Today's regular post is right below.
Also, around noon on Sunday, I added the last 4 groups of letters to the penmanship lessons. So, if you plan on repairing your penmanship, scroll past today's post and check out the Sunday bonus post.
Earlier in September, Janet sent me a wonderful mail art story. Rather than relate it in my own words, I am going to post it as written. She said it was fine to share the story - so I assume she's OK if I use her words.
The subject line referred to a recent post that included a card I had received referring to me being *awesome.*
Subject: in case you don't think you are awesome enough....
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Yes --- it is awesome that your pretty mail made someone want your home. Technically - I'm not sure what part I played -- other than introducing Janet to the world of mail art. It is quite possible that we are both awesome - as are all people who have sense enough to take time to make mail art.
Here is the photo of Janet's desktop that was sent to Janet's daughter:
Today's regular post is right below.
Someday --- a better set of penmanship tips will appear. And they might get their own blog. In the meantime, I have a new set of eyes and ears who is working on her penmanship and I wanted to give her the full alphabet before I head out on a trip for a couple weeks.
My first set of tips are here:
Lessons - tips -- you choose. There are all kinds of formal lessons featuring many different styles of penmanship. My *lessons* are actually tips that you can use as you study any style. My first tip is to leave off the loops, just to get a feel for the 13-14 letters that have no loops or tails. I put the letter t in with the letters without tails or loops (ascenders and descenders) because IMHO, it should only have a tiny bit of extension above the 13 short letters.
I have put together some lines with words to copy. Feel free to add any words that you like that fit into the groups.
Group one - i m n t l h u
Group two - add - k j v w y
k - I usually have a tiny loop on the second stroke, but you could eliminate the loop. I showed one in the top line without the loop. It requires a pen lift.
j - You can have an intro stroke and the tail can be straight. Or you can put a little curve at the end of the tail. You may want to drag a fine line up to the next letter creating a tiny bit of a loop, but for now, try to avoid a full loop.
y - I recommend a straight tail with no curve at the bottom - for now. If you slip, and put a loop on a y, just keep going.
Group three - add - a b d g r
a b d and g are all related and you need to find a shape that you like and make them consistent. A lot of mine have some italic influence with an almond shape. My practice gets *pointy* on the bottom because I am working on the rhythm. The goal is to make shapes that are consistent and that please your eyes. I don't get very good results trying to make copperplate ovals in everyday penmanship. For me, they do not have any natural bounce associated with speed. So - if speed is the goal - then, you might consider letting a little italic sneak in.
b - there are two ways to make the b. Once we add loops, that second one will look better. I tend to use both and choose which one depending on what letter is coming after it.
g - same suggestion as the tail on the j. Put a small curve at the end of the tail or if you want, drag up to the next letter without making a full loop.
r - I am rigid and inflexible about the r. It needs SOMETHING to distinguish it from the *humps* that make up the n and m. Lazy people don't even make a hump - they have points. I will not call out anyone in person - but they are lazy and sloppy and there is no excuse for just going up-then down- and omitting the ear or at the very least - a horizontal bit across the top. At the very least - start your upstroke and pause to make a sharp corner and then continue on across the top and curve down to finish the letter. Ideally, you will put in a proper *ear.* I often have the sweetest little loop, but it is fine, without a loop. Obviously, we will return to r options at some point. Those little pauses I talk about are not long pauses, they are part of the rhythm that you NEED.
Group four - c e o p q
o - most of my o's have a loop at the top. Let your own style flow. If you never have a loop on your o, do not add them now. If you tend to have a loop, keep it.
q - it does not need that extra upward flick at the bottom - so it is entirely optional.
p - I often lift the pen after I drop down with the tail - and then start the loop at the top. Do whatever feels right and gives a pleasing consistency with your other letters.
e - if you thought I went overboard on the r -- welcome to the e-tantrum. I wrote an example of a typical e - which is just a loop. It was painful to make myself do that. I pause on every single e to make a proper loop. If you are not willing to do that, you might as well just pack it in right now. Or - perhaps you want to send me a sample of something beautiful with simple loops that are open and legible. I know it is possible. I've seen Spencerian samples that are lovely. But, it is super tricky - and I have yet to find a beginner who can make simple loop e's. It does not take a ridiculous amount of time to do a proper loop and eventually, it becomes the *norm.*
Here is the one case where a simple loop works -- when there is no slant. Some day I will post a sample. In the meantime, if you write without any slant, just make simple loops - and they will be lovely. It is the slant that complicates the e. If your slant is minimal, you might get away with the simple loop - but it is going to hinge on the consistency of maintaining an actual loop. The more you slant, the harder it is to create a loop in one continuous motion.
