Flourish Forum
General Categories => Show & Tell => Topic started by: The.SardaarJi on January 18, 2017, 01:35:00 AM
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Greetings of the day Everyone.
All Calligrapher say one thing in single voice that, "Calligraphy is not an art, it's a Journey".
I am in this journey too, and I do spend few hours daily doing/practicing Calligraphy , but sometime you feel that you are stuck, stuck in the path and you are looking for some guidance and help or you can say CHS (Calligraphy helping system) in our language ;D.
I am little bit lost too :) and the reason behind it , when I saw my Calligraphy it seems monotonous and it's missing something, I don't know yet. But I decided to get help :) and I have joined this wonderful group of calligraphers, so that i can come back on track, can find my mistakes, can try to help others too :) and I think to post my updated work,, here.
My idea is,,, I am going to Implement the suggestions those I get here, in to my Calligraphy :) and keep posting updated work here... and my ToDo list too.
It might be my Journal... hopefully...
Let's see how it will go ....
Regards
Aman
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Here is my To-Do List, to implemented the Given Suggestions / Feedback on my work so far. Thanks @jeanwilson
- Write my Signatures with Pencil.
- Write the name of "Author" of quote or Poem, unless words are not my own.
- Try to use slantness or no slantless at all. This is little bit difficult to do, because my hand is *habitual to make lines slant*. I think The workaround is to use the Italic guide sheet, which I am going to print and use it as a base behind the actual paper. Thanks @prasad for the link of guide sheet generator.
I will post my work soon based on these Suggestions :) ..
Regards
Aman
P.S. Link to my Guide sheet :
http://knestled.com/guidelines/broad/?v_color=ffff0000&v_opacity=1.0&h_linewidth=0.1&draw_x=True&landscape=True&m_left=10.0&x_font=Courier&title=Italic+Capitals+%5Bsquare%5D+2mm&v_angle=5.0&page_size=A4&capital=2.0&nib_width=2.0&v_linewidth=0.1&h_style=---&nib_angle=45.0&ascender=3.0&v_lines=True&row_spacing=0.0&descender=4.0&m_top=10.0&v_spacing=4.0&h_opacity=1.0&ladder_color=%23ff000000&h_color=%23ff000000&draw_nib=True&x_height=5.0&v_style=---
(http://knestled.com/guidelines/broad/?v_color=ffff0000&v_opacity=1.0&h_linewidth=0.1&draw_x=True&landscape=True&m_left=10.0&x_font=Courier&title=Italic+Capitals+%5Bsquare%5D+2mm&v_angle=5.0&page_size=A4&capital=2.0&nib_width=2.0&v_linewidth=0.1&h_style=---&nib_angle=45.0&ascender=3.0&v_lines=True&row_spacing=0.0&descender=4.0&m_top=10.0&v_spacing=4.0&h_opacity=1.0&ladder_color=%23ff000000&h_color=%23ff000000&draw_nib=True&x_height=5.0&v_style=---)
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In my discussions with other scribes who teach, there is a lot of agreement that with italic, if a student has a consistent natural slant, that is the best slant to use in the beginning. If you do have a natural slant, I would encourage you to stick with that slant until you feel you are making pages of lettering that please your eye and feel like trying some different slants.
There are so many variations to italic, it can be very helpful for students to nudge their normal handwriting into italic as they are studying the multitude of details. Making your everyday penmanship an italicized style gives you the added benefit of practicing your rhythm. Your work looks like you have a rhythmic feel for the lettering, so, you might find yourself enjoying more practice time when you allow some looser lettering -mixed in with the more specific and detailed styles.
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Hello @jeanwilson ,
Good morning.
I have checked your blog and it's full with very useful information, also I loved the posts about your Guest Calligraphers too.
Thanks for the reply, I practiced in slant always, and whenever i try to not to use slant, it somehow comes in every work. As of your suggestion, I am going to use Slant in my main works for now.
Incorporate Italic in my daily writing ? That's a good idea,, i just need an broad edge pen fountain pen for it.. I can try doing that,, thanks for such a nice idea. ( Now my office guys is going to ask lot's of questions, when they are going to saw my office notebook with calligraphy and a different pen :D)
You work looks like you have a rhythmic feel for the lettering, : Thanks for nice words, but I have no idea what it's meaning. :D Sorry, I am really new to these words, so, s that's why i do ask so many questions.
