1
Show & Tell / Re: The Forth Road Bridge
« on: September 23, 2023, 03:28:19 PM »
Wow Ken! This is so beautiful!
Friends flourish at the forum!
News:
Halloween exchange sign ups are Open !
Check our FAQ page for quick links to popular topics.
Our Recommended Supplies page .
Difficulty registering? Please visit this link .
NEW: How to Register Video
If you aren't approved within 24 hours, please check your spam folder.
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
2
Technical Support & Feedback / Re: Diluting Moon Palace Sumi Ink
« on: September 22, 2023, 08:48:25 PM »
This is an excellent question and believe it or not, one even seasoned calligraphers struggle with from time to time. I always dilute my sumi ink and when I get it close I then add drop by drop until it is the right consistency. I also sometimes forcefully dab the pen in the air above the inkwell to get the excess off before writing. This may help you get to the sweet spot right from the get go. If I am unsure, I always do a touch line (just touch down with a hairline, slight swell, then hairline) on a scrap paper nearby. 
3
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Letters variations
« on: September 22, 2023, 08:43:36 PM »
OOOoooo - this is such a great question! One of my favorite things to do is play with creating variations. I am hard at work on a book about flourishing and a large section will be variations of both capitals and lowercase for each letter.
Sadly, I did not develop a system to track all the variations I have seen over the years. They are scattered about in my studio on various scraps and pieces of paper! But I am working on something to remedy this that I will share at a later date.
In terms of knowing when it is appropriate to use a variation - let your piece be your guide. If you are doing something that you want to be strictly a historic Engrosser’s Script, then I would not use variations. But there are no calligraphy police and honestly, you can use a variation whenever you want. I would just advise not to get carried away in terms of flourishing as you want it to add decorative embellishments but not distract from the overall piece.
I was just playing on ProCreate so did some variations of F for you. Keep in mind, these are digital calligraphy so may not translate well to pointed pen. But they should give you some ideas in terms of how to vary your letter forms. PLAY! See what works and what doesn’t.
Sadly, I did not develop a system to track all the variations I have seen over the years. They are scattered about in my studio on various scraps and pieces of paper! But I am working on something to remedy this that I will share at a later date.
In terms of knowing when it is appropriate to use a variation - let your piece be your guide. If you are doing something that you want to be strictly a historic Engrosser’s Script, then I would not use variations. But there are no calligraphy police and honestly, you can use a variation whenever you want. I would just advise not to get carried away in terms of flourishing as you want it to add decorative embellishments but not distract from the overall piece.
I was just playing on ProCreate so did some variations of F for you. Keep in mind, these are digital calligraphy so may not translate well to pointed pen. But they should give you some ideas in terms of how to vary your letter forms. PLAY! See what works and what doesn’t.
4
Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Re: English Court Hand (complete)
« on: September 22, 2023, 10:25:49 AM »
Fascinating! This would make a great hand for movies like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings!
5
Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Re: My home town
« on: September 22, 2023, 10:24:50 AM »
Beautiful!!!!
6
Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Re: Naming Tradition
« on: September 22, 2023, 10:24:32 AM »
That is fascinating! My husband’s father is Scottish and all three boys have his name as their middle name. I always thought that peculiar but also charming.
What I also find interesting is that we named our third child (daughter) Erilyn. My name is Erica Lynn which is a complete coincidence as the name Erilyn came from a book my husband had read many years prior. But you would not believe the number of people that made snide comments or scoffed at me when I told them and indicated they found it pompous I would name my daughter after me!
But no one ever thinks twice when people name their sons after the father! 
Lovely italic!
What I also find interesting is that we named our third child (daughter) Erilyn. My name is Erica Lynn which is a complete coincidence as the name Erilyn came from a book my husband had read many years prior. But you would not believe the number of people that made snide comments or scoffed at me when I told them and indicated they found it pompous I would name my daughter after me!
But no one ever thinks twice when people name their sons after the father! Lovely italic!
7
Word of the Day / Re: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
« on: September 21, 2023, 03:58:35 PM »
I was practicing so couldn’t resist writing this in Spencerian. I could probably make it flow a little better once I memorized the order of letters. But a fun exercise none the less!
8
Coffee & Nib-bles / Re: Customs
« on: September 21, 2023, 03:29:39 PM »
Thanks @Mark T . I checked and it looks like that is just a Page Not Found. I looked at the product page and it seems they don’t have any right now. The site is still secure. But I deleted the link because it looks like they aren’t selling pens anymore.
9
Spencerian Script / Re: Assorted Spencerian spaghetti
« on: September 21, 2023, 03:22:39 PM »
Love me some spaghetti - especially the Spencerian kind!
10
Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Herman Kilian
« on: September 18, 2023, 09:23:44 PM »
Hi Alma,
Great question. I took Yukimi Annand’s class on Kilian capitals last year. I don’t believe there is but will check my notes.
Great question. I took Yukimi Annand’s class on Kilian capitals last year. I don’t believe there is but will check my notes.
11
Coffee & Nib-bles / Re: How old are you?
« on: September 18, 2023, 09:17:14 PM »
I adore the name Winston! My father’s middle name was Lethbridge - a family name his father gave him (from Devon). He didn’t like it but I always thought it was quite charming!
13
Tools & Supplies / Re: First Gouache Considerations
« on: September 17, 2023, 12:44:40 PM »
This is an excellent synopsis and you can’t go wrong with any of these. I was initially drawn to the multitude of colors but once I started working with color, I liked mixing my own. And even the cakes I have, I ended up mixing them with gray or brown to tone down the colors so figure I may as well start from scratch. As a beginner, it might be better to have a variety of colors to familiarize yourself with the process. It is probably more cost effective to buy a kit rather than individual tubes anyway. If they are about the same in price, you could just buy red, yellow, blue, black, and white and experiment with color mixing as well. 
14
Word of the Day / Re: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
« on: September 16, 2023, 08:42:41 PM »
LOLOLOL! I literally laughed out loud!
15
Coffee & Nib-bles / Re: Customs
« on: September 16, 2023, 08:41:55 PM »
I thought I was the only one with this kind of luck. 
@JanisTX That is so kind of you. I just love our members!
Two penholders arrived in the parcel, but both are straight penholders.
@JanisTX That is so kind of you. I just love our members!