Flourish Forum
General Categories => Introductions => Topic started by: Erica McPhee on October 26, 2013, 11:31:41 PM
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Hi!
I am The Flourish Forum owner and administrator. I am also the calligrapher behind Paperwhite Studio. I've been in love with calligraphy since grade school and have been studying and practicing calligraphy ever since! I started Paperwhite Studio in 2001 and have enjoyed many fabulous clients providing wedding and social invitations, logo design, magazine work, and greeting card design. I took a detour and spent a few years studying homeopathic medicine and grappling three awesome children.
Originally from NH, I moved to Maine after college. In 2007, we moved to the southwest coast of crazy but sunny Florida.
I enjoy italic but my true love is pointed pen. I love copperplate, spencerian, pointed pen italic, contemporary lettering, flourishing, anything with a pointed pen!
Please don't ever hesitate to ask me any question! I love sharing and want nothing more than to share calligraphy with all of the world!
I look forward to meeting each of you on the forum!
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Hi Erica! Thanks for putting together this forum. I know it can be a bit of a challenge to get things up and running but I wish you all the luck!
Best,
Ellen
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Thanks for joining Ellen! Yes - it has taken me weeks to finally get everything up and running and almost all the forums populated with a start. Actually, first I had to figure out how to build it in conjunction with a website! :-0 But all is well that ends well (I hope)! :D
Thanks again! And I look forward to seeing you on the forum!
Truly,
Erica
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E, you are super-multi-mega talented, and I'm so glad that you're motivated to put your valuable experience and talent to work for the community. A very generous thing to do. I'm going to be watching this space for tutorials, interviews, and advice from you and other members of the calligraphy world, and of course I'll be happy to volunteer anything I've learned so far that could be of use to newbies!
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I think this is wonderful.
Just last weekend, my Art Pal and I were wondering how calligraphy would continue with younger penmen. I think projects like this is certainly a way to accomplish that.
Thank you Erica
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Thank you Joy and Donna Jeanne,
I really appreciate your kind words and your efforts on behalf of calligraphy here at the forum. I look forward to seeing both of your lettering and I will definitely take you up on your offer to share!
Truly,
Erica
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Erica, thank you so much for creating this forum! I'm not sure if you remember, but I was one of the happy recipients of your hand-printed Valentine's cards you gave away on your blog back in 2010. I still have your beautifully printed and (pink!) calligraphed card here in my studio!
Thank you again for your work in putting this site together and your willingness to share your expertise - I am looking forward to the community that will develop here!
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Oh my goodness Lisa! I knew I recognized your name! That's awesome! :-)
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Thank you for the invitation to The Flourish Forum, Erica!! I know this will be a great place for sharing and learning. My best wishes to you as you launch the site. My first question: how/where do I upload my avatar? Thanks!
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Hi Jane,
Welcome! I am so thrilled you have joined us here at the Forum! If you click on Profile, then forum profile, the first section is to add an avatar. Let me know if you need further help!
Again, welcome! I can't wait to see your beautiful letterforms on the Forum!
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just discovered this site today because you started following me on instagram (after i started following you, of course ;) )!! so excited to have discovered this place - especially because i appreciate your enthusiasm of sharing and passing on the knowledge of calligraphy for no other reason other than the fact that you're passionate about it and love it!! i feel i'm in the same boat so i'm totally on board with the goals of this site!!
i'll write out a separate intro topic for myself under this Introductions category.
Thanks again!!
torrie
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Hi Erica,
I came running here to register after seeing your Happy Thanksgiving video on IG. Thank you for this wonderful resource!
My first exposure to calligraphy was also in grade school. My sixth grade teacher made(!) her entire class purchase calligraphy pens and taught us Italic. I'm so glad she did because I have been in love with calligraphy ever since.
Hope you don't mind me being curious - where have you done your calligraphy studies? Are you self-taught? The reason I ask is because I can see that even in your informal/whimsical pointed pen work, there is great lettering structure behind it.
