Thankfulness thing 12 - getting back on the wagon, with calligraphy

[abendgules]

I seem to have fallen off the thankfulness wagon, in my excitement about St. Ethelburga's, The Outfit and a new SCA ossifer job (regional signet).

SO: today I'm thankful for having learned calligraphy.

I learned it because I'd started heralding courts, and I saw one exquisite piece of artwork after another going out from the hands of the crown and coronet. And I realised that just a handful of talented people were doing this work, mostly quietly and behind the scenes.

I'm not sure what made me think I could do it - my first thought was more, I wonder if I could help, so the scribes wouldn't have to work so hard. I was also amazed at the range of people who did scribing: from crusty peers to young children (Erick and Tesla's girl was quite young when she started, and she did really astonishing work), hefty fighters to needle jocks. It didn't seem to matter who you were.

As an early teen I'd given it a try, upon learning that my dad had done calligraphy in grammar school, and at 15 had been chosen of all the boys to do the lettering for a major school project. Unfortunately being taught by my dad was a big turnoff, and I promptly packed it in when my thin lines were thick and my thick ones thin. I also didn't like struggling with the workarounds often needed for lefties.

What made it totally possible, and fun in the bargain, was ethnowoman  and her introductory classes, and her weekly and bi-weekly scribing evenings. She has a gift for teaching, and she managed to calm my fears of making a mistake (no small feat for a perfectionist). In fact, one of her clever approaches to teaching was to make a mistake, and then fix it, and see how it works. That was a great great help.

Remembering my early leftie struggles, I decided to learn right handed from the start. When teaching archery, I'd always told other people that learning a new skill did not depend on handedness (I've since amended that to '...short of serious learning disabilities'); so you can be right handed and learn to shoot left-handed if you want.

So here was my chance to learn a new skill, and learn it the way that made the most sense - right handed. And it worked - worked far better than I expected.

I still draft, sketch initials and decoration and paint left handed, but all my lettering is righthanded.

It's been fascinating learning a new skill as an adult: I still have great frustrations when things don't work well, and I'm still not happy with many results. I've learned much about 'how to look' at art by doing calligraphy, and am gradually, very tentatively, dipping my toe in illumination.

There's something deeply satisfying about making things by hand, and that includes making documents.

 

Comments

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

Go, you!

I just have to say that I love the term "needle jock."

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

my dad had done calligraphy in grammar school, and at 15 had been chosen of all the boys to do the lettering for a major school project

How neat!

(But I can sympathize with the "not wanting to learn from family member" syndrome. That's why I'm not a very good pianist (sister and dad) and why I hated Latin so much in high school (sister).

[amykb.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the addiction! And just think of all the sources you have close at hand. I am jealous :)

I really admire you for learning right handed when you are a lefty. My left hand is--well, useless would give it more credit than it should have. There is very little I can do with it, and writing is almost unintelligible. Please post pics of your work, I would love to see it!

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

Two of the pieces I'm happiest with are here:

An indenture scroll between a knight and squire (still working on copy 2 for the knight - had to finish the squire's copy as he was visiting from Sweden):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_edricus/3864147255/sizes/l/

An AoA/Panache (arts award) backlog for a lady in our shire:
http://dragonscribes.blogspot.com/2009/06/backlog-aoa-panache.html

The artwork is by mbroidress, and I think completely polishes the work.

Both use period-based wordings, one drafted by me, one by Robert, which he keeps on his own wiki, called 'Forsooth':
http://forsooth.pbworks.com/

To compare - my first scroll attempt in this hand, another AoA, with one of Robert's texts:
http://dragonscribes.blogspot.com/2007/10/recent-aoa.html

...so I'm reasonably pleased with my own improvement.

[amykb.livejournal.com]

You have a beautiful hand!! And you even use half letters!! So many scribes don't do them because they are afraid of effecting the readability. I don't think they make it harder to read at all, and they are really cool and just add to the overall effect.