I have....

....a genuine Bill Lilly holder now.   It was an early birthday present from a dear friend and I'm just stunned.  It's light as a feather and I can't wait to practice with it.  Beautifully turned wood and so delicate.  Why oh why do I have to clean this house????

Time to gather my quilling supplies

The class is Sunday and I need to get my things together.  Roxy's gonna have a kit for us but I thought I'd drag my goodies along so I'll have extra stuff to play with.   I already know what I'd like to try to do and it involves those teensy clear ornaments again.  And calligraphy. 
I need to write a couple of letters too and get those in the mail ASAP.  Got an invite to the next family reunion in September too.  Good times and really good food.  So that will have to suffice for practice today and then I have to get on my chores.  Why can't I have a life of leisure where I can just sit down and play all day?
Here's a look at what I hope to be able to do one day.   Oh...this is not original.  Don't know who did it but it's really pretty.

A time to practice, and a time to clean

A good friend told me once that the motto around her house is you're allowed to write on her furniture just don't put the date.  I like that.  But I have company coming this weekend so I must clean.  Which means I'll have to start putting away my toys, ergo my calligraphy things.  I'm like an amoeba--I spread out to take over the room that's available and there isn't a flat surface in our house that doesn't have something I'm working on covering it.  I know it drives the hubby mad but he's so patient.  
Therefore, I'm resolved to clean well, declutter, then maybe let a few things creep out in one area of organized chaos.  
Deal ?

I got mail!

I received a wonderful card from a dear friend in California.  It's hard to describe how happy I get when there's something addressed to me that isn't a bill, or since I'm in Florida, something political.  It was a sweet note and one of the prettiest cards I've had in a very long time.  She does something really cool with her envies too and I have immortalized one of them on my decoupaged calligraphy suitcase. 

The images is from a Bible I believe done by Franco dei Russi, Ferrarese, from the mid-1400s.  At least that's what it says on the back.    I had an opportunity to view some ancient Bibles at the Holy Land Experience last January and there were some that were illuminated like this.  What amazing works of art they are.  If you find yourself in the Orlando area, try to get over to see the Scriptorium at the HLE.  They have everything from ancient Babylonian cylinders and Egyptian papyrus to Gutenberg and beyond.  It is or was part of a collection assembled years ago and they've done a wonderful job preserving and presenting these priceless objects.  The rest of the 'theme' park was not out of this world, but if you enjoy history and looking at ancient texts up close, it's worth the price of admission.

I have a new gadget

Since I'll be most likely be running around like a maniac in the am I thought I'd post this tonight.  I couldn't find my old battery operated eraser a search on Amazon popped up with this little guy.  

I like it.  It came with the standard cheap AAA batteries but what I really find good is even as small as it is, it has a storage compartment for extra erasers which you can kinda sorta see at the top of the picture.  No more fumbling through the drawer looking for replacements and it's small enough to fit in with my other travel calligraphy items.  I still prefer the old one I have but this will do until it turns up, which it's bound to do since I bought a replacement.  Like Murphy's Law eh?

No penwork today

I knew this week was going to be screwy and I hate that.  But sometimes other issues intrude and you do what you have to do.   One thing I try to do is look for examples of calligraphy or flourishes odd places, and some not so odd.  

I saw this card somewhere around Christmas and thought it was interesting.  I like the simplicity of the curvy lines and thought, I could do that too.   Then there was this stationery...can't remember where I saw it:  

Then there are stamps in craft stores.  Those are great for seeing how someone did the curvy lines of a tree...... 

Or deer antlers.....

Or doodles and squiggles.....

I think by looking at examples like this, we get a better idea of how to space things and see other decorative touches we can add to our work.  I don't worry about people thinking I'm copying because there's no way I can exactly replicate this type of thing anyway.  Once the image goes through the filter of my brain and down to my fingers, it's more likely than not to come out totally different...and totally mine. 

A fun project

Since we love to write and probably have a ton of stationery, why not make a stationery box?   This website has some great instructions and the results are really pretty.  I have a stationery box, really a card box, that I keep spares in.  A long time ago I got this brilliant idea to keep plenty of cards for all occasions on hand.   I usually would remember the night before that I meant to get one for a birthday, anniversary, new pet, whatever so it was nice to have them.   
These instructions are great because after you make your box, there are instructions to fill it with tags, notecards, etc.  And wouldn't this make a wonderful gift for someone?