Regards
Aman
In my discussions with other scribes who teach, there is a lot of agreement that with italic, if a student has a consistent natural slant, that is the best slant to use in the beginning. If you do have a natural slant, I would encourage you to stick with that slant until you feel you are making pages of lettering that please your eye and feel like trying some different slants.
There are so many variations to italic, it can be very helpful for students to nudge their normal handwriting into italic as they are studying the multitude of details. Making your everyday penmanship an italicized style gives you the added benefit of practicing your rhythm. Your work looks like you have a rhythmic feel for the lettering, so, you might find yourself enjoying more practice time when you allow some looser lettering -mixed in with the more specific and detailed styles.
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Hello @jeanwilson
This is my italic work of Yesterday.
P.S : I am attaching my Yesterday's work, I used Pencil for Signatures, and I tried to keep the letters slant, I used the 2mm Italic tape leonard nib and Sumi ink.. and some watercolour strokes.
Thanks a lot for your help Jean.
Regards
Aman
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Think to Note down and implement next.
#19th Jan 2017
1. Sometimes it is better to put the signature in a straight line near the bottom edge of the mat so that it does not relate to the art.
2. Use your signature in the bottom Left and use the Actual Author name at Right. Use Pencil to write your Signatures. If needed use the word "Scripsit".
3. Try to find or purchase the book "Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters". Study the exemplars of Sheila Waters, Peter Thornton, and John Stevens.
4. Find 1,2 awesome Italic exemplars and trace them ( or,, try to imitate them without tracing ??? ::) { crazy idea}).
5. Don't try to make decoration visually distracting.
6. In my reading and classes on layout and design, it is suggested that you need to start with a pencil roughs and figure out how the words will fit into a pleasing layout. You spend quite a bit of time with pencil before you even pick up your pen and ink. | from jean.
7. If needed implement the Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear concept. You want your viewer to first see your lettering (Papa Bear), then the side bar (Mama Bear).
For visual interest - perhaps you could pick out one or two words from the quote to focus or enhance - either in a different style, larger, different color, or somehow different (this would become the mama bear and the sidebar the baby bear).
8. Let the text influence the design... for example your quote is "Anger can rage till it tears you apart"... the important words could be Anger, Rage, Tears, Apart.. So let those have prominence in the design. Less important words can be smaller or less important. Then arrange everything so the eye follows the quote easily.
Things to keep in mind for today's work :D
Regards
Aman
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Hello @jeanwilson
This is my italic work of Yesterday.
P.S : I am attaching my Yesterday's work, I used Pencil for Signatures, and I tried to keep the letters slant, I used the 2mm Italic tape leonard nib and Sumi ink.. and some watercolour strokes.
Thanks a lot for your help Jean.
Regards
Aman
On the top one, look at the word spacing.
Compare the space between *we love* and we do*
On the bottom one, the *rt* in heart and *rte* in direction show how the branch off the r can create a large white space.
The treatment of the r-u-m-i is interesting - might look better a little smaller.
I've noticed how you include the beads when you photograph your work.
You are using design principles when you take the photograph.
So that is another layer to ponder.
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From Aman's earlier post:
Incorporate Italic in my daily writing ? That's a good idea,, i just need an broad edge pen fountain pen for it.. I can try doing that,, thanks for such a nice idea. ( Now my office guys is going to ask lot's of questions, when they are going to saw my office notebook with calligraphy and a different pen :D)
You work looks like you have a rhythmic feel for the lettering, : Thanks for nice words, but I have no idea what it's meaning. :D Sorry, I am really new to these words, so, s that's why i do ask so many questions.
***
Most people who work on their penmanship at work find out that people are impressed with beautiful penmanship. It is a fun conversation and you may find that other people will be inspired to work on their own penmanship. You can do italic style writing with any kind of pen or pencil. It is called monoline when you do not use a broad edged tool. Somewhere on my blog there are examples of monoline handwriting. I should go back and make a link or a tab to show all the different italic penmanship that I have collected over the years. It is inspirational.
By using your italics in everyday penmanship, you will start to feel the rhythm.
With a dip pen, you will still start to feel a rhythm after you have put in enough time with the dip pen or cartridge pen that the strokes are coming out consistently.
