Flourish Forum
General Categories => Word of the Day => Topic started by: K-2 on September 26, 2021, 12:18:27 PM
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Flourish Friends -- Inktober is just around the corner, and I'm seeing that the Forum has never done an "Inktober" topic, so I'm proposing one. If you've never heard of Inktober before, here's a little background:
From the Inktober.com (http://Inktober.com) website: "Jake Parker [https://www.mrjakeparker.com/ (https://www.mrjakeparker.com/)] created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year."
Inktober grew out of the manga & comics art world, but illustrators, graphic designers, and artists in all sorts of media enjoy it too. I've been doing Inktober for several years now, but I've never done a series that focused on lettering. It seems like a natural fit for the "Word of the Day" category on the Flourish Forum.
Here are the Inktober rules:
Inktober rules: During the month of October...
1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want) - For Flourish Forum folks, I'm proposing we draw a "word of the day" from the prompt list.
2) Post it on any social media account you want or just post it on your refrigerator. The point is to share your art with someone. :) - AND why not post it on Flourish Forum?
3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2021 (honestly, I never actually post mine to social media, but my local pen fanciers group all share with each other)
4) Repeat - Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. What ever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you’re consistent the better. You can also pick & choose whatever words you like or do them out of order. There's no Inktober Police who are going to bust you for doing Inktober wrong.
Here's the prompt list (so you can do a little planning & thinking). I'll start posting on 1 October. Who's with me?
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I LOVE THIS! I have seen the hashtag on Instagram but I never really knew the whole process. Thanks so much for sharing this @K-2 ! I am definitely in! And yes - let's share on Flourish! ;D
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Inktober is on! - 1. Crystal
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku ama-iro, water, bleach
Pen: Mitchell Witch Pen No. 2.5
I'm also doing Inktober with my local pen fanciers club - so here's my drawing of the day too.
Ink: Diamine Jack Frost, water, bleach
Tools: Nikko G-nib, #6 round brush, pipette
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That’s so beautiful! Well done!
I had fun doing this. Funny I chose the same color - ish. This is the style I am learning from Anne Elser’s Flora on Point class - highly recommend!
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@Erica McPhee - what a lovely style! I hope others will post too. I always love seeing how different people interpret the prompts.
2. Suit
Ink: Diamine Classic Red; Parker Quink Black
Tools: Mitchell Witch Pen No.3, ruling pen
Drawing - Lest I seem too clever, I'll state that I got the idea from a t-shirt I have from the excellent OutOfPrintClothing.com that donates to libraries in communities in need with every purchase.
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku momiji
Tools: ruling pen, Nikko G nib, #6 round brush
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Wowie wow wow! You went all in. Great work!!! :-*
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Mine is so boring. LOL.
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@Erica McPhee - your simplicity and elegance of line are their own adornment.
...and truly, I'm a little shell shocked by how much time & effort it took to make that "Queen of Books" card (not my best choice for "quick" sketching); I will never look at a playing card again with anything but admiration for the anonymous artist.
3. Vessel
Lettering
Ink: Daniel Smith walnut ink, water
Tools: Mitchell Witch no.2.5, #6 round brush, Nikko G nib, ruling pen
Drawing: Sixareen (a traditional 6-oared, masted fishing boat from the Shetlands)
Ink: Troublemaker "abalone", water, bleach
Tools: #14 round brush, Nikko G nib, ruling pen
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Wow - another amazing piece! That sailboat! Well done!
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Mine is so boring. LOL.
@Erica McPhee
Beautifully done. First rate.
I'll have to play catch-up on this thread. This sounds like fun.
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"Respect the chemistry."
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Thanks Mike! @AnasaziWrites LOL! I don’t know what is more enticing - those wads of cash or your Spencerian!!! ;D
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Call my lawyer.
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LOL! That is AWESOME!!!! ;D
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I had fun playing a bit this morning.
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@AnasaziWrites - I aspire to your Spencerian and to your wit!
@Erica McPhee - What perfect knotted hearts, and a perfect script to match. We had similar ideas (but I'm not as happy with the execution on mine; the Troublemaker ink on the big knot was more troublesome than I had anticipated)
4. Knot
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Oh, this is fun. I'll try to catch up.
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Both look terrific! I can only imagine the time it took!
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vessel
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@AnasaziWrites - Impeccable uncials!
5. Raven
both pieces are done in Parker Quink black - which might be my favorite drawing ink ever. Look at that chromatography!
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@K-2
Love that raven.
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knot
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Great ravens. That knot @AnasaziWrites - WOW!!! Amazing!
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Raven
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So @AnasaziWrites won the internet with "Knot" -- superb! I'm speechless.
@Erica McPhee - as always, you are too kind!
6. Spirit
Writing: Quink, water & bleach
Drawing: Diamine Nutcracker, water, bleach
#14 round brush, Nikko G nib
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7. Fan
Bonus content: the anthem [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5UBYbmnTE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5UBYbmnTE)], which demonstrates that fans can do the spelling, even if we seldom have to do the maths. The joke is that wee children think the team's full name is "Partick Thistle Nil." Also, pretty clean for a Scottish football anthem!
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@K-2
A fellow whisky appreciator? Very nice rendition of the bottle.
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Why yes, @AnasaziWrites - I quite appreciate the Lagavulin 16! although the spouse prefers something more distinctively peaty & smokey, like the Ardbeg or the Laphroaig. Spent our honeymoon on Islay (spouse's ancestral family home), and love everything about the Hebrides, Shetlands, and Orkneys. Seems I've had three Scotland themed Inktober posts already - Sixareen from the Shetlands; Lagavulin from the Hebrides; Partick Thistle from Glasgow.
Many thanks for your kind thoughts about the sketch of the bottle - possibly I've spent a bit too much time studying it...