YAY I made a pen out of a goose feather quill!

Wanted to get this posted tonight as I have something I must do tomorrow.  Just can't stay away from calligraphy-related things.
I finally tried my hand at making a quill pen and used the directions here.    

The trickiest part was the cutting.  I don't have anything other than my Swiss Army knife that has a blade sharp enough and small enough to manipulate but it held up just fine.  After seasoning the quill to toughen it up, I made an initial cut down and away from me.   It was too steep judging by the pictures so I made some additional cuts until I felt I was in the ballpark. 

The edges were so rough though that I found my old battery operated manicure set and used one of the heads to file the edges smoother.  I doubt that would have made a difference, after all, they didn't have those things way back when right.
So the next step involves that last little cut and the slit.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I  pinched the tip together until I heard a little pop (yes, it's splitting) and then with the knife, cut the edge off. 

The last step is to see if it writes--after all, it's no good as anything other than a novelty if it doesn't.

And it does!!   It's not perfect, it's not like the metal nibs and it'll never do a hairline but it wrote right from the start and held the ink well!!!   How fun was that?!

It's probably going to be a light couple of days

I am learning to weave.  No really.  And I need to focus a wee bit of energy on cutting some fabric strips for my loom.  Then there's a knitting project I desperately need to finish.  I just thought up a knitting design I want to try.   A mushroom workshop later this week.  And I have to clean the house again.  You'd think with two people it'd be a no-brainer. 
Don't know how much practice I'm going to get in.  I may have to just get out of the house and take my things with me to get away from what else is demanding my attention.  My head's beginning to hurt.
Today is National Handwriting Day so maybe that's a good option eh?   If you wish to celebrate, here are some cute ways.   Enjoy!

Behind on my correspondence again

A dear friend's daughter recently graduated from high school at 16 and has now begun college.   She's wicked smart, as is her mom.  Hate people like that  :)   But anyhoo, thought I'd get her a gift card from Bed, Bath, and Beyond so she can get some things for her dorm room or whatever she'd like.  I had some paper that I knew would be lovely for an envelobox so it was time to get busy.  Did I mention how much I like that gadget?
Anyway, here's the outside of the envie with Anna's gift card.   I really like doing flowers and doodles around names.

And the envelobox

 

And the finished product with mailing label added

Miracle of miracles I actually got the left justified decent!   Sometimes...there is progress.  Until tomorrow.

Something I want to do

I am going to learn to make my own quill.  There's a process to harden the tip and the instructions are here.   I've read other sites and they're all about the same.  Basically you cook the tip in sand and when it's cool, it's tougher and easier to cut. 
I've ordered some goose feathers online and they should be in this week.  In the meantime I  have a large feather I found in the yard that I'm thinking of using.  I've seen wild turkeys around here but it doesn't really look like one of those.  It's certainly large enough and the tip is about the same size as a crowquill.   Or I could wait and use the cheap stuff to experiment.    To be continued.....

Envie practice

I decided to take a cue from a friend who showed me some envies she's done because I liked the layout.  I took some of the envies I made the other night out of the linen business stationery and used a standard copperplate for the name and a more vertical approach for the address.  I'm beginning to like the vertical a lot but it is much harder in my opinion to the normal copperplate.  The one on the left was the first attempt.  The right is the second.  I have a difficult time with spacing and centering.  Wonder what the secret is?

This was fun though and I should practice more.  Could be a good option when I get bored with doing the same old same old, no?

A favorite site

Here is a blog for another of my favorite scribes, Paul Antonio.  Paul lives in the UK and his work is just gorgeous to behold.  Honestly...why couldn't I have been born with this kind of talent?
OH...and here's a wonderful video of Paul in action demostrating how copperplate script works.
Back to the inkpot...

I spend a lot of time wanting things don't I?

I keep saying I need to win the lottery.  And I do to support my hobbies.    I want a writing slope.  Like one of these.  I love how there are choices for woods, finishes, corners, hardware, etc.   Of course, if I had the money and knew someone who did woodwork, I'd buy the plans for this and really feel special.  Such.is.life.