In the beginning, there is so much to think about:
nib angle
angle of each stroke
entrance to the stroke
exit of the stroke
branching
exact construction of each letter
letter spacing
word spacing
line spacing
margins
that's 10 things to think about - so, the rhythm of making strokes will not be the first thing you think about.
Some teachers recommend doing a series of warm ups - like:
mmmmmmmmm
or
minimumminimumminimum
and then some other patterns
just to get some rhythm going.
I still enjoy doing random patterns of strokes to warm up.
You get an A+ on keeping your capital letters only slightly taller than the lowercase.
You also said:
4. Find 1,2 awesome Italic exemplars and trace them ( or,, try to imitate them without tracing ??? ::) { crazy idea}).
That is not a crazy idea at all. As long as you are not going to post it anywhere - it is delightful to be inspired by the work of others - and see how close you can get to something you admire. There is a tradition in art education where students make exact copies to learn. Back in the day - if you went to work in the studio of a master, you would learn to paint the sky, clouds, backgrounds in the exact style of the master. Today, copying if frowned upon - by many - but not all. It's just an exercise.
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Hello @jeanwilson
Good morning.
Thanks a lot for your thoughtful replies. and your time.
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1. On the top one, look at the word spacing.Compare the space between *we love* and we do* |Yes, spacing is off in both letters , will trk to take care of in in nect quotes.
3. On the bottom one, the *rt* in heart and *rte* in direction show how the branch off the r can create a large white space.Sorry, I am not able to understand this :(
4. The treatment of the r-u-m-i is interesting - might look better a little smaller.Thanks You, will use the small nib next time.
5. I've noticed how you include the beads when you photograph your work. I love my beads :D .. It's a bracelet.
6. You are using design principles when you take the photograph.So that is another layer to ponder. Thank you, I don't know much about the design principles, i just took the pic :D
Thanks again for your time Jean, I am hoping I am not bothering you a lot.
Regards
Aman
Hello @jeanwilson
This is my italic work of Yesterday.
P.S : I am attaching my Yesterday's work, I used Pencil for Signatures, and I tried to keep the letters slant, I used the 2mm Italic tape leonard nib and Sumi ink.. and some watercolour strokes.
Thanks a lot for your help Jean.
Regards
Aman
On the top one, look at the word spacing.
Compare the space between *we love* and we do*
On the bottom one, the *rt* in heart and *rte* in direction show how the branch off the r can create a large white space.
The treatment of the r-u-m-i is interesting - might look better a little smaller.
I've noticed how you include the beads when you photograph your work.
You are using design principles when you take the photograph.
So that is another layer to ponder.
-
Hello @jeanwilson
A very good morning.
This is mine yesterday's work.
I have tried to *highlight* the main text of the quote. I have tried to write my name in the left , I have start adding Author's name.
I tried to write the quote in the center, also, i tried to write in a layout and used the guidelines for slantness.
Thanks for you help in advance.
Regards
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Hello @jeanwilson
Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation :) and first, YAYYYYYYYYY!!!! i GOT A+ in capital letter lenght,, my first A :D , I am happy.
Not sure if anyone like it in my office ( office politics you know ;d ). I am thinking to use *pencil* for my daily penmanship , and use it for write italic ..
Monoline, that's the term i have never heard, I tried searching you blog and find the below image, i think it's a example of monoline ?
http://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.in/2011/02/copying-nancy-hills.html .
I never thought about these points, but some of them come naturally when I do calligraphy. Can you please guide me little bit on Branching
because I have never heard this term before. I am pretty bad in Letter,Word and Line spacing, but I am working on it, and I hope once I have a basic Idea of Layouts, then these issues might solved.
Thanks for boost my moral for tracing, I am start going to do them. I will not post them anywhere. Thanks a lot for the help Jean, you are an inspiration to all of us.
Wishing you a great day ahead.
Regards
Aman
(https://theflourishforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-P0lXLUHPk-s%2FTWGB3AcTKPI%2FAAAAAAAACwg%2FMcLsj8QTkxM%2Fs1600%2Fs%252Bcopying%252BNancy%252Bhills.jpg&hash=11e080acf3faaefa1e1dcc04f681795b)
From Aman's earlier post:
Incorporate Italic in my daily writing ? That's a good idea,, i just need an broad edge pen fountain pen for it.. I can try doing that,, thanks for such a nice idea. ( Now my office guys is going to ask lot's of questions, when they are going to saw my office notebook with calligraphy and a different pen :D)
You work looks like you have a rhythmic feel for the lettering, : Thanks for nice words, but I have no idea what it's meaning. :D Sorry, I am really new to these words, so, s that's why i do ask so many questions.
