Topics

1

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Did vintage nib boxes came with samples?

« on: March 18, 2021, 02:05:29 PM »

Hi everyone!!

I have recently purchased a Perry & co 120EF vintage box and it came in the mail with a nice surprise. Inside the box (that was already opened) were the hundred nibs the seller promised and a different one attached to a small carton which seems like a sample. I have never seen anything like it in other boxes. I have found small papers with information on different nibs inside closed boxes before, but never an actual nib. Do you know if Perry included this samples in their boxes? Or maybe it just was stored there by a previous owner?

2

Coffee & Nib-bles / Modern stamps

« on: February 04, 2019, 09:37:04 AM »

Hi there!
I know I have always said that stamps here in Spain are uglier. But now, I have to tell you, they're quite modern! They have been using some cool things in the making of Spanish stamps. There are many stamps with original shapes, not squared. For example, I have stamps shaped as chess pieces or buildings. There is also a plastic clear stamp, so cool on colored envelopes! There are some models of stamps with qr codes, and augmented reality (but I haven't try those yet!). There are some with holographic foil, and some with raised designs. I'll try to take photographs if you are interested on seeing them.
Meanwhile, let you know that I am using for the Hearts Affire Exchange some stamps with the shape of an Eucalyptus leaf and aroma! If you happen to receive one, rub it a bit and tell me if it does still smell!
And I am now curious to know, are there any special cool stamps over there?

3

Exchange Tracking - Showers Bring Flowers 2018 / List 4 sent

« on: May 15, 2018, 05:37:59 AM »

Hello, dear list 4 members!

Hope you like stamps, and you don't mind the Spanish king, because you have quite of him on the envelope 

4

Workshops & Conference News / Celtic Calligraphy Workshop in Oviedo, Spain

« on: January 31, 2018, 02:55:51 PM »

I know this is very local and probably nobody would be interested (I know there are very few Spanish members in the forum, and much less members from Asturias) but just in case...

There is going to be a nice 3-day workshop about Celtic Illumination from the book of Kells, on February 10th, 17th and 24th in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.

The teacher will be Andrés Antón, a calligrapher from Asturias specialized in medieval scripts and Celtic decorations.

If anyone is interested you can tell me and I will give you details if I can and/or how to contact. I will be attending the workshop. 

5

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Help with travel plan to Japan! Anyone knows kakizome?

« on: September 15, 2017, 04:49:28 AM »

Hi there everyone! I am planing an awesome travel my boyfriend is gifting me for Christmas: 21 days in Japan for New Year! So, I have been reading Japan themed blogs about traveling and I read about Kakizome, the first calligraphy of the year, but I cannot find much info on that. Is it a tradition each one does in their own home? Or can I go somewhere to watch calligraphers? I don't want to miss the opportunity if it does exists!
Also I would gladly accept recommendations about stationery or calligraphy stores or events! I have been reading the post about stationery stores in Tokyo, but since I am going to be in Japan from Dec18th to Jan8th I am going to be in Kyoto and Osaka too, and visit some other near cities as well!
Thank you all in advanced!

6

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Spanish vintage nib boxes and flyers

« on: March 31, 2017, 06:21:38 AM »

Hi everyone!

I've purchased a nice haul of 4 vintage boxes of nibs from the, I think, most known Spanish company at the time! They are called Plumas Cervantinas and the boxes are pretty, with our Spanish literature icon Cervantes's face on them!

When I opened them (they were unopened, yes!) I found a surprising packaging, at least for me. I hadn't see this in any other vintage nib box I have, not that I have a lot, but I thought maybe you were interested.

Inside each box (except one, you'll see), there was a folded paper flyer with information about a different nib. And then the nibs were wrapped in a waxed paper printed with even more info about other nib models.

When people sell them, they always tend to say that the number printed in the box is the manufacturing date, but I think it is the model. Seems weird to me that they only made each model for only a year and then change the model for the following year. There are no equal model nibs with different number on them and no different nibs with the same number. And all of them are between 1930-1950 and I know they were used in Spain at least until the 60s, so... no idea about when they are from! I'll keep digging!

