Post on 10-Sep-2019
transcript
CALLIGRAPHY BASICS Work at a table that is clear of debris. Yourpenneedstobeheldatabouta45degreeanglefortheinktoflow. Pressdownondownstrokes. Do not press at all on upstrokes. Thepressureyouapplytothenibiswhatallowstheinktoflowout. Alwayscleanyournibswithagentlecleanser(soap)afteryouusethem. Nibshaveasomewhatshortlife.
calligraphyworkshopSECTION ONE
SHOPPING LIST PEN HOLDERS | oblique for right handers (good | better), straight for left handers NIBS | nikko g INKS | sumi ink (yasutomo or moon palace), ziller white, ph martin copperplate gold PAPER | cotton card stock, rhodia notebook, translucent practice paper TEMPLATE | bianca mascorro’s free practice grid MISCELLANEOUS: lettermate, 8B pencils, kneaded erasers
SECTION HOMEWORK CHECKLIST
masterthelshape masterthewave masterthe“pointedwave” master0andreverseo mastercapitalstem
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MEET YOUR MENTOR
Ibeganusingtheskillineverydaythings(suchassendingletters,ormakingprintables),andfellinlovewiththeart.Idon’tconsidermyselfacalligraphist(Ibelievethattitle-similarto‘photographer’or‘chef’isreservedforthosewhohavespentyearsoftheirlivesdedicatedtothefield),butIdoconsidermyselfahobbyist.
Imaynothavetheanswerstoallofyourquestions,andImaynotteachthewayatruecalligraphistwould,butIwilldomybesttohelpyoulearnthisbeautifulskill,andsharewhatworkedformewhileIwaslearning.
Aswegothroughthiscourse,Ihopewewillallgettoknoweachother!Feelfreetoreachouttomeviae-mail,twitter,orInstagram.SpeakingofInstagram,IhopethatyouwillpostanyofyourworkonInstagramandtag#BAcalligraphy.
SO YOU WANNA LEARN CALLIGRAPHY?
First,orderyoursupplies.Ifyoucan’tdecidewhattypeofobliquepentobuy,(hirighthanders!),Isuggestyoureadthisblogpost,andwatchthevideoattheend.Whileyou’rewaitingforyoursuppliestoarrive,youmightenjoywatchingafewbasicvideos:here,here,orhere!
Dippencalligraphyisachievedbydippingapenwithametalnibattachedintoink,theshapeoftheniballowsapreciseamountofinktoflowoutcreatingamixtureofthickandthinlines.Athicklineisachievedbyapplyingpressureondownstokes,andathinlineisachievedbyapplyingverylittlepressuretothepenonupstrokes.
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Iamsoexcitedforyoutobelearningcalligra-phywithme!MynameisChloeMacKintosh,andIamthevoicebehindBoxwoodAvenue.BoxwoodAvenueisablogdedicatedto‘thecreative’.Isharerecipes,DIYprojects,andproductsIlove.Ihadalwayswantedtolearncalligraphy,infact,Itriedtopickitup(withoutsuccess)inabout2012.
AfterIgotengaged,IknewIwantedtoincludecalligraphyinourpaper;however,Iwasstingyanddidn’twanttopayforsomethingIcoulddomyself.So,Iforcedmyselftositdownandpractice.Atfirst,itwashorrible!However,Isuccessfullyaddressedoursave-the-dates,andthroughtheprocess,becamemuchmorecom-fortablewithcalligraphy.
HOW DOES A DIP PEN WORK?
Adippen...mustbedipped!Someartistsliketouseadroppertoapplyink,whichal-lowsformorecontroloverflow,andcanbeusefulforwatercolorwork,butduringourtimetogether,wewillbedipping.Thenibisattachedintothebaseofthepenorflange,andthendippedintotheinkwell.Theshapeoftheniballowsforsomeinktobestored.Asyouwrite,theinkwillflowoutofthenib.Whenyouseeyournib’s‘breathehole’isempty,it’sasignalthatyouneedtore-dip.
LET’S TALK ABOUT NIBS
Foranyseamstressesoutthere,anibismuchlikeasewingneedle.Itneedstobere-placedregularly.Ifyoubegintonoticeyournibissnagging,releasingmoreinkthanitshouldondownstrokes,oryoucanvisiblyseeitbentoutofshape;it’stimetoreplaceit!