***
Most people who work on their penmanship at work find out that people are impressed with beautiful penmanship. It is a fun conversation and you may find that other people will be inspired to work on their own penmanship. You can do italic style writing with any kind of pen or pencil. It is called monoline when you do not use a broad edged tool. Somewhere on my blog there are examples of monoline handwriting. I should go back and make a link or a tab to show all the different italic penmanship that I have collected over the years. It is inspirational.
By using your italics in everyday penmanship, you will start to feel the rhythm.
With a dip pen, you will still start to feel a rhythm after you have put in enough time with the dip pen or cartridge pen that the strokes are coming out consistently.
In the beginning, there is so much to think about:
nib angle
angle of each stroke
entrance to the stroke
exit of the stroke
branching
exact construction of each letter
letter spacing
word spacing
line spacing
margins
that's 10 things to think about - so, the rhythm of making strokes will not be the first thing you think about.
Some teachers recommend doing a series of warm ups - like:
mmmmmmmmm
or
minimumminimumminimum
and then some other patterns
just to get some rhythm going.
I still enjoy doing random patterns of strokes to warm up.
You get an A+ on keeping your capital letters only slightly taller than the lowercase.
You also said:
4. Find 1,2 awesome Italic exemplars and trace them ( or,, try to imitate them without tracing ??? ::) { crazy idea}).
That is not a crazy idea at all. As long as you are not going to post it anywhere - it is delightful to be inspired by the work of others - and see how close you can get to something you admire. There is a tradition in art education where students make exact copies to learn. Back in the day - if you went to work in the studio of a master, you would learn to paint the sky, clouds, backgrounds in the exact style of the master. Today, copying if frowned upon - by many - but not all. It's just an exercise.
-
I Googled *branching italic* to see what would pop up and found this site:
http://www.calligraphy-skills.com/italic-lettering.html
I have never seen this site before and it has some good information. Branching is when you have a straight stroke, like the first stroke in the n, and then the second stroke branches off the first stroke. The branch stroke can start high on the first stroke, or in the middle, or low. You want to choose your level of branching and be consistent. You also match the high-medium-or-low branching where the second stroke curves out from the bottom, like on the u.
And---- it is helpful to look at the size of the little triangle shapes that you create as you are branching.
Please avoid saying, "I am bad at...(spacing)" Try to replace that phrase with, "I am working on....."
In my years of teaching, the students who are vigilant about making negative remarks about their work seem to make less progress. If you keep negative thoughts in your head as you are writing, you tend to fulfill those thoughts. If every time you get to a D, you think, "I am bad at Ds. My Ds are always bad" then you will make a bad D. If, instead, you start thinking of the directions that you should follow, you are more likely to start making letters that follow the exemplar. If you talk to your self about the amount of space between the two strokes of the D and how you want the second stroke to be curved-straighter-curved - then you will make progress.
Probably every person who has ever studied with Peter Thornton has heard this in a class:
Student: I can't get the spacing right.
Peter: Yet
He is vigilant in reminding people that while they can identify what they *can't* do, they should add the word -yet- to remind themselves that they are on a path and will make a series of discoveries. Those discoveries come easier when the student is not bad mouthing their own work.
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Aman wrote:
3. On the bottom one, the *rt* in heart and *rte* in direction show how the branch off the r can create a large white space.Sorry, I am not able to understand this :(
and
6. You are using design principles when you take the photograph.So that is another layer to ponder. Thank you, I don't know much about the design principles, i just took the pic :D
3
When the second stroke of the r branches to the right, the longer it is, the more space it creates under the arc. If you Google Sheila Waters and look for the letter r in her work, you will see how it is various lengths depending on what letter comes after the r.
6.
