Calligraphy Online Tutorials - Page 21

Tony11 · #**301** 06-02-2011, 12:46 PM

Hi Geoff, my name is Tony! Are you still running tutorials? If so, I would like to have a go. How does it work? Or how do you get to see my work for critique? Do I literally post to your address or is there a way I can send them to you? Scan? Regards Tony, Liverpool, England!

dgford · #**302** 06-03-2011, 08:33 AM

Hi Tony. Welcome.
I am still running tutorials --- to date they have been
Basic Roman, Gothic Batarde, Lombardic Versals, Uncials, Carolingian, Italics Formal, and Copperplate.

Each participant works at his/her own pace at the lessons as prescribed. There is an assignment at the end of each section. You scan your effort into your computer as a jpg file and , if possible, adjust its size to not more than 800 as the greater dimension.

Use the "Go Advanced" option in the box below the reply panel, select the Picture option in the top bar and just follow the simple instructions.

Each section in the tutorial gives My General Plan for that set pf lessons; Materials needed; Preparation; Guideline printout; and sometimes historical comments.

If you take a look down through the first pages of the first Tutorial you will soon see the general idea, the returns from the participants and the tenor of my comments.

I hope to see you jump aboard and enjoy joining the group.

Regards
Geoff (livibg in Sydney -- but of Cornish biirth)

redregi · #**303** 10-07-2011, 11:38 AM

Perhaps a stupid question.
I tried making my own guidelines for Roman, last night. I measured 12mm, with 6mm in between. But then when I did my nib-width ladder, using the 2mm nib, it ended up being far shorter than 12mm. There wasn't any overlap in the ladder, and the pen was for sure a 2 mm one. So.... ideas? What have I done wrong?
Or alternatively, how can I print out the sample guideline image, so that it prints to scale?

dgford · #**304** 10-08-2011, 01:06 AM

Hello Regi

Could be a couple of things with your "ladder" --- 1) your nib was not perfectly vertical [in other words, the handle was not pointing perfectly parallel with the baseline ]--- or 2) the corners of each ladder rung were not only just touching each other. But I suspect #1 is the culprit.

The guidelines should print accurately on an A4 sheet.

By the way --- no question is ever "stupid" !! And I hope my replies are not either!

Geoff

dgford · #**305** 10-10-2011, 04:49 AM

Hello Regi,
If you are still having troubles in getting the correct sizes in yoiur guidelines printout, try using the following link. You can print off any spacings you may wish for :
http://www.scribblers.co.uk/acatalog...Generator.html

Geoff

greenfingers · #**306** 10-12-2011, 09:39 PM

Hi Geoff.
I've just signed up today, though I've been lurking for a wee while.

I should be getting myself some ink and nibs in the morning - but before I head out to hand over my hard-earned I thought I'd ask for your input. I plan to go through your tutorials, but the hand I really want to learn is copperplate. What's your view on starting there?

Your input as I learn would certainly be appreciated (if it's on offer to blow-ins like me) so I'll follow through in order if that's the way you'd want it done, but I'll need to pick up some non-copperplate nibs if I'm doing it all in order.

dgford · #**307** 10-13-2011, 06:51 AM

Hi Greenfingers (will "gf" do?)

All the other tutorials (except Lombardic) use broad edged nibs so I suggest that you get a couple of Brause 2mm nibs, a bottle of Higgins Eternal Ink and a straight penholder.

I prefer people to start with the Basic Roman because it compels a strong pen discipline yet is simple in the familiarity of its letter shapes. Copperplate involves extras to making the letter shapes (such as variatons in pen pressure, exaggerated slope, control of inter-letter spacing, long strokes with sustained regular pressure, etc) whereas the Roman doesn't have any of those except inter-letter spacing.

After I see what your pen-discipline and pen-handling skills are like, we can go straight to Copperplate if that is your wish.

Welcome to the group --- you will make great new friends here. What part of the world are you in? The continents seem to be getting well represented in my tutorials !!!

