Messages

16

Tools & Supplies / Re: Black Ink recommendations

« on: October 12, 2017, 04:57:38 PM »

I recently discovered Walker's Copperplate Ink, which Scribblers (in the UK) sells. It's a marvelous iron gall that dries blacker than Higgins Eternal and gives exquisite hairlines. I haven't tried McCaffrey, but I get the sense that these black iron gall inks are quite good.

17

Introductions / Re: Hello from Scotland

« on: September 13, 2017, 09:28:29 AM »

Yes, that was me in the XKCD shirt. See you next month!

18

Introductions / Re: Hello from Scotland

« on: September 10, 2017, 02:31:16 PM »

Robert, my friend, was that calligraphy group Glasgow Scribes, by chance? If so, you and I will probably meet there at next month's meeting!

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Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Re: Oblique Pen Holders & Early Copperplate?

« on: September 04, 2017, 03:03:30 AM »

Wow--that video is great! It's amazingly satisfying to watch the engraver tool create those curves with the little curlicues of metal twirdling off. It's like the inverse of the satisfaction we get from watching pens laying down glistening wet ink.

20

Completed/Past Exchanges / Re: My Catch A Wave 2017 Exchange

« on: August 26, 2017, 02:14:43 PM »

I just got mine! The design and execution are both equally lovely.

21

Tools & Supplies / Re: About ink consistency

« on: May 31, 2017, 04:15:20 PM »

1. If you must use lousy paper, then use something like gouache, which almost never bleeds on anything. You'll have to experiment to find a consistency that works for you. I've heard comparisons like "it should be the consistency of thick cream" but really what I do is add water and play with my pen until it flows right, and then it's off to the races.

2. If you want to use something like sumi or walnut ink, then you'll need to use the right paper. Rhodia is quite good and accepts ink well. I don't use sumi, but walnut ink is supposed to be quite watery, much thinner than gouache or sumi, and it's one of my favorite inks.

3. Really, the only thing that governs how an ink is 'supposed' to be is your preference. Play around! What do you like? What works for you? it's like wine: no matter how much or how little the bottle costs, it's only worth drinking if you like it.

22

Completed/Past Exchanges / Re: Catch A Wave 2017 Exchange Sign Ups are now Open!

« on: May 05, 2017, 04:20:32 AM »

It worked just fine for me! The system timed out a couple of times, but I think the problem was on my end. At any rate, the confirmation email I received looks good.

Thanks, Erica!

23

Completed/Past Exchanges / Re: Catch A Wave 2017 Exchange Sign Ups are now Open!

« on: April 30, 2017, 08:02:36 AM »

Just signed up! Erica, FYI, the "state" entry is obligatory in the sign-up form, and for those of us in countries without states we have to put in some sort of *NA* in order to submit the entry.

24

Show & Tell / Re: Some feather flourishes

« on: April 27, 2017, 02:43:32 AM »

Thank you, all! Catherine, I used a Nikko G in a straight holder--very basic. I prefer more finicky Gillott 303s or Leonardt Principals for my writing, but they catch too often for me to trust them on flourishes like this. The ink is Rohrer & Klinger Alt Goldgrun, which turns out to behave quite nicely for pointed pen work! I love how it gives the contrast in colors between the shades and the hairlines.

25

Show & Tell / Some feather flourishes

« on: April 10, 2017, 02:47:17 AM »

Just learning. I like the one in the bottom right best; it seems to turn out the most reliably good. Also, some Robby Burns, because his words seem to resonate more these days with me.

26

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Medieval Calligraphy on the BBC

« on: March 05, 2017, 12:59:40 PM »

Argh! He put his hand directly on the writing to do the painting! Clever technique to get the brush from a feather, though.

27

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Name this hand in Henry VIII document

« on: February 07, 2017, 02:15:43 PM »

Andy, clearly I need to do more research into this! I was recommended Malcolm Parkes's English Cursive Bookhands by a philologist of my acquaintance, but on further research I have discovered it's out of print (although not entirely inaccessible on alibris). If you have additional (in print) resources to recommend, I would be very grateful!

28

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Name this hand in Henry VIII document

« on: February 06, 2017, 04:51:06 PM »

The first is certainly Secretary; the second is probably more appropriately classed as Bastard Secretary because of the greater formality - although goodness knows there's no shortage of variants and areas of overlap.  They're both uncommonly nice examples.

I think the second one is more properly the French version, called Batarde. I haven't got any examples to hand, but the texture of the script and the slant really looks like French manuscripts I've seen more than English ones.

29

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: LearningMultiple Styles at the same time?

« on: December 15, 2016, 03:40:46 PM »

I agree, two VERY DIFFERENT hands, like pointed nib and edge nib, like Spencerian and Gothic or Italic.
It is easier to keep them separated in my head and in my hand movement when they have nothing in common with or similar to each other.

The closer they are the easier it is to mix them up.
In college computer classes, I learned COBOL first then PL1.
When my PL1 programs were erroring out, and I asked the computer center help desk why.  He said about a quarter of my PL1 program was written in COBOL.  duh . . .  The 2 languages were similar enough that my head got them mixed up.

Yes. Many of my errors when I was taking a Polish class came from using Russian patterns. And I've made errors in R because I was trying to use Python syntax, and vice versa. But a broad pen and a pointed pen script shouldn't interfere with each other too much. Like, your Russian pronunciation is not going to mess up you sign language accent.

30

Show & Tell / Re: Ornate Swan

« on: December 15, 2016, 07:18:01 AM »

Nicely done! I've played around with bird flourishes a tiny bit, just enough to know that they're really, really hard to do as gracefully as yours.  That's just lovely.