So, I am going to use several posts here to show you the details, so you have them organised! Hope you find them interesting!

7

Coffee & Nib-bles / And that, dear postal services, is why people don't send letters anymore...

« on: May 20, 2016, 12:49:53 PM »

Ok, I think you all here will understand me. We are that weird people that like to send letters to our dear ones, that always look at their mailboxes and get sad when there are only bank receipts, and that spend quite a lot of money in postal stamps. Am I right?

Then come the postal services and do that!!! Why??? Who on Earth though that was a good idea?

That is a postcard (see image attached) from a Flourish Forum member, we have become postcard penpals. Calligraphy has become secondary just because of the little space for writing that a postcard leaves, but that is the thing with postcards, right? But then, somewhere on its way to me someone put a sticker all over the writing. I don't know is that happened in the USA, or when it entered Spain, or anywhere else on its way. And I hope that is done by a machine, because, really?? It was necessary a sticker just there?? The same code printed on the sticker is also perfectly printed some cm down. There is even some blank space at the end of the postcard. That sticker evokes on my mind images of a monstrous evil mailman that hates people and want to make them suffer. 

8

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Traveling for a workshop tips, please!

« on: May 17, 2016, 06:02:06 AM »

Hi everyone!!

In ten days I will be traveling to Barcelona (Spain) for a two-days Spencerian workshop with Barbara Calzolari!! And I am getting too excited about it with all my planning. I am going to meet some Flourish Forum members in person there too!!

But the thing is, it will be my first pointed pen workshop ever (I only took one 3 hour class on brushpen last year, so we can consider this is going to be my first calligraphy workshop at all). And most important, it is going to be the first time I travel for that reason. I am not entirely sure of what should I bring on my suitcase. Also I don't want the people at the airport take away my pens and nibs because I could kill the pilot with them or something (they don't let us travel with a nail file so who knows what can be done with some pointy dip pens...). The people that organizes the workshop say that the necessary material is included there: a speedball oblique, nibs, ink and paper. But I am not sure, mostly because I am going to be out of my town, and if I need anything else I won't know where to purchase it.

So, you that are more experience in that situations, any tips? Should I bring my own pen and nibs? Any other material useful for a workshop that may not be included? mechanical pencil? any kind of pencil? rulers? arabic gum? brushes? am I overthinking it?

Also, are this kind of workshops a place for taking notes? Should I bring a notebook and a normal pen in order to do that? Or everything is practical? I don't know if I could take notes and practice at the same time, because changing constantly to different grip with different pens and all that may not be a good thing. What do you think?

9

Calligraphy Book Reviews / La escritura y la caligrafía inglesa, por Dámaso Sanz Martínez

« on: March 28, 2016, 12:38:01 PM »

Thanks to a fellow member of the Forum, I got my hands on a beautiful Spanish book about calligraphy. My idea was to scan it for all of you to have, but it was not as old as I though, so the book is not yet on public domain. But, what I can definitely do, is writing a comprehensive review, adding some interesting info I have found about the author and post some photos as example. Erica, please, if anything I do is against the Forum rules, do tell, delete or whatever you need to do!

The book itself is very beautiful, full of exemplars and some theory on the first pages. As the cover says, it was a method used for teaching. Dámaso Sanz Martínez created this method, and he was a Calligraphy Professor in a National School in Santander. Those kinds of schools were where future teachers learned how to teach children. You have on attachments photos of the cover and the inner title.

On one of the first pages of the book, along with the usual information about author and title, there is an official text describing the book and certifying it is good enough and has some law requirements for its use in teaching.

Then, there are several pages describing the correct posture, how to hold the pen, how to angle the paper, how to do the exercises and what materials to use. It recommends a nib called Perry 701 extrafine. I have not been able to find it, the most similar name I found was a Perry & Co. 7011. Have no idea if it is the same. There is no photo of the materials on the book.