Gadget day

When I attended the IAMPETH in Orlando back in 2010 John Neal had some of the Logan lightpads for sale.  I admit I was initially smitten with the very low profile and thought it would be a nice, future addition to my tools.  The price for these is pretty steep, well over $100, IMO.   So I didn't get one while there.   Some of the other calligraphers mentioned the Art-O-Graph lightpads so I began to compare the two.  After all, when you're spending that kind of money in this economy, impulse buying isn't a great idea. 

I finally settled on the Art-O-Graph for one main reason--the electric connector was located on the side and not underneath like the Logans.   If you prefer to write flat, having a plug in port on the side is a big bonus.  The Art-O-Graphs are well made, they feel pretty hefty and come with a nice velvet-like sleeve.

I liked it so much I purchased the smaller 6 X 9 for travel.  If tucks away nicely in my calligraphy suitcase (see earlier post here).   One piece of advice.   Look for these on eBay.  I purchased my larger lightpad at a local art supply store and paid handsomely for it.  The smaller one was around $100 in the same store but on eBay it was around $60---DEAL!

Practice with the 830 nibs

This afternoon I got some of those vintage nibs out and decided to experiment with the 830s.  Everything we do really is a learning process isn't it. 
I often see posts in the OP yahoo group about what nibs work with what.  One nib does not work with all papers and all inks.  I am using the 830 with walnut gall ink and I tried four different papers to see which would work best with this nib.  Here are the results:

The first paper, from the top, is Canson Pro-Marker.  It's bright white and very smooth.  Good results with this paper.

The second is a linen stationery by Southworth in ivory, 25% cotton.  Not good.  The hairlines weren't good and it feathered. 

The third from the top is a slick papered placecard I picked up at Michael's (I think).  This wasn't bad.  Still not much in the way of hairlines but the ink 'stuck'.  Since this paper is slick (you can see the gloss) it takes a bit for the ink to dry.

Last one was a cream-colored parchment.  This fell somewhere between the linen stationery and the Canson.  It didn't feather but it was too thick for my taste. 

This nib is a large nib so hairlines aren't going to be very hairy.  It also needs a very smooth paper to write the best. 

More envies.

I've given up on finding any envelope gum and I really don't want to order any.    The next best thing is this thin strip of double-sided tape, I think it's 1/8 of an inch.   It works just fine to finish off the envelope then I can use a rolling tape dispenser instead of glue--which can get messy as it dries--when I go seal the envelope.  Pretty easy peasy.  

I finished the envelobox (in the fancy paper) and a few different sizes of envelopes in a nice linen paper.   What I really like about this process is I can use nice paper that I know will take inks well and not have to worry about feathering and cheap envelopes.   Now I'm ready for letters!

Another silly game

Here's how this one works.  A woman has been accused of a crime and she's in a ducking stool.  You have to translate some words to save her.  Everyone you get wrong gets her closer to drowning.  This one isn't easy either.  Have fun!

The weekend off

So I didn't do beans this weekend. After getting my first weaving lesson Saturday and spending Sunday at the highland games, there wasn't much time for pointed pen practice. However, I was thinking about pointed pen and something I want to try again. Pebeo.  If you haven't tried Pebeo yet, consider it.  Paper and Ink Arts has it and it's the only masking fluid I've ever used that works with pointed pen.  Here's an example of a test page I did. 

I hadn't removed the Pebeo from the dot over the 'i' and the bottom of the exclamation point so you can see it looks gray.    This was on a large scrap of hot press paper.  I used a large guide sheet over a lightpad mostly to make sure the angles were correct.  I didn't use the normal x, ascender, and descender lines and probably doubled what was there.  Write with Pebeo as an ink, let it dry, paint over the lettering, and rub off the Pebeo.   It really is that easy. 

Maybe in the next week I'll begin work on that project I've been imagining over the last few days....

New stamps for 2012

Some of these are quite lovely.  I really like the birds of prey and service dogs.  Excellent choices.   As much as I don't like the idea of the post office continually operating at a loss (another subject for another blog) I really hope they don't shutter too many offices and can continue in some form.  I lovde sending and receiving letters and it would just be a shame if this were to go away due to email. 
Check them all out   here.  