While people often feel that they do not know much about design principles, they actually have all kinds of natural preferences and use them all the time. The way you choose furniture and then how you arrange your furniture in a room will show something about your preferences. The way you set a table or arrange food on a plate can be full of aesthetic choices. When you put together an outfit and add accessories, you are making choices based on your design preferences. You might not make the decisions using the exact vocabulary, but you are still aware of the principles. So even if you were not thinking of specific design principles when you placed the beads on the page and framed the subject matter to take the photo, you were still probably making some decisions based on your own preferences in design. A main decision is how much white space to leave between items. Also how much space to leave around the edge. Some people prefer more space, others like to keep things much tighter. It's all about learning your natural preferences and building on them. You still learn from studying other styles that are not your preference, but understanding why they are pleasing in their own way. And conversely, you learn to analyze a piece and decide if it would benefit from some changes.
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Hello @jeanwilson
A very good morning, and thanks for the reply,
Thanks for explaining *Branching* and I understand it now. Thanks for the link , I will read it and I am sure it will help in 2-3 things more :) ..
A heart-full thanks for giving a such a nice lesson. You are absolutely right , and I will stop doing it right now, not in Calligraphy but in all area of life.
I am not good in Layouts and Designs, Yet, and I am working on it. :o) . Jean I bet your students loves you a lot , it's very rare to find a teacher who is good in skills and as well as wise like you .
Thanks again for such a nice lesson.
God Bless you.
Regards
aman
I Googled *branching italic* to see what would pop up and found this site:
http://www.calligraphy-skills.com/italic-lettering.html
I have never seen this site before and it has some good information. Branching is when you have a straight stroke, like the first stroke in the n, and then the second stroke branches off the first stroke. The branch stroke can start high on the first stroke, or in the middle, or low. You want to choose your level of branching and be consistent. You also match the high-medium-or-low branching where the second stroke curves out from the bottom, like on the u.
And---- it is helpful to look at the size of the little triangle shapes that you create as you are branching.
Please avoid saying, "I am bad at...(spacing)" Try to replace that phrase with, "I am working on....."
In my years of teaching, the students who are vigilant about making negative remarks about their work seem to make less progress. If you keep negative thoughts in your head as you are writing, you tend to fulfill those thoughts. If every time you get to a D, you think, "I am bad at Ds. My Ds are always bad" then you will make a bad D. If, instead, you start thinking of the directions that you should follow, you are more likely to start making letters that follow the exemplar. If you talk to your self about the amount of space between the two strokes of the D and how you want the second stroke to be curved-straighter-curved - then you will make progress.
Probably every person who has ever studied with Peter Thornton has heard this in a class:
Student: I can't get the spacing right.
Peter: Yet
He is vigilant in reminding people that while they can identify what they *can't* do, they should add the word -yet- to remind themselves that they are on a path and will make a series of discoveries. Those discoveries come easier when the student is not bad mouthing their own work.
-
Hello Jean,
Thanks for explaining branches and Design principles to me.
I think I have understand the concept of branching and will try to keep my branching consist , may be from the middle.
Thanks for explaining the thought process of *design principle* and about making the choices, yet, right, we may do it subconsciously , :) I will try to look some other others' pics and will see is I can manage to learn something from them and then can apply the same in my pics :) ..
Thanks a lot for such a wisdom again.
Regards
Aman
Aman wrote:
3. On the bottom one, the *rt* in heart and *rte* in direction show how the branch off the r can create a large white space.Sorry, I am not able to understand this :(
and
6. You are using design principles when you take the photograph.So that is another layer to ponder. Thank you, I don't know much about the design principles, i just took the pic :D
3
When the second stroke of the r branches to the right, the longer it is, the more space it creates under the arc. If you Google Sheila Waters and look for the letter r in her work, you will see how it is various lengths depending on what letter comes after the r.
6.
While people often feel that they do not know much about design principles, they actually have all kinds of natural preferences and use them all the time. The way you choose furniture and then how you arrange your furniture in a room will show something about your preferences. The way you set a table or arrange food on a plate can be full of aesthetic choices. When you put together an outfit and add accessories, you are making choices based on your design preferences. You might not make the decisions using the exact vocabulary, but you are still aware of the principles. So even if you were not thinking of specific design principles when you placed the beads on the page and framed the subject matter to take the photo, you were still probably making some decisions based on your own preferences in design. A main decision is how much white space to leave between items. Also how much space to leave around the edge. Some people prefer more space, others like to keep things much tighter. It's all about learning your natural preferences and building on them. You still learn from studying other styles that are not your preference, but understanding why they are pleasing in their own way. And conversely, you learn to analyze a piece and decide if it would benefit from some changes.
