San Francisco Penmanship Contest ~ For An Amazing Prize!

[andybiotic]

  On 9/4/2011 at 4:22 AM, andybiotic said:

Continue with the calligram theme, this is just a draft but I had a lot of fun! I am going to re-do this to make it better and then re-enter (especially finding a crisper italic...). Waterman 052 1/2V and Sheaffer no nonsense, Waterman Fluorida blue or Mont Blanc Black, Clairefontaine paper.

 

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb345/Andybiotics/Writing%20Samples/P1020994c.jpg

 

Hope that kind of look like Saint Francis :embarrassed_smile: :

 

For some reasons, my original post of Saint Francis' face calligram (post #23) has disappeared... Thats Ok though, I did say I was going to work on it for a bit more and it has since been redone. This is the one I want the judges to see first anyway!

 

Osmiroid Calligraphy Italic broad, B2 and B4 nib. Mont Blanc Black, das 90gsm tracing paper.

 

The one on the right is shaded in with a B2 pencil while the one on the left is the same one before any shading. I don't know which one is better so I enter both!

 

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb345/Andybiotics/Writing%20Samples/FaceCalligram5ComparisonBright.jpg

 

The above calligram(s) is done based on the following image of Saint Francis I found, I hope it looks like him! :embarrassed_smile:

 

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb345/Andybiotics/Writing%20Samples/SaintFrancisDrawing.jpg

 

 

This is probably my last entry unless I could come up with any more idea(s)... :hmm1:

Edited October 3, 2011 by andybiotic

[Pennilessness]

  On 9/25/2011 at 11:57 PM, palansil said:

 

PS: I didn't realize how large this file was until I previewed this post. I must have picked the highest resolution when I scanned it. Oh well, now you can enjoy zooming all the way in and checking out all my mistakes!

 

 

Hi Palansil

 

Just a little suggestion, is it possible to make your image a bit smaller? It is ~5.6mb and takes quite a while to load the page sometimes and is eating away my data allowance per month every time I open / refresh the page.... :embarrassed_smile: Thanks a lot .

Edited October 3, 2011 by Pennilessness

[Pennilessness]

Ok! Time to start practicing for the next contest!

Edited October 3, 2011 by Pennilessness

[Nonsensical]

My not-so-fantastic entry. Very plain, I know.

Written with a WHS rubber fountain pen purchased from eBay. Had to grind down some of the corroded tipping.

Diamine Jade Green ink, on Rhodia lined paper ( the only paper I have that doesn't exhibit feathering, I apologise for the lines ).

 

[beak]

  On 10/3/2011 at 11:33 AM, Nonsensical said:

......

 

Nice.

 

Personally, I don't mind the lines; many calligraphers would use a guide of some kind, whether or not it appears in the finished work. That's an interesting green - very spring-like and fresh looking. I like the hand too; friendly and easy to read.

[Nonsensical]

  On 10/3/2011 at 12:33 PM, beak said:

  On 10/3/2011 at 11:33 AM, Nonsensical said:

......

 

Nice.

 

Personally, I don't mind the lines; many calligraphers would use a guide of some kind, whether or not it appears in the finished work. That's an interesting green - very spring-like and fresh looking. I like the hand too; friendly and easy to read.

Thank you for your compliments. I have yet to find another use for that green ink , as I usually use fine or extra fine nibs. It's so pale that I can barely make out what I'm writing.

[Patrician]

Hello. I read this contest and became fascinated with it. Members have posted amazing work. Me joining in is not aimed to win but to take part in a homage to San Francisco d'Assisi, one of those that have made this world a better place.

When I started thinking on how to focus, being all the other so artistic, I first considered the period. The XII and the XIII centuries saw huge transformation on the handwriting styles, being extremely prolific. Francesco was a child of a wealthy family without the more severe training of monks & clergymen. His knew how to write without any pretence, yet his letters were treasured by all the recipients due to what they said. The doubts persisted though; Carolingian minuscule, or pro-Gothic? There are known only two manuscripts from his hand. The Letter to Frai Leon solved it very effectively. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Manuscrito_de_s_francisco.jpg The brown was written by San Francisco, with his Tau + drawing characteristic signature, the more cultivated red red by Frai León. My try at the Humble Prayer intends to reflect the simplicity of his original hand.

