Back in the game!
Well it’s been a few years, but I’m getting back into the calligraphy game. I’ve been practicing some more copperplate recently, but I made a reel for Instagram trying some Blackletter. I forgot how much hard this is! Getting just the right amount of ink loaded, getting the nib actually started on the paper, trying…
Latin in the movies!
Now for five Latin phrases that feature in five favourite films. Tried to find more, but this seems to be something of a niche as I couldn’t find too many lists of films with a Latin phrase. Might just have to find other famous phrases instead! The answers for those who found one or two…
Arrogant and Offensive
Today’s calligraphy practice in copperplate script comes from a famous tweet from the UK Civil Service back in May 2020 that was swiftly deleted. It made the news! I’m still slightly out of practice here and you can tell, particularly with the spacing of some vowels up against consonants, like the word “and”, and “you”.…
A very limited and specific way
A current affairs-related quote for today’s calligraphy practice. This one is in relation to a comment made by Brandon Lewis MP in the UK House of Commons regarding the upcoming Internal Market Bill. I’m slightly out of practice, and it’s been a couple of weeks since I last had a practice session. You can tell…
Dinosaurs! (World Calligraphy Day)
Today is #WorldCalligraphyDay! So, time for a Calligraphy practice post! More movie quotes! This time some philosophy from Drs. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler of Jurassic Park fame. This one was the second attempt – my first didn’t have any spelling mistakes (a first?), but also on one of the lines I started writing on…
Sushi Fish!
I recently came across a thread on the Calligraphy subreddit whilst looking for tips on how to load up your nib with ink in the best way (to avoid dumping too much ink when you come to write), and in amongst people suggesting using brushes, using eye droppers, and dipping up to the eye hole…
New Oblique Holder
Quite a few weeks ago, in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown, I ordered an oblique pen holder to help with copperplate writing. I actually ordered the Speedball holder at the same time, but this particular one I spotted on Amazon so decided to order it as well. The pen I went for was the…
Space Corps Directive 1742
Don’t you just hate smudges! Still, though this one is too good not to post!
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Classical Latin Lyrics
So there’s a channel on YouTube that features “bardcore” covers of popular songs – songs re-imagined from times gone by. And there’s a cover of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit in classical Latin. So this seemed a good opportunity to try some Latin calligraphy! The Latin hand isn’t one I’ve tried before, and I’m enjoying…
Miri It is
These are the lyrics to a song dating from the 13th century, written in Middle English. You can read more about the song itself, here: https://earlymusicmuse.com/mirie-it-is-while-sumer-ilast/ A cover by the folk metal band Forefather is one of my favourite songs of all time. Have a listen below…
John 3:16 – Through the years
Some more uncial practice. This time with a slight twist – some ancient Greek thrown into the mix! The examplar used for the left hand side is the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the great uncial codices of the Christian Bible dating from around the mid 4th century AD. The manuscript reference used as an exemplar…
The Oblique & The Basics
I ordered a Speedball Oblique holder to try and help with learning Copperplate Calligraphy. I’ve heard about the limitations of this holder, which I think may be a decent trade-off considering it’s availability and price. It’s only a couple of pounds GBP, and plenty of places sell them, so I thought why not? The limitations…
The Great Nib Upgrade
So, after using the William Mitchell nibs for a while, I fancied giving Copperplate hand a try. I knew immediately this was almost a jump up to “Expert” level (bypassing my previous plan of trying out Blackletter), but I really, really liked the look of some English Longhand and Copperplate examples that are all over…
The First Scribbles in Uncial
Order’s arrived, regular work day is over (I’m not furloughed!), and now it’s time to put pen to paper. First step was diligent preparing the nib for first use, which I did using toothpaste – rubbed between first finger and thumb then rubbed all around the tip of the nib to get rid of that…
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Jim Scribbles 