Messages

16

Spencerian Script / Re: Trying My Own Spencerian Signature

« on: September 30, 2024, 03:32:06 PM »

Michael Sull’s recently published “Sull’s Manual of Advanced Penmanship” motivated me to try my own hand at signature writing earlier this year. Thank you @Jayantcy for sharing yours! Your post has emboldened me to share some of my attempts.  And yes, @Erica McPhee, pages and pages of pencil work before ink ever hit paper.

I want to circle back to it again with fresh eyes because I’m still not enthralled with the composition and flow, but it has been an interesting (and maddeningly frustrating) exercise!

17

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Re: Lowercase r in Engrosser's Script / Copperplate

« on: September 30, 2024, 03:12:00 PM »

I'm fond of #2, but for as an alternate form in Spencerian, especially after eyelet letters.  As for @JanisTX's comment, I also feel this form as opposed to #1 does help to differentiate a bit from minuscule "v", but even so, they all are a challenge to scribe as beautifully as you!

"Crowding the space" be darned for Spencerian everyday handwriting though, as I'm a kind of no pen lift guy when it comes to cursive.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: The Ford "r"

« on: September 03, 2024, 01:19:14 PM »

Oh, I like Farr’s little Q&A “rules” (Ku & Ay), but not so much the shameless rebranding of Spencerian.    I don’t think he was the only one, though.  Oh well, everyone’s gotta eat.

His rule for the “practical r” after “eyelette letters” makes a lot of sense to me. 

As for rules, I love Father Spencer’s own comment on this:

"In presenting definite rules for the proper formation of letters, it is not designed to confine the skill and ingenuity of the writer within narrow limits, nor to prevent the exercise of peculiar tastes. We desire, rather, to encourage individuality of style, so far as may be consistent with
propriety ..."

Farr’s comments about learning ambidexterously caught my attention! Early in my learning I’d encountered Diego Irigoyen’s encouragement for boosting penmanship skills by writing with both hands. His e-book goes on to describe the benefits for using both hands for many different physical skills. I did practice my penmanship with both hands for awhile, but decided that at my age there’s only a limited amount of time to learn, and maybe I should just focus on my dominant hand! Still, I love studying the science of learning and human potential, and think it may have value.

https://www.dieyen.com/practical-penmanship

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Coca-Cola logo

« on: September 02, 2024, 04:48:04 PM »

Fantastic @Erica McPhee!  Thanks to @Vintage_BE for reviving this post — it truly has taken on new life, and I’ve learned so much.

Wow, that original logo …. just wow.    I’m wondering if its proportions and layout was the artist’s “shock of the new” of the time. Maybe very edgy/avant garde? To my eye, it is ridiculously clumsy, but understandable as I have recently played with coming up with appealing “signature writing” designs after reading up in Sull’s new book on the topic.

The Struggle = Real

Now, about that Ford r.   Yeah, maybe I’ll start a new thread.   

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Spencerian Script / Re: Cunningham’s Law

« on: August 31, 2024, 03:53:53 PM »

Oooh, Cunningham’s Law!  Among many other odd things I do is to maintain a list of “Eponymous Laws.”  Cunningham was not on it — until now!  Thanks.

I also appreciate the “@Erica McPhee Constant” now also added to my list.

I love seeing both of your Spencerian samples, underground and above board both!

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Coca-Cola logo

« on: August 29, 2024, 04:23:13 PM »

... Is this a mystery that artificial intelligence would have been able to solve? I fear not, indeed I fear the opposite is true…

OK, Hans, I had to check! ChatGPT-4 nailed it, but certainly not without the historical details @Erica McPhee did!  As we all know, she is irreplaceable! 

https://g.co/gemini/share/de004d3e4e8b

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Coca-Cola logo

« on: August 29, 2024, 03:30:12 PM »

Wowie, @Erica McPhee, what an astounding and astonishing scholarly update!  I love it, and will never refer to those logos as Spencerian.

Now, if you don't have anything better to do, I suggest you edit that Wikipedia article! 

Here are some tips:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing#:~:text=Wikitext%20editing%20using%20the%20Source,add%20or%20change%20the%20formatting.