Best,
Linda
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Hi Torrie, sorry I didn't see this one earlier! So happy to share the calligraphy love! ;D
Linda,
I don't mind you asking at all! I started calligraphy in grade school (5th grade). I taught myself italic and black letter using Margaret Shepherd and Ken Brown calligraphy books. I didn't encounter another person who did calligraphy until high school. My graphic design teacher did calligraphy. However discouraged me from pursuing it after he gave me a B in the class and told me, "I'm the only one in this class that gets an A."
I dabbled throughout college. Then in 1993, I saw Maria Thomas' amazing Spencerian in Victoria magazine. I contacted her and she put me in touch with Michael Sull who kindly sent me his unfinished manuscript so I could teach myself in time to do my own wedding invitations!
Shortly after that I finally connected with a wonderful guild in Maine. I began taking every workshop I could including Peter Thornton, Nancy Leavitt, Thomas Hoyer, and Nancy Culmone. I then moved to FL where I belong to two great guilds, one on each coast. Here, I have been lucky enough to study with Kristen Doty, Mike Kecseg, Connie Ferguson, Sue Hufton, Joanne Fink, and Marilyn Reeves. I think there were a few more whose names escape me right now. :-\
I also designed greeting cards for many years and when you work with top art directors, you really learn a great deal about assessing your own letter forms. Mike Gold, from Hallmark, was brutal on my lettering but taught me a great deal in a short amount of time!
Thanks for asking and thank you for your kind words! Gotta love your 6th grade teacher, too!
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Wow, thank you so much for sharing your calligraphy journey, Erica. You have studied with so many "greats!" You're so lucky to have studied with Mike Kecseg. I really admire his work and hope I will get to study with him oneday. I always tell people who are interested/just starting out that if they are serious about calligraphy and want to do more than just dabble, they really should join the local guild and take as many workshops as they can and soak up all the knowledge. The calligraphy community has such a generous, sharing spirit (like yourself!). When I first started, I was worried about the future of calligraphy/penmanship, but when I look on IG/Tumblr/etc and see so many young people being interested, it gives me a glimmer of hope! :)
Thanks for being such a great inspiration.
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Thanks Linda! The pleasure is all mine! You are so right! I agree - every opportunity to take another class whether in person or online is another opportunity to improve your lettering. Every instructor has something valuable to teach. Seeing it in person is really the best. And guilds offer so much.
I, too, worried about the fate of calligraphy. But it is alive and well! I really credit Contemporary/Modern calligraphy with this resurgence in interest. However, what the new set is learning is that even though this style can be done by anyone, it is greatly improved by a solid understanding of the foundations of calligraphy. So I think it starts off as just trying out a modern hand with a pointed pen and then those who really love it, want to delve deeper and go back (if you will) to learn the basics. This is why I am starting with traditional copperplate in the tutorials.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. It is a very important topic!
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Thank you so much for starting this forum and providing a place for us all to geek out over calligraphy. I'm so excited I came across your website!
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Thanks Michelle! LOL! :D I'm so happy you found us, too! ;D
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Hi Erica!
Thank you for putting this together. There are only a few calligraphers in the Philippines so there's no one much to ask. This is an excellent website/forum! I think calligraphy--and all things handmade--is making a comeback due to everything being digitally made. Life and its cycles!
All the best,
Katia
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Thank you Katia. I agree and I love that calligraphy is experiencing such great love!
I believe we have at least two other calligraphers from the Philippines on the forum, too! I love that forums can bring people together from all across the globe. Really amazing.
Thanks again!
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Hi Erica,
Thank you for this amazing resource! I am a florist and calligrapher from Brisbane, Australia. I attempted to develop my calligraphy skills a few years ago but struggled to find much assistance. I had books and the tools I needed but really wanted more guidance. There just didn't seem to be much around back then in Australia! This community you have created will be so wonderful and so useful to many people. I'm super excited to be a part of it! Thank you! And Happy New Year! Here's to a year filled with calligraphy love and more time to hone our skills! xo
Louise - Floralovely
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Hi Louise,
And thank you for such a lovely message! I was like you and learned calligraphy all on my own. It is so much more rewarding to learn along with others (even if it's virtual) and to have a non-judgmental group to ask questions without fear. I'm really happy so many wonderful folks like you have joined the community!
