Messages

1

Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Tiny Italic Problems

« on: October 14, 2018, 11:13:30 PM »

Hello all,

I'm currently working on a personal project involving a large body of italic text written at a 2.5mm x-height with a .5mm Brause nib. But as I work on my rough drafts I'm noticing I'm having problems with consistency in the thick vs. thin with my strokes. The upward strokes that follow the 45 degree slant (such as in the 'm' or 'n') don't seem that much different in thickness from the vertical down strokes.

I don't seem to have this problem when I write with a larger nib so I'm thinking the problem lies in the ink viscosity (I'm using sumi ink) in combination with the reduced surface area of the smaller nib. Although, with such a tiny nib it's hard for me to determine if my nib is always at 45 degrees so that could also be a factor.

I'm wondering if this a common problem with tiny broad-edge calligraphy with a solution or if I'm just making a basic mistake with my technique. Any help would be welcome.

Thanks!

Benson

2

Letter Pixels / Adapting images for print

« on: May 07, 2018, 03:33:11 PM »

So recently a company reached out to me and said they wanted to feature some of my artwork in their upcoming publication (yay!) and asked if I could send them some images of my work. In order for it to be printed they said the requirements are: 1) They need to be JPEG or TIFF format 2) Maximum of 250mm in width 3) and minimum of 300 DPI.

I've tried sending my images to them three separate times and each time they say that they're too pixelated and need to be rescanned. So, my question is do any of you guys have any recommendations on how best to turn your physical pieces of artwork into digital images that don't go all fuzzy?

I've been taking photos of my work with my Canon DSLR camera and touching them up in a program called Pixelmator. The first couple of tries I was taking the photos in JPEG format on my camera but with this last attempt I realized I should probably be taking them in RAW format (I'm still waiting to hear back from them on whether that round of images worked out). If it comes back negative (and since now time is of the essence with deadlines and such) I'm taking my work of to FedEx Office to have them professionally scanned to meet the requirements.

But for future knowledge, is there a better way I can go about it at home? I'm thinking upgrading from Pixelmator to Photoshop would be a solid step one...

Thans for the advice,

Benosn

3

Digital Design / Drawing tablet recommendations (iPad or not?)

« on: March 24, 2018, 04:56:30 PM »

Hi guys,

Kinda similar to the thread below this one but I was wondering if any of you had recommendations on drawing tablets. My first thought is an iPad but I've also heard good things about the Galaxy Tab and the Surface Pro. I wouldn't be getting it for my business or anything, but more just to doodle and experiment in my spare time with the digital side of calligraphy, especially since I travel a lot and can't bring all of my calligraphy supplies with me.

Thanks for the input.

Benson

4

Design & Layout / Re: Writing on photos

« on: March 11, 2018, 01:53:02 PM »

Thank you all very much! I'll be sure to give these suggestions a try. I even got inspiration for future project ideas. I appreciate the help.

5

Design & Layout / Writing on photos

« on: March 08, 2018, 08:07:26 PM »

My first anniversary with my wife is coming up soon and I wanted to create something special for her. I was thinking of taking one of our black and white wedding photos and writing "I love you" or something to that effect on it. However, I'm not sure which ink would be the best to use, if any ink at all and not paint instead.

Since the photo is black and white I was thinking of vermillion sumi ink or a vermillion kuretake pen. But since the photo is semi glossy I have a feeling that either of those would take an eternity to dry on the gloss finish and wouldn't be the best choice to use.

Anyone have any experience with writing on photos and know what works and doesn't work?

Thanks for the advice!

6

Tools & Supplies / Re: Bullock Flange Problems

« on: January 30, 2018, 06:39:51 PM »

Good morning Benson.

If I understand your problem, the front of the flange that you push the nib into, has spread apart slightly, allowing the nib to wiggle a little bit. If that is the case, you can tighten it by squeezing it VERY VERY lightly with a pair of small round nose/needle nose pliers. I would recomend putting something round, like a 1/8 or 3/16 dowel, into the curve on the bottom of the flang.  This will prevent the pliers from deforming the flange. You should also cover the jaws of the pliers with a couple of layers of tape to prevent scratching the brass.
With the dowel in place squeeze the front of the flange very lightly, then try your nib. If it is still loose, repeat. If you squeeze a little to hard, don't panic, you can separate it slightly by forcing a nib into it. I use an old nib for this.

If you can, I highly recomend Christopher Yokes nib pliers for doing this work. They are also usefu,l if you decide to get a Zanarian flange, to make your own flanges.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Darrin

https://www.yokepencompany.com/collections/accessories/products/pliers

Awesome! Thank you so much. I'll give this a try when I get back in to town.

7

Tools & Supplies / Bullock Flange Problems

« on: January 27, 2018, 05:57:43 PM »

One of my oblique pen holders uses a bullock flange and recently I've noticed that it's not holding the nibs as firmly as it used to. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this?

After close examination it appears as if there's more space in-between the slots on the front end of the flange as opposed to the back end (maybe caused by using too much pressure when wiping ink off the nib). Using my fingers, I pushed the front end down while lifting the back end up to try to even them out which seemed to help a bit but it's still not back to what it used to be. Since I don't know what I'm doing I'm worried I might accidentally apply too much pressure and break the flange or its anchor point in the wood.

Normally, I would send it back to the person who made it to be repaired but I have a spencerian class starting soon and this pen is the only one I have that can hold the nibs required for the course and I don't think I'd get it back in time if I sent it out for repairs.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

8

Tools & Supplies / Re: Custom Oblique Pen Holder | Makers

« on: January 22, 2018, 02:00:10 PM »

I'd like to add Olievpens https://www.etsy.com/shop/Olievpens

I think they make wonderful pens for a reasonable price. I have three pens from them and have yet to be dissatisfied!

9

Introductions / Re: Hello!

« on: January 15, 2018, 03:05:45 PM »

Welcome to the Forum.  This place is awesome.  I live inOklahoma City but am a member of the Tulsa guild.  The guild in OKC died but I am trying to schedule some calligraphy get togethers in OKC in addition to the Tulsa guild.

Hello!

I live in Stillwater but work in OKC. A while back I saw on their website that Sooner Scribes had dissolved and was unsure how active the Tulsa guild was given that the last time I was on their site it looked like it hadn't been update in a while.

But hey, if you guys are still active, I'd be more than willing to give it a shot! Let me know if you're able to get something together in OKC as I'd love to finally meet some local calligraphers

10

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Your Instagrams

« on: January 15, 2018, 11:34:24 AM »

Mine is @colemancalligraphy

You guys have put up some amazing work!

11

Introductions / Hello!

« on: January 13, 2018, 02:06:54 PM »

My name is Benson Coleman and I've been doing calligraphy for almost two years now.

I stumbled upon calligraphy almost accidentally one day while at my then finance's (now wife) place. She was busy with graduate school work and I was bored so I picked up a 'how to' calligraphy book she bought because she wanted to address our wedding invitations and started trying some of its lessons. Fast forward two whole hours and I realized I had just had fun!

I haven't been able to stop since and calligraphy is quickly moving from a hobby to a passion for me. I decided to join the Flourish Forum because, living in a small town in Oklahoma, I don't have many opportunities to meet people who share my passion and can "talk shop" with and there's only so much I can learn on my own.

Thank you so letting my join such a wonderful community and I'm looking forward to joining in on the conversation!

Benson