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spirit fan
Big fan of this spirit.
Generally have at least four varieties on hand at all times. They were in Atlanta in May, and I was able to score a bottle of the "Scorch," being a committee member.
Perhaps your wife is familiar with it @K-2 ?
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watch
I've always marveled at the skill of hand engravers. Here is a Breguet watch. Its face is 34 mm, the numeral XII is about 2 mm in height, and the word Breguet is written by hand (engraved) with an x-ht of about 1/64 inch. This tiny engraving is put there as an anti-fraud element (people selling fake copies of the watch would be hard pressed to duplicate this, and is almost invisible to the naked eye, as it is both small and very lightly engraved. Doing this by hand makes each watch a little unique. Below is written (today) "Breguet Watch" with x-ht of 1/10 inch, and below it about the same size as the "Breguet" written on each side of the numeral XII.
(for you long term forum members, you may remember I posted these pictures about 5 years ago in a thread about writing small)
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At this point I'd like to congratulate us on having made it through the first full week of Inktober! Well done, fellow Inktoberists! And hey, it's never too late to start Inktober. The best part of Inktober is seeing how others interpret the prompts, so the more the merrier.
@AnasaziWrites - I wish I had known about that malt for our anniversary this summer; then again, I also wish I had known about our anniversary this summer. But we've been married so long that the spouse also forgot the anniversary. Or as I like to say: Why bother with an anniversary? - I can remember that we're married every day.
What a very precise "Ardbeg" homage - and what a machine that is in the photo! If you ever get out to Islay, I highly recommend an Ardbeg distillery tour.
As always, your Spencerian "Watch" is superb, and also incredibly tiny. It's amazing how precise you are with your shading to be able to draw letters at that scale.
Here's a winky uncial watch in return, and a drawing featuring one of the beautiful inks from Krishna: Anokhi.
8. Watch
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@K-2
I'm very much enjoying your interpretive drawings. Imaginative and skillfully done.
As I have next to no drawing skill, I'll often use photos to illustrate my words (photography is another of my long term interests).
I was able to attend the Ardbeg Global Meeting on Sep 30, their first ever, but hope someday to take the tour. Perhaps when things settle down some.
'till then, slainte is tainte.
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Slainte, @AnasaziWrites -- And thank you very much for your kind thoughts. It's probably clear that I'm more of an illustrator than a calligrapher! The pace of Inktober gets grueling, and these little monochrome sketches aren't always anyone's best work.
I always admire your work on the Forum! Your level of accomplishment is quite inspirational. What a treat to see your lettering variations for Inktober.
9. Pressure
I've been trying to improve my Copperplate calligraphy. It's such a rigorous form, so it seemed like an appropriate response to "pressure" - which features repeat appearances of r, e, and the dreaded s, thus emphasizing the rigors of the form and exposing the places I need to improve my form.
The drawing, on the other hand, was pure fun. It's based on a 19th century product ad. Using Diamine oxblood ink.
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pressure
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I’m on a week’s vacation to FL so I have fallen out. But wanted to say you both are doing remarkable work! Really enjoying seeing these! :-*
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@Erica McPhee - Happy Vacationing! I hope you'll rejoin us when you return.
10. Pick
Two different interpretations of "pick" -- a spiky lettering exercise, and a drawing with a double meaning for my pen fancier's club. One of our founding members has been searching high and low for his perfect blue ink, and finally found it on my ink shelf: Diamine 150th Anniversary Ink in Blue Velvet. So I used the ink to make him a blue ribbon for his first place top pick blue.
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pick
You might need to be over 50 to recognize this.
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Sour
(in Sanskrit, if you were wondering)
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Monty, I'll take Door Number 2! And I WANT that other goat! @AnasaziWrites
11. Sour - another s and r for my copperplate practice (when will I ever start getting good at this hand?)
The drawing is done with Akkerman ink in Van Huysum sapgroen and bleach.
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Monty, I'll take Door Number 2! And I WANT that other goat!
You got it.
Did you also catch the reference in the "Crystal" post?
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stuck
(written in kurrentschrift)
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12. Stuck
Great interpretation, @AnasaziWrites -- I'm really enjoying seeing your interpretations of the prompts!
Yuck. I wasn't careful, and it smeared when I tried to brush something off of it, even though I let it dry for 8 hours. Oh well. I'm not doing that one over again.
The drawing uses Akkerman Dou's emerald green & bleach.
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12. Stuck
Yuck. I wasn't careful, and it smeared when I tried to brush something off of it, even though I let it dry for 8 hours. Oh well. I'm not doing that one over again.
Throw caution to the wind. Enjoying yours very much as well.
Any other takers out there? Join the fun.
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roof
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it smeared when I tried to brush something off of it, even though I let it dry for 8 hours.
@K-2
What kind of ink doesn't dry after 8 hrs? I've had only one--McCaffery's gloss black. Ruined a bunch of envelopes I stacked that didn't dry after a long time--hours.
Loved the needle and thread idea.
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lol @AnasaziWrites - it was indeed McCaffery's gloss black that failed to dry after 8 full hours! (I love that ink though)
13. Roof
A quick bit of very sketchy lettering, reminiscent of one of the subsidized flats we had in grad school.
And a rather more detailed drawing of the Borgund stavkyrkje's majestic roof (using Robert Oster melon tea)
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tick
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@AnasaziWrites - Blanket ticking! so clever!
14. Tick
The lettering hints at a tick-(tock) and adds a √ (tick)
The drawing is a deer tick, done in Akkerman steenrood van Vermeer
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The drawing is a deer tick, done in Akkerman steenrood van Vermeer
That is one mean looking tick. Well done.