Therearemanydifferenttypesofnibs,andeachallowsforslightlydifferentwritingstyles.IlikeusingtheNikkoGbecauseit’sforgivingtoheavyhandedcalligraphy.Asyoubecomemorecomfortablewithcalligraphy,youmightliketotrydifferentnibs!Ilovethehunt101too.
HOW TO USE A PRACTICE GIRD:
Startwithusingapracticegrid.IloveusingBiancaMascorro’s,becauseshehasinclud-edexamplesofhowhigh&lowthelettersshouldgo.
baseline
ascendingspace
descendingspace
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Whenyoulookatthenibyou’vebought,you’llseeabreathehole(inkreserve),andtwotinesthatcometogethertoformthetipofthenib.Thenibmustbeinsertedintothepenholderifyou’realefty(orliketouseastraightpen),orinsert-edintotheflange(themetalthingcomingoffofyourpen)ifyou’rearighty.However,righthandedpeoplecanalsouseastraightpen.Iamlefthanded,soIuseastraightpen.Ifyou’rearighty,choosewhatworksforyou!
SECTION ONE: PART 1
Thisisthemomentyou’vebeenwaitingfor!Whenyoursuppliescameinthemail,youcouldn’thavebeenmoreexcited!Solet’sgetstarted!
First,printout10-20practicegridsfromBiancaMascorro’swebsiteontohighqualitycottonpaper.InserttheNikkoGnibintoyourhandydandynewpenholder.Openuponeofyourlittleglassjars,andfillituphalfwaywithyourSumiBlackink.
Dipyourpenintotheinkfilledglassjar, far enough to cover the breathe hole, but not so far that the end of the pen holder reaches the ink. Thebreatheholeallowsyournibtoholdasmallamountofink,asyouwrite,theinkflowsoutthroughthetines.WhenIdipmypenintothetheink,Idoaslightjolt,andusuallyadropofinkdropsbackintothedippot,sothatmynibisn’tholdingtoomuchink.
Togettheinkflowing,gentlypressthepenontoyourpaper,andmakesmalllinesassuch:
Onceyourinkisflowing,practicemakingthemostbasicshapeincalligraphy,thel,filloutatleastonepracticegrid:
Howdidthatgo?Didyoufindthatyouhadtodipyourpenalot?That’sokay!Idipmypenprobably2timesperword.Thismaynotbewhattheprosdo,butwe’rejusthobby-istshere,andI’msharingwhatworksforme.Youmightfindyouonlyneedtodiponceaword,butdon’tworryifyou’redippingfrequently-it’stotallynormal.
AnotherproblemIraninto,whenIstartedcalligraphy,isthatmypenkeptsnaggingonmypaper.Thiswassuperfrustrating!Ifthisishappening,makesureyouareholdingyourpenata45degreeangle,andthatyouaren’tpressingdownonthepenonyourupstrokes. Also try rotating your paper so that it’s not perfectly straight.SinceIamlefthanded,Iturnmypaperanentire90degreesandwritesideways!Findwhateverworksforyou!
Asyoupractice,youwillbegintodevelopmusclememoryofthesemovements,sodon’tfeelbadifyou’renotquitegettingityet.Remember,calligraphytakespractice.
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SECTION ONE: PART 2
Let’smakewaves!Masteringthewaveisagreatwaytohelpyourhandlearnhowmuchpressureyouneedtobeusing(eithermoreorless),inordertoformthosebeautifullines.WheneverIwarmmyhandupforwriting,Ialwaysdoafewwaves.Filloutatleastonepracticegrid.Asyougo,trypracticingsomel’stoo!
Startatthebottomlefthandcorner,lightlypressyourpentothepaperandmoveyourpenuptowardsthetoprighthandcorner,thencurvedownwards,pressingasyougodown.Ideallyeachwaveshouldtakeupexactlyfourlittlesquaresonthepracticegrid,butasyoucanseebelow,that’sharderthanitlooks!Don’ttrytobeperfectwiththis,simplyuseisasatooltogaugepressure!
