Upright italic - critique welcomed

[Inkysloth]

Hi all,

I've not been on the forum for a while - life's been busy, in a good way, but also in an eating-my-brain way!

I've been keeping up the practice though, and am getting more comfortable with italic. I've got a job that calls for something formal / respectful and comfortably readable - upright italic seems to fit this, and they like the sample I've sent over.

But! I want to really scrub it up, and critique would be appreciated. At the moment I wobble a bit, and although I like some life in my lettering, I want it to deliberately be there, not be where I accidentally wobbled!

Audre Lorde quote for IWD2017 by Robin Inkysloth, on Flickr

[jeanwilson]

The overall texture of the page is very nice. I agree that a little life in the lettering is a good thing.

There are three things that jump out at me.
1. The amount of space between the words is generous - so you might want to tighten up the words.
2. The dots over the i's are at various heights and quite high - and you might want to look at some other ways to make the dots.
They almost look like apostrophes.
3. It is correct to have the ascenders taller than the capital letters - but IMHO, the caps could be a little shorter. Some of them look to be leaning backwards.

A quick search for some examples of the St. John's Bible text led me to the link below. While it is not a pure italic, I think the caps are really pretty and worth taking a look at. Also note the word spacing and dots on the i's. If you Google images of the St John's Bible, you might find more examples. It is more dense than your lettering - and I am not suggesting you should follow it exactly - it's just the first thing that popped in to my head when I saw your page.
http://hisexcellentword.blogspot.com/2014/11/admiring-saint-johns-bible.html

[Inkysloth]

Hi Jean,

Thank you! All points noted - I'll pin them above my desk when I do my warm-up tomorrow

The illuminated St John's Bible is so beautiful. If I can use that hand as an exemplar, maybe one day I'll get close to that quality of writing.

Best wishes

[Myles Ink Calligraphy]

Wow! You have a very well structured script and it seems that you have a very profound comprehension of this script. It is very satisfying and inspiring. Nice job!

What instrument did you use for this work? I assume that your work was done with a Manuscript medium.

Your lines look precise and seamless. However, it is notable that your tittles are a bit too outlandish. Some readers may confuse them with a comma. 

Your minuscule 'r's are unorthodox in my opinion, they crouch towards the south and leaves a considerable gap in the script. When executing the 'r', make sure that your finishing stroke leaves with a full width. Furthermore, many 'r's were not constant and some of them were mistaken for a v.

The general composition of this work seems like your grip is a bit too tight. The tripod grip is usually recommended for broad edged scripts.

I apologize for the harsh criticism but I believe in your potential! What an amazing piece you have created. Feel proud for all your works and continue writing!

[Inkysloth]

Hi Myles Ink - harsh criticism is fine - I'm looking to improve, and don't take it too personally

The nibs I usually use are William Mitchell Roundhand - I think this one was a number 3 or 3 1/2... or maybe a 2 2 1/2... something around that area, anyway! I tend not to use fountain pens for calligraphy practice unless I'm away from home & can't get my ink pot out.

I've reduced my tittles considerably, using a dash more often than not now, it definitely looks cleaner. 

Definitely need to work on my r's, and generally on spacing. That's my nemesis I think.

Thank you!

Wow! You have a very well structured script and it seems that you have a very profound comprehension of this script. It is very satisfying and inspiring. Nice job!

What instrument did you use for this work? I assume that your work was done with a Manuscript medium.

Your lines look precise and seamless. However, it is notable that your tittles are a bit too outlandish. Some readers may confuse them with a comma. 

Your minuscule 'r's are unorthodox in my opinion, they crouch towards the south and leaves a considerable gap in the script. When executing the 'r', make sure that your finishing stroke leaves with a full width. Furthermore, many 'r's were not constant and some of them were mistaken for a v.

The general composition of this work seems like your grip is a bit too tight. The tripod grip is usually recommended for broad edged scripts.

I apologize for the harsh criticism but I believe in your potential! What an amazing piece you have created. Feel proud for all your works and continue writing!

[JERRY TRESSER]

For a writing hand, i think its wonderful.  Writing skills have almost disappeared , so when you see this lovely piece, its not by accident. Very nicely done. Caps do tilt a bit toward the left, and some letters may be a closer then they should be,  Well done. JERRY

[Ken Fraser]

But! I want to really scrub it up, and critique would be appreciated. At the moment I wobble a bit, and although I like some life in my lettering, I want it to deliberately be there, not be where I accidentally wobbled!

I think that your Upright Italic is vey attractive and has a lot going for it.

Your lettering is in general very even and well-balanced. At  the moment you do "wobble a bit" and in fact this is easy to rectify by practicing on square grid paper which helps to develop an accurate sense of upright symmetry as in this case of upright lettering with no slope.