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Oh my gosh the ticking! I love ticking! ;D
And the tick - that is TERRIFYING!
You both are doing incredible work!
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Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, @Erica McPhee -- @AnasaziWrites does such beautiful lettering, it's an honor to be working in the same thread with him.
It's amazing to me that actual deer ticks are the size of a pin-head. So much evil in such a tiny form! (I kid, I kid - they are all God's creatures, great and small).
15. Helmet
The uncials are done in Robert Oster's Heart of Gold + walnut ink.
The drawing is the iconic helmet of Date Masamune, daimyo of one of the largest fiefdoms in the later Tokugawa shogunate - Parker Quink black + bleach.
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helmet
Thanks for the kind words, @K-2. Would that I had your skill at drawing.
I may replace the lettering with something more ambitious at a later date. Things have been very hectic around here of late.
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compass
Did this compass rose a while back as part of a map. Anyone recognize the map (without googling)?
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@AnasaziWrites - My students tell me that your map is from Patrick Rothfuss's books, but I have not read them myself.
Your shell for "helmet" is so clever! I wish I had thought of that!
16. Compass
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@AnasaziWrites - My students tell me that your map is from Patrick Rothfuss's books, but I have not read them myself.
@K-2
Your students are quite right. It's my version of the map in the Kingkiller Cronicle, a science fantasy trilogy (at least, it's supposed to be a trilogy, but only two of the books are out, the last published about 10 years ago. Still awaiting the third. Quite good).
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collide
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@AnasaziWrites - My students seem to read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy. What a great illustration of "collide" you have. I admit that I had a hard time coming up with something for this one. But here it is!
Can you believe we've been at it for 17 straight days now? I always find this part of the month difficult to push through - the first week is exciting; the second week, I find a rhythm; the third week becomes a chore! I've already done 15 or 16 drawings! What do you mean I'm supposed to do 16 or 15 more??
I do keep hoping that a few others might join in for the back half!
17. Collide
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Woah. :o You both are amazing! Love it!
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moon
@K-2 The titanic was a brilliant idea. How large are these drawings?
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Thanks so much for your kind thoughts for my interpretation of "collide" @AnasaziWrites & @Erica McPhee -- My favorite part of Inktober is seeing how everyone else interprets the prompts!
All of the drawings are small - because I can draw smaller drawings quicker. They don't require as much intensive planning, they're a bit cheaper on the ink & paper budget, the small scale encourages me to experiment more, and they keep Inktober moving along for me. Each one is a monochrome - using only one ink per drawing (plus water and maybe a little bleach) also keeps things moving along. They're all around 15.2cm x 11.5cm (6 x 4.5 inches for those using imperial measure)
18. Moon
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Beautiful!
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loop
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@Erica McPhee - thank you for your enthusiasm and your kind words!
@AnasaziWrites - what is the medium on the "loop" skywriting drawing? it has wonderful texture!
19. Loop
The writing is done with Moon Palace vermilion sumi ink.
The drawing is done with Birmingham Pen Co. "Allegheny River Twilight"
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@AnasaziWrites - what is the medium on the "loop" skywriting drawing? it has wonderful texture!
@K-2
They are essentially fancy crayons, part of a set pictured below with pencils, markers, and watercolors (in a drawer somewhere--I've never attempted much with watercolors). Even on smooth paper, they give this type of textured look. They do smear, which can be done intentionally for a softer appearance. I needed to seal this work to allow it to be scanned without smearing all over my scanner. That would be a messy cleanup.
Nice loop. Love seeing your interpretations.
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sprout
I have no idea what I'm doing with watercolors, as you can plainly see. I'm posting this "effort" with the view of encouraging those (if there are any) who might feel their work is not good enough to show publicly on this thread. So, if there are any shy posters, give it a shot. We're all friends here.
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@AnasaziWrites - That's a nice mixed media set - I used to do a lot of work with oil pastels (your fancy crayons), but haven't worked with them for a while - mainly because they are so messy, and require a fixative as you say.
What a good go at the watercolors! Watercolors are a very challenging medium, and really require a certain amount of surrender to the serendipities of the form.
So it's great that we're both putting out "not best" work here, and I really appreciate your encouragement for everyone to post -- Inktober is all about becoming more comfortable with the everyday work. One of my art professors once asked our class, "Should you try to paint ONE MASTERPIECE or rooms and rooms full of regular paintings?" It was a trick question. And even if you never get the masterpiece you still have rooms full of work. and it's okay for half of it will be below average as long as you have a lot of it.
My text for "Roof" did not cover me with glory, but it was what I did, so there it is. And I'm actively using Inktober here to practice showing my kind of mediocre copperplate. So please let me add my encouragement to yours. After all, there's still ELEVEN more days of Inktober to go!
20. Sprout
The text is an embellished Insular half-uncial using Troublemaker "copper patina" ink a Mitchell Witch pen no.1 and a Nikko G nib for the embellishments.
The drawing is my eldest sprout in Rohrer & Klingner's ausziehtusche Sepia ink (from a photo taken this spring)
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So it's great that we're both putting out "not best" work here, and I really appreciate your encouragement for everyone to post -- Inktober is all about becoming more comfortable with the everyday work. One of my art professors once asked our class, "Should you try to paint ONE MASTERPIECE or rooms and rooms full of regular paintings?" It was a trick question. And even if you never get the masterpiece you still have rooms full of work. and it's okay for half of it will be below average as long as you have a lot of it.