23

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Coca-Cola logo

« on: August 29, 2024, 11:23:40 AM »

…
Another logo that is often qualified as Spencerian is Ford, however, that logo includes an “r” that looks like Copperplate and that - as far as I understand, see e.g. the Sull manual - is not often used in Spencerian, at least not for an r that appears between other characters.

I enjoyed your thoughts on the topic — thanks for posting!

As for the “Ford r” — I will forever call it that unless someone can provide a correct designation — I have a few observations:

+ Very early in my studies, I’d encountered it for the first time in an historical document written in Spencerian. I no longer remember where I’d seen it, but will most definitely keep my eyes open. As you'd mentioned, I just don’t see it often in any letter exemplars for Spencerian.

+ In that same historical document if I remember correctly, the writer always used it following “o” between letters in words and for words ending in “r.”  This writer employed other personal affectations where words ending with “y” or “f” would have the descenders looped backwards/counterclockwise insted of crossing.  Personally, I found these alternations of letter forms mysteriously interesting and charming. The Ford r after o, especially, looks so much more graceful to my eye than Father Spencer's standard that I have adopted it as my own habit.

+ That said, in an online Spencerian class with Master Penmman Harvest Crittendon, one of her handouts included it as an “alternate” form.

+ Another very early inspiration to me was the illustrious @schin ‘s scribing of William Blake’s “The Sick Rose” in which the Ford r is consistently used.  I have watched this video dozens of times over the years, and though it is eleven years old, still find jaw-dropping delight in it!

  https://youtu.be/aL83tOMu_4k?si=5jbhP7WQFr4t21XR 

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: The Count of Monte-Cristo

« on: August 29, 2024, 10:55:35 AM »

... They’re not real documents of course, but the “handwritten document” imitation is not bad at all, as far as movies go. …

Decades ago I saw a documentary of some eighteenth century history, and superimposed upon a sailing ship at sea in the background was a a writer’s hand with quill scribing a bit of the narrative. Until then, I had never seen the action of pen-and-ink action, and I was mesemerized! This moment planted the seed of wanting to explore beautiful handwriting although I didn’t get to it for many years.

I don’t know that film production people would call the handwritten documents “hero props” unless they are critical to the plot/story, but I sure do and am constantly rewinding and freeze framing whenever I see them!  I believe Andrew van der Merwe (Instagram @beachscriber) has had to learn some ancient scripts to enact them in some movie or video productions.

Having read Dumas’s “Count” numerous times, I look forward to the movie. The book plot is so expansive and covers such a long period of time, the movie adaptations, so far, can only pick and choose what to include, but what a story!

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Spencerian Script / Re: Back to Basics -- Let's Go Way Back

« on: August 10, 2024, 05:01:11 PM »

What a wonderful and “instructive” collection that must be!  I love seeing live examples of writing.  I’d posted earlier about a collection of letters from 1839-40 a neighbor had loaned to me. I was surprised at the 1mm x-height of the gentleman’s writing and 2mm of his lady correspondent. Very tiny, but legible and apparently dashed off!

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Spencerian Script / Re: Back to Basics Before the FUN!

« on: August 08, 2024, 09:58:29 PM »

Oh my, your practice is gorgeous ... as expected! 

Looking forward to future samples of your own underground style.  Sounds so subversive!!

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Spencerian Script / Re: Augustus~

« on: August 07, 2024, 11:54:59 PM »

I enjoy seeing Spencerian writing so much!  Thank you for sharing this specimen with us!!

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Spencerian Script / Re: Sandserian

« on: July 14, 2024, 10:12:32 PM »

@Zivio

I don't know how you get the sand to cooperate …

It’s like ink — sometimes too wet, sometimes too dry.  You need to find Goldilocks sand!

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Spencerian Script / Re: Study as much as you practice (Madarasz)

« on: June 20, 2024, 07:47:24 PM »

Very true of playing guitar as well. Or any instrument.
Lovely work.

So many, many parallels between learning instrumental music and penmanship/calligraphy!

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Spencerian Script / Re: You imagine......

« on: June 20, 2024, 07:46:27 PM »

If only this were true for John Lennon’s wish…

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one …” - John Lennon

“I'm a happy dreamer, I believe in love.
I'm a happy dreamer, guess I'm not the only one …” - Tim Stahl