Author Topic: oval  (Read 1491 times)

Offline Mike Schoeningh

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oval
« on: July 25, 2019, 09:58:43 AM »
I'm new to the forum so forgive me if this topic has been covered before. Most engravers cutting copperplate, shade the inside of ovals  like an o, while engrossers writing the letter o sometimes shade the outside of the oval. Do some engrossers write the letter o with the shading on the inside? Is there a preferred method? Thanks ,Mike

Offline Karl H

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Re: oval
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2019, 04:14:16 PM »
Hey Mike,

I can't say that I've noticed what you describe.  I do understand what you mean: the inside of the "o" being a perfect oval, and the "swell" of the shade being to the outside of that oval. and vice-versa for the other.

The way I understand it, or at least the way it turns out when I'm practicing by tracing letters, is that the tip of the nib follows the perfect oval guideline, and is centered over it, so when the tines splay to form the shade, they do so equally to both sides of the perfect oval "guideline."  The resulting shape is a perfect oval neither on the outside nor the inside; it's 'bulged' a little towards the outside *and* the inside where the shade is, from roughly the 7:00 position to the 11:00 position, the rest being hairline.

I hope I understood what you're getting at, and that this is of any help to you.

Offline jrvalverde

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Re: oval
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2019, 09:14:31 AM »
I concur. I think that what you describe is simply two different ways of looking at the letter and how it should be written on the part of the artist (one ensuring the inner side follows the oval, the other the outer side) with a third one described by Karl.

I haven't Ealeanor Winters's book at hand to check if there is a "correct" one, but would expect it to be largely a matter of taste. Others with more knowledge will likely step in and correct me.

Offline Mike Schoeningh

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Re: oval
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2019, 10:29:21 PM »
Thanks Karl and jrvalverde