Geoff,
[ by good fortune born and raised in Cornwall, served 5 years in WW2 then married and raised a young family in England, then migrated to Australia and have been a naturalised Aussie citizen since 1972. ]

greenfingers · #**308** 10-13-2011, 07:25 AM

Hi Geoff. Sorry about the location. I usually put it in my profile as soon as I join a forum. Apparently it slipped my mind this time.
I'm born and raised in Manchester to an Irish mother and an English father (who's background takes in Scotland, Germany and Scandinavia)... so, a mongrel. I tend to claim "hybrid vigour" though.

Lived in France for a while but now find myself inexplicably back in Manchester. I wonder what I was thinking sometimes!

So, calligraphy... I'm happy to stick with straight nibs to start with. I noted you started the thread by saying you have firm views and can seem a bit pushy... I approve. That's why I asked about where to start. I had a feeling you'd say to start at step 1 and that you'd have a good reason for doing so.

I'll have to call my local calligraphy emporium as their website is showing the 2mm Brause as out of stock. They do have the 1.5 but waiting for the 2 might mean a bit of a delay in starting.

Cheers,

GreenFingers / William

redregi · #**309** 10-13-2011, 10:20 PM

OK. So Here are the best ones I've done so far, with the guidelines underneath. So many problems I can see..... ><

Horizontal strokes are inordinately difficult for me for some reason. And I have some lines tilting and others not....... it's just a mess. I'll do better next time.

dgford · #**310** 10-14-2011, 06:56 AM

Thank you, William. It's always good to see the first efforts. --- and some of these are very acceptable.

Look at the letter I in FILET amd FIT and IT. Note how they have sharp, angled tops and bottoms --- that's good. Why don't I like the others?

Before I go any further ---- (1) Have your guidelines visible on the page because it shows me how you are placing your letter forms; (2) Make certain that you are practising your words in those groups of five and then selecting those that appear to be better than the others so they may serve as models for the following group of five --- post them occasionaly, especially if any seem to be causing you more dissatisfaction than usual.

At times you have a tendency to steepen your pen-angle as you approach the base of a vertical stroke --- see I and T in LIFT and T and H in the second THE (compare the terminal pen-angles in the three letters in that THE ).

Your letter spacing is well managed and that is something that bugs many people --- congratulations.

Go straight into the next lesson using sloped lines --- but use the opportunity to attend also to the points mentioned above.

Geoff

greenfingers · #**311** 10-14-2011, 09:32 AM

This was meant to be a PM - post removed.

greenfingers · #**312** 10-14-2011, 10:37 PM

Geoff - I've been told that Brause have changed their distribution in the UK and not kept their retailers up to date, so I can't get a 2mm Brause nib in a hurry. (I'm sure an online seller could send me one, but postage would probably be 2 or 3 times the price of the nib.)

What do you suggest?
Should I just get the Brause 1.5mm and start off with that or get another brand in 2mm (or another brand in both sizes if it's better to stick with just one)?

dgford · #**313** 10-15-2011, 04:33 AM

William
Get another brand of 2mm --- with a top reservoir if possible. Speedball Series C isn't all that good though --- not quite crisp enough.

Geoff

dgford · #**314** 10-15-2011, 04:39 AM

Sorry Regi
I made a "BLUE" !!!!
Your post was read by me as being done by William but he hasn't started yet.
Please accept my apologies with a promise that I won't do it again. Daren't even think of it !!!!

Geoff

redregi · #**315** 10-18-2011, 12:07 AM

Oh, I wouldn't even consider being offended

This looked way better than I thought it did. After scanning it all of the imperfections became so obvious, and I'm sort of appalled at how elementary it looks. *Sigh* Perfection is ever elusive.

Somehow I started at around 8, and then all of a sudden I look up and realize that it's almost 11. Time flies when you're concentrating! Although perhaps too much--- I fell prey to the over-focus that makes you forget letters: When looking at the final page to find my best 2, I found one that said "YANK MIN VIXEN ZEL AWAY". Two letters missed in one line!

The first is better than the second, though there are some things about the second I like. Particularly the "z" in the second looks nicer, though the difference in widths between the horizontals and diagonal I'm not happy with.

Eagerly awaiting C&C <3

Regi

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