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Hi Ericka,
I am a retired elementary teacher and have been doing calligraphy for a number of years but not consistently. I am mostly left brained with minimal artistic skill but I love writing alphabets and quotes. I especially am now trying to focus on pointed pen work. I collect late 19th century autograph books/pages which have beautiful writing. I want to learn how to flourish birds and designs. Can you suggest any place to get elementary lessons on this? I have Michael Sull's book.
Stu
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Hi Stu,
Welcome to the forum! I'm a left brainer, too (former HR systems analyst) which I find great for calligraphy because it helps us analyze our work.
Are you a member of IAMPETH yet? This is a must for you! It is a virtual treasure trove of ornamental penmanship and tutorials. There you will find demonstration videos as well as some of the old master's tutorials for this type of calligraphy.
Link here: IAMPETH (http://www.iampeth.com)
The lessons for flourishing can be found here: Flourishing Tutorials (http://www.iampeth.com/lessons_flourishing.php)
IAMPETH is a wonderfully kind group. Several of their members are also here. I hope that helps! And again, welcome!
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Hi, I'm new here & have been practicing calligraphy through a local calligraphy guild for about the past 5 years. I learned some calligraphy in a High School art class and always wanted to learn more. I found the guild here by accident after reading about them in a local newspaper. I had no idea they even existed & I'd been living here for many years! We only have 2 long time members who teach calligraphy. I am at the point where I want to try copperplate. I got the IAMPETH guide sheets and went online to get the Zanerian lessons. After conversing on-line with a few of the masters about the type of nib they prefer, I ordered a Nikko G nib and got an oblique pen holder. I am so glad I found this website as there are no locals who teach pointed pen, so I feel I just hit the jackpot!! Thank you so much for this resource...it gives me hope and inspiration to keep going with this.
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Welcome! How wonderful to have found a guild. They can be tricky to find sometimes. ;D And I'm glad you found us, too! :D Let us know if you have any questions as you work your way through the pointed pen tutorials. I am just wrapping up the first Capital tutorial now so it should be posted very shortly.
Again, great to have you here! :)
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Thank you for putting this together, Erica! So glad to stumble upon a community of hand-writing artists from all over! I just started calligraphy two weeks ago and joined the forum today. I really look forward to learning from everyone's work and stories here :)
All the best,
Cherie
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Hi Erica,
Thank you for being so generous with sharing your talent, putting up the flourish forum. 🎉😄 calligraphy is seeing a surge in Manila, Philippines and all resources available are overwhelming.
More power, God bless!
Hope to be better at pointed pen calligraphy, since I was more comfortable writing with italics for quite sometime.
Cheers,
Cathy
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Hello, Erica.
Hmm. How did I get here? The short version is via Deb Basel's copperplate class at the D.C. Supershow. That was the quickest four hours I've had in a long time! I want more!
I've played with Speedball C nibs since high school in the 1900's, but not much lately.
About two years ago I got tired of how much ball pens made my hands hurt, and I remembered the Parker Vector fountain Pens I used in school. Thanks to the interweb, I found them, and everything else I needed including knowledge. I now have a good stable of 'user' fountain pens, and it's time to do some more learning.
My nosing around this forum earlier today gave me a good feeling, so here I am, all registered.
Thank you for building this place.
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A belated welcome to Cherie! I hope your learning is coming along. Check out the Tutorials board and let us know if you have questions as you go!
Hi Cathy, Yes, Manila has some wonderful calligraphy lovers! I too made the switch from Italic to pointed pen. Thanks for your kind message!
Hi Charles, What a lovely intro! True story - I was just looking at some fountain pens this morning and thinking I should dig mine out. It's been years since I used them. I have been coveting a fountain pen with a copperplate nib but not sure I would really use it in the end. Welcome to Flourish and I hope you stick around and give calligraphy a try. :)
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Hello Erica McPhee I hope you are doing great today. Thanks a lot for putting up this wonderful forum . I am really glad to find like minded people with same passionate approach towards calligraphy. Calligraphy us really vast and it is not limited to just one language or script. It's magical isn't:)
Thanks again and best of luck.
