Calligraphy, anyone?

Doobh

I tried asking this in h/a, but there wasn't a lot of information to be had, and a smart person suggested I go here.

So, do any of you art-types know anything about calligraphy? I find myself with some spare time in bad need of a project, and I was wondering if anyone had any information beyond a couple of store links (though I still appreciate book recommendations). Keep in mind that I'm fairly poor, so I can't get anything too fancy.

NibCrom

We've got rules here, sir. Post some art here or talk about this in the chat thread. Otherwise, this thread is likely to get locked.

4 ) Avoid Erroneous New Topics
Before posting a New Topic, decide if what you have really warrants a whole topic to itself. We have three useful threads you should be aware of:

* The Doodle Thread
* The Chat thread
* The Questions/Discussion Thread

If you want advice on a quick sketch, unfinished work, or just want to show off something that didn't take much effort, use the Doodle thread. If you've just got a general question to ask, drop it in the Questions/Discussion thread. Otherwise, if you just feel like being social, swing by the Chat thread. New topics with no art in them are extremely likely to get locked, so keep that in mind.

tynic

ma'am
but yes we do like to keep questions in our Questions thread. On the other hand, if/when you have some calligraphy to show off, def. make a thread. I know we've got a lot of font people around but I don't think we've ever done much with hand typography.

Forbe!

I have a little experience with calligraphy. Honestly I would just go buy a few speedball pens/pen nibs and a bottle of cheap ink and some paper. A large part of learning how to right calligraphy is forgetting how you currently write. What I mean by this is using your arm/wrist as one unit, instead of writing mostly with your wrist like most people do. On top of this you will probably need a good work surface to write on. I built a lectern specifically for this purpose, because I find it easier to stand while I write. If you prefer to sit, get a comfortable chair that you can sit in with straight posture. You will probably need to have an angled surface to work off of. A drafting table type set up would be ideal, but I just prop up a large piece of masonite/hardboard with some books.

There are hundreds of types of calligraphy; eastern, western, arabic, and hundreds of styles within those. Some are done with brushes, some are done with pens, some are done with bamboo, some are done with markers, there is different equipment for each. I suggest you go out and do some research about what you want to do, read the wiki, go to the library and look for books on it and go from there.

Equipment that I have used:
Pen Nib Holder
Pen Nibs
Calligraphy Practice Paper. Calligraphy paper, from my observation is typically a paper that has less tooth to it (the fibers are compressed more), so your pen nib doesn't grab on and splatter ink everywhere. Strathmore sells regular calligraphy paper, but you probably want ones with guide lines on them until you get the hang of it. Like I said, its just like learning how to write again.


Expert Village has a bunch of calligraphy videos on youtube, seems to be a few different styles represented. Might be helpful to give you an idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A7WGsOsSQg

NibCrom

tynic wrote:

ma'am

Whoopsie!

Doobh

Hurp durp, I had the feeling that making a whole thread about this seemed like a bit much

I'll move this question o'er to the questions thread in a moment