This whole Inktober exercise is, for me, getting out of my comfort zone (Spencerian, written with pointed pen and ink. If Spencerian were a planet, it would be earth--where I'm comfortable--and watercolors would be Pluto) in a friendly, non-judgemental environment--the Flourish Forum (thank you Erica). I love the idea of doing rooms and rooms full of work. By definition, half will be below average, but then, half will be above average too, and among them, maybe a masterpiece will be done. Monet didn't just go out in a field and paint a masterful painting of haystacks one day. He did some 1800 or so paintings, many haystacks, many times, many "failures" and many gems. In fact, failures may be the wrong word. There is value in even the most unsuccessful attempt. One learns what doesn't work, or at least, what doesn't get you to where you want to be. Hmm, might be a topic for a thread.
The drawing is my eldest sprout in Rohrer & Klingner's ausziehtusche Sepia ink (from a photo taken this spring)
I give big credit to anyone who can draw a face that actually looks like someone in particular. Nicely done.
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fuzzy
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So it's great that we're both putting out "not best" work here, and I really appreciate your encouragement for everyone to post -- Inktober is all about becoming more comfortable with the everyday work ...
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This whole Inktober exercise is, for me, getting out of my comfort zone (Spencerian, written with pointed pen and ink. If Spencerian were a planet, it would be earth--where I'm comfortable--and watercolors would be Pluto) in a friendly, non-judgemental environment--the Flourish Forum (thank you Erica) ...
This is all so very wonderful, and inspiring! I regret there isn't a "gobsmacked" button on this forum to properly record my reactions ... and regrets that I may inadvertently not have at least clicked "like" on each and every entry! I'm truly gobsmacked by all. :-*
The entries here give me pause to rethink something I'd once posted about not really having desire to pursue anything other than Spencerian for my everyday correspondence. Perhaps some day after it feels more like Earth ...
Sending admiration to all and gratitude for making life more wonderful!
Karl
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@Zivio - Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and encouragement! I hope you'll join us for the last 10 days of Inktober - using the word prompts is a great way to practice. Did I see that you're working on Spencerian? You can ask for feedback on your form too. @AnasaziWrites is quite the expert! @Erica McPhee truly has created an incredibly welcoming community offering a very safe and inviting space for creative experimentation.
As for rooms full of work... Have you ever seen Clouzot's documentary film "Le mystere Picasso"? In it, the artist creates canvass after canvass, and they aren't very good paintings. But he keeps painting more of them, and then more of them. He's relentless in his work, and that's what makes him a master of it.
At two-thirds of the way through Inktober, the drawing challenge is feeling relentless, but then when it's all over, I always feel like I've come up with a few good ideas, a few techniques to follow up with, even one or two nice drawings! Or at any rate, I have 31 drawings that I didn't have last month.
@AnasaziWrites - what a clever interpretation of "fuzzy"! And what an apt analogy about feeling more at home with certain media. I think we're opposites - watercolors and broad edge calligraphy are my "earth" and pointed pen work is a bit farther out for me, maybe somewhere in the asteroid belt.
In that spirit, and in the spirit of experimentation, I put pointed pen to wet paper to make it....
21. Fuzzy
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open
Certainly learned something with this one--the scanner will not pick up silver ink well.
Adding a second image--a photo (vs. scan) of "The Open". Seems to work better picking up the metallic inks. Click on it to enlarge.
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Such tidy outlined lettering with the negative space, @AnasaziWrites - quite difficult to get those lines so clean. (metallics in general don't scan well, but silver might be the worst). What a clever idea for "open" too.
The lettering - I've been experimenting with how bleach reacts to certain dye-based inks. Some of them give off a beautiful "neon" effect, so I thought I'd go for the classic shop sign.
I have to say that I wracked my brain over the drawing - but I chose an optimistic interpretation.
22. Open
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@K-2
Love the neon effect. Do you add the bleach to the ink after you have penned the letters? Is the background already dry?
Optimism is most welcome these days.
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@AnasaziWrites - To get that neon effect, I put down a layer of dye-based ink and let it dry (fountain pen inks are marvelous; pigmented inks & traditional watercolors do not react). Often, I'll wet the paper, and then drop some ink onto it and let it spread on its own. Then I dip my pen (or brush) directly into liquid laundry bleach and apply it to the field of dried ink (I like the "no splash" bleach, which have a thickener in them so they stick to the nib better). That's also how I did the lettering for "spirit" back toward the beginning of the month; the drawing for "spirit" also features bleach effects on the bottle, glass and background (varying the concentration of the bleach to achieve some of the color effects). "Crystal" - the very first prompt - also uses bleach on ink for both the text and the drawing; to get the round features on the snowflake, I dipped a pipette into the bleach and used it blow bubbles onto the paper. These days I actually prefer to paint with fountain pen inks over traditional watercolors, following the lead of Nick Stewart [https://nickstewart.ink/] whom I greatly admire.
23. Leak
Putting myself out of my comfort zone with the copperplate calligraphy, which I continue to work on - but I'm clearly a broad-edge specialist. Doing "art effects" with it helps me feel more adventurous about showing it - but hey, whatever it takes, eh?
The drawing is in honor of my dearly beloved, badly behaved, incredibly leaky Desiderata fountain pen with the ebonite body & feed, that fits a G nib. Like I actually poured ink out of the cap when I took it out to draw it. I've written about my joys and tribulations with this pen in the thread on fountain pens with flex nibs.
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leak
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@AnasaziWrites - either I'm missing something from your post (I can't see the pics?) or you have submitted the most META interpretation of "leak" ever!
24. Extinct
Someone help me here please? - @Erica McPhee I've been using your guidelines for copperplate practice, and I feel like there's something I'm not understanding about the "t" height. Somehow it looks too tall when I go all the way up to the dotted line indicated on your guidelines. But then, when I don't (like here), they also look too short? I also hate the "c" (c's are difficult). But the "x" turned out better than usual.
