Topics

16

Tools & Supplies / Paper and Envelopes

« on: November 13, 2015, 12:24:00 PM »

I'm having some issues with paper. I had been using Bienfang (Speedball) marker paper. It is thin and easy to see guidelines through without a light table. I was using a cheeeaaap pen holder and nib along with some really cheap ink I found. That was before I got my oblique holder and the Moon Palace ink (is that what it's called, I can't remember for sure).

Now, I've tried three nibs with the think and none of them work. I ended up purchasing the HP Premium Laserjet paper for practice and it's awesome! For now I just print the guidelines onto it and practice basics that way.

My issues though is when I want to write something to send off. The HP paper is great for practice but I loved the way the marker paper looked. It was clean and had a nice feel to it. Do you have any suggestions for paper that I might use for letter writing?

My second question refers to envelopes. What envelopes do you use? (In the US) Standard (cheap) ones bleed terribly. Where might I find some envelopes? I previously had some nice ones but I have no idea where they came from.

17

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Double Letters

« on: November 13, 2015, 10:53:57 AM »

How do you handle double letters? Specifically when you have two p's next to each other? I find writing words like "happy" or "appearance" the p's get sloppy and look funny next to each other if I put the bottom loop on. I have tried doing just the "stick" version (excuse my lack of technical term- I'm not sure what you would call it) but I feel it too looks off.

I find having two f's next to each other to be much easier but then again, f is my favorite letter to write out so that kind of makes sense.

Anyways, I always appreciate your advice. Any examples or suggestions would be awesome. Thanks!

18

Tools & Supplies / Fountain Pen

« on: November 11, 2015, 07:37:56 PM »

How might j go about finding a real fountain pen? One that is adorable (not hundreds of dollars). I specify "real" because I have a very cheap one I found a while back but it's pretty much a fancy looking gel pen. I'm really interested in one with a flexible nib on it if possible.

19

Open Flourish | General Discussion / What is your favorite letter?

« on: November 08, 2015, 02:08:13 PM »

There are certain letters that are just so nice to write. Like a lowercase "f" and a "M." (Copperplate)  M took me a long time to figure out but now I enjoy writing M's.

What's your favorite? Care to share a photo?

20

Kind Critique / My First Critique Request

« on: November 07, 2015, 02:34:24 PM »

Alright, here it is. I'm finally brave enough to post my work for others to see. I've officially been practicing calligraphy for a few weeks, maybe a month or so. I may have some of the letters wrong, I've realized, because I wasn't looking at anything when writing. I tried to do it all from memory. Please let me know what I can work on. Thank you!

(Also, please ignore the random water spot on the paper. Sorry about that!)

Oh my! I just realized I misspelled "practicing" and that my text started shifting upwards.

I've got a lot to learn.

21

Find a Pen Pal / Pen Pals Anyone?

« on: November 06, 2015, 01:06:44 PM »

I'm hoping to get some practice in and this seems like a great way to do that. It'd be fun to converse with others around the world through snail mail, my favorite mode of communication. It somehow seems so much more personal and special.

Anyways, does anyone want to start writing some letters? We could write anything at random or discuss topics, send quotes or poems. Whatever works really! 

22

Tools & Supplies / Brause 66EFand Oblique Holder Issue

« on: November 05, 2015, 08:41:49 PM »

I recently received an oblique pen holder with the Brause 66EF nib on it as a birthday gift. I am having so much trouble getting the ink to flow with it. Any idea what might cause such an issue?

Below is the description of the pen holder I have. How can I change the nib in case I can't get this one to work? I have a Nikko G and Gillot 404 in addition to the Brause 66EF. Both of which were listed as compatible with the holder.

"H54. 5/8in (Thicker) Adjusted Century Oblique Penholder
5/8" Century Oblique Pen Holder--- Joe Vitolo has modified the design of the Century Oblique Holder. The thicker holder may reduce hand fatigue. The penholders are adjusted to the nib you would like to use. A nib is included with each holder." It is from John Neal Books which is where this description comes from.

As always, thank you for any advice you can provide.

23

Flourishing / Flourishes- am I doing this right?

« on: November 04, 2015, 01:33:34 PM »

I hope this isn't too naive but with flourishing, specifically on a name, can I essentially make something up? I've been playing around with capital letters and names. I practice a "layout" for how I want it to look, sketching it in different forms, until I find balance and unity. Then I go for it. Is this an acceptable method? Is there a rhyme or reason to flourishes? Lastly, should I think about this more methodically or do basic design principles apply here?

Thank you for any advice you can provide!

24

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Not Copperplate and not cursive...what is it?

« on: November 03, 2015, 08:42:09 PM »

What would be the type of writing which someone would use in daily writing? I'm not exactly sure how to explain what I mean but basically, is there something that isn't traditional cursive taught in schools (that's a bit too bubbly for my tastes) but is quick enough to do general writing with? I want to do something nicer than print for some of my writing throughout the day when calligraphy such as Copperplate is too much. Is there something like this? I imagine something like old letters you find sometimes tucked in an antique book. I hope I am making sense here...

25

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / There's so much to learn and how can I share calligraphy

« on: November 03, 2015, 08:13:46 PM »

I'm at this point where I've gone through Copperplate letters individually and as words. I've written letters and occasionally go back and write out a page or two of each letter but I feel like I am missing something. Not in the sense that I'm doing something wrong but that there just has to be something more than what I am doing.

I know there is so much more out there to learn but now that I've gone through the basics I'm lost. There is so much information out there so I don't know what is next. I still would like more practice with Copperplate before I move on to anything else I'm just at a loss as to what that practice is supposed to look like. I can only fill so many pages with each individual letter or write so many letters to my family and friends before they get annoyed. Haha.

What would you all suggest is the next step? How do you sift through everything out there in order to decide what to do next?

As a side note I feel like I need some goals within calligraphy. I want to share this with other people but like I mentioned earlier there are only so many letters I can write in a given time. I've joined the next exchange which should be fun but what are some other ways of sharing this art form with others that I can go after as a beginner?

26

Tools & Supplies / Pen Holder- Where should I look?

« on: November 02, 2015, 09:56:31 PM »

I'm searching for a somewhat nicer pen holder. Nicer than a plastic one- I have a plastic Speedball brand one- but not so nice that it costs a hundred dollars. What I mean by nice is not plastic and has a good feel to it. Something solid. Where might I look? I've seen some of the wooden ones on the sites suggested in the recommended supplies list. I'm just curious if there is anywhere else I might look.

27

Introductions / Hello from Iowa!

« on: September 20, 2015, 09:59:37 PM »

Hello! I'm rather new to this. I've played around a bit over the years with calligraphy but only really made things up as I went along for the fun of it. Finally I've decided to start fresh and learn the right way. It's been fun so far and I'm excited to be going through each of the lessons posted. I also love seeing what everyone else has posted, so much art and beauty!

M