Invitation To Show Off Your Stuff...

[mvarela]

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Untitled-gold600.jpg

Awesome stuff, Ken!

[carretera18]

Thanks, Stefanie.

 

Here's a personal tribute to Willington Clark.

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/WillingtonClarkMC5.jpg

 

And here's a display of just a few of the variations of Gothic Blackletter...all related but all quite distinct in their differences.

 

Ken

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/BlackletterOne3.jpg

 

 

Reviving this nice thread...

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/11330270423_267ab3312c_h.jpg

 

Brause Bandzug 3mm and 0.5mm, Diamine Damson on cartridge paper.

 

The Caliken's work look like computer printed. I wonder to know how to make this shadows.

 

And I like mvarela's old document look and feel.

 

nice works!

[mvarela]

 

 

 

The Caliken's work look like computer printed. I wonder to know how to make this shadows.

 

And I like mvarela's old document look and feel.

 

nice works!

Thanks, carretera18!

[caliken]

Reviving this nice thread...

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/11330270423_267ab3312c_h.jpg

 

Brause Bandzug 3mm and 0.5mm, Diamine Damson on cartridge paper.

Very smart and attractive lettering.

 

Ken

[caliken]

carretera18 and mvarela

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

Ken

[mvarela]

carretera18 and mvarela

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

Ken

Likewise! And once again, thanks for all the advice you give us here. It is, and has been, very helpful always!

[theexpanciluser]

Here are a few different things I've done.

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/img_5140.jpg

 

a tattoo design for someone (across the chest)

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/one-life-one-chance.jpg

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/img_5025.jpg

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/img_4596.jpg

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/untitled-12.jpg

 

 

and. admittedly not calligraphy as I drew the letters (before I even knew how to use an oblique pen), but this was really fun to do. It was also how I proposed to my wife...

 

http://inkyquillscalligraphy.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/balloon-ticket-sm2.jpg

your writing is seriously the best, teach me!!!!! I am getting a dip pen for christmas

[Onefortyniner]

Montblanc calligraphy

Edited December 18, 2013 by Onefortyniner

[MusinkMan]

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Untitled-gold600.jpg

Oh my goodness. This is incredible. I so love quadratta texts, and those capitals are crazy good.

[MusinkMan]

Montblanc.jpg Montblanc calligraphy

Awesome! All done with a 149?

[caliken]

Gothic Script

 

Edited March 27, 2014 by Ken Fraser

[MusinkMan]

Gothic Script

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Gothicwed800.jpg

That's crazy! Your broad pen work is so inspiring. Every time I convince myself that I'm improving, I see something like this. And I shrink down within myself and say, "Brian, you really need to practice more". hahaha Those "twists" off the serifs are so perfect. Spacing, everything...gorgeous writing.

[caliken]

Thanks, Brian. Your comments are appreciated, as always.

 

Ken

[caliken]

Edited March 28, 2014 by Ken Fraser

[caliken]

Edited March 28, 2014 by Ken Fraser

[caliken]

deleted

Edited March 27, 2014 by Ken Fraser

[MusinkMan]

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/discuss800.jpg

Ken, I certainly agree. I am learning that the more I practice and the more I focus on "other" aspects, the ability to write thin "hairlines" is sort of taking care of itself. I'm certainly not in Brian Walker's league, but if I set my mind to it, I can get some decently fine lines now.

 

For those who find "spiderweb thins" fashionable, have you tried the "double dip" method? That certainly helps in creating fine hairlines. I just learned about it, and likely everyone but me already knew it, but just in case I will say what it is. It's a Brian Walker technique (or so I was told by Nick D'Aquanno who taught it to me). Simply dip your nib in ink (they use Blots black ink), then dip your nib in clear water. Then start writing as usual. The water and ink actually mix on the nib and will create ultra thin lines with no "skips" if you use a light touch. Try it and see, it will really be a benefit to those who are struggling in pursuit of ultra thin lines, and it makes things a bit easier. I have tried the technique with Higgins Eternal and with Walnut inks, and it worked great with both.

 

Give it a try, and I would love to hear feedback from anyone that it helped. Pictures of the results would even be better (provided the lines aren't too thin to be photographed!).

[dhnz]

caliken, on 23 Dec 2013 – 00:02, said:

Although dhnz says that his writing isn't for reproduction, it's almost inevitable that the best examples will, at some stage, be copied for the reference of beginners. The ìOld Mastersî have done future generations a disservice here. In their quest for finer and finer hairlines, much of the writing available through IAMPETH is pointless because the hairlines haven't reproduced and as a result, it's impossible to assess or enjoy their efforts.

...

I can't help feeling that this issue of super-fine hairlines has very little to do with the skill of the writer. I'm not talking about the graceful, sweeping hairline curves ñ that's a different issue. I contend that anyone can produce super-fine straight hairlines ...