 

Early American handwriting game

I remember this from a while back.  It's fun but more important, while you're playing you can see how symbols we use, and call letters, have changed over the last few hundred years.  Many kids today probably think they way they write (if they do but that's another topic for another day) is the way man has always written.  Not so!  
Try your luck.  As info...I didn't do so hot myself.  It's harder than you'd think.  Enjoy!

More practice on numbers

Following my work on the envies yesterday, I decided to practice my numbers again.   I'm feeling more comfortable with my 9's.  Zero's not so much.   So I mixed it up a bit.  This time I used a straight holder instead of an oblique.  I wanted to see if that would fool my brain a bit as in my opinion, continuing to use the oblique and getting the same results probably means I'm only practicing making mistakes.   So this is a sample of some made up initials and numbers. 

One other thing I sometimes do that seems to help is to try making the letter or number in a different way.   By that I mean starting at a different point.   I don't know if it's visible in the picture but on the zero's I normally start on the right about halfway down with a hairline, then curve to the left and back up to join.  Then finish but pressing down slightly on the right side using the hairline as a guide.   Notice the form is too fat.  So on a few I started on the left and went the other direction.  There are some arrows on the inside that show the direction.    I think they turned out better.  That last six is my favorite of this lot.   I found a bottle of Aladine iridescent blue ink and it's really pretty on the paper.  It's old as dirt but I think I'll add to my regular rotation of inks.

Quilling

Quilling is an old art form that got it's name when ladies would tear little strips of paper, often from the gilt edges of large Bibles, wrap the paper around a quill pen and use the little resulting curlicues to make pictures.  The modern version of quilling uses several tools as most people probably don't have a quill laying around, much less a large gilt-edge Bible.  The above was an attempt I made late last summer to add a rose bud to a flourished bookmark.  Kinda primitive but it's a start right?
Our local Scribes group (Scribes of Central Florida) will be hosting Roxann Dragula on February 5 for an introductory after-meeting workshop on quilling and the theme is Valentines!!!!.  I can't wait.  I've seen some examples of quilling that have been used with wedding invitations (what a keepsake that would be!), but the possibilities are endless.   Here is a quilled monogram, a quilled necklace and card, and a simple quilled Christmas card. 
Afterward, I hope to have enough knowledge to do a special Valentine's card for the hubby.  SHHHH   don't tell anyone.

Snail mail

I'm way behind on my correspondence.  I have at least three letters I need to get in the mail today.  Besides, there's that enveloper thing I got for Christmas AND I remembered late last night that I have some large tablets of colorful cardstock.  Good times!  Completely forgot about that. 
I also need to make some more templates for addresses.  Can't find my old one.  GRRR.   I wish I was talented enought to write without guidelines but I'm a chicken about that sort of thing.  If I had an indispensible amount of money to replace all the sheets I'd mess up that'd be one thing but I don't.  GRRR again. 

Here are the envies in progress:

The smaller rectangles are for the addresses.  I thought I'd do those in a contrasting paper and punch the corners. 
I've been studying Mr. Lilly's envelope since it came the other day, and it's given me some ideas of what I can do with what I have on hand.
Below are the finished envies to go out tomorrow

Now to write the letters, get them sealed and DONE!

I want!!!

I saw these a few months back and I really want a set.   I'm not an artist in the least so why I don't know but I still want them.  The colors are pretty aren't they?    Perhaps if I had them I'd learn to use the colors in flourished pieces.   It could be fun and who knows what may develop.

More here

Got a letter from Bill Lilly!!!!

Look at this.  LOOK.AT.THIS.

 

I can't add any more.  Have a great day!

Favorite gadget day

Here's another favorite gadget of mine.  A mixer for my ink.  Sometimes the pigments of inks are big and settle to the bottom.  This little thing helps to keep them suspended without having to put the lid back on the jar or container and shaking.  Just have to be careful the liquid isn't too close to the top because like handheld mixers, when the liquid starts rotating it climbs up the sides of the container and will fly out--not good!   I bought mine at a local hobby store as model builders use these to keep their tiny paints mixed and it was around $13.00.  www.paperinkarts.com now has them for about the same.

