Calligraphy Means Breathtaking Writing
Art Gallery
In today's age of electric typewriters and electronic typesetting, the concept of people glorifying the art of writing by using pen and ink to form handwritten letters and words in the manner of the early scribes looks like an anachronism. Yet calligraphy, which means "beautiful writing," is being practiced by surprising varieties of people‐all throughout the contry.
While many individuals correspond Italic writing with the word "calligraphy," the ability goes far beyond that to consist of such decorative hands as Roman, Black litter or Gothic (more frequently identified as Old English), 18th century English Roundhand or Copperplate (known for its stylish swirls of thick and thin curling lines), and lots of other hands from varied locations and durations.
Alfred Fairbanks, a British calligrapher and author of several books on the Italic hand describes this as "the dance of the pen." He discusses: "How excellent that handwriting can offer an outlet for ability and esthetic feeling, especially where the ability to draw is lacking. How worthwhile when handwriting interests the writer and pleases the reader. How rewarding when something ordinary and commonplace is raised towards the beautiful."
The Carolingian hand, the most widely used design of composing at that time, was followed by numerous Gothic hands. Among them, the Black Letter or Northern Gothic hand, was developed because it used a more compressed letter which saved space on the skin that was used for composing-- vellum was costly and always in short supply.
There are 2 schools of thought concerning pens-- the fountain pen school and the dip‐pen school. The previous favor pens such as the Platignum or Osmoroid pen (which include various points and sell for about $5-- both offered at numerous art stores). Users of such pens are warned to buy water soluble ink since an ink that is identified "waterproof" consists of carbon which will cake in the pen avoiding the ink from flowing.
Starting calligraphers are advised to get a sloping writing surface area, such as an adjustable preparing table; to prevent that expense, they can prop a board up at an angle to form some sort of slanted surface. Frances Manola's students at the Craft Students League I use easy homemade drafting board approximately 16 by 20 inches in size. These have a hinged piece under the back edge which can be folded down so that the board slopes when rested on a level table. Miss Manola suggests a cushioned composing surface on the board and for this she folds about six pages of paper over chip board with a tidy sheet of paper on top, then tapes all sides to make a compact system. She likewise recommends that students keep close by a sheet of paper similar to the one they're working on to evaluate ink circulation and strokes, and likewise a container of water to wash off the pen points when completed. Such care maintains the points.
Although many calligraphy trainees are anxious to learn the Italic hand, some instructors prefer not to teach it as a first hand because it is challenging to find out and must be approached just after one is thoroughly knowledgeable about the pen and has actually started to acknowledge easier structures. "After all," states Martin Oberstein, "a person studying medication would not expect to do brain surgical treatment right off the bat." Hi his course, Mr. Oberstein, who does lettering for Tiffany's and likewise teaches at the Calligraphy Workshop, the art trainees league, and the School of Visual Arts, does not provide Italic until after he has actually taught Roman, Black Letter, and Southern Gothic. Other teachers might focus an whole course mainly on Italic since many trainees are generally thinking about discovering that hand.
In today's age of electric typewriters and electronic typesetting, the concept of people glorifying the art of writing by using pen and ink to form handwritten letters and words in the manner of the early scribes looks like an anachronism. Yet calligraphy, which means "beautiful writing," is being practiced by surprising varieties of people‐all throughout the contry.
While many individuals correspond Italic writing with the word "calligraphy," the ability goes far beyond that to consist of such decorative hands as Roman, Black litter or Gothic (more frequently identified as Old English), 18th century English Roundhand or Copperplate (known for its stylish swirls of thick and thin curling lines), and lots of other hands from varied locations and durations.
Alfred Fairbanks, a British calligrapher and author of several books on the Italic hand describes this as "the dance of the pen." He discusses: "How excellent that handwriting can offer an outlet for ability and esthetic feeling, especially where the ability to draw is lacking. How worthwhile when handwriting interests the writer and pleases the reader. How rewarding when something ordinary and commonplace is raised towards the beautiful."
The Carolingian hand, the most widely used design of composing at that time, was followed by numerous Gothic hands. Among them, the Black Letter or Northern Gothic hand, was developed because it used a more compressed letter which saved space on the skin that was used for composing-- vellum was costly and always in short supply.
There are 2 schools of thought concerning pens-- the fountain pen school and the dip‐pen school. The previous favor pens such as the Platignum or Osmoroid pen (which include various points and sell for about $5-- both offered at numerous art stores). Users of such pens are warned to buy water soluble ink since an ink that is identified "waterproof" consists of carbon which will cake in the pen avoiding the ink from flowing.
Starting calligraphers are advised to get a sloping writing surface area, such as an adjustable preparing table; to prevent that expense, they can prop a board up at an angle to form some sort of slanted surface. Frances Manola's students at the Craft Students League I use easy homemade drafting board approximately 16 by 20 inches in size. These have a hinged piece under the back edge which can be folded down so that the board slopes when rested on a level table. Miss Manola suggests a cushioned composing surface on the board and for this she folds about six pages of paper over chip board with a tidy sheet of paper on top, then tapes all sides to make a compact system. She likewise recommends that students keep close by a sheet of paper similar to the one they're working on to evaluate ink circulation and strokes, and likewise a container of water to wash off the pen points when completed. Such care maintains the points.
Although many calligraphy trainees are anxious to learn the Italic hand, some instructors prefer not to teach it as a first hand because it is challenging to find out and must be approached just after one is thoroughly knowledgeable about the pen and has actually started to acknowledge easier structures. "After all," states Martin Oberstein, "a person studying medication would not expect to do brain surgical treatment right off the bat." Hi his course, Mr. Oberstein, who does lettering for Tiffany's and likewise teaches at the Calligraphy Workshop, the art trainees league, and the School of Visual Arts, does not provide Italic until after he has actually taught Roman, Black Letter, and Southern Gothic. Other teachers might focus an whole course mainly on Italic since many trainees are generally thinking about discovering that hand.