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Hello
Good morning Everyone.
This is my yesterday's work. I have applied the suggestion which Is given by all of you...
Regards
Aman
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# Things to Remember
1. Work on Branching. Be consistant on that. Google Sheila Waters and look for the letter r in her work,
2. Let the calligraphy piece to dry overnight before removing Pencil marks, or atleast remove it after an hour or so.
3. try and use a light hand to make the pencil sketch and a softer pencil for markups / layouts.
Regards
Aman
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This is fun for me to bring up the memories of lessons from 48 years ago. The lessons are pretty simple, easy to learn and easy to remember. Some of them are so obvious that it might seem odd to make them into a formal lesson. But, frequently the common problems in calligraphy have easy, yet unexpected solutions.
The two most common problems that self taught people may not have heard are these:
1
You need to be sitting at the proper height to your desk where you have free motion of your arms and are not too high so that you are hunched over and your feet need to be resting comfortably on the floor or on a riser, if you are short.
2
Your writing surface needs to have some cushion. Either blotter paper, leather, or several sheets of paper.
I believe there are other threads with more details on these two topics.
In design, I recall the very first lesson was the introduction of the *picture plane."
You can Google it and read all about it.
Your composition is on a sheet of paper and the edges of the paper may define the picture plane.
Often times the paper is rectangular.
You choose to make it landscape or portrait orientation (your first design choice)
If you choose to take a photo of the artwork and post it on IG, you will create a square format.
Or, if you know the piece will look better in either landscape or portrait, you can mat the work or draw a line around it so that it is properly presented.
If want to compose artwork that will fit the IG square format, you might want to work on square paper.
Personally, I love working in a square.
When a piece is just slightly wider or narrower than a square, it can be awkward.
Sometimes it will help the piece to adjust something to make it an exact square or go in the other direction and make it a more definite rectangle.
Your choice of how to crop a piece of artwork can enhance or detract from the piece.
Leaving work uncropped - in a large amount of space makes it look unfinished.
When someone comes to me to create an original piece of art, I always start by asking them what their plan is for framing the piece.
My goal is to take part in the framing process because I do not want them to make a poor framing choice, detracting from the artwork just because they are unaware of the aesthetic choices to be made in framing. If they need to buy an inexpensive standard frame, then I want to have the frame so I can make the piece look the best it can - in that particular frame.
So, even with your practice work, it is a good idea to study the overall shape of the image and how to crop it if you are going to post it on IG.
Rather than have me make suggestions for these 4 pieces, maybe you can make a pencil line that defines the picture plane and then decide how to move the elements around or change the layout to improve it.
Keep in mind, there is not a right-way or a wrong-way to make these decisions. Some people like more white space, others like tighter cropping. You have to look at work that you like and figure out your own preferences.
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Hello @jeanwilson ,
Thanks a ton for another awesome detailed reply.
Thanks for sharing lesson with me.. and thanks for sharing your wisdom & knowledge with all of us.
Related to the common problems.
1. Sitting position : I do calligraphy while sitting on the floor and putting my LED Table on my bad, ( i will post the pic soon). Unfortunately, we don't have much enough space at our home, where I can put a study desk, or study table. Ok ( we don't have a dining table,,, :D , we have just normal tables).
2. I can try to put cushion ( bunch of papers? or an old news papers?) beneath my LED board? Sorry i am pretty confused here :(
Thanks for your insights on taking pictures, I will try to use the *square* on of IG and will see how the result comes out.
I have tried to read about *picture plane* and every thing seems to be above of my head ...
(https://i0.wp.com/www.kittyinaz.com/wp-content/uploads/Banging-head-2.gif)
For today's work, I am going to try it on a *square paper* and then define the MAT and then i am going to do calligraphy over it.
Awesome suggestion on cropping, I never cropped my pics .... it's a really nice idea which I am going to try it today itself.
Thanks for your suggestion on *framing*, may be soon , my work will start framing , and then these suggestions will come a real handy. and also i am working on improving my calligraphy, and I hope that i will reach that milestone soon.
Also you said maybe you can make a pencil line that defines the picture plane and then decide how to move the elements around or change the layout to improve it. , I can't understand it :( , may be because i am not able to understand the concept of *picture planes* yet.
Is there is any example on *picture planes* + calligraphy over internet??
Thanks a lot for you time Jane.. I owe you a lot.