I feel like I am not terrible at other styles? but copperplate is so rigorous, and I think I must be kind of lazy or somehow uncoordinated. I penned the name of that poor, extinct Hawaiian honeycreeper on the drawing, and feel isn't terrible, is it? (just not very exact...)
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@AnasaziWrites - either I'm missing something from your post (I can't see the pics?) or you have submitted the most META interpretation of "leak" ever!
@K-2
Hah! I was wondering if anyone would get it. So let's go from the sublime to the banal on leak.
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extinct
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LOL - @AnasaziWrites - that is the best cringe-worthy leak! Wow - you both are really pushing the envelope in creativity. I love it!
@K-2 - the “t” guide on the guidelines I have made are based on work from the Zanerian manual and Earl A. Lupfer. There is some variance in how tall (or short) the t is made in various penmen’s hands. In this guide, it is at the same height as the d and p (which always seems so tall to me for the p!). But there is no rule that you have to make it that tall.
In your extinct (yes, great x by the way!), the t’s do seem like they are Spencerian. The honeycreeper name is beautiful! But the a’s also look Spencerian. There is nothing wrong with that - it looks beautiful. But that may be where your dissatisfaction with the t height is coming from. ?
I have done a quick mini-tutorial on the height of d, t, & p. (https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7267.0)
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splat
This is this morning's postprandial offering from one of the hawks that frequents our oak tree in front of our house, fortunately landing in the sidewalk, not the front steps or car.
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LOL - @AnasaziWrites - that is the best cringe-worthy leak!
Glad you enjoyed it @Erica McPhee . Just don't ask what I used for the brown and yellow ink--it's covered under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
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That hawk made the perfect splat. ;D And your Spencerian is a tie. ;D
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@Erica McPhee - Thank you so much for your insight about the leakage of Spencerian forms into my Copperplate. I think your diagnosis is exactly right. I learned the Palmer method in school, and I think those basic Spencerian forms kind of stuck with me and infect everything I'm not thinking too hard about. I also think that the heart of my "t" problems is making the stem of the "t" too much like the Spencerian wedge shape. So... this splat is better, perhaps. I really appreciate the variations you showed for your ductus in the Copperplate thread! Perhaps I'll be a real calligrapher someday yet.
@AnasaziWrites - Another very meta interpretation of "extinct" -- nice cuneiform! You're using one of the Babylonian forms, but I can't tell if it's early or late. I also like your splat (both forms). I thought about trying to get my ink to splat, but the whole business with my copperplate always seems a bit splatty to being with. I do think I'm getting better though, and I think Erica helped me through a mental block about the "t".
My "drawings" are splattered ink - two variations, two inks. I thought I liked the peachy pink one better, but now maybe I like the cherry pink one better. I don't know. I did them with a toothbrush.
25. Splat
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YES! Well done!
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@Erica McPhee So... this splat is better, perhaps.
@K-2 No perhaps about it--it's much better.
Perhaps I'll be a real calligrapher someday yet.
In German, I would begin my reply with the word "Doch', refuting your assumption (no good word in English), and continue with, you are already there.
I also like your splat (both forms). I thought about trying to get my ink to splat, but the whole business with my copperplate always seems a bit splatty to being with.
Funny you should say that. I've been so trained to avoid splats that it took me three tries with a worn out nib on rough paper to get a splat.
My "drawings" are splattered ink - two variations, two inks. I thought I liked the peachy pink one better, but now maybe I like the cherry pink one better.
I favor the cherry one as well. It reminds me of the Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach, CA. Both are nicely done.
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connect
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OH i LOVE this!!!! ;D And that Spencerian!!!! :-*
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OH i LOVE this!!!! ;D And that Spencerian!!!! :-*
Thanks. Trying a little running hand version. Could probably even stretch it out a little more.
Did you connect the dots?
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@AnasaziWrites - I connected the dots! As always, such a great interpretation. And gosh, you have a beautiful Spencerian.
And thanks to both you and @Erica McPhee for all your kind words and supportive patience with my little calligraphy insecurities.
I'm very much an academic paleographer focusing on medieval manuscript culture, so while I'm quite comfortable with my uncials, minuscules, textura quadrata, batarde, and italics, I feel rather out of my depth with these "modern" pointed pen scripts. But because I'm an academic, I want to get them "right" beyond looking good. Your words of encouragement mean so much to me! I do think I'm getting the hang of it now, and perhaps have moved from the asteroid belt onto Mars. That's what Inktober is great for - putting myself out there, getting feedback, getting better!
Also, it's funny you mention the lone cypress at Pebble Beach -- I just passed by there on my way from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco in September. So my "connect" features a scene from that trip, in which we got Sprout 1 installed at college in SLO.
26. Connect
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I sure did! I am in awe at the creativity you both are sharing!
@K-2 - your watercolors are incredible! And it is a pleasure seeing your work and skill increase.
I am really impressed by how Inktober has prompted you both to push boundaries and produce some really great work!
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spark
Lest I be confused with someone who can draw, the image entitled "A receipt for Courtship" published by Laurie & Whittle, 63 Fleet St. London, no date, and is not by my own hand.
The quote is from "A letter of Genteel and Moral Advice to a Young Lady" (1740-1766) by Wetenhall Wilkes, and is a good example to practise English Roundhand, but I chose to make an crude approximation of the script it was published in.
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@K-2
Really liked the bridge. Terrific colors, great idea. So well done.
@AnasaziWrites - I connected the dots! As always, such a great interpretation.
26. Connect
Thanks. Let's straighten up that first line from #1 to #2 shall we?--wouldn't want a short circuit.
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Oh for petessake, @AnasaziWrites - somehow that line on the dot-to-dot got messed up before I posted it! I'll have to figure out how to fix it in the new software I was trying out.
I love this interpretation of "spark"! And I think your actual drawings have been splendid too - as @Erica McPhee says, we're out here pushing boundaries and getting better at things.