Re the old masters doing future generations a disservice, I couldn't disagree more. The old penmen and women left us a wealth of printed copybooks to learn from and stacks of examples in the Penman's Art Journal and its other incarnations. They were well aware of the limitations of printing technology and changed their ink or used a heavier touch to beef up the fine lines for publication.

But the majority of this writing was intended to be seen first-hand, and that's where the skill of the penman really comes into its own. Those penmen wanted to wow the recipients of their business letters or the students of their business schools, and we know from the adverts and discussions about the best ink and nibs for the finest of hairlines that getting those lines so fine was important to them. And I for one am so glad that they pursued that goal. It matters not to me that the fineness gets lost when printed, because when you hold a nice example in your hand and see the actual ink, it really does take your breath away (well, it takes my breath away). I believe that seeing their work in the flesh is the only way to truly appreciate the skill of these penmen and women of old and I will never accept that their pursuit of excellence has resulted in a disservice to later calligraphers. On the contrary, it has given us something to aim for.

Re the appropriateness of very fine lines, for myself, I practise Spencerian and ornamental penmanship in the normal size range of the old penmen. And I take my cue from them. They sought exceedingly fine lines in that context and saw nothing wrong with that, and neither do I. (As I've noted, I find the writing all the more beautiful for it.) I've not yet come across an example where the finess of the lines was a distraction.

As for super-fine straight hairlines, my experience is that this is down to the skill of the writer. I certainly think those lines are attainanble with practice (given the limitations of the paper, inks, and nibs we have now), but I just see very few people achieiving those truly fine lines of old, whether they're curved or straight, to discount the skill involved.

If there is someone who hasn't seen first-hand just how fine these masters got their lines and really wants to, I am willing to pen a couple of words as close as I can in line width to those written by Lupfer et al and post that sample to them, provided that at the same time they send me a similar example of what they consider to be their best hairlines.

Dominic

Edited December 23, 2013 by dhnz

[dhnz]

For those who find "spiderweb thins" fashionable, have you tried the "double dip" method? That certainly helps in creating fine hairlines. I just learned about it, and likely everyone but me already knew it, but just in case I will say what it is. It's a Brian Walker technique (or so I was told by Nick D'Aquanno who taught it to me). Simply dip your nib in ink (they use Blots black ink), then dip your nib in clear water. Then start writing as usual. The water and ink actually mix on the nib and will create ultra thin lines with no "skips" if you use a light touch. Try it and see, it will really be a benefit to those who are struggling in pursuit of ultra thin lines, and it makes things a bit easier. I have tried the technique with Higgins Eternal and with Walnut inks, and it worked great with both.

I love Brian Walker's Spencerian and ornamental writing. When the first prototype run of the EF Principal came out, Brian was kind enough to send me a few nibs to try out and they came with a really stunning letter in his ornamental hand. He was the first one I saw posting about this double-dipping technique, and though it seemed to me that all that it could be doing was diluting the ink, I kept an open mind and tried it, using the same ink (Walker's Copperplate), the same paper (Character Hi White Wove), and the same nib (the EF Principal) as Brian.

Unfortunately, I didn't notice any difference, except maybe a slight lightening of the colour, the same as I would have seen if I had just watered down the ink bottle the same percentage. Possibly, Brian did mean that the lines would be lighter rather than thinner, but as I recall, the reasoning he gave for the double-dipping did indicate that the aim was thinner lines. If you're seeing thinner lines, I'd love to see a comparison scan of the lines, if you can. I'd also love to hear from any chemistry-minded types as to what could be going on with the water and the ink on the nib that's different from just a simple diffusion of the iron ions into the water.

Dominic

Edited December 23, 2013 by dhnz

[mvarela]

 

Re the appropriateness of very fine lines, for myself, I practise Spencerian and ornamental penmanship in the normal size range of the old penmen. And I take my cue from them. They sought exceedingly fine lines in that context and saw nothing wrong with that, and neither do I. (As I've noted, I find the writing all the more beautiful for it.) I've not yet come across an example where the finess of the lines was a distraction.

If there is someone who hasn't seen first-hand just how fine these masters got their lines and really wants to, I am willing to pen a couple of words as close as I can in line width to those written by Lupfer et al and post that sample to them, provided that at the same time they send me a similar example of what they consider to be their best hairlines.

Dominic

 

 

This makes me wonder... just how big are those exemplars? They do seem rather large, given how short the texts are (especially in letters containing penmanship exemplars).

 

About the hairline exchange, I'm up for that (just don't get too high hopes... my skill is limited ) I find that making very fine lines is not that hard, given a proper nib and IG ink. Now, making nice and smooth hairlines that thin... that's a whole different problem for me!