Calliarts - Modern Uncial

Dear Members and Followers,

After the special meeting and AGM on Saturday 12 March 2016, Calligraphy Southscribes, Inc. will be holding its monthly Calliarts afternoon. This month it is Modern Uncial.

Modern Uncial is adapted from Mike Kecseg's Pointed Pen Uncial. This version is excellent for beginners and more experienced calligraphers or lettering artists as it is suitable for both pen and monoline marker. An ideal hand for more modern uses. All levels of experience welcome and a great introduction to pointed pen calligraphy. We will round the day off by making bookmarks using the script.

Materials List:

Normal Calligraphy gear but must include a pointed pen nib (we are not using chisel nibs)

Gouache (in addition to your ink for practise if your want to use it)

Coloured pencils

Monoline pens or markers in different colours

Materials to make bookmarks (light card for backing (scrapbooking card), coloured or neutral canson, or other to write on; hole punch, cords, glue, cutting mat and knife (unless you already come prepared), embellishments, scissors, etc. If you wish to make a stencil bookmark bring some patterned light paper with you. Glossy paper for gluing. Tracing paper.

Word a Month - Labyrinth

Dear Members and Followers,

While the break was on, the calligraphers participating in the word a month had extra time to catch up on their words or to carefully think about this month's word, labyrinth.

Did you know that the definition of Labyrinth is:

A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze.

What I did not know, is that there is a second definition:

A complex structure in the inner ear which contains the organs of hearing and balance. It consists of bony cavities (the bony labyrinth ) filled with fluid and lined with sensitive membranes (the membranous labyrinth ).

The artwork flowed:

Materials List

Dear Members or Followers,

If you are attending the February Calliarts afternoon or the Textura Lettering Course, you will need the following:

Textura Gothic - starting 17 Feb 7-9 pm, You will need:

* the usual calligraphy equipment

* a guide line of: 2 ascenders, 4 pen nib widths, 2 decenders

for the chisel edge nibs you will be using for the basic strokes and start up exercises, and for any beginners, you will need:

* an A3 layout pad (Eckersleys) suitable for pen and ink.

* a series 'C' No.3 Speedball nib and holder

* FW or Sumi ink

* ruler, pencil,rubber

* 0.4 Artline (or similar) black fineliner pen

* folder with plastic sleeves

Making your own envelopes, materials list:

* there are several different styles on offer, so please bring at least six pieces of suitable paper (see list below)

* you can trace patterns onto your layout paper or bring thin card to trace and cut your patterns for future use.

Papers you will need:

* several pieces of paper of your choice A3 size, approx 30 cm x 42 cm no smaller than A4 size, approx 21 cm x 30 cm

* A3 bond layout paper 70 gsm. note, this is the same as your usual layout paper, but has a smoother surface and feels a bit thicker

* cartridge paper

* wrapping paper/gift paper. note, without fold lines please.

* brown paper

* hand made paper - not too thick

* Scrapbooking paper. note, although they are all 30 cm square there are lovely colours and patterns available

* Mi Tientes Canson 160 gsm, full sheet approx 75 cm x 55 cm note, if you are bringing Mi Tientes please cut sheet in half before you come to facilitate cutting and handling space.

Canson makes lovely envelopes, packets and boxes.

You will also need:

* cutting mat, A4 or larger

* 40 or SO cm ruler - steel ruler if you have one

*cutting blade or craft knife

* pencil,rubber, small set square

* UHU glue stick or double sided tape

*glossy magazine (for gluing)

* scissors

* any embellishments, stickers or cut outs to decorate your envelope if you wish.

* If you would like to add colour accents, bring any of the following:

pencils, pastels, chalk, crayons, coloured ballpoint pens, watercolour pencils and brush.

Teensy, Weensy with Julie Williams

Dear Members and Followers,

We are spoilt for choice for lettering courses and workshops in February. Another one to add to your list is 'Teensy, Weensy' with Julie Williams.

We will discover the most successful ways to ‘write small’ on paper using a variety of nibs and other tools. We will turn to some of the pages from the beautiful Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta created in 1561-1562 for inspiration. Students will draw on their knowledge of classic scripts such as italic, roman and foundational hand, as well as scripts in the Mira Calligraphiae as the basis for their lettering styles. Beginners are very welcome, however they should have a basic knowledge of how to use a chisel nib with ink and one style of calligraphic script. A series of smaller “postcards” will be made by students to keep for future reference.

2016 Begins With ......

Dear Members and Followers,

Did Santa bring you a calligraphy set and you want to know how to use it?

Did you promise yourself to practice your calligraphy more as your New Year's Resolution?

Perhaps, at the stroke of midnight you said I want try something new!

If you answered yes to any of the above, then Calligraphy Southscribes can help.

Our lettering courses, one day workshops and Calliarts commence again in February.

Calliart Workshop - Make your Own Envelopes - Gloria Scott - 13 February 2016

In this workshop we will be making envelopes of various sizes, for cards, bookmarks, flat pack gifts and small gift cards. Note: Materials list will be available one week before the workshop.

Textura - Blackletter - 13th - 16th Century - Six Week Lettering Workshop - Gloria Scott -
17 February - 23 March 2016

Textura, taken from the Latin, meaning texture or fabric, refers to the overall appearance of the writing on paper. Textura script was the most calligraphic form of Blackletter and was used throughout Western Europe well into the 17th Century.
The letters are vertical and parallel, the negative space between the letters is the dame width as the vertical pen strokes.

Important Notice - We need a minimum number for a workshop or lettering course to run, failure to reach that minimum a week before the start date will result in the course or class being cancelled. Book early!

Colouring the Ending of 2015

Dear Members and Followers,

The last course for 2015 was on Colour, a necessary component of every calligraphers toolkit. It was therefore surprising that we only had eight participants for this final course though it was better than the original four, that we thought we were going to have.

Originally the course was supposed to be six weeks long, with three tutors completing two weeks of instruction each. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Gloria kindly stepped up to run a modified four weeks when circumstances prevented the other two tutors from teaching.

We commenced with learning about warm and cool colours and created a colour chart within both spectrums. We learnt what happened when we added white to a colour and then the difference when adding black and discovered the results of adding just water, and then more water to a colour.

The class gained from Gloria's vast knowledge of colour and the use of it acquired not only from calligraphy, but also from her botanical studies. We wound the four weeks up with experimenting with colour calligraphy on colour backgrounds and an exercise in colour graduation on black.

Thank you to Gloria for conducting the fours at short notice so that the class could go ahead and for sharing her wealth of knowledge.

Cathy