Invitation To Show Off Your Stuff...

[Stompie]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Ken you are an inspiration!

I try emulate a lot of the things I see in your writings but struggle so and fail even more so!

But every now and then I sit back and say "Wow, look, that has finally come together!"

[MusinkMan]

Heh...I've also tried to noodle with some of Ken's splendid examples. Like you, I sometimes feel like I ended up with a passable example...until I compare it to the real thing. It just takes years of perseverance and gobs of talent to get That Good. I sit and stare at Ken's work and wonder how it is even possible to produce that stuff by hand. Mind boggling!

[mboschm]

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0411_zps769bc999.jpg

 

"It's not the private good, but the common good that makes cities great"

[MusinkMan]

Very nice, mboschm. Try drawing a light pencil line to keep your letters aligned, and it will be amazing. You probably don't need a line for the tops of the letters, you can "eye-ball" that...but the bottoms of the letters would benefit soooo much from a guideline to keep them confined and straight.

 

Nice Chancery!

[Stompie]

My latest writing project.

What do you think?

 

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj229/Popsjill/pens/DSCN1452_zps45ade11d.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj229/Popsjill/pens/DSCN1453_zpsdaca50a7.jpg

[MusinkMan]

How did you learn to write upside down like that???? hahaha...Only kidding, it looks great, Stomperoo! Are you learning a lot through the Spencerian Society that you joined? and by the way, I received your letter today. Very cool of you, and I will write you back soon.

[Stompie]

it's that looooong holder, I write behind me!

Well I only got one newsletter from that society so far, so not much help.

I tell you what has helped - getting spencerian type letters. I find there is nothing so good to learn from than a real life written page.
Schin writes to me and the letters are great - I study them long time.

Also, I printed out some of the stuff found on old documents and just having that visual and not just an electronic image is fantastic.

It also helps that you can see deviations and discrepancies on these things in real life and that gives me huge huge hope!

Glad you got the letter, I actually forgot that I had written to you!

[deathbringer1128]

So I'm very new to calligraphy, (if Spencerian can be considered calligraphy) so I'm not that good. But hey, practice makes perfect right?

 

http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r686/deathbringer1128/Screenshot_2013-06-05-00-14-111_zpsd6e19cb6.png

 

And then I was bored, so I did this.

 

http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r686/deathbringer1128/Screenshot_2013-06-05-00-16-111_zpsc978f445.png

 

Don't mind the random lines everywhere. Like I said, I got really bored.

Edited June 5, 2013 by deathbringer1128

[MusinkMan]

it's that looooong holder, I write behind me!

 

Well I only got one newsletter from that society so far, so not much help.

 

I tell you what has helped - getting spencerian type letters. I find there is nothing so good to learn from than a real life written page.

Schin writes to me and the letters are great - I study them long time.

 

 

 

Oh yeah man, she is sooooo good. Freaks me out every time I see her writing. I don't think she realizes how good she really is, she just says "mehhhh". But her stuff is always incredible.

[schin]

Oh you guysssss

Let's just say for every letter I send, there are at least 2-3 discarded ones in the trash!

[thang1thang2]

Oh you guysssss

Let's just say for every letter I send, there are at least 2-3 discarded ones in the trash!

 

I know exactly what you mean! I was addressing envelopes for my graduation letters and I wrote the state on one for my aunt, and set it to dry. Ten minutes later I went up in a panic and thought "I forgot to put the state on there!" and so I wrote it again.... the wrong one. (She used to live in a different state). So it then said "town, state, former state". Oyy...

 

I also was trying to do a second variation of a "d" for my other letter, and I got the second variation wrong 3 times. Rule to be learned, practice on crappy paper first, get it where you want it, and THEN do it!

[mboschm]

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0426_zps84801ccc.jpg

 

I used guidelines today for the first time. Don't know why I didn't use them before, it does make a huge change (more time to focus on letterforms and wonder about why they are so inconsistent).

[Dennis W]

Hi Ken,

 

Would you be kind enough to point me to a link showing the complete alphabet. I really love this style.