SECTION ONE: PART 3
Okay,soyou’reaproatthewave,andyou’vegottheldown.Timetostartlearningthecapitalstem.Thisisvitalforcapitalletters.Foranyofyoumathloversoutthere,thecap-italstemissimilartoaninversesymbol:
Thekeytothisshapeisthatyoustartatthetoprighthandsideofagrid,andmoveyourpendowntowardsthelefthandcornerofthegrid,forminganovularinverseshape.
Biancahasagreattutorialonthis.Youcantryprintingoutherworksheet,slippingitunderapageofyourtranslucentpracticepaperandtracingitwithpencil,orjusttryonyourpracticegrid.
Startattheupper right hand corner,andwhilepressingdown,moveyourpentowardsthebottomleftcorner:
Filloutatleastonepracticegrid.
•
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SECTION ONE: PART 4
You’veconqueredthel,wave,andcapitalstem,andnowit’stimetomoveontotheoshape.Thisshapeisinalotofletters,somasteringitnow,willserveyouwelldowntheroad.Myunclein-law,isamastercalligraphist,andhealwayswarmsuphishandbypracticingo’s.Hesays,oncehecansuccessfullytraceanomultipletimesoverwithexactprecision,heisreadytowrite.Wedon’tneedtogetthattechnical,butyougettheim-portance! regularo:Moveyourpencounterclockwise,pressingdown,andslightlyliftingon the up.
reverseo:Simplymoveyourpencounterclockwiseinsteadofclockwise. (Youcantellthisisn’tmystrongsuit!)
SECTION ONE: PART 5
Let’sspendtodayputtingallofourskillstogether.Tryconnectingyourl’sando’s.Trymakingwaves,withl’sando’sinit.Filloutafewpracticegridswiththeseshapes!Besuretotagyourworkoninstagramwith#BAcalligraphy,ortweetanyquestionsyoumighthave!Weareallinthistogether!
Soyoumadeitthroughtheweek!Or,ifyou’relikeme,youknockedthisoutallinaday.Beforemovingon,Ireallysuggestspendingafewdaysontheseshapes.So,ifyouwentthroughthiswhole“week’sworth”ofinformationinaday.Letyourhandrestforaday,andthencomebacktoit.Youwanttodevelopmusclememorybeforemovingontoanyletters!Here’sabonusmovementforsomeextracredit:
Inthenextsection,wewillbelearningourlowercaseletters,andhowtoconnectthem!
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calligraphyworkshopSECTION TWO
WHO TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM @INKY_BIANCA @LHCALLIGRAPHY @LETTERLOVESTUDIO @WRITTENWORDCALLIGRAPHY @HOPESCOTTCALLIGRAPHY
BESURETOTAGASNAPOFYOURHARDWORK!#BAcalligraphy
SECTION HOMEWORK CHECKLIST
masterlowercaseascenders(b,d,f,h,k,l,t) masterlowercasedescenders(g,j,p,q,y,z) master‘other’letters(a,c,e,i,m,n,o,r,s,u,v,w,x) masterconnectingascenders masterconnectingdescenders masterconnectingascenderswithdescenders masterconnectingallletterswithwordpractice
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SECTION TWO: PART 1
Let’s start this second section off with a bang! How did the last section go? Remember, you can always ask me questions, simply shoot me an e-mail chloe@boxwoodavenue.com, or send me a direct message on instagram!
We are going to start this section off with descending letters. The letters go down toward the bottom of your paper. I think it’s best to start with these letters, because you’re less likely to snag your pen! Start by practicing g’s. Fill out an entire page full of g’s. Then repeat for the letters j, p, q, y and z!(Some don’t consider z a descender, but I do!)
lowercase g:
Can you see where I had too much pressure?! That’s why this is called practice! You can also see that the paper I was using for j, p, and q wasn’t very high quality, and it had a lot of bleeding. I switched to a different paper for y, and z. Can you tell the difference? It’s so important to practice with the right supplies!
lowercase j:
lowercasep,andlowercaseq:
lowercasey(iandjmergedtogether),andlowercasez:
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copyright 2015 | boxwoodavenue.com | @boxwoodavenue
SECTION TWO: PART 2
Afteryou’vetackledyourdescenders,let’strysomeascenders.Rememberthekeytogettingthosehairpinlineswhenascending,istonotpressyourpendownatallasyourpenmovesup!Startbyfillingoutanentirepagefullofb’s.Thenrepeatford,f,h,k,l,andt.
