Topics

1

Tools & Supplies / Rusty Nibs

« on: October 18, 2015, 08:06:33 PM »

Hello friends,

I have several old pointed nibs that I acquired somehow at some point. They are rusty so my question is do I discard them or is there something I should do with them?

Thanks!

2

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Mail Theme in Mental_floss magazine

« on: September 29, 2015, 11:30:20 PM »

The October issue of Mental_floss magazine has "mail" as the theme in the Scatter Brain section. It goes from page 11 to 19 with a number of interesting articles, including one titled Secrets of the White House Calligraphers. Interesting fact: the calligraphers hand-addressed 10,000 envelopes in the 2013 holiday season! More fascinating facts in the article.

Check it out at your local bookstore; I picked it up at Barnes and Noble. The whole issue is really interesting!

3

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Mold again!

« on: June 25, 2015, 12:45:43 AM »

I know I posted about this a while ago but can't find the original post…

I've been having a problem with my Dr. Martins Bleedproof White growing mold. I started over with a new batch with new distilled water and new container. Now this batch is molding. Do I have to throw every batch away? Can I scrape off the mold and use it? Is this a frequent problem for anyone else?

Thanks!

4

Tools & Supplies / Oh, no…. Mold!

« on: May 17, 2015, 12:12:13 AM »

I just opened one of my containers where I had mixed Dr. Martin's Bleedproof White a few months ago. To my surprise, for the first time I had mold over the top! The only thing I could think of was that the distilled water I used was over 10 years old. I'm still working on that gallon that I bought way back when… is it possible that the distilled water changed somehow? Should I toss the ink out or scrape the top off?

5

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Gift Ideas Using Calligraphy?

« on: December 04, 2014, 11:10:38 PM »

Hi, I didn't see a post here about this so if I missed it, please let me know!

I'm trying to think of ideas for inexpensive gifts that can be made incorporating calligraphy. Each year, I make something handmade for my eight staff members and I'd like to do something with calligraphy this year. I have made decorated nameplates in the past, and last year I made ribbon rosettes with their initials in the middle. Would love to hear your ideas!

Thanks and happy holidays!
Sharon

6

Tools & Supplies / Lettering on Chalkboards

« on: December 29, 2013, 12:31:45 AM »

I've tried lettering on a chalkboard with regular chalk sticks but they are thick and it's kind of hard to do. Does anyone have a particular type of chalk they use and like, and if so, where did you buy it?

Thanks,
Sharon

7

Introductions / Hello from California

« on: December 01, 2013, 12:57:42 AM »

Hi everyone,

Another lover of letters here…. I began learning back in 2000; during the next three years I took quite a few classes through the calligraphy guild and adult ed community classes. While I was in my first class learning Italic, the teacher often showed samples of different work. One day she held up something written in Copperplate and that was it for me. It's what I've done most of since then. I also really like Spencerian. I love beautiful script, this coming from someone who could not get above a C in handwriting during grade school! It's a hobby for me (I took one paid job and was so stressed by the pressure of it, I never took another one!). I was fortunate to have attended IAMPETH in 2001 - it was a fabulous experience and I highly recommend it.

Lately I've seen a lot of "modern" pointed pen where the letters are written more freely and playfully. Any suggestions on how to best learn that, coming from traditional Engrosser's script, would be appreciated.

What a great forum - I found this through Instagram, which is where I spend most of my time (and I already follow many of you that I"m seeing here). You can find me here:

Instagram: @afancifullife
http://afancifullife.blogspot.com

Looking forward to meeting you all,
Sharon