 

Regards,

 

Dennis

This quote by Robert Fripp is written in the style of "Madarasz Script" with an Esterbrook 357 nib and Higgins Eternal black ink on Clairefontaine paper. The angle of the writing is 47 degrees from the horizontal and the x height is 6mm.

Ken
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Madarasz450.jpg

[caliken]

Hi Ken,

 

Would you be kind enough to point me to a link showing the complete alphabet. I really love this style.

 

Regards,

 

Dennis

If you go to the IAMPETH site and look under "rare books" you'll find "Madarasz Book, The Secret of the Skill of Madarasz" On pages 69-80 you'll find "Madarasz Script" which he also calls "Insurance Policy Writing"

There's a full breakdown of the style plus examples and the full alphabet.

 

Ken

Edited June 20, 2013 by caliken

[deathbringer1128]

http://i.imgur.com/UdNkrkB.jpg

Did a bit of practising this morning.

 

I still have to work on full arm movement and maybe proper arm position, what with me being a lefty and all. But I'm definitely improving.

Edited June 20, 2013 by deathbringer1128

[Dennis W]

If you go to the IAMPETH site and look under "rare books" you'll find "Madarasz Book, The Secret of the Skill of Madarasz" On pages 69-80 you'll find "Madarasz Script" which he also calls "Insurance Policy Writing"

There's a full breakdown of the style plus examples and the full alphabet.

 

Ken

Thanks,

 

Dennis

[thang1thang2]

Don't take this the wrong way, deathbringer, but I would strongly suggest holding off on the flourishing and especially on the capitals until you develop more arm control. Your flourishing looks heavy and forced, and putting more of your effort towards learning your lower letters better (I think) would be a far better use of time.

 

As for you, Dennis, I'd suggest holding off on learning the Madarasz style of writing for a very long time. The skill required for learning spencerian alone is enormous, much less for writing well the elaborate flourished and heavily shaded version of it...

[Mickey]

 

As for you, Dennis, I'd suggest holding off on learning the Madarasz style of writing for a very long time. The skill required for learning spencerian alone is enormous, much less for writing well the elaborate flourished and heavily shaded version of it...

Please read a bit more carefully. It's not the Madarasz style to which Ken pointed Dennis, but a particular hand (alphabet) developed by Madarasz. As the alphabet appears to be a riff on Copperplate, it should be no more difficult to master, and, as the shades are regular and predictable, it could quite possibly be easier to approach than Spencerian.

[Dennis W]

I am not trying to learn Spencerian - but copperplate. I happen to like the Madarasz approach. Additionally, If I hold off learning anything for a very long time I might just not get a chance to try it. I prefer to believe I am in a far better position to determine what I should try and what I should put off for a very long time.

 

 

As for you, Dennis, I'd suggest holding off on learning the Madarasz style of writing for a very long time. The skill required for learning spencerian alone is enormous, much less for writing well the elaborate flourished and heavily shaded version of it...

[thang1thang2]

Please read a bit more carefully. It's not the Madarasz style to which Ken pointed Dennis, but a particular hand (alphabet) developed by Madarasz. As the alphabet appears to be a riff on Copperplate, it should be no more difficult to master, and, as the shades are regular and predictable, it could quite possibly be easier to approach than Spencerian.

 

I've always considered it 'the madarasz' style. I didn't know it wasn't named as such. I'll refer to it as the " handwriting developed by madarasz" from now on, then.

 

For how my brain works, that style is far harder than spencerian, which is easier (for me) than copperplate. I see the handwriting as a fusion of copperplate and spencerian, and thus harder than both of them. Even if it isn't, for me it is. I forget that it's not the same for some, though. My apologies

 

 

I am not trying to learn Spencerian - but copperplate. I happen to like the Madarasz approach. Additionally, If I hold off learning anything for a very long time I might just not get a chance to try it. I prefer to believe I am in a far better position to determine what I should try and what I should put off for a very long time.

 

That may very well be, and if so, go ahead and try it. I'd love to see your attempts. But if you get discouraged, it is a difficult hand (to me)