lowercaseb:
lowercased(withandwithouttail):
lowercasef(canbelittleorbig):
lowercaseh(myfavoriteletter):
lowercasek(notmyfavorite!),andlowercasel:
lowercaset(loopedandunlooped):
SECTION TWO: PART 3
When I learned calligraphy, I don’t remember anyone every talking about those “other letters”. I think I searched online, to figure out how to write them, but I think it’s appropriate to dedicate an entire day to these guys. These other letters include: a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, and x. These letters are important, and are very fun to write. R’s were one of the hardest letters for me to learn, but after a lot of practice - they are now one of my favorites!
lowercase a (c and an i merged together):
lowercase c (with and without a tail):
lowercase e, and lowercase i:
lowercasem,andlowercasen(myfavorites!):
lowercases,andlowercaser:
lowercaseu(2i’smergedtogether):
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copyright 2015 | boxwoodavenue.com | @boxwoodavenue
lowercasev:
lowercasew(2u’smergedtogether):
lowercasex:
SECTION TWO: PART 4
So,nowthatwe’vegottheentirelowercasealphabetunderourbelts,it’stimetostartconnectingitalltogether.
First,startbyconnectingascenders(b,d,f,h,k,l,t),trydifferentcombinationsuntilyouarecomfortablewithconnectingthemtogether.
Next,connectdescenders(g,j,p,q,y,z):
Nowtryconnectingthe‘others’(a,c,e,i,m,n,o,r,s,u,v,w,x);makeupwordstocreatedifferentcombinationsofconnections:
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SECTION TWO: PART 5Afteranentirepageofmadeupwords,trywritingrealwords!!Firstthough,let’stryconnectingourascendersanddescenderstogetherbymakingdifferentcombinationsofthetwo(ex:bqhplft):
Finally,let’sputitalltogetherandwritesomerealwords!!Trywordsthathaveagoodratioofletters,butareshortandsweet.Myfavoritesare:happy,cat,dog,andlove.
Ifyou’reanoverachiever,chancesare,youwhippedthroughthisentiresectioninafewhours.Ihighlysuggesttakingafewdaystogoover“part5’s”assignment,beforemovingon.Inthenextsectionwewillbelearninguppercaseletters,andyouneedtobeatruemasteroflowercaselettersbeforeyoucaneventhinkaboutthosepeskyuppercaseguys.Inmyopinionlowercaselettersarethemostfun,sospendsometime
learningandpracticingthem!
SECTION HOMEWORK CHECKLIST
reviewthecapitalstem mastercapitalletters matercapitalwords
calligraphyworkshopSECTION THREE
CAPITAL LETTERS
Capitallettersaretrickylittleguys.Ifindthemtobeverydifficulttomaster,andprettymuchavoidthematallcosts.However,asIworkedtopreparethisweek’slessons,Idis-covered,thatjustlikelowercaseletters,uppercaseletterscanbemastered,itjusttakesa bit of practice.
Ifyou’rehavinganytroublewithlowercaseletters,spendafewextradaysworkingthroughthem.Inmyopinion,youshouldfeelveryconfidentwithlowercaseletteringbeforemovingontouppercasework.
Withthatsaid,uppercaselettersarealsoveryversatile.Therearemultiplewaystowriteeachofthem,anditjustdependsonyourpersonalstylewhenitcomestohowyoudecidetopractice.Areyouwhimsical?Traditional?Organic?Youwillultimatelydecidehowmanyswirlsandwhirlstoaddtoyourcapitalletters.
Theultimateresourceforcapitallettersis:Antiquaria.Youcanfindexamplesofdifferentstylesofwritingeachletter,plusthey’vegotthestepbystepforthoseextratrickyguys!Ifyouhaveanyquestions,Iwillbehappytoanswerordodemos,justreachouttomeonanysocialmedia!
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CAPITAL STEM
Rememberthecapitalstemyouworkedoninsectionone?Wellit’stimetoputhertouse.ThecapitalstemisusedinletterssuchasA,B,D,I,K,M,N,P,R,andT.Spendafewminutespracticingthisbasicshape.Workthroughatyourownpace,andthencombineallthatyou’velearnedtostartwritingwords!