Thank you both for your kind thoughts about my Golden Gate Bridge for "connect"! It was a really fun coaxing the sky into shape.
So here I am.... reverting to my comfortable (Spencerian-adjacent) Palmer writing. Say... @AnasaziWrites (have I seen you called, Mike, on the Forum? if I may). As a Spencerian expert, how do you feel about the humped-p versus the closed p? It seems like you favor the closed form. Should I prefer it too? I understand it's a bit divisive in some circles!
But I'm experimenting a bit more with the bleach on ink effect in the drawing - which I'm still working on how to fine-tune. And which I'm planning on using for a large-scale piece on The Divine Comedy, commemorating the 700th anniversary of Dante's death this year. I just received a sizable grant for it from my university!
27. Spark
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So here I am.... reverting to my comfortable (Spencerian-adjacent) Palmer writing. Say... @AnasaziWrites (have I seen you called, Mike, on the Forum? if I may). As a Spencerian expert, how do you feel about the humped-p versus the closed p? It seems like you favor the closed form. Should I prefer it too? I understand it's a bit divisive in some circles!
Oh, I don't favor one form of "p" over any other, and use them all quite a bit, although I'd keep to one form or another in a given work. P. R. Spencer taught the open form, so that might be considered more "old-school" and less familiar to more modern readers, so seems to be used less these days. Prefer whatever you like.
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crispy
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"Crispy" indeed, @AnasaziWrites -- what a great picture of a great player on a great team. Sometimes I really miss LA...
I take to heart your good word about the Spencerian "p" too -- I guess I tend to use the open form for more formal writing, the closed form when I'm just taking notes.
Here, I'm back at my Copperplate practice - Inktober (and @Erica McPhee) has really kicked me into a new gear on that this year. The drawing is a bit of nostalgia for those of us of a certain age.
Can you believe we're almost done with Inktober? Only three more days!
28. Crispy
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"Crispy" indeed, @AnasaziWrites -- what a great picture of a great player on a great team. Sometimes I really miss LA...
I was wondering if anyone would get this use of crispy, as in "crispy with the rock", meaning very skillful in shooting or passing, in this case with a basketball (often used in lacrosse as well). My drawing, such as it is, is based on a TopShot video highlight. As a last step in making it, I risked ruining it by getting out my untrustworthy watercolors to give it a little background color.
Here, I'm back at my Copperplate practice - Inktober (and @Erica McPhee) has really kicked me into a new gear on that this year. The drawing is a bit of nostalgia for those of us of a certain age.
I remember well. So very well done.
On another matter, I think a local artist, Justin Beckett, here in Atlanta is using your bleach technique. Since the Atlanta Braves entered the playoffs (now in the world series), the local paper--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution--has published a poster of one of the Braves--today's being Eddie Rosario. I had been wondering how he got that splash look, and I'm guessing he's using bleach like you do. What do you think?
Can you believe we're almost done with Inktober? Only three more days!
Hard to believe. It's gone by so quickly.
Tell us more about your upcoming work for the grant. @K-2
Mike
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That Copperplate crispy is GORGEOUS! :D
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patch
(As my attempts to draw a face were, shall we say, spectacularly unsuccessful, I'm using this portrait of a 17th century lady. Unfortunately, I could not find the artist's name who painted it.)
The script is Court Hand, popular at the time in and at court, as were patches for women.
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Thought I’d give it a try. I did the cutout paper “quilt” a couple of years ago. I’ve really enjoyed all of the Inktober posts!
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Thought I’d give it a try. I did the cutout paper “quilt” a couple of years ago. I’ve really enjoyed all of the Inktober posts!
Very nice indeed. Well done.
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Beautiful work, @TeresaS - Thank you for sharing and joining us for the end of Inktober, and thank you for your kind words about all the work we've been sharing!
@Erica McPhee - your good opinion of my copperplate has inspired me to put out a longer bit for "patch" - it's actually the text from the 18th Century advertisement that I based my drawing on; "tache" is French for spot or patch (so I figured it would count as patch). It looks like @AnasaziWrites and I independently came up with the same response to "patch"!
And Mike - I don't actually think that poster was done with a bleach technique. It looks to me like the artist layered several elements in a graphic design program - like photoshop or illustrator or something. I'm betting he did a paint splatter in black, scanned the shape, recolored it or used it as a mask, layered it over the background, added the drawing of Rosario, and outlined the figure with a corresponding value.
Maybe I'll start a new thread about the (now fully funded) Dante project - I should have some test pieces ready soon.
29. Patch
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Love it @TeresaS ! Wow @K-2 and @AnasaziWrites kismet!
Beautiful copperplate. I see great improvement!!!
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Thank you so much for your encouragement, @Erica McPhee - I do think that taking Inktober to get serious about my Copperplate, coupled with your expert advice, has pushed it forward a bit. It might almost be ready for prime time. I'm considering a collaboration with a scholar of 18th century literature next year, and a different collaboration with a 19th century musicologist, so I want to be ready!
@AnasaziWrites - here we are on the penultimate day of Inktober! I have to admit that I badgered encouraged my spouse into gifting me Diamine's 2021 Advent Calendar, which is full of little 12ml bottles of ink behind the doors. If you're having fun with this and would like to keep working on your drawing skills... for the price of a lavish bottle of whisky (or two of your regular malts), you too can have an "Inkvent Calendar" - I'm planning on drawing a picture with each of them, using the name of the ink as the prompt. Actually, quite a few of this Inktober's drawings were done with the 2019 Invent inks. I usually do a test card to see what the ink is up to before I draw with it - putting it through its paces with broad edge and pointed pen calligraphy, and testing it for chromatography, shimmer, sheen, and shading.
