Man of letters (Week 41)
"We produced a bundle of pens, a copious supply of ink, and a goodly show of writing and blotting paper. For there was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery."
Putting pen to paper, as Charles Dickens explained so well in Great Expectations, is a comfortable activity. The second you make contact with the paper, you feel a soulful journey beginning. And so, for a week, I did just that, but in a fancy way. Since I already know how to write, I decided to try my hand at something a little more elevated and challenging. Hello, calligraphy!
The first thing I learned while exploring the countless YouTube videos available on the subject, is that calligraphy is not handwriting. It is lettering. Rather than attempt to connect all your letters with a continuous line, the goal is to give each letter its own character, and that means frequently lifting your pen off the paper and moving to your next starting point.
The next thing I learned was about upstrokes and downstrokes. Ideally, you want a nice thin line going up, and a bold heavy one coming down. Easier said than done, but it comes with practice.
Next came supplies. The cheapskate in me said I could get by with a set of Val's soft-tip pens but that turned out to be a penny-pinching mistake. So off I went to a stationery store, where they hooked me up with some "calligraphy markers." That was a non-starter, too, when I discovered they were all hard-tipped and would not bend to my will. Next stop was an artist supply store, where I found the wonderful Tombow markers I had been hearing about in all the YouTube videos. Success!
After dropping $30 more in supplies than I had in my original budget (which was $0), I set to work. My lines were shaky and blotchy, and some thin ones turned out thick, but I got the hang of it. And it truly is a satisfying thing to do. Right up there with knitting!
So, where is the goodness in all this? One study has shown that calligraphy is actually good for your mental health, and has even been shown to lower your heart rate. It definitely is relaxing, I can attest to that.
Another benefit noted on a list of seven is that you can save money on fancy greeting cards, while also giving them an extremely personal touch. Once again, the cheapskate in me approves.
It could also be said that you'll be instantly cool. In that hey-I'm-doing-what all-the-kids-are-doing-on-Instagram kinda way. As evidence, I submit proof that calligraphy is huge on Instagram. Mind you, the source is Country Living magazine, so that might instantly suck the cool right out of it.
Once I get good at this, and by good I mean when my lettering can pass the narrow scrutiny of my teenage daughter without a single raised eyebrow, I might even venture on to Instagram myself.
Let the soulful journey begin.
NEXT WEEK: Writing the next hit song!
Putting pen to paper, as Charles Dickens explained so well in Great Expectations, is a comfortable activity. The second you make contact with the paper, you feel a soulful journey beginning. And so, for a week, I did just that, but in a fancy way. Since I already know how to write, I decided to try my hand at something a little more elevated and challenging. Hello, calligraphy!
The first thing I learned while exploring the countless YouTube videos available on the subject, is that calligraphy is not handwriting. It is lettering. Rather than attempt to connect all your letters with a continuous line, the goal is to give each letter its own character, and that means frequently lifting your pen off the paper and moving to your next starting point.
The next thing I learned was about upstrokes and downstrokes. Ideally, you want a nice thin line going up, and a bold heavy one coming down. Easier said than done, but it comes with practice.
Next came supplies. The cheapskate in me said I could get by with a set of Val's soft-tip pens but that turned out to be a penny-pinching mistake. So off I went to a stationery store, where they hooked me up with some "calligraphy markers." That was a non-starter, too, when I discovered they were all hard-tipped and would not bend to my will. Next stop was an artist supply store, where I found the wonderful Tombow markers I had been hearing about in all the YouTube videos. Success!
After dropping $30 more in supplies than I had in my original budget (which was $0), I set to work. My lines were shaky and blotchy, and some thin ones turned out thick, but I got the hang of it. And it truly is a satisfying thing to do. Right up there with knitting!
Another benefit noted on a list of seven is that you can save money on fancy greeting cards, while also giving them an extremely personal touch. Once again, the cheapskate in me approves.
It could also be said that you'll be instantly cool. In that hey-I'm-doing-what all-the-kids-are-doing-on-Instagram kinda way. As evidence, I submit proof that calligraphy is huge on Instagram. Mind you, the source is Country Living magazine, so that might instantly suck the cool right out of it.
Once I get good at this, and by good I mean when my lettering can pass the narrow scrutiny of my teenage daughter without a single raised eyebrow, I might even venture on to Instagram myself.
Let the soulful journey begin.
NEXT WEEK: Writing the next hit song!
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