Group five - f x s z
f - there are several variations. Pick one that works for you. Try to avoid a loop on both the top and the bottom for now. Eventually, you can do both.
x - tricky to get the first slanted stroke at the right angle. Because the x occurs so rarely it is hard to get a good one as quickly as you need it. I generally just slow down when I get to an x
z - there are a few options - another tricky letter that doesn't show up very often
So ----
please refrain from zipping through all five groups. You are not ready. It's like going from the bunny hill to the double diamond runs on your first day of skiing. Having said that, I know half of you will have no self control and you will do all the lines on the page. Happily, this obstinance will not cause any broken legs. So, go ahead, be a rebel. Don't listen to me. I appreciate your enthusiasm.
If you are truly committed to creating pretty everyday penmanship - you need to put in the 20 minutes every day. Maybe it will work for you to work on all the letters at the same time. But, you better be figuring out your rhythm. If you have not grasped the importance of rhythm, then you are not a candidate for pretty penmanship. You're like those people out on the dance floor with no rhythm. They are not hurting anyone and I am not criticizing. It's better to dive in and have fun without worrying what you look like. The only danger is that someone will video tape you and post you on YouTube and it will go viral. But, if you seriously want to have pretty penmanship, you have to figure out the rhythm. I'm not the only person who feels this way. Master calligrapher Sheila Waters has it on her list of essentials that she had been teaching for decades - as do all the other people I studied with.
Happy penning.
P.S.
I will add some quickly scrawled variations of my penmanship so you can see how much fun you can have after you spend enough time on the boring practice.
Those envelopes in the regular post below are so lame, I am adding some gorgeous penmanship that is on John Steven's IG today. Hopefully it will inspire people who are going to work on their penmanship.
Since I will be out of town for a couple weeks, I am going to post all of the penmanship tips before I leave and you will be on your honor to not skip ahead until you are ready.
I also encourage everyone to [Follow] John Stevens on IG because his work is dreamy. If you need a place to surf, check out the people that he follows. There are some heavy hitters there.
The class is listed as welcoming to beginners - but that means - someone who had already begun their calligraphy journey. It would not be the right class if you have never taken any calligraphy classes. The list of supplies you need is included and you do not want to sign up for the class unless you already have all those supplies and know how to use them. The envelope pictured above is just one of 4 styles to be presented by 4 instructors. Additional examples are on the link.
When I was scrolling through all the marvelous envelopes from Karen, this one popped up. I am rerunning it for Leslie because she left a comment on the one that I ran a couple days ago to Rachael. I'm not sure how big the nib was that Karen used. Maybe she will leave a comment. But, this is a really cool envelope.
For anyone interesting in improving their penmanship, there will be a new series of posts with suggestions.
Step one:
Find a pen, pencil or marker that you love to write with and paper that feels good. I like lined notebook paper and a pencil or ballpoint. You do not need anything fancy.
Do not write in notebooks. You need loose sheets of paper and you need a stack of 6 sheets so that you have a nice cushion. Do not attempt to write nicely on one sheet of paper on a hard surface. It's a very unpleasant feeling.
Choose a slant that is comfortable for you. If you write with no slant or a back slant, stick with that.
Start with these letters: i t n m u h l
Put these letters together to make words or combinations of letters that are not words. The goal is to fill a page with consistent shapes. Do not put any loops on the h and the l. Do not make the stems too tall. The stems are called ascenders.
The photo shows a sample of random words and combinations of the letters. Start by writing one line and then repeat it right below and see if you can improve each time you write it. If you have patience, a full page would be nice. If you get restless, switch to the word minimum.
If your strokes and spacing are inconsistent, try doing a solid row of ininimimininimim and see if you can get a very consistent *picket fence.* Then add the u and keep going. And finally add the h and l.
I just eyeballed the x-height on my sample. The x-height is how tall the small letters are - the ones with no ascenders. If you are not able to keep the height of the letters consistent, print out guide sheets with the height you need or use graph paper.