CAPITAL LETTERSCAPITALA:Youcansee,therearemanydifferentwaystowriteacapitalA(likemostcapitalletters).Inthethirdexample,youcanseetheuseofthecapitalstem,butintheotheroptions,youdon’tneedthecapitalstem.LikeImentionedbefore,yougettode-cidewhatstylesyouwanttoutilize!
CAPITALB:
CAPITALC:
CAPITALD:
CAPITALE:
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CAPITALF:
CAPITALG:
CAPITALH:
CAPITALI:
CAPITALJ:
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CAPITALK:
CAPITALL:
CAPITALM:
CAPITALN:
CAPITALO:
CAPITALP:
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CAPITALQ:
CAPITALR:
CAPITALS:
CAPITALT:
CAPITALU:
CAPITALV:
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CAPITALW:
CAPITALX:
CAPITALY:
CAPITALZ:
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Howdoyoufeelaboutcapitalletters?Diditcomenaturallytoyou?Wasitchal-lenging?Iknowmakingthiswaschallengingforme!Capitallettersarenotmystrongsuit;however,withthispractice,Iammuchmoreconfidentwiththem.
Iencourageyoutoexperimentwithdifferentstyles,andfindwhatworksforyou!Nowthatyou’vecompletedtheentirealphabet,startpracticingsimplewords(likeyourname!),usingcapitalletters.Havefunwiththis,thisiswhatyou’vebeenworkingsohardtowards!
Inthenextsection,wewillbegoingovereverydayusesforcalligraphy-soifyouhaven’torderedalettermateyet,dososoon!
Remembertotagmeinyourposts,itmakesmyday!
calligraphyworkshopSECTION FOUR
PRACTICAL USE
Wellguys,wemadeit!Fourjam-packedsectionsofcalligraphyfun!Ihopethatoverthecourseofthesefoursections,you‘veabletopickupthebeautifulskillofmoderncallig-raphy,andIhopeyoucontinuetopractice.Practicingwillonlyhelpimproveyourhandlettering.
Inthissectionwearegoingtofocusoneverydayuse.Letters,signs,notes,younameit!Anythingyoucanwriteon,youcanturnintoabeautifulpieceofwork.
Ifattheendofthesectionyoumakesomethingbeautiful,pleaseshareitonyourfavoritesocialmedia!Use#BAcalligraphyoninstagramorfacebook!Thishasbeensofunforme,andifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasedon’thesitatetoask!
SECTION HOMEWORK CHECKLIST
masterswirlsandtwirls masternumbers mastercommonphrases writesomeonealetter! makesomethingunique!
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
JulieBlanner’s “LearnCalligraphyin5Days”
Antiquariaalphabetcheat sheet
MajorInspirationfromAFabulouseFete
NUMBERS
Tome,numbersaresimilartocapitalletters,youcanwritethemprettymuchanywayyouplease,butifyoupreferanexample,hereishowIwritemynumbers:
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LETTER ADDRESSING
Addressinglettersisoneofthemostcommoncalligraphicuses,soyoumightaswellgetsomepracticein!Trywritingyourmomaletter,orsendmeone!Myaddressisbelow;)
HereisonewaytouseTheLettermatetoaddressyourenvelopes,butreally,thepossi-bilitiesareendless!
Step1:Usean8Bpenciltodrawstraightlinesonanenvelope.Addonecurvylinefortherecipientsname.
Step2:Dipyourpen,thenaddress!Trymixingupcalligraphywithprint.
Step3:Oncetheinkisdry,erasethepencillines,andaddastamp!
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OTHER USES
Ifyou’velovedlearningcalligraphy,thenchancesare,you’regoingtowanttoimplementitinyourdailylifeasmuchaspossible.Calligraphydoesn’tendatletterwriting,therereallyareendlessusesforit.ThisweekIchallengeyoutomakesomethingunique!Tryfauxcalligraphyonawoodsign(Iusedasharpiepaintpeninthephotobelow),orevenwritingonsomethingthatnormallywouldn’thaveanythingonit,likethesecuteskip-pingstonesIamusinginourwedding(beforewarned-itwillruinyournib).Ican’twaittoseewhatyoumake,anddon’tforgettotag#BAcalligraphy!
copyright 2015 | boxwoodavenue.com | @boxwoodavenue