Finally got the babies to write Grandma

I thought this was a great idea based on another post I saw where someone wrote with their non-dominant hand to see how childlike it would be.   I thought it'd be a cute way to have the dogs write their Grandma Gigi and she'd get a real chuckle out of getting thank you notes from them. 

A renewed interest in handwriting and calligraphy?

     I received an email earlier this week from a woman I have never met.  Now how she got my email address is unknown and I guess I'll find out eventually BUT...the most important thing is she was asking about calligraphy lessons for herself and her eleven year old son.  You can bet your boots I responded with an email that would have impressed The Flash.   She now has information on our local Scribes and upcoming classes, the iampeth link, names, dates, and whatever else was in my arsenal of info. Potential new practitioners!!! YIPPEEE! 
     Perhaps this is the beginning of a renewed awareness in the importance of writing in and the beauty of calligraphy.   I for one really hope so.  Frequently news comes out of how schools are no longer teaching even basic handwriting.  The fact that a child wishes to learn at that age just amazes me.  I wish them well and hope they will contact me in the future if they have any further questions. 

A fun video for a fun Friday

This starts with chalkboard calligraphy.  It's very cool to watch the letters materialize.  It's also a pretty good history of calligraphy.   I don't know how he does it without some guidelines.  Will I ever get to that point?  
http://vimeo.com/5385464

Vintage nibs

So, I've had a chance to experiment with some of the vintage nibs I've acquired.  Here's my take thus far .
Hunt 100--very dainty, catches on practice paper and envies.  Not sure if these are going to be keepers. 
Hunt 103--kinda like these.  Less fiddly and dainty than the 100s IMO.  Love the hairlines.
Esterbrook 354--another good choice.  About like the 103s.  A small nib and very flexible but again, not as temperamental as the 100 I tried
Esterbrook 355  First one out of the box won't hold ink for squat.  Highly flexible nib compared to ones I've used in the past.  Second one is good.  Very similar to the 354 and I like the hairlines.

These are all very fine nibs and I probably should practice some more with them before rendering judgement.  I'vce been using the Zebra G and it's more on the medium flex side so I'm not comfortable with these really sharp, flexible nibs. Many people like the Gillott 303, which I'm not nuts about, and these are more flexible than that one.   I'll have to train my hands to ease up.  Also, in every box of nibs there are probably going to be duds so I should discount the 100 just yet.  It happens.

Eagle 830
I really kinda like this one.   It's bowl shaped and the first of it's kind I've ever tried.  It's a bit stiff, I guess a more medium flex.  I don't like really stiff nibs like some of the Falcon nibs I've tried in the past (the Esterbrook 44 comes to mind).  Those nibs are BIG IMO and a little weird with how far they have to stick out of the holder.  I think you get used to your hand being a certain distance from the paper and a large nib raises that out of your comfort zone.

Some meaningful practice

Christmas decorations are up so I decided to get some practice in today.  I like to warm up as it does make a difference.  I'm not always religious about it but I do try to get the movements down before I dip my nib in ink.

Start with a pencil and ovals, first horizontal, then vertical.   Moving on to the strokes--basic ones then the compound curve movement.  THEN I get my pen and do the same thing over with the ink.  I concentrate on making smooth movements, nothing jerky.  Takes about five minutes to get in the groove.   Also, I envision my arm from my elbow down to be one unit.  The ONLY time I move my fingers is a little pinching movement when I'm at the very end of an oval if I want a little flick at the end.  Otherwise, it's all big muscles that control what's going on on the page.  
I then start with letters or numbers in my comfort zone.  It's important for me to start practice with things about my writing that are comfortable.  It's so easy to hammer away on what we do wrong and one can get depressed pretty fast if that's the only place you concentrate.  A bit like training a dog really, if you see him getting frustrated, go back to what the dog knows and end there.

I always try to end on a positive note. 