An essential part of pretty penmanship is to establish a rhythm. The video shows that the strokes are rather jerky. There is a bit of speed on the downstroke, followed by a pause, and then the upstrokes have a little speed and another pause. Eventually, this rhythm will even out and be imperceptible. But, it's a good exercise for developing consistency.
Go as slow as necessary to hit the lines and no go over. Gradually speed up, but only if you are hitting the guidelines precisely.
To the person on The Flourish Forum who inspired this series and who is hoping to improve their penmanship over the course of a few weeks, this is entirely possible. Ideally, you will spend 20-30 minutes per day on this drill. We will add the other letters a few at a time. We could add letters every 4 or 5 days, assuming you do the daily practice.
After I posted this, I tried watching the video. I was fine at the size it is in the post. When I clicked on full screen, it got all jumpy and garbled. I might have to switch videos to Vimeo -- but that will take time. Hopefully you can see the *jerky* rhythm in the video.
Today's regular post is below this one.
I just saw the new stamps for this holiday season. You can see all of the USPS stamps here:
I've learned to refrain from deciding if I like stamps designs or not. Sometimes I don't get any good ideas from my favorites and then - with some, that I do not care for at all, they end up being perfect. Off the top of my head, I think the Kwanzaa stamp would give me the most ideas. The mid-century inspired red/white/green stamps will be perfect if I decide to use up my red envelopes.
Blogger is still doing stuff that I have not figured out. Centering and spacing and captions -- all are mysterious and confusing. Maybe it is offering me a relief from alternative confusion.
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| Scroll tips marker. Fine, but only fine. Not a good green for Xmas. |
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| Another try. Another miss. |
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| FIne -- just barely |
The BigHelpfulBrother just asked me if I had ever heard of this early book on anatomy illustrated by Titian. I had not -- but one click took me to a link where you can see 40 pages. I do not know if the other 560 pages are available anywhere. If someone else finds out, let me know and I will edit this post.
Scroll down for the regular daily post. I guess this one isn't too far off topic as we head into the season of skeletons.
As the list of Iowa oddities dwindled, they started offering things from bordering states and Oh.My.Gosh. this giant ball of stamps (world's largest) - and the strangest part of all - nobody has added to it since 1955. They only started it in 1953. Bizarre. Why would anyone stop?
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/world-s-largest-ball-of-stamps for the full story.
Unrelated tidbit: Iowa has managed to take only 4 letters and create a 3 syllable word.
Remember that PBS program I mentioned a while back.
Here is more info from an email that was sent out to the New Mexico guild. I'm not sure how I got on their mailing list -- but - they have the additional information about Passport - which is good to know.
On Wednesday, September 23, PBS-NOVA will air the documentary that Brody Neuenschwander previewed for us at his lecture at the San Francisco Public Library last summer: A to Z: The First Alphabet, Discover how writing—and eventually printing—revolutionized the spread of information. The second part will follow on September 30: A to Z: How Writing Changed the World, Discover how writing—and eventually printing—revolutionized the spread of information.
See the NOVA | PBS website for information. Check your local listing for schedules.
PBS Passport is a member benefit from participating PBS stations that gives eligible donors and supporters extended access to an on-demand library of quality public television programming online. For more information about the Passport membership benefit, check out the PBS Help Site.
This was on Pinterest and I didn't figure out the original source. It looks like Edward Gorey. I love it.
This envelope popped up this morning (Sun, Sept 13) while I was looking on Pinterest for take-it-easy-on-the-USPS ideas. I clicked on it and was amused to see that it was for the May 2019 exchange, posted in July 2019 and my chattering was about how I thought I was getting to the end of my hoard reduction. LOL. Here it is over a year later and I still have quite a few stamps left. Although, I predict I will be done by the end of the year. And this time I think it is a realistic prediction.
And -- I wanted to insert a *YAY* - because after endless confusion on how many days were left for me to fill, I simply set a goal of filling up all the rest of the 2020 days - and I did it. In theory, I could just forget about the blog for the rest of the year. But, I'll be starting on January pretty soon.
Double *YAY* -- I have 15 halloween envelopes started.
My inspiration to get all this work done was feeling despondent about the multitude of unfortunate situations in the news. I can't always yank myself out of doldrums with envelopes. But this time I did. Hopefully everyone is coping and out of the direct threat of something serious.