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Hello Ate Erica! I'm so glad that I read this thread coz there's always been a question of what to teach first to beginners and what really are the basics. Thank you for putting it out here.😊 you are ze best!😘😘😘 *hugs*
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Erica,
I so look forward to learning how to participate in this forum!!
Thank you ever so much for this wonderful resource!!
I met you at the Timothy Botts Workshop in Orlando/Maitland and so enjoyed getting to know you.
I sat at the table in front of you on Sunday.
By the way, I have received my Dasherie magazine !!
Suzanne
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Thanks Maryam - isn't it wonderful how there are so many scripts but they are all beautiful. And we choose our favorites but appreciate them all! :)
Hi Ate Gail! So happy to see you on the forum.
Hi Suzanne - I'm so happy you joined! And thank you for supporting Dasherie! I can't wait for everyone to see the next issue.
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Hi Erica,
Thank you for allowing me to join the forum as well as for patiently putting this up. I can only imagine how time consuming it must be to manage such a big group so thank you! Im going through the posts and I am kinda overwhelmed but excited at the same time. I know I have so much to learn and this place is just perfect for newbies like me. Thanks again!
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Hi Erica ! Thank you for letting me join and thank you for making such an awesome forum !
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Hi Erica, Thank you : )
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Hello Erica,
I just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying this wonderful Forum you have created. It is truly a very well put together place for people in this industry. I can only imagine the amount of work it entails to maintain and the amount of hours you have dedicated to get it to where it is today.
I have just spent some time this afternoon reviewing some of your videos and 1) your voice is very relaxing, you could calm a raging lion in the heat of a cat fight ;) and 2) I have seen marked improvement on what to focus on in my lettering pursuits. I always have trouble being patience with warm ups and drills. I can see why they are so necessary.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Kelly
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your voice is very relaxing, you could calm a raging lion in the heat of a cat fight
I LOVE this! ;D Thank you so much Kelly for your kind words! And I am so happy to know you are enjoying Flourish and the videos are helping. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts. :)
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hi ms. erica!
I'm a newbie and i admire calligraphers who write with ease and grace. how i wish to be as great as you are someday. i believe with diligence and discipline I'll get there someday. more powers to all of you!
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Thanks so much Joann! That is very kind! I'll believe you will, too! :)
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Hi Erica! Thank you so much for approving me to join this forum. I'm really glad I found this forum. I've searched high and low for good sites that would help me in calligraphy for newbie level and here I found this forum. I can't wait to start my first calligraphy :)
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Wonderful! You came to the right place. We have lots of tutorials and plenty of kind friends to help guide you if you need help. Welcome! :)
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Hi :) I'm Jona Quita from the Philippines. Im your new member :D I want to learn calligraphy. Thank you for this very helpful forum. I'm excited to learn!
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Hi Erica,
Thanks for accepting me and for creating this forum for everyone who loves calligraphy. It truly is wonderful to have a venue where we all can learn and share our experiences.
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I am excited to be here and to be a part of this forum!!
Thank you so much, Erica!
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Hi Erica! So nice to meet the mastermind behind this forum.
I look forward to learning a lot and having a lot of fun with you while I am here. :)
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Hi Erica:
Just a quick note to say hi to everyone in the Flourish Forum!
Any day that begins with the Flourish Forum inspires creative pen play all day. And that's the way it should be. :)
Wishing you all the best,
Victoria Kibildis
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A very belated thank you and welcome to Jonqui, Renee, Jen, and Cindy! Thanks for the hello! ;D Hope you have been enjoying Flourish!
Thank you Victoria! I am so happy to hear that especially since I hadn't had a chance to respond and reset your login! :-[ Glad you were able to figure it out! Thrilled to see you here! ;D
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Hi Erica and all other members
I am carina wiese and live in cape town, south Africa. I love everything about calligraphy and would like to learn to write it. Please help me! Where do I start? I have an oblique pen with different nibs but where can I find an alphabet to practise on? Kind Regards, carina
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Thank you for making this possible for me to further my penmanship skill.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5734/22708578242_c3a5e55398_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/AAFpa5)IMG_20151102_123617.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AAFpa5) by Pedro Sanchez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/137258707@N06/)
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Hi Carina and InkyFingers,
I would suggest starting here: New Here, Start Here (http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?board=17.0). :)
Then this thread directs you to posts on supplies, tutorials, etc.: Where Should I Go First? (http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=1027.0).
