Octopus day


So finally I bought a watercolor palette! And I enjoyed experimenting so much in the last couple of days that I pushed calligraphy aside during this time, and then had to deal with the sense of guilt.

My first try with the new watercolor palette - I named it "The purple galaxy"

Soon I realized how to resolve the problem and wrote a couple of words on my already existing watercolor paintings, so it all came together. In the end of the day it was all just some time investment to create some backgrounds, wasn't it?!

The first thing I learnt and want to share with you: be patient in case you want to write on your painting! Wait until the paper dries completely, otherwise you will end up with spiderwebs and other funny shapes you would not want in your creation.  Even if it is just a bit damp, it is not going to work, trust me!

I found a couple of cute octopus pictures recently on Pinterest that insipired my imagination, so I created my own watercolor-calligraphy octopus picture in today's sunny afternoon.

My calligraphy octopus
Altogether, using watercolor is much easier than I thought it would be, and it is a lot of fun! It was a very little investment - I spent approximately 2.5 euros on 12 colors- and has endless ways to use. Even though I have only got one brush yet, I could play around for hours and hours and never get bored.

My goal for next week is to learn and create beautiful soft backgrounds for my words and quotes. I will show you the process and the results, stay tuned!




Strawberry sneak peek

Today was one of the unfortunate days when I had a very busy schedule on a very sunny day.

After finishing work I decided to practice a bit of calligraphy on the yard as it was so deliciously inviting. I had half an hour before I had to leave again, so I literally set up the table while running and then experimented with my Brause nib a bit.


The Brause 66EF is by far my favorite nib so far, it is great for modern calligraphy fonts, and it is surprisingly easy to work with. This was the first time I actually tried modern calligraphy without a sample - so exciting!

I wrote down the word "strawberry" in different sizes, before again literally running like a lunatic to catch my meeting. Lots of running today.

Short term goals


So much in love with dip-dyed handmade paper and beautiful lettering! As soon as my hands are steady enough to create similar letters, I will start experimenting with handmade paper and colours. 

Can't wait, just beautiful!



(Photo: Wildfield Paper Co.) 

The first 5 facts I learnt the hard way as a beginner


There are a lot of simple tips that can make one's lettering journey more enjoyable, and there are a couple of things that can be pretty annoying and can take away from the joy of writing.

The things I learnt during the first days of my practice were based on mistakes I could have easily avoided if I had read about them a little beforehand. So here they are: my top 5 observations of my first week of learning calligraphy:

          1. New nibs need cleaning


Sounds obvious right? Well, to me it wasn't. I have 9 different nibs in my calligraphy kit and to be honest, there is only three I succeeded to use in the very beginning. The other nibs seemed to ignore my desire to get any amount of ink staying. I tried very hard and nothing seemed to work, so I headed to my laptop and googled.

I got my question answered in an instant:

Manufacturers apply oil on the nibs so they stay in good shape while in storage. As oil and ink do not mix, it makes it extremely hard to write with a new, uncleaned nib.

The easiest way to safely remove the oil is gently sticking the nibs into a potato and leaving it for 15 minutes. I am not kidding. That is what I did, then wiped them off with a clean tea towel. Since then they work like a charm!

(Important note: Do not leave the nibs in longer than 15 minutes, as they might get damaged!)



      2. Use paper instead of exercise books


Before starting my practice I decided I was going to invest in a nice exercise book with good quality paper. So I headed to the stationary shop and purchased the exercise book with the thickest pages available.

Little did I know there is a reason why I barely see calligraphers writing in exercise books, well here is a fact: calligraphy ink dries incredibly slowly! So either you wait patiently for the ink to dry, or you turn the page and end up having ink blots and pages stuck to each other. Guess what I did.


Lesson learnt: It is better not to use exercise books for practice. 


I have done a little research, and 32# laserjet paper seems to be very popular among calligraphy lovers, as it is affordable and works very well for home practice. I will share my own experience with you as soon as I buy a pack.


     3. Invest in good quality ink


I have only used one bottle of ink so far, so when I went to repurchase another one from the same brand, I got very disappointed with the colour and consitency. Even though the bottle says "black" it is more like a dark grey color, and is very runny. I could hardly write anything with it at all.

My advice: Do not buy a product before learning about what is worth to invest in.

And next time listen to the shop assistant telling you to buy the better quality! There was not even that much difference in price.

     4. Keep the right pen angle


One of the key elements when learning to write. And still I simply ignored to learn about it beforehand, and then I had to face the fact that the result was not what I expected. As I am learning about the basics of italics, I came to the conclusion that the angle basically determines how neatly you can form the curves.

If you are learning Italics first, just like I do, keep your pen at a 35°- 45° angle and you will be fine.



     5. Tea towels vs paper towels: 1-0


Soon I realized that I needed a towel within my hand's reach to wipe the nib every now and then, and so I started to use tissues and paper towels. Soon it became clear to me that it was not a good idea; the fibers of the paper got stuck between the nib tines.

Solution: Use a cotton cloth for cleaning your nibs.

I will share a couple more tips along the way, and encourage you to do so as well in the comments.

And until then: keep writing!

three...two...one...

Here it is! Finally, after years of empty excuses I convinced myself to jump right into it and start my calligraphy journey straight away. Oh how I wish I had done it sooner!

Years ago I got an amazing calligraphy kit from my lovely brother, and ever since I have been planning to learn to use the dip pen properly. 

Finally the decision has been made! I sat down a couple of days ago, and started to play around with the pen and do some of the exercises I had read about before. And I am telling you; it feels magical!

(Not my own work just yet, but I am on the way! )

The sound of the nib scratching the paper, ink blots on my hands, and laughing at some of the crooked results were all part of this exciting experience in the very first hour of practice, and then again and again the following 2 days. But first and foremost: I felt complete peace. The peace I have been craving for such a long time!

So here I am, at the beginning of my learning process. I decided to share it with you all, with all its ups and downs, from the first shaky lines towards waking the sleeping artist inside me.

And my long term goal? Help people, small businesses and organizations with good causes make a difference. That is why I started. And I am on the way figuring out how to do that.

Welcome!


(source: http://pinterest.com/pin/342555115397318550/?source_app=android)

Octopus day

So finally I bought a watercolor palette! And I enjoyed experimenting so much in the last couple of days that I pushed calligraphy aside d...