Regards
Aman
This is fun for me to bring up the memories of lessons from 48 years ago. The lessons are pretty simple, easy to learn and easy to remember. Some of them are so obvious that it might seem odd to make them into a formal lesson. But, frequently the common problems in calligraphy have easy, yet unexpected solutions.
The two most common problems that self taught people may not have heard are these:
1
You need to be sitting at the proper height to your desk where you have free motion of your arms and are not too high so that you are hunched over and your feet need to be resting comfortably on the floor or on a riser, if you are short.
2
Your writing surface needs to have some cushion. Either blotter paper, leather, or several sheets of paper.
I believe there are other threads with more details on these two topics.
In design, I recall the very first lesson was the introduction of the *picture plane."
You can Google it and read all about it.
Your composition is on a sheet of paper and the edges of the paper may define the picture plane.
Often times the paper is rectangular.
You choose to make it landscape or portrait orientation (your first design choice)
If you choose to take a photo of the artwork and post it on IG, you will create a square format.
Or, if you know the piece will look better in either landscape or portrait, you can mat the work or draw a line around it so that it is properly presented.
If want to compose artwork that will fit the IG square format, you might want to work on square paper.
Personally, I love working in a square.
When a piece is just slightly wider or narrower than a square, it can be awkward.
Sometimes it will help the piece to adjust something to make it an exact square or go in the other direction and make it a more definite rectangle.
Your choice of how to crop a piece of artwork can enhance or detract from the piece.
Leaving work uncropped - in a large amount of space makes it look unfinished.
When someone comes to me to create an original piece of art, I always start by asking them what their plan is for framing the piece.
My goal is to take part in the framing process because I do not want them to make a poor framing choice, detracting from the artwork just because they are unaware of the aesthetic choices to be made in framing. If they need to buy an inexpensive standard frame, then I want to have the frame so I can make the piece look the best it can - in that particular frame.
So, even with your practice work, it is a good idea to study the overall shape of the image and how to crop it if you are going to post it on IG.
Rather than have me make suggestions for these 4 pieces, maybe you can make a pencil line that defines the picture plane and then decide how to move the elements around or change the layout to improve it.
Keep in mind, there is not a right-way or a wrong-way to make these decisions. Some people like more white space, others like tighter cropping. You have to look at work that you like and figure out your own preferences.
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Aman said:
1. Sitting position : I do calligraphy while sitting on the floor and putting my LED Table on my bad, ( i will post the pic soon). Unfortunately, we don't have much enough space at our home, where I can put a study desk, or study table. Ok ( we don't have a dining table,,, :D , we have just normal tables).
2. I can try to put cushion ( bunch of papers? or an old news papers?) beneath my LED board? Sorry i am pretty confused here :(
1. You have done some very nice work while sitting on the floor, so, it should be fine for you to continue. Beautiful art has been created for centuries by people who are not sitting at a desk, so, there is no reason that it should be a problem for you.
I once had to teach a class where people were in an auditorium writing on clip boards in their laps and it worked out just fine.
2. I am not a big fan of LED boards, even though I know they are very popular. When you are writing on one sheet of paper that is on a hard surface, there is no *cushion* and the nib skates along on the paper a little faster than if you have cushion.
The feel of writing on a single sheet of paper on an LED board is for many of us old-timers - very unpleasant. We grew up writing on a cushioned surface and it is doubtful that a hard surface will ever feel right. I don't think it is just personal preference. I think students who are willing to try some cushion often feel the benefit.
If you have ever written on a very glossy paper, you will notice that it is more difficult than writing on paper with some *tooth.* Tooth is the word for how smooth, or rough, the paper is. The slippery papers are similar to the feel of writing on a very hard surface with no cushion.
The cushion provides some flexibility to the surface. It will slow the nib down just bit. So there is a combination of the tooth of the paper as well as the amount of *give* in the surface that affects your writing.
The easiest way to get some give to your surface is to write on a stack of 3 or 4 sheets of paper. On an LED board, this will not let enough light through if you want to see your guidelines. Luckily, there is a product that gives cushion to your paper that is translucent and will solve the problem on an LED board. It is a packing material that comes in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.
This is just one product.
They usually sell packages of sheets at office supply stores.
https://www.uline.com/BL_857/Uline-UPSable-Industrial-Rolls
You can probably find it somewhere....often times electronic products, are wrapped in it, inside the box.
