Calligra-whatsit?

[ladynox25]

So I go back to HS this weekend for the first time since New Year's. And there was a couple of boxes in my bedroom. In said boxes were a number of wrapped gifts. From belle_canto, no less. Some of which were for my parents, and some of which were for me. Including a set of quills, tips, and ink, all begging to be put to use. Except I've never really done calligraphy. So.....

First off, thank you belle_canto!! *hugshugshugs*

Second, how do I do calligraphy? mauzybroadway? silmaril? Help? *grin*

Comments

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

Um. Believe it or not, I'm not really the person to ask how to learn calligraphy, because I learned what little I know by the extremely person-specific method of "jump in blindly, try everything, and do umpteen million sketches to get something right." Which means that whenever I have a new project in mind, I end up relearning a lot of stuff.

If your set is something like the Parker gift calligraphy set, it might include a calligraphy workbook. I have one, but I haven't opened it. Still, it's likely a good source.

There are also basics of calligraphy books. I've recently found a good one in my public library. Something that worked for me was to pick alphabets from that book, just the ones I liked the look of, and try to follow the strokes as closely as possible.

I bought an el cheapo college ruled notebook (whose paper isn't anywhere near ideal for holding calligraphy ink, but I didn't care for exercise) and wrote the same quote over and over with different alphabets. That way I got to get a steadier hand, and also learned about how my different pen tips handle ink flow, and about what common features characterize a single "hand" (the handwriting equivalent of font) and something about what makes letters beautiful.

Before I got that book, I would try my hand at designing alphabets myself. I had "developed" a few that have a sorta unified look. But again, instead of writing out alphabets per se, I was just writing quotes.

So I guess the one word answer is "write." Get a sketchbook, don't worry about lining a good-quality drawing paper or whatever to start with, and copy down stuff you like. It's very peaceful. Later, focusing on a single project accelerates your learning.

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

Thank you!