Every day?

I don't think I should make a vow to post every day on this blog. I am happy to do so on the envelope blog, but, it will probably be easy to add a post here every time I have a comment from a reader. Amy responded that she has not settled in on any particular style, she is still getting acquainted with the nibs and ink. And having fun. That's a very good way to start.

Here is a fun bouncy pointed pen mane that I wrote. It is on that sparkle paper. Sparkle or shimmer papers are very popular and I find them to be very friendly to the pointed nib. The hairlines on this one are rather clunky, but it doesn't bother me. I love super fine hairlines but some paper and ink combinations do not yield fine hairlines....but if the nib feels good gliding along the paper, it doesn't bother me to have clunky hairlines once in a while. I like variety.

And, here is the tip of the day.
I am not sure how many books mention this and I do not have time to research today.
I'll just mention it as one of the things you need to know.

There are natural oils on your skin including that part of your hand that touches the paper when you write. So, if you are filling an entire page of lined notebook paper and your hand slides back and forth across the paper, by the time you get to the bottom, you may have trouble with the nib skipping. And that might be because of the oil. So, you may want to use a guard sheet under your hand. A few scribes wear fingerless gloves, but that sounds clumsy to me. Or maybe it is the best solution ever. I really should try it some time.

I mostly do envelopes, and so I usually do not have a problem with oily build up on the envelope. When Mr. Legend commented that he was having trouble with the nib skipping, I didn't include this as a possible problem because I forgot about it. If the skipping does not happen at the top of the page, but becomes a problem as you go down the page, then you might want to try a guard sheet.

Some people tape the guard sheet to the desk and then tuck the paper under the guard sheet and pull it up as they write. This is a really good idea because it keeps you writing in your optimal spot - vertically. Too often, people zone out and write line after line and eventually, their hand is at the very edge of the desk. There is a sweet spot, right in front of your nose where your writing will be better. If your hand is falling off the edge of the desk your writing will suffer.

It is also important to move the paper (to the left) if the line you are writing on is wider than about 4 inches. As your hand gets too far to the right, you do not have a direct line of vision and your arm is reaching out and it is harder to maintain consistency in anything. If you are writing LARGE, then you might be able to write longer lines. But for small writing, make sure that you keep the sweet spot right in front of you.

Another way to have a guard sheet is to place a blank sheet right under the line where you are writing. This works well, except when you jiggle and smear the ink. And, it is really important to know that the edge of the guard sheet will be much friendlier if it is a folded edge. The actual edge of a sheet of paper is rather sharp. Your hand will not glide smoothly when it moves up and down across the edge. So, fold the sheet of paper and put the folded edge under the line where you are writing and it will be a nice smooth edge. This seems like a very minor point, but I actually consider it a cardinal rule. If I ever need a guard sheet and I just grab a sheet, without folding the edge and try to get by with the sharp edge, I inevitably snag my hand on the edge and goof up the writing. So, you may take my advice or learn the hard way. Or maybe you have been using a sharp-edge guard sheet for decades and never have any problems. There are no absolutes to any of this. Just try everything and you will find what works for you.

I'll post a photo of my favorite type of guard sheet pretty soon. I have a couple actual jobs with deadlines to tend to today :-)

Quirky Sample

Mr. Legend is an advanced student, working on Spencerian. Amy said she was practicing, but I am not sure which style she is practicing. Maybe all of them at once.

Traditional teachers will say that it is essential to focus on just one style until you have a good grasp of that style. Then, you may move on to other styles. I agree, but only 50%.

I am pretty much 50-50 on everything. That is a lesson I learned from my physics teacher in high school. He said that in reality, every rain forecast was 50%. Maybe it will rain, maybe it won't. Then he had a more comprehensive lesson on weather forecasting and calculating all the various things the weathermen calculate and he probably intended for me to learn something else, but instead, I just went with the 50-50 rule and I apply it to e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. It makes life easier. A perfect balance between optimism and pessimism.

Returning to the topic of whether or not you should focus on one style at a time. Maybe. Maybe not. If you only have a copperplate book, then, it would be a good idea to focus on copperplate for a while. If you have The Speedball Textbook, you might want to just go ahead and try every single style in the book to see what happens. In my years of teaching, I was frequently surprised when a student who was not having any success with the first few styles I offered would suddenly try one that was a perfect fit for them and *voila* they were off and running.

So, do not be discouraged with your penmanship or calligraphy studies until you have tried every single style there is. You won't know until you try. If you are enjoying the very first style you try, stick with it for as long as it maintains your interest.

If you are flighty and want to try everything, let me know. I can start putting up a ton of alternatives. But, I don't want to bombard you with too much at the beginning.

The sample today is a quirky script. Compared to the upright exemplar I posted, it is elongated and slanted, but the shapes are generally the same as any script. I drew some wonky guidelines as a design element and chose a matching stamp. It isn't spectacular. But, it is an adequate idea to make a birthday card or thank you note a little more interesting.

Spooky Experiments

Mr. Legend left a comment about his nib skipping. I brainstormed a few possible solutions. Then I tried some random swoopy motions. If you have never tried writing with a nib, try some wavy lines. I made some rows of letters that are a common exercise in Spencerian. At some point, I might talk about Spencerian, but for now, let's stick with the first exemplar that I posted. The first line of actual words is from the exemplar.

Then I tried to make some quirky, spooky writing by making everything less uniform. The third line is scrunched - then angular - then slanted. The writing explains the thought process.

Then I Googled *spooky lettering* and some fun Halloween cards popped up. I redrew the three figures, making them significantly different than the original. I can't really decide which one I like best.

Hopefully, if you have your nibs and ink, you can try some quirky writing and let me know how it goes.

I will wait to hear from the people who expressed an interest in trying nibs and ink, to see if they have their materials. I also need to know if anyone bought a book. Which book you are using will determine what kinds of comments I make.

If you just want to use the exemplar that I recommended (rather than any of the books), please let me know.