I hope that helps! InkyFingers, I LOVE your posts in calligraphy! :D
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Been here a couple days now, haven't explored much besides the looking at lots of exemplars and putting up some trade posts. Had lurked before but never registered for whatever reason. You can credit Schin for nudging me this way from reddit. Hello everyone!
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Welcome Entropy! Lots to see here. Glad you joined us. It's much more fun when you can interact. ;D
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Hi Erica - a big thank you to you for creating this group. It's a wonderful way to stay connected and continue learning. I am considering a move to the west coast of Florida and was wondering if there is a community of calligraphers there similar to what I have found in New York City?
Thanks so much
Ann Shoshkes
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Hi Ann,
That is exciting! We do have a few guilds here. There is one in Sarasota which has monthly meetings (except in the summer) and usually a big workshop in Februarys. There is also a smaller guild in Venice which meets about once a month during the year as well.
There is also a guild on the East coast in Orlando which has workshops throughout the year as well.
At some point, I am hoping to start getting some calligraphers together somewhere between Sarasota and Tampa as there are a few calligraphers in Tampa who have been talking about getting together.
NYC has some great guilds though but we definitely have a nice active calligraphy community here. ;D
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Hi Erica - that's great to know - the world of Calligraphy has been extremely welcoming and I love being a part of it!
Looking forward to exploring your part of the world...
Ann
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Please to meet you, Erica! Thank you for coming up with this forum and for making sure that it is a truly, truly friendly and caring space. :)
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Thank you Rorie! Welcome to Flourish! :)
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Hi Erica,
I am a newbie to the pointed pen. However I was introduced to the cartridge pen by my Dad who loved stationary and gifted me a set. I loved using it and experimented with the more traditional styles. However, life caught up and now after a decade I have rediscovered my love for "beautiful handwriting".
I heard about your forum as it has been mentioned as a resourceful place to learn and share. I am thankful you have created this platform. I am based in New Zealand and haven't come across any classes here. I would love to part of the learning...
Thank you! :)
Al from NZ
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Hi Al,
I'm happy you found us! I believe we have a few other members from New Zealand. Aren't those cartridge pens a wonderful gift?! I'm sure they have started many a calligrapher's career. ;D
Welcome!
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Thank you so much Erica! Sorry for the late reply...just trying to figure out how to check replies to my posts. :)
I loved being a part of the Spring snail-mail exchange ...it was so refreshing to get back to calligraphy and discovering new calligrafriends across the globe! The beautifully written cards made my day!!! :)
xxx,
Al
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Qué excelente foro para aprender sobre caligrafía :D
What excellent forum for learning about calligraphy.
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Hi Erica,
Thank you for letting me join the forum! What a great place to learn and share!
Much appreciated,
Tengo
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Your resources are amazing! The videos are so helpful to illustrate your tutorials - I'm an absolute beginner but I'm enjoying working through the basics - it's great as I really didn't know where to start. Thank you so much for all your hard work :)
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Thank you for this labor of love of calligraphy and making such a great resource available to us newbies!
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Thank you for allowing me to join ! This is a wonderful resource for learning and comunication.
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Thank you for taking the time to create such a wonderful community.
I love the pointed pen / dip pen calligraphy. I am very new to this type of creativity. I am hand engraver by trade. I can't wait to get my hands on some supplies and start my flourishes..... :D :D :D
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Hi Erica - I am so grateful for this forum! I am here as a 'sponge' - to soak up the wisdom and experience of the experts in this beautiful art of lettering. I work from my home in Dayton, Ohio, and although I am dragging my feet in most areas of technology, I am grateful for this opportunity to 'meet' and learn from wonderful artists all over the world!
I know you are a busy mom and appreciate that you take the time to keep the art of calligraphy 'flourishing'!
