From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #4 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Friday, May 15 1998 Volume 02 : Number 004 In this issue: Re: [scribes]: Teaching Calligraphy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 22:03:22 -0700 From: Curtis Edenfield&Mary Hysong Subject: Re: [scribes]: Teaching Calligraphy Randy & Melody Asplund-Faith wrote: [big snip] It seems to be a > physical thing, like getting in shape. Yes, when I first started and when I haven't worked for awhile my hand cramps up because the muscles aren't used to it. > Get the ink to flow really freely and just use light flowing > strokes with speed. more snips > A feather quill pen is great because it lets you glide on the page > with almost no pressure are all. I have difficulty getting this out of my > metal nis and I use TAPE and BRAUSE nibs. My way around it has been to > press the pen to get a flow going, then release pressure to glide with the > tip until that charge ends. What are some of your techniques? Funny, I have the opposite problem! My quills don';t seem to hold as much ink as my Tape nibs [which I really like and highly recommend to people, expecially those using Speedballs--Nibs can make A LOT of difference in how easy it is to master the finer points of a hand ] Since I usually do either blackletter or insular miniscule, both with serifs on top of most letters, I dip the nib, if it looks a bit blobby stroke across scratch paper and write, or if it looks ok just go on and write, I don't *think* I press any harder on that first stroke. I still haven't figured out how anyone could write by loading a pen with a brush, too awkward and time consuming for me and I would end up with lots of splatters. {Besides, medieval scribes are shown holding penknives, not brushes while writing} When learning a new hand I personally spend some time writing the alphabet, to get the hang of the shapes and strokes, then practice a scroll text, carefully a time or two, then writing a little faster. Doing calligraphy at an almost everyday handwriting pace helps keep me from getting too tight a grip on the pen and helps my letter and word space because I can't think about it too much. {That is left brain can't get in there trying to be an engineer and boss right side around; Right side just goes on about its business and left side can only think about whether we're writing down the right words and not what they look like} Mairi, Atenveldt ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #4 ***************************