Qotw - 2017

[Inky.Fingers]

Oh yes! My apology. It is the Court Hand that I didn't learn. Shakespeare wrote in the secretary hand. My poor attempt at it is mine to bear, following Jean de Beauchesne as my exemplar. Thanks for the correction.

[bobje]

Salman,

your rendition of the Rilke spring quote is joyous, and the Abraham Lincoln quote is just spectacular. That was a long one, and you nailed it.

[Runnin_Ute]

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/Mobile%20Uploads/2017-04/20170418_200925_zpsygooca94.jpg

 

above: Platinum 3776 Century Bourgogne B/Blackstone Uluru Red on Tomoe River cream

 

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/Mobile%20Uploads/2017-04/20170418_195750_zpsbxxivel3.jpg

[dms525]

For some reason I thought I read an explanation from the Folger library or someplace that secretary hand was developed specifically to make legal contracts more difficult to read, requiring professional legal counsel. I can't find the reference, but it's amusing anyway. What an illegible hand.

 

Hi, Bob.

 

I believe you are thinking of the divergent styles that developed in the early Middle-ages, after the fall of Rome. Those were court scripts used for diplomatic correspondence and were meant to be difficult to read by opposing court representatives. Charlemagne's instituting ca. 700 C.E. what we know as "Carolingian" script was a reaction to this pattern, in part.

 

Secretary hand was a cursive derivative of gothic with the principal virtue of faster writing. It was used from the 13th to the 17th century (per David Harris), so it overlapped with the development of Humanist Bookhand and Italic.

 

David

[Sagarb]

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Sagarb

[dms525]

Lovely writing, Sagar!

 

What inks did you use? I like both.

 

David

[Inky.Fingers]

 

You are making me rethink about picking up pointed pen calligraphy as an everyday hand. If I can write as compressed as Chancery Script, I am in!

[Runnin_Ute]

Beautifully done Sagerb!!

[Sagarb]

Lovely writing, Sagar!

 

What inks did you use? I like both.

 

David

Red ink is Daytone Brilliant Red (Rs. 25) and sepia is made from walnut crystal.

You are making me rethink about picking up pointed pen calligraphy as an everyday hand. If I can write as compressed as Chancery Script, I am in!

Beautifully done Sagerb!!

Thank you.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Sagarb

[ksm]

 

This one was done with Aurora 88 Italic loaded with Aurora Black on cheap Herlitz notepad.

[bobje]

 

Brause EF66 nib with walnut crystal ink

[caliken]

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

[dms525]

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

 

Very attractive - a sort of modern style uncial. Can you tell us how you centered your lines so nicely?

 

David

[caliken]

Can you tell us how you centered your lines so nicely?

 

David

As it's only six lines long, I wrote it lightly in pencil, made a couple of adjustments and then wrote it in ink.

In the past, with lengthy projects, I used the traditional method of writing out the complete project, cutting it into single-line strips which I then used as a guide when writing the text in position.

 

Nowadays, it's much easier and less time consuming to make use of the PC for this tedious job.

Having decided on the style of lettering, I write out a complete line of the text. I then type out the same line and set a point size to match my writing. I then select a font to match the written lettering in the length of line. The style doesn't have to be exact - as long as the letters take up approximately the same horizontal and vertical space as the writing.

I then type out the complete text in the selected font at the established point size and centre it. This is then my finished layout guide which I view to position my writing. Provided a long enough line is used in the first place, it's surprising how accurate this method can be, even when the font doesn't exactly match the style of lettering.

 

This method can be used to set up writing/fonts for various styles. This setting up has to be done only once, and can then be used again and again. For example for Foundational script, a line of Arial can be adjusted for letter height and inter-letter spacing so that it is a good positional match. If this information is saved, it is a simple matter to type out even the largest block of text safe in the knowledge that it will all sit on the page, in your style of writing, and look good.

Edited April 25, 2017 by willington

[DrCodfish]

years ago I was a cartographer and draftsman in the Army. I centered the lettering by counting the number of letters in a line and then drew a line down the center of the paper. I then started the second half of the line (at the center of the paper) and then wrote out the first half of the line. I finished the line by again starting at the center of the paper and working backwards to the beginning of the line. Tedious and prone to accidentally omitting letters .

[dms525]

Thanks, Willington. I have used that computer printout method for centering calligraphic text. It is effecting, limited by my sometimes imprecise letter/word spacing.

 

David

[inkstainedruth]

For some reason I thought I read an explanation from the Folger library or someplace that secretary hand was developed specifically to make legal contracts more difficult to read, requiring professional legal counsel. I can't find the reference, but it's amusing anyway. What an illegible hand.

 

Many years ago I was an SCA event, and talking to a friend who was a scribe. Suddenly, he said "Oh, no! I need to talk to the herald before Court! One of the scrolls I did is in Secretary Hand!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sagarb]

What is this week's quote?

[bobje]

Andreas Weber wrote the first Shakespeare quote from Othello -- I think it might be his choice now for quote of the week. Inky Fingers previously had written the first response to the George Sheehan prompt from Running Ute, and Inky Fingers offered the Shakespeare Othello prompt.

 

Andreas, what do you think?

[Andreas Weber]

Ooops, actually hadn't noticed the baton passed to me (if nobody objects).

Let's try something attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: "You may never know what results come from your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results."