Blessings!
Fran Heider
Little Flower Calligraphy
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Hi Erica!
I'm so happy for your effort and very thankful for the chance in getting to learn from your forum, and the support you are offering here! 🙏💞
Ever since I started to explore calligraphy I wanted to go for the pointed nib practice, but not able to find enough knowledge and support in my own language.
As an example, it's impossible to find an oblique holder in Sweden?!!! I'm just on fire for getting into some serious practice and I will start with Dr Vitolos Ebook as you suggested. 🤗
Whishing you all the best from Sweden🙏
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Hi Erica,
hello from Bangkok, thank you so much for accepting me and this is truly a wonderful source for calligraphy. I'm so glad to be apart of this community :)
Ayu
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Please excuse my 1st grader English. I've been around for 2 yrs now? Am still learning how to use my fountain pen. I don't know how to cut a quill or use a dip pen yet. However, I have learned much from the enthusiastic people and the atmosphere here, each time I log in. But most of all, Thank you Erica for making a place like this.
An Hunt Imperial? ground to broad edged pen. Ink - something something with something. I don't remember.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34022094190_734760b62c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TQq8hS)
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My heart! :-* Thank you for this.
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Dear Erica,
Thank you for accepting me into The Flourish Forum and for creating this invaluable resource.
I also sincerely appreciate the time and effort you expended creating your copperplate tutorials on YouTube. They were one of first features I explored via this forum (after the rules & supply recommendation lists 😉).
Warmly,
~HeidiB 🌷
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Thanks so much! I am so glad you are enjoying them! ;D
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Hi, I'm Donna Petry from Hcraftys' Finest.
I joined a little while ago, but had not seen this.
I am located in West Virginia. I have been practicing Calligraphy for about 3 years now. Just got my business license as I wish to participate in several local craft fairs.
Not sure what else to write about myself.
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Hi Donna! What kind of calligraphy do you like to do?
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I love pointed pen! Brush pens are okay for others, just not me.
I have tried several of the fonts from thepostmansknock, as she has several that I like especially the flourished.
But recently she put together a lesson on Copperplate. I find that I am practicing that now every night for several hours.
I have downloaded the ebook, Script in the Copperplate Style by Joseph M. Vitolo which I am slowly working through.
I began my calligraphy with Becca Cortice (the happyever crafter) and from there just could not put down the pen.
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Wow @Hcraftys Finest Sounds like you are jumping in and trying a well rounded approach. Be sure to check out our Copperplate tutorials as well. Dr. Vitolo’s are the absolute best! Enjoy!
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Hi Erica,
I've always enjoyed writing in the sense of creating letter shapes but I wasn't initially very interested in calligraphy (this was in my experience supposed to look like italic, except no one told you what that really meant, and you did it with a chisel felt tip pen). Then, at some point last year, I dimly became aware that calligraphy meant a whole host of other things too. The modern styles don't entirely suit me, and in some respects the strictly traditional don't appeal either (though I've seen beautiful examples of both).
I'm learning a version of copperplate at the moment with Logos Calligraphy (the course is traditional copperplate, but I've decided I prefer a more upright slant so I'm doing that, though the principles and discipline still apply). I find the detailed explanations and examples used on the course suit me well.
I'm quite excited to see where the journey takes me.
TTFN,
Karen
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Hi Karen,
Logos Calligraphy lessons are great. It's nice to find the style that you like and make it your own. There are some truly beautiful upright pointed pen styles that are somewhere between formal and fun. Enjoy the class and your learning journey! :)
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Hi Karen!
Younghae is great to learn from! Her teaching style is so peaceful & laidback. I enrolled in her Copperplate class back in Nov 2019, right before my youngest was born, but I never finished it after life got crazy with a newborn, COVID, etc. Maybe I'll try to pick it back up this summer! Welcome to the Forum :)
- Karly
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I am a very new calligrapher in Australia. Just getting my supplies together and looking forward to the
Journey!
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Great! So much to learn and so much fun to be had. Check out our tutorials in the pointed pen nirvana section. Welcome @Glo ! :)