 

Also trying to keep his spirit & teaching, I took the feather of a bird from the shore and made -quite poorly- a calamus, a quill. This has been written with it. With some oak galls and an old recipe, and after two weeks of experimenting, I gave up trying to make my own ferrogalic ink. Diamine's Registrar was the ink finally used, a kind member provided me with some samples and this was one of them. The closest monastery of the Order of Saint Claire sent one single sheet of parchment paper. I wrote to the abbess and she provided a lot of readings and the single sheet: only one try. Help from another member was needed for the Italian version of the prayer. A third one did all the picture uploading and instructed me on how to post.

 

I hope you will forgive my English errors and my humble try. Thank you to all the people involved in this wonderful contest. Penitentiam Agite.

 

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3625.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3625.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3633.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3634.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3637.jpg

[andybiotic]

  On 10/3/2011 at 2:46 PM, Patrician said:

Hello. I read this contest and became fascinated with it. Members have posted amazing work. Me joining in is not aimed to win but to take part in a homage to San Francisco d'Assisi, one of those that have made this world a better place.

 

Very interesting work, the idea behind it is very good indeed. I've never seen Saint Francis' handwriting. It seems that it is quite hard to learn his hand from such a small example though. Thanks for that!

[GClef]

  On 10/3/2011 at 2:46 PM, Patrician said:

 

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q347/Ondina_2008/Assisi/IMG_3637.jpg

 

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Scans/PTDC0115.jpg

[Patrician]

  On 10/3/2011 at 3:14 PM, andybiotic said:

  On 10/3/2011 at 2:46 PM, Patrician said:

Hello. I read this contest and became fascinated with it. Members have posted amazing work. Me joining in is not aimed to win but to take part in a homage to San Francisco d'Assisi, one of those that have made this world a better place.

 

Very interesting work, the idea behind it is very good indeed. I've never seen Saint Francis' handwriting. It seems that it is quite hard to learn his hand from such a small example though. Thanks for that!

 

Thank you, it took quite a bit of investigating on the library, where some books on that period in Italy had examples of the letter variations. The only online information I could find was a general study from a Spanish scholar http://guindo.pntic.mec.es/jmag0042/escritura_gotica.pdf. The printed books showed the pictures of the actual documents ( one in Italian) and it took some patience to draft an ABC with the particular style, and to practice it just enough to use it as Saint Francis. The experience of reading about him and Clara d'Assisi has been a personal enriching experience, and a very humbling one, too. Learning how to make a quill, using it; before I had only used a round point and a broad that is stubby to write notes. After trying to make ink, my admiration goes to those that still today, have the ability to produce ferrogalic ones. It is not simple!.Out of the blue, some arrived! It took some pride swallowing to write a letter to the convent to ask for a parchment paper ( and to receive it). I am very grateful to the people that I asked questions here, they all graciously offered help, and very knowledgeable advice ( for example, to choose common Italian like the one Saint Francis used, instead of Latin). Many lessons from a single gesture of generosity.

 

Your work is fantastic, very beautiful. I enjoy every single example ( and I'm happy it's not me who must choose ).

[Patrician]

Thank you GClef, it means a lot. Your handwriting is fantastic.

[pb2]

Pic of another one of the cool prizes in this contest that I just happen to have on hand (although this is my personal pen the "Romet" predecessor, ... the prize will be identical now the Rosetta Coronado Mosaic). Sorry I do not have the other great prize pens in hand as of yet. I will get them at the S.F. Pen Show.

 

You still have until 10/12/11 to enter !

Jim Evers (iPen Store) is donating an Over Size Rosetta Coronado Mosaic and I will grace it with my specialty: a Pendleton Point Elegant Butter-line CI Stub. http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/41c4895b.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/08af03e7.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/018cd834.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/020b57fb.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/55228072.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/952ce721.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/pendletonII/July%202011/08af03e7.jpg

~ Pendleton Point ~ elegant custom nibs ~

See you in San Francisco !