Organizing nibs

I suppose it becomes necessary after a while to figure out some way to organize the nib collection.  Since I don't like things that only have one purpose I decided that my organization should be small enough for easy storage and portable.  It's a nightmare being without them right?  
So, depending on how many you have and wish to store, you have a couple of options.   Take a look at the storage containers for jewelry, beads, or even needlepoint/crewel threads.  These are generally flat containers with many small compartments.  Perfect for nibs.  

I opted for some of the smaller containers found in the beading department of my local craft store.   After taking an inventory of what I had, I used a large index card with a crudely drawn mockup of the compartments to list each nib.   Apply a bit of two-way glue to the lid and allow to dry.  This will enable me to remove the paper later if I need to make changes.   (when two-way glue dries before another surface is applied, it acts like the sticky on post-it notes) 
So that's my solution, hope it helps.

Portable Scanners

This may seem like a non-calligraphy subject but as with many technologies, it does have applications.  I originally bought a VuPoint wand scanner to go through some knitting magazines which have been piling up over the years.   It's just too difficult to scan magazines on a flat bed scanner.   This wand enables the user to sweep over page after page without stopping.  The most tedious part is downloading the images and renaming them so you can access later.   It uses a micro SD card to save the images then it's a simple process to connect the wand via USB to a computer.  The PC recognizes it as a portable storage drive. Images can be captured on two resolutions and either color or black and white.  It comes with a small drawstring bag, USB cable, and is easy to pop in to a purse or messenger bag.
As for it's use with calligraphy.   Say you're in a library or find a document you find interesting and helpful.  The hand scanner makes it easy to store the images appropriate to your needs.   Be careful though, there are copyright laws that may come in to play and it's important to know what they are.  I think as a general rule as long as you aren't reproducing or selling the item, misrepresenting it in any way as your own and it's just for personal use and reference, you'd probably be OK.  
I once used this scanner during a workshop with Heather Victoria Held.   She had just finished some small cartouches and I wanted a close up of the image for future reference.  Definitely ask before scanning in all cases.  Heather is so sweet and allowed me to get the scan and now I have more inspiration!   BO-NUS!
A rule of thumb for me is to carefully guard all images I scan and make it a rule to not dessiminate them in any way.  It's not that I'm hard-hearted and don't want to share.  On the contrary.  But the artist gave me permission to scan their work only, and I think it's only respectful that I not send these things around.   If I did, sooner or later someone would pass it on, only my name would appear somewhere and it would be assumed that it was my work. 
I highly recommend it.

Thank you notes

As I've 'matured' I've begun to understand the importance of thank you notes.  Everyone knows and says we live in a digital age and things do move fast.  However, if someone does something nice for you or gives you a gift, etiquette pretty much demands some sort of acknowledgement.  When I was a kid, I 'knew' I should write something to my grandma for the Christmas money she'd send...but sad to say I don't remember doing it at all, maybe once if that.  So I guess my desire to write now may stem from some deep-seated guilt but that's for a professional to ferret out, eh? 
But honestly, I do like writing notes now.   There are so many pretty papers, cute note cards, elaborate stationary and simple cardstock.  It doesn't have to be an epistle, just a few lines are all that's necessary.  Besides, if the gift was sent via some service, it's important for the other person to know you received it.  Things get lost in the mail all the time and the sooner the sender knows they sooner they can attempt to trace the item.  Most important of all is it's awfully nice to get something in the mail besides junk or bills. 
So brighten someone's day and drop them a real note!
PS  The above was a stamp on plain note card with Dazzling Details by Stampin' Up on the fronds (did I mention in an earlier post I like sparkly stuff?)
Cheers!

Mitchell Scrollwriter 50

While digging through my stash of nibs and things I found this nib in a small ziplock bag.  I probably ordered it a year or so ago if my vague memory serves.  A pretty neat effect I think and will experiment with it some more.   The tines are very tiny and if you can see well enough in the second picture, they spread like the standard nibs.  I really like how thin the individual lines are on paper.  These examples are done with McCaffrey's ink in black.  I like the consistency of this ink but it is a bit grayer than I'd prefer.  I haven't found a black in I really like.  Many are too black for my taste and I just can't seem to find the happy medium.  Any suggestions besides Higgins Eternal, a sumi that I can't read the bottle, or Moon Palace (I think that was the one)?