The rest of the pages are exemplars and exercises. First there are some monoline drills and letters, and then it gets into copperplate. It is interesting to notice that the author says several times that calligraphy should be teached only to those interested on it. And the important thing was for everybody to have a nice penmanship. He says that the teacher should inspire the students to have a beautiful and readable everyday penmanship, and only if a student manifests an interest on it, he should be teached the complete copperplate calligraphy, or English cursive, as we called it here. So, it would be ok for a student to only do the monoline exercises, and the rest were considered advanced level.

I like most the last page; it is a beautiful exemplar as well as the last piece of advice. You have a photo on attachments. An approximate translation is:

“If you have came here with hard work and good mood, you will understand, seeing the pretty penmanship you now have, that in calligraphy as in every other areas of the human knowledge, that it is just necessary a strong will for enlightenment to be crowned by success. Congratulations.”

The book is from 1929. But searching for the author I found a very interesting fact. I found a catalogue of calligraphers from 1920 that says that Dámaso was a calligraphy teacher in the school of Gijón, my city! It also says that Dámaso was born in Hortigüela (Burgos) on august 15th in 1886. I also found his obituary on the newspaper. He died on May 23rd in 1962.  You have on attachments a pdf of the newspaper page with the obituary.

The Editorial of the book was the Taller de Artes Gráficas Viuda de F. Fons. The owner was Carmen Diestro Gener and she was the widow of Francisco Fons Velarde, founder of it and dead since 1897. She had also a bookstore that was lost on a fire in 1941. The Editorial was active until half of the XX century.

As another interesting fact, I found an official document from the government that says the salary of the calligraphers in 1943. You have it on attachments. There are listed 11 teachers in three different categories. Amongst them is Dámaso, in the second category and with a total salary of 6000 pesetas each year. I have absolutely no idea of how to convert that number into something about how much it would be today. The only data I can provide, is that when we changed pesetas to euros in 2002, this was the change rate: 1 euro = 166.386 pesetas.
Also I found some economical data that says that 1000 pesetas in 1945 were the equivalent of 82914 in 1999. But nothing else from there. Anyone with economical knowledge here?

10

Tools & Supplies / Vintage Spanish Little treasures

« on: March 10, 2016, 06:00:18 AM »

I know it is not the best time to post about new vintage nibs to try, but I promise they were cheap  As some other european members of the forum have said, I only buy vintage nibs that are actually cheaper than modern ones. And, here is Spain there are not so many moderns nibs available, and shipping costs from America... well, you know. It is quite easy to find here some boxes of french or italian vintage nibs at reasonable prices.

Well, these days, I have some sort of "patriotic nostalgia" or whatever you want to call it. You know I am here quite alone on the calligraphic matters, and there is so much info here about tools and materials but mostly american. I am quite curious about what tools were used here. By the way I love Valliciergo's examplar that has been told in this other post ).

I never met my great grandfather, but I have seen documents written by him that my grandfather ketp very carefully. He had an interesting penmanship, and I am sure he loved to write. I remember seeing as a child a document with the story of the family. He kept a paper with notes about new borns, weddings, deaths... and it was very interesting to see how each note was done in diferent ink and even the penmanship was changing over time. I also have a beautiful metal inkwell from him, that my grandfather was very proud to give my mother some time ago when she used it to make some illustrations with his old pens. I just have this few items and some stories here and there about how they wrote on those ages. My father used ink and nibs at school when he was a child, but he does not remember so much. So I have been searching and asking him for some info, about what kind of ink they used, what nibs, etc.

I found some items on an spanish auction site and bought it just as curiosities (although I plan on using the nibs!) because they were cheap. Today they came in the mail and I showed them to my father. He automatically were "yesss!!! that was it!!!" and started talking about how the teacher made their ink but did not fill completely their inkwells because they were naughty boys and always ended up covering everithing in ink when the inkwell fell from their desks, and that sort of funny stories. So here you have what I did find:

Some sort of powdered ink. It was meant to mix with water and each packet had just the exact quantity for an inkwell (don't know exactly what quantity that is...). There were several colors. I have blue and violet. My father told me at school they mostly used blue.