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Good morning @jeanwilson ,
Thanks a lot for the reply and your help.
1. My problem number 1 is solved , I don't need to worry much about sitting position anymore. ( yayy)
2. Thanks for explain the cushion effects and benefits and introduce me to the word tooth.
Thanks for suggesting the best cushion for the LED table, i used a lot for the Guidelines ( as i m trying to stick to 5 degree slant), and with the help of your link, I have managed to find one old that kind of sheet at my desk, I am going to use it the next time :) ..
Wishing you a great day ahead.
Thanks for the guidance.
Regards
Aman
Aman said:
1. Sitting position : I do calligraphy while sitting on the floor and putting my LED Table on my bad, ( i will post the pic soon). Unfortunately, we don't have much enough space at our home, where I can put a study desk, or study table. Ok ( we don't have a dining table,,, :D , we have just normal tables).
2. I can try to put cushion ( bunch of papers? or an old news papers?) beneath my LED board? Sorry i am pretty confused here :(
1. You have done some very nice work while sitting on the floor, so, it should be fine for you to continue. Beautiful art has been created for centuries by people who are not sitting at a desk, so, there is no reason that it should be a problem for you.
I once had to teach a class where people were in an auditorium writing on clip boards in their laps and it worked out just fine.
2. I am not a big fan of LED boards, even though I know they are very popular. When you are writing on one sheet of paper that is on a hard surface, there is no *cushion* and the nib skates along on the paper a little faster than if you have cushion.
The feel of writing on a single sheet of paper on an LED board is for many of us old-timers - very unpleasant. We grew up writing on a cushioned surface and it is doubtful that a hard surface will ever feel right. I don't think it is just personal preference. I think students who are willing to try some cushion often feel the benefit.
If you have ever written on a very glossy paper, you will notice that it is more difficult than writing on paper with some *tooth.* Tooth is the word for how smooth, or rough, the paper is. The slippery papers are similar to the feel of writing on a very hard surface with no cushion.
The cushion provides some flexibility to the surface. It will slow the nib down just bit. So there is a combination of the tooth of the paper as well as the amount of *give* in the surface that affects your writing.
The easiest way to get some give to your surface is to write on a stack of 3 or 4 sheets of paper. On an LED board, this will not let enough light through if you want to see your guidelines. Luckily, there is a product that gives cushion to your paper that is translucent and will solve the problem on an LED board. It is a packing material that comes in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.
This is just one product.
They usually sell packages of sheets at office supply stores.
https://www.uline.com/BL_857/Uline-UPSable-Industrial-Rolls
You can probably find it somewhere....often times electronic products, are wrapped in it, inside the box.
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Hello Good morning..
Sharing the latest work :)
I have tried to make some *frame lines* and *mat lines* .. but ,,,, still not worked out as i want... so i am working on it...
Regards
Aman
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Today's work :)
Trying to work on all suggestions given my Jean and other members :)
Hoping to improving the lettering soon :)
Regards
Aman
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Hi,
Good morning :o)
Posting my Yesterday's work.. not much improvement though ... but still :)
Regards
Aman
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Hi Aman,
Your composition have improved leaps and bounds. Your stroke looks more confident.
Keep writing,
-Ashok
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Hello @ash0kgiri Bhai :)
Thanks a lot , and I am really happy that you can see the improvements. :)
Thanks a ton.
Regards
Aman
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Hi
Good morning.
Posting my practice again :) and I used the walnut ink, thanks to @prasad :)
and I did some experiments too with layout and formatting ;o)
Regards
Aman
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So glad to see you posting again!! It's looking good.
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Thanks @sheila247
For your kind words,
:) was busy with some work,, now will try to be regular.
Have a nice day.
Regards
Aman
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Oh. I like the 'imperfection' one, there is a nice play with letters. Nice to see some thought into it.
-Ashok
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Hello Bhai @ash0kgiri
Thanks for your kind words :) , I keep trying to do some experiments :) , so sometime something good comes out from them.
R
AMan
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Good morning ,,,
I hope everyone is doing good :)
Just posting some of my new stuff :)
Have a nice day ..
Regards
Aman
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Hi Aman,
This is fabulous progress. The strokes are drawn with so much confidence. And the flourishes are awesome.
Keep Writing,
-Ashok