I could start a thread in the service of Flourishers who are looking to work with colored ink - especially for those using fountain pens. After the success of the 2019 Invent Calendar, Diamine eventually released the inks in full sized (50ml) bottles. Would that be appropriate here, Erica? Would anyone be interested in such a thing? To keep it more calligraphy focused, I could just post the test chips and not the drawings (but maybe people like seeing the drawings too?). Or maybe after Inktober, everybody has had quite enough of me. :D
30. Slither
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@AnasaziWrites - here we are on the penultimate day of Inktober! I have to admit that I badgered encouraged my spouse into gifting me Diamine's 2021 Advent Calendar, which is full of little 12ml bottles of ink behind the doors. If you're having fun with this and would like to keep working on your drawing skills... for the price of a lavish bottle of whisky (or two of your regular malts), you too can have an "Inkvent Calendar" - I'm planning on drawing a picture with each of them, using the name of the ink as the prompt. Actually, quite a few of this Inktober's drawings were done with the 2019 Invent inks. I usually do a test card to see what the ink is up to before I draw with it - putting it through its paces with broad edge and pointed pen calligraphy, and testing it for chromatography, shimmer, sheen, and shading.
@K-2
Is this ink usable with a dip pen or is it just for fountain pens? Do you use it with a brush? Is it affected by bleach? Is it permanent?
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@AnasaziWrites - All of the drawings I did for this year's Inktober used fountain pen ink instead of traditional watercolors, capitalizing on the chromatography they display when broken down by water. So no - not just for fountain pens! I use my fountain pen inks with pointed flex nibs, broad edge nibs, brushes, ruling pens, automatic pens, music nibs, pipettes, and toothbrushes! and fountain pens.
All my Inktober drawings are "monochrome" in that way, even if they seem to show different colors. I love monochrome drawings for helping me focus on composition and shading in quick sketch studies like the ones I've been posting. Dye-based inks are reactive to bleach, but not waterproof and hence not "permanent" like an iron gall ink or an acrylic or a traditional watercolor - all of which are pigmented instead of dye-based. But my drawings & paintings aren't so precious that I'm worried about them lasting through the ages.
When I use these inks with dipped pointed and broad edge pens, I improve the consistency for such work by decanting them into dinky dips and mixing them with gum arabic until they do what I want them to. But on good watercolor paper, many of them work fine straight out of the bottle - they just usually won't give you the world's most delicate hairlines that way. And they are highly sensitive to the quality and variety of paper you use!
My Dante project is going to use these sorts of inks & bleach on treated canvas, which is a huge leap into the unknown. I'm in the process of doing test swatches. The real challenge of using them for art is being open to the serendipitous results. You can't really control them like normal watercolors, but they reward experimentation and give beautiful results to those who persist.
--yours, K
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slither
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... The script is Court Hand, popular at the time in and at court, as were patches for women.
Many years ago, my wife and I were reading The Diary of Samuel Pepys and often wondered about these "patches" to which he'd refer. I think they are fetching!
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An historical note regarding "patches": pedantry ahoy!
@Zivio - in the 18th century, beauty patches were quite fashionable for gentlemen as well as ladies!
@AnasaziWrites - Your "Portrait of a Lady in Blue" (1777-1779) is an 18th Century painting by Thomas Gainsborough.
The placement of such beauty patches advertised the qualities of the wearer - so in the Gainsborough portrait, the Lady in Blue's mark at her temple indicates "la passionnée", and the one by her upper lip indicates "la coquette". Other locations indicated "le galant" or "la recéleuse" or even "la assassiné"!
But some of them were placed over facial blemishes or scars - and especially over syphilis sores. Felt patches soaked in a mercury ointment were a common (and rather effective) treatment for syphilis sores.
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Happy Halloween, everyone! And thank you and congratulations to all the Inktoberists out there. The last prompt is "risk", and what a fitting way to end a challenge to practice creativity and practice putting yourself out there.
I also noticed that "risk" has three of the letters most challenging to me in my Copperplate journey - but aided by the gracious encouragement of @AnasaziWrites and @Erica McPhee, I'm taking the risk to present them here.
Erica - thank you again for making Flourish Forum such a welcoming and friendly environment to learn and grow.
--yours truly, K
31. Risk
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Happy Halloween, everyone! And thank you and congratulations to all the Inktoberists out there. The last prompt is "risk", and what a fitting way to end a challenge to practice creativity and practice putting yourself out there.
I also noticed that "risk" has three of the letters most challenging to me in my Copperplate journey - but aided by the gracious encouragement of @AnasaziWrites and @Erica McPhee, I'm taking the risk to present them here.
Erica - thank you again for making Flourish Forum such a welcoming and friendly environment to learn and grow.
--yours truly, K
31. Risk
Brilliant.
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risk et. al.
Find 'em all.
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My Dante project is going to use these sorts of inks & bleach on treated canvas, which is a huge leap into the unknown. I'm in the process of doing test swatches. The real challenge of using them for art is being open to the serendipitous results. You can't really control them like normal watercolors, but they reward experimentation and give beautiful results to those who persist.
I'm sure we are all looking forward to this project. I suspect it will be wonderful.
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Happy Halloween, everyone! And thank you and congratulations to all the Inktoberists out there. The last prompt is "risk", and what a fitting way to end a challenge to practice creativity and practice putting yourself out there.
I also noticed that "risk" has three of the letters most challenging to me in my Copperplate journey - but aided by the gracious encouragement of @AnasaziWrites and @Erica McPhee, I'm taking the risk to present them here.
Erica - thank you again for making Flourish Forum such a welcoming and friendly environment to learn and grow.