A box of Competidora nº 702 Extra Fine nibs. The box says 100 units, but it came with 33. Interesting thing: the nibs have no inscription, but they match the model illustrated on the box. They look exactly as a Perry and co 120EF.

A box of Imsa Perfecta nº 19 nibs. This box says 100 units, but it came with 102 nibs inside. It also says that they are from Barcelona and were made by Industrias Metalicas SA from high quality steel.

If any of you have any more info about spanish materials it would be much apreciated. And also, if any of you are curious to try this nibs I don't mind sharing some for your personal collections 

11

Tools & Supplies / Help! Doing chalklettering on a wall

« on: October 13, 2015, 07:00:33 AM »

Hi friends! I need your help.

I've been asked to paint some big chalkboard style lettering but on a wall in the street. It is for a one-day event, so it needs to be completely cleanable in a few days. But it is going to be all over a wall at the port by the sea and painted the day before, so it also needs to be resistant and not to fade very quickly. I was thinking about doing the layout first with actual chalk and then use some wet crushed chalk to paint it with a big brush.

What do you think? Could that be enough? Is there anyone with any experience in something like this? Thank you so much!

12

Tools & Supplies / Wine ink

« on: August 21, 2015, 12:31:24 PM »

Hi! Yesterday I happened to have some wine leftovers from a dinner, and it wasn't good to drink. So I thoutgh about inksperimenting a bit. The wine alone was too watery and had little color, so I added some gum arabic drops and some grape skin extract (I had that because I use it in some cosmetics!). And oh-my-god, it gave an awesome ink! It has a redish purple color on cream paper, and a cool purple on white paper. And the smell!! Well, it just smells like wine, but I know there are some of you wine-lovers that would understand me 

Have you ever tried wine as an ink?? Do you think it needs some conservative or something? Will it damage my nibs in any way?? So many doubts! I'll keep you posted about how it goes!

Here you have a photo of it, but I will try to post here some more:

https://instagram.com/p/6pjcacrSCx/?taken-by=inked_botanicals

13

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Tips for lefties?

« on: June 09, 2015, 12:18:37 PM »

Hello guys! I recently started doing an introductory workshop about pointed pen calligraphy and for now it is going very well! But, now one of my students is left handed and I don't want her to be disencouraged because of that. I know many of you are and that it is perfectly possible! I have procured a straight holder for her (oblique holders for the other students) but as I am not left handed, can you offer any special advice or anything I should consider that I could be missing? Lots of thanks to you all!

14

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Having Santa as a penpal

« on: May 05, 2015, 06:07:43 PM »

Yes, I know! Best-Penpal-Ever! I used to write letters to Santa as a child and I remember being so happy while writting! I did not ask for presents, I just wrote about school and friends as with any penpal. And when I say Santa, I mean Santa, the real one, the one from North Pole, not any parents-fake-crap! But then I lost his address.

Some years ago, I remembered my old letters as a child and did a Google search to find it again, so Santa has been receiving calligraphied letters for some years now! And the best thing is that he answers every year! Every year around April I got a letter from North Pole and I feel as happy as when I was a child! Some people laugh at me when I send my letter every Christmas, but I don't care if it is childish, because I am the one getting Santa's answers! 

So, if any of you want to feel like your inner child, or you want your own children to have some Christmas spirit, I share with you Santa's address! (See pic).

If you visit the website you'll see that they sell personalized letters for Christmas, which is nice for a present, but if you just write to his address, he will answer with a nice letter free of charge! It is going to be around April, but come on, Santa is so busy, he will write at his own holidays!

15

Favorite Resources / Supplies in Europe?

« on: January 24, 2015, 09:14:50 AM »

Hi everyone! I know most of you are from USA, but maybe there is some one that could help me. Do you know any place where I can order calligraphy supplies in Europe? I am from Spain, and shipping costs from USA are killing me! It is only worth it for quite big orders and it ends being almost the same amount for shipping than the actual goods  I am very happy with John Neal and Paper&Inks, they both ship quite fast (in less than 2 weeks generally I got my order), and I had never a problem, but... Maybe there is a place nearer and more affordable for me. What do you think? Thanks a lot in advance!