Author Topic: Blingtastic modern versals  (Read 5770 times)

Offline ericp

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #15 on: March 02, 2016, 05:48:07 PM »
my all time favorite contemporary versals, done by the ineffable nancy hills
technically, versals should not be used to write words, but in this case, i think it works.
Spectacular!   An inspiration!  Thanks for sharing that!

Offline jeanwilson

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2016, 08:41:06 AM »
martha lever is another person who has a ton of versals out on the internet. search her name on pinterest and she has a blog/website. her work followed sherri kiesel's and joanne fink's followed martha's. so those of you who are just getting started should feel free to take things in your own direction. there are plenty of maria-thomas-tanglers who are filling versals with tangles.

i just added 6 more examples to one of my blogs.
http://nibsandink.blogspot.com/

below the video is one of them - inspired by nancy hills' style
i also included examples (on the blog) where you fill in fonts and neuland - both styles that are newer than traditional versals
i should write a book called - versal-tility - they have been a favorite f-o-r-e-v-e-r
versals are a wonderful project for kids. i have done them with all ages. even a 5 year old can fill in a versal. by third grade, they can do a good job of drawing their own outline.

here is a youtube video on how to do versals - by joanne

« Last Edit: March 03, 2016, 10:00:53 AM by jeanwilson »

Offline AndyT

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2016, 03:39:42 PM »
technically, versals should not be used to write words ...

Why not?  There are some pretty respectable examples from the Anglo Saxon period.

Offline Moya

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2016, 05:19:25 PM »
That video is amazing Jean. She has such a sweet voice, and such a steady hand!  And I didn't realise how large she works. I think I need to try sizing up :D

Offline jeanwilson

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2016, 06:24:36 PM »
technically, versals should not be used to write words ...

Why not?  There are some pretty respectable examples from the Anglo Saxon period.


rather than saying *they should not be used to write words*
i should have said - versals were not used for text  - they were frequently the first letter of the first word in a verse
is that a correct statement?
i only know enough history to be slightly dangerous
if you could post some examples of entire words written in versals, that would be very nice.

many of us cringe when we see a word written in gothic/blackletter, all caps.
so, i was also thinking about that faux pas.
and by gothic/blackletter - i mean that style that has so many names, i have no idea which one is correct
old english, fracture, gothic - i always want to call it picket fence - but that probably won't help the situation
what do you think the name should be for that group of styles?
a lot of scribes use blackletter, but when a client calls, they always ask for gothic or old english

and what about vellum and parchment?
is vellum made of calfskin and parchment made of sheepskin?
or is it the other way around
i honestly had someone tell me that it was one way in europe
and the opposite way in the US
i didn't think that sounded right



Offline AndyT

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #20 on: March 03, 2016, 07:37:19 PM »
Briefly, so as not to derail the thread, versals were indeed most often used for the first letter of a verse, hence the name.  However, they were high up in hierarchy of letters and got used en masse at the starts of significant sections of books, especially in early manuscripts.  The example which came immediately to mind is the Lindisfarne Gospels (click here for the Chi Rho page), but less idiosyncratic examples abound.  The practice of using them for whole blocks of text seems to have faded away as book production expanded towards the end of the first millennium.  Our old friend Edward Johnston used tall, skinny versals to striking effect in the "House of David" manuscript, by the by.

A good paleographer could probably identify hundreds of different spiky styles.  I suppose the most significant ones are the texturas, but outside of academic circles the strict naming conventions are going to look like so much gobbledegook.  Fraktur in particular is a can of worms.  "Blackletter" is nice, I think, because it describes the dense texture rather well - and then I guess you just have to narrow it down with the client.  The miniscules did not usually have a matching set of well defined majuscules (Lombardic versals being the litterae notabiliores of choice in many cases) - the Gothic caps we're familiar with usually come from lower status, frequently secular texts.  Using them for a whole word is perhaps the most ghastly of all calligraphic misjudgments.   >:(

As I understand it, vellum was originally always calf, whereas parchment was anything else.  However, once again the terminology got confused and eventually vellum just meant any very good parchment.  I note that William Cowley sell calf and goatskin "vellum", but sheepskin "parchment".  The calf is still the premium product.  It wouldn't be surprising if the terms varied in different countries.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2016, 07:42:27 PM by AndyT »

Offline Moya

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #21 on: March 03, 2016, 08:02:48 PM »
I'm totally happy for this thread to be derailed - this is fascinating. :D

Offline seanlanefuller

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Re: Blingtastic modern versals
« Reply #22 on: March 08, 2016, 08:56:07 PM »
OMG they are so beautiful and happy!