you may use graph paper if it helps to make nice straight rectangles. make the space between the rectangles the same width as the width of the stroke. my graph paper is a little too bleedy. the first two show that the space between the two strokes is too wide.the AAA at the top shows that the space and stroke width is equal. then try to make some horizontal strokes that create letters. the length of the cross stroke on the Ls can be the same as the width. visually, that is a square that is added to make an L. pay attention to the spacing. i like it tight or extra tight. the LIT on the second line shows longer cross bars. on the E, make the top and then the bottom and then center the middle stroke in the space that is left. same with the F. make the top bar, then set the nib in the middle of the remaining space to pull a cross stroke.
visually, the center cross stroke of the H is a square. you can make your first *fun* letter, by turning that square on its corner. now make about twenty pages of perfectly straight angular stokes that are perfectly spaced. it will be really boring, but, you might be mesmerized. i never write neuland like this any more, but it did help to start with this very geometric recipe. after you get it imprinted on your brain, you can start tipping and tilting. see how many words you can make with just those 6 letters. see if you can control yourself from making any other letters. let me know when you are back from your trip.
the little letters done with a gel pen are to remind you to do the same little block letters with a plain pen or pencil to remember the geometry. make variations where they get taller and skinnier and also shorter and wider.
i forgot to mention that sad face on the T in the second row. you have to really watch the end of the strokes and try to get them square. the way you hold the marker makes a huge difference. you can't hold it too close to the tip. and you will find that you automatically change your grip on the marker when making strokes in different directions. and you move your whole arm around. some people say it is more like drawing and i think that is a good way to think about it. if your marker is bobbing around the way a pencil bobs when you are writing, you'll have trouble getting smooth strokes. you want to place the nib on the paper, then pull with your whole arm and not move your wrist. some people also do a breathing thing as they pull strokes. some people hold their breath. that's not good. you have to be relaxed, yet determined in the direction you are going with a specific start and end. read the book Zen and the Art of Archery. the way it describes shooting arrows is exactly the way you want to make strokes on paper. has anybody else read that book?
ReplyDeleteso carrie, your practice pages should be zen-like pages of beautiful effortless soldiers, all in perfect formation. the space between the letters and strokes is just as important as the letters themselves.
Wow, as a yoga teacher, I am liking the way you describe the strokes, the motion of the forearm vs the wrist, and aligning the motion with your breathing - this combination of precision, single pointed concentration, and letting go.
ReplyDeleteI am relieved that you brought up the spaces between the letters. Maybe you remember last year for my wedding, you coached me on writing the guests' names onto rocks which served as placecards, letting people know which table to sit at. The hardest part about that for me was not making the shapes of the letters, but getting the letters situated closely enough to one another to look right. I found I tended to make them too loose - although I liked the look of it better when they came out tighter.