Edited October 6, 2011 by pb2

[smoores]

Okay, here's my first (possibly only, we'll see what kind of time I have) submission. Keep in mind that I don't practice calligraphy, I just play with it once in a blue moon. I can tell it's been a while, but I thought that it would be fun to participate anyway.

 

First, the scanned image...

 

 

 

 

Second, the quick photo...

 

 

 

And last, but not least, the tools that I used....

 

 

Pilot Parallel pen with 1.5mm italic and Pilot Parallel Mixable Color cartridge in Brown (still had a hint of black from previous cartridge, didn't flush because I wanted the mix).

Pilot Parallel pen with 3.8mm italic and Pilot Parallel Mixable Color cartridge in Black.

Pilot Parallel pen with 6.0mm italic and Pilot Parallel Mixable Color cartridge in Red.

That's it. A bit of time, some freehand fun, and three pens.

 

Blessings,

Aubrey

Edited October 7, 2011 by smoores

[smk]

It has been a while in the coming but finally here's my entry no. 1.

 

Pens: Mitchel & Brause dip pens

Inks: Quink Red (somewhat evaporated), Pelikan Black, Walnut ink, Pelikan Brilliant Brown

 

The shading is done with colored pencil.

 

I wasn't sure about the decoration in the middle so did one without it. I'm still not sure so I'll put in the one with all the elements.

 

I have a couple of other ideas; a less structured circular composition and one in a simple italic one. I'll upload them before the deadline (hopefully!)

 

Here goes:

 

 

Salman

[dcpritch]

Salman, that is just fantastic! I love the pencil shading and the muted lettering - which I assume is done with the Walnut ink; all that added to your beautiful calligraphy and combined with the structure of this piece is just truly amazing! Thanks for sharing your talent with the rest of us! DAVID

[dcpritch]

  On 10/7/2011 at 2:50 AM, smoores said:

... I thought that it would be fun to participate anyway.

 

I'm glad you did participate!

 

I really like how you put the negative words in red and black with block lettering, jolting me to attention, and then the answer to each is written in a soothing color with beautiful lettering that seems to calm the spirit. I could never have come up with such an idea, or brought it to fruition, but you have expressed my own thoughts as I have meditated on what St. Francis wrote.

 

Way to go! DAVID

[caliken]

  On 10/7/2011 at 9:30 PM, smk said:

It has been a while in the coming but finally here's my entry no. 1.

This is an accomplished, well-thought-out and well-balanced design with most attractive lettering. The overall effect is understated and tasteful. You have a steady hand, Salman.

 

Ken

Edited October 7, 2011 by caliken

[nightwing]

A lot of stunning entries here! I sure am glad I'm not a judge!

[fuchsiaprincess]

  On 10/7/2011 at 9:30 PM, smk said:

It has been a while in the coming but finally here's my entry no. 1.

 

Pens: Mitchel & Brause dip pens

Inks: Quink Red (somewhat evaporated), Pelikan Black, Walnut ink, Pelikan Brilliant Brown

 

The shading is done with colored pencil.

 

I wasn't sure about the decoration in the middle so did one without it. I'm still not sure so I'll put in the one with all the elements.

 

I have a couple of other ideas; a less structured circular composition and one in a simple italic one. I'll upload them before the deadline (hopefully!)

 

Here goes:

 

 

Salman

 

Hi Salman,

 

I was wondering when you were going to get an entry in. It is absolutely (divinely!) beautiful!!!

 

Did you write the italic with the Mitchell nib, followed by hairlines using the Brause nib?

 

The shading adds to the professionalism of the entire piece.

 

Well done :clap1:

 

Warm regards,

Soki

[beak]

I'd like to add my praise for Salman's entry too. I was going to try for this one (even though I'm no calligrapher) but could not find a satisfactory way to render all the 'where there is-es'. You've accomplished that IMO.