--yours truly, K
31. Risk
@K-2
All well said. It takes a commitment to make 31+ posts to a thread and the community in a month's time. Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful art with us. It encouraged me to venture outside of my usual wheelhouse in terms of materials and type of script, and think more "outside the box" in terms of subject matter. Maybe I'll just get those watercolors out once in a while from now on.
Thanks to all who participated and to those who enjoyed the thread even if by only viewing it.
Maybe again next year?
Mike
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I could start a thread in the service of Flourishers who are looking to work with colored ink - especially for those using fountain pens. After the success of the 2019 Invent Calendar, Diamine eventually released the inks in full sized (50ml) bottles. Would that be appropriate here, Erica? Would anyone be interested in such a thing? To keep it more calligraphy focused, I could just post the test chips and not the drawings (but maybe people like seeing the drawings too?).
This sounds very intriguing! Can you explain more how it would work? :)
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@K-2 @AnasaziWrites
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful, intriguing work with us and congratulations to you both for making it through the whole month! Wow! :-*
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@Erica McPhee - I'm going to be testing inks from the Diamine 2021 Inkvent Calendar for my own purposes, and I could post the results here on the Forum if anyone is interested in them. My process is as follows - I make a swatch with a broad edge script, a pointed pen script, a chromatography test to see how the ink bleeds, and a bleach segment. Then I draw a picture with it (using the name of the ink as a prompt). I do this with pretty much all of the inks in my studio collection, so that I can refer to them for various art and calligraphy projects. It helps me know about their level of bleach reactivity and suitability for various sorts of lettering, drawing, and painting.
So here are two test swatches from the Diamine 2019 Inkvent Calendar with their corresponding drawings. The inks are "Purple Bow" (a standard purple) and "Happy Holidays" (blue with a red sheen and a silver shimmer). This year I'm going to do more rigorous test swatches though.
I know at some point the Forum decided that an ink thread might be more trouble than it's worth, given the variability of how color appears on different monitors and such. But maybe this sort of experimental design might encourage other forum members to try out different types of ink in different ways. Maybe some flourishers might even already be planning to get this year's Inkvent Calendar and could post their own work too. I don't know - if you don't think it sounds relevant, I completely understand.
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Congratulations on getting through the month with such fantastic interpretations. I really enjoyed them every morning.
Thank you.
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@AnasaziWrites I can’t wait to see your Inkvent creations. I didn’t get one this year, but a lot of members in our local FP club did, so I am sure I’ll get to see lots of samples.
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@AnasaziWrites I can’t wait to see your Inkvent creations. I didn’t get one this year, but a lot of members in our local FP club did, so I am sure I’ll get to see lots of samples.
@darrin1200
I'm guessing you meant to address this to K-2, although who knows, perhaps I'll get the 2021 Inkvent as well, and join in the fun on the proposed thread.
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@Erica McPhee - I'm going to be testing inks from the Diamine 2021 Inkvent Calendar for my own purposes, and I could post the results here on the Forum if anyone is interested in them.
I'm sure there are lots of people who would like to see these test results.
My process is as follows - I make a swatch with a broad edge script, a pointed pen script, a chromatography test to see how the ink bleeds, and a bleach segment. Then I draw a picture with it (using the name of the ink as a prompt). I do this with pretty much all of the inks in my studio collection, so that I can refer to them for various art and calligraphy projects. It helps me know about their level of bleach reactivity and suitability for various sorts of lettering, drawing, and painting.
@K-2
What paper are you using with these swatches? How about the drawings?
So here are two test swatches from the Diamine 2019 Inkvent Calendar with their corresponding drawings. The inks are "Purple Bow" (a standard purple) and "Happy Holidays" (blue with a red sheen and a silver shimmer). This year I'm going to do more rigorous test swatches though.
I know at some point the Forum decided that an ink thread might be more trouble than it's worth, given the variability of how color appears on different monitors and such. But maybe this sort of experimental design might encourage other forum members to try out different types of ink in different ways. Maybe some flourishers might even already be planning to get this year's Inkvent Calendar and could post their own work too. I don't know - if you don't think it sounds relevant, I completely understand.
There are already some threads about ink in the Tools and Supplies section of the forum, and your swatches would be most welcome there I would think. The drawings would have wider appeal, and might be put best in the Open Forum section, or you could put the swatches with the drawings. What do you think, @Erica McPhee ? You could confine the thread to "Inkvent Drawings" or open it up to something like "Drawing in Ink" where others might participate with other drawings or scripts with ink of various types. So many possibilities. I do hope you will proceed with this over time on the forum.
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@AnasaziWrites I can’t wait to see your Inkvent creations. I didn’t get one this year, but a lot of members in our local FP club did, so I am sure I’ll get to see lots of samples.
@darrin1200
I'm guessing you meant to address this to K-2, although who knows, perhaps I'll get the 2021 Inkvent as well, and join in the fun on the proposed thread.
OMG Where was my head this morning. The Inkvent note was meant for @K-2 . But I do hope you put your hand to it as well. I’m sure the results will be outstanding.
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@AnasaziWrites - those 2019 Invent swatches are on Col-O-Ring paper. I use them to keep all my ink swatches in sort of chromatic order so that I can refer to them for projects. The drawings are on Fabriano 140lb/300gsm paper. It's not my favorite paper, but it's priced well for everyday sketching and study purposes.
@darrin1200 - Thank you so much for your kind thoughts. After I finish this Dante project, I'm going to owe myself a new pen. How's that BlueDew project coming along? Can you make me an orange body for one? Hmmm. that reminds me - I'd better send your holiday card now, so that it gets to you before... Easter.
--yours truly, K
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@K-2 i just finished another project, and was going to try a section for the BlueDew this afternoon.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
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YES! That is a wonderful idea. I am going to set up a board.