses to make lures (only fair since he sometimes borrows my calligraphy supplies to use for fishing - don't ask) and could actually see what I was doing. Without guidelines and a giant magnifier - no little letters for me.

Offline elsa.d

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Re: Pencilling it in
« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2015, 10:45:24 PM »
I only pencil large bodies of text, like vows etc. Or if I'm trying to design layout for something like a card or whatever. I don't pencil for envelopes/place cards/escort cards (majority of my work)