Topics

1

Find a Pen Pal / In Ohio and looking for a Pen Pal!

« on: August 24, 2018, 12:23:37 AM »

Hey there! I'm looking for a pen pal in order to not only practice my calligraphy but to also, to have a friend to converse with who shares the same love of handwriting that I do. Or at least wants some practice that's not the same drills over and over. I am a chatterbox and I love video games, movies, history, art, and good food.

2

Kind Critique / How can I make this come to life?

« on: August 21, 2018, 02:59:05 PM »

So it was late at night and I was bored and hyped up on sugar. For some reason I was thinking about the movie Free Willy and this is what came out of it all. I love doing flourish art but I don't think any of it is any good. I don't think my skill is good enough to offer clients either. I know the lines are to thick but I was using sumi ink and it wasn't diluted. I need to find a good black ink that isn't super expensive. Black guoache works for me but I didn't feel like messing with it that night.

I want to bring it to life, if that makes sense...That's how I want all my art to become. But I think I'm my worst critique. What do you guys think?

3

Tools & Supplies / Handmade Paper

« on: August 04, 2018, 12:17:29 AM »

I'm creating samples to display at a wedding expo and on my social media. I've noticed a huge trend in handmade paper and I want to try it out. Anyone have a favorite supplier?

Also I found this seed paper https://www.botanicalpaperworks.com and I was wondering if anyone has tried it yet? I'm going to order some samples soon! I like the idea of offering brides this eco friendly option.

4

Letter Pixels / Getting Started in Digital Art & Calligraphy

« on: March 29, 2018, 04:03:20 PM »

So my work in traditional calligraphy has stopped completely  And I need another source of income really soon. I can still do traditional art such as charcoal portraits. But there's not much call for that unfortunately.

My husband surprised me with a Wacom Intuos tablet and is encouraging me to try my hand and digital art. I've played with the tablet a bit but I don't see how I can do spencerian with it. But I think that's why I only see modern calligraphy done with tablets. I don't mind doing that and I know the style very well. My question is, what kind of work should I look into that's digital? I know I want to do great artwork, but is there really a call for digital calligraphy?

5

Show & Tell / Flourish Art

« on: February 02, 2018, 09:04:12 PM »

A friend requested her and her boyfriend's name in something fancy and special. I am very happy how it turned out, and so was she. The dragon is Alduin from Elder Scrolls Skyrim. I seriously love that dragon! His title is the World Eater! What's not to love?! I am happy with him, but I feel like he could be better.

6

Tools & Supplies / Paper Source cards

« on: December 10, 2017, 03:07:07 AM »

Hey guys, so recently I had an order for Christmas cards which required me to use white, folded cards. I live not even a mile away from a Paper Source store, and they've been my supplier for a while now. After running out of the cards I went to the store to purchase more, they didn't have the exact color Pure White so I ended up with the next color down. I know the client so I knew she wouldn't mind. I was really upset, and surprised to find the ink bleeding, and feathering really bad (it went straight through to the other side)! I was assured that all of their cards (except the shiny ones of course) could hold ink properly. I wanted to exchange them for the ones I knew would work, but they still didn't have them in stock. Upon asking I found out that they were no longer were receiving shipments. My options were to exchange for another color, accept store credit, drive 3 hours to another city that may have them in stock, or pay a pretty big sum to get them shipped to me on time. Needless to say I wasn't happy with any of those options. I ended up with picking another color, and that bled to 

Anyone else  have this issue with Paper Source? I know I could have gone online to get all the cardstock I needed. But like I mentioned, I live really close to a store. So it was a nice convenience to just find what I needed, and if it didn't work I'd just exchange it. Plus, paying the tax is WAY cheaper than shipping costs most of the time haha 

What really bugged me mostly was that I would've had to pay shipping, just because they screwed up. And what's the deal with the company no longer shipping products to their stores? The manager said they most likely would get stuff in January, but she wasn't sure if that would actually happen. She was just guessing. 

7

Tools & Supplies / Storing Sumi Ink

« on: June 23, 2017, 01:39:23 PM »

Hey guys!

So when I was getting my supplies for  my business, my hubby bought me a glass container with a metal lid to store my sumi ink. It's nice! A wide mouth that's just perfect to dip my oblique pen in. However I've run into a problem, the ink is eating the metal lid away and it's close to getting holes. And with a toddler trying to grab everything, I need a new container that has a foolproof lid. Any suggestions?

8

Show & Tell / My Business cards!

« on: February 04, 2017, 02:53:17 AM »

I made my own business cards! I wanted it to look nice and yet fun. And of course I added some glitter dots. Honestly I wasn't sure about making them in the first place. But I really want to work and get my business to take off. And I couldn't do that without cards! So stress relieving to write them to be honest, don't know why.... Maybe it was the glitter. Glitter makes everything better.

9

Design & Layout / Valentine's Day Cards

« on: January 27, 2017, 12:00:27 AM »

Part of me wanted to put this in the Business section, the other part wanted to put it in the Flourish section. But I decided to do it in here to get some constructive criticism on my design. 

I'm doing Valentine's Day cards, but nerd style!! What do you guys think of the rough draft?

10

Flourishing / Flourish Drawing

« on: January 26, 2017, 12:26:07 AM »

I'm trying to make my business catch people's attention, and one thing I've always wanted to try was flourishing in a animal form. Like the picture I attached. However I don't know that many artists that can do it, or books that teach it. Is it just something you play around with until you get it right?

11

Kind Critique / How is my Calligraphy?

« on: January 20, 2017, 09:32:03 PM »

So I need some expert critique of my calligraphy. I can't trust my judgement, because I am a perfectionist so it always looks wrong haha. And asking friends and family, I only get praise. So be honest guys, what do I need to work on? I'll post more of my stuff in a later time.

12

Flourishing / Need Help Learning

« on: January 18, 2017, 11:24:26 PM »

Hello!

I'm trying to learn flourish however I can't afford to pay for a workshop or books in order to study it closer. Are there some free e-books, videos, or someone who can tutor me? I really want to incorporate it in my art.

13

Introductions / Hi from Columbus, Ohio!

« on: September 21, 2016, 06:12:22 PM »

Hello!  I'm Rachael and I have been doing cursive since 2nd grade. I started learning Spencerian in middle school, and then copperplate a year ago.

I'm trying to perfect my handwriting and this forum was recommended to me. I'm hoping to make friends and learn how to improve my writing style and flourishes. I really need to work on it. I'm trying to start a calligraphy business to help my family out financially. I started a Etsy shop however, no bites . Please take a look and let me know what I'm missing. What should I improve, add, etc. We really need the money and I want to be able to help my husband to stop stressing.

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/479404475/custom-calligraphy-envelopes-for-any?ref=shop_home_active_1