Calligraphy Practice…and 50p

46 Replies

Not only have I been scrubbing, and opening shops, but, since last Wednesday I have also been practicing my calligraphy every morning. I do it whilst listening to the news and write phrases and headlines that pique my interest.

calligraphy-practice-sheets-2019
Can’t do ‘D’!

My practice includes all my mistakes, spelling and otherwise. I have a calligraphy confession – after 9 years of practicing copperplate I still can’t form a proper capital ‘D’. I use a simpler version when I write a D. In today’s practice we can see that my struggle is real, and rather ugly.

I also have a problem with numbers….and lowercase x – which is a bit of an issue when writing UK news headlines. I am working on the x. And the numbers. On the plus side, because I am writing down bits of news, I am learning stuff…. like the fifty pence piece was introduced in 1969 and was generally disliked. I always rather liked it because it was a funny shape and I could buy a lot of sweets with it.

I tend to switch nibs and ink whilst I practice; I am trying to note down which nib and ink I’m using, but I don’t always remember. Today I opened a fresh bottle of Ecoline – hence my writing went a bit blobby cos the ink was runny.

daily-calligraphy-practice

I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures – I have no idea what to blame for that – too much fiddling with the light controls whilst editing perhaps?

My next mission is to start reading books again so that I have something exciting to put on a chair. Right, I must be away because I need to do something urgent with a sonic scrubber….

46 thoughts on “Calligraphy Practice…and 50p”

  1. Jon

    I think your calligraphy is impressive! I gave up doing “real writing” a long time ago, basically because mine was illegible, so this level of style is way beyond me – if ever I am called upon to do handwritten notes nowadays (perish the thought) I tend to write in capitals. Thank heavens for word processors! [Do they even call them that any more?] Jx

    PS What on earth is a sonic scrubber?

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Jon – A sonic scrubber can reach places that an ordinary scrubber can’t (allegedly).
      I love writing with a pen, any old pen, even a humble BIC biro. Maybe I just like making marks? I find writing very soothing and I tend to remember things if I write them down.
      Sx

      Liked by 2 people

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  2. lisleman

    I can relate to Jon’s comment. I’ve been handwriting in manuscript/print (non connected letters) for many decades. I think the switch happened when I couldn’t read my own notes while in college. (do today’s students even practice note taking?) I see your calligraphy as a stylish fancy way to write but now I’ve wondering how you handwrite quick notes or shopping lists.
    Not completely related to your main post subject – an Irish friend of mine sent me a link to a Brexit commentary. I noticed your stylish ‘Brexit’ in your practice writing. Here’s a snippet from the article:
    “…Whitehall could have a Norway-style deal in the morning, but instead it seeks a fantastical arrangement whereby it cuts the nagging Euro-wife loose, mounts its Harley Davidson and glides into the horizon. It’s no coincidence that Brexit’s poster boys are mostly middle-aged men estranged from their spouses. This is less a people’s revolution and more a mid-life crisis, limping towards its inevitable, pathetic conclusion.”

    Here’s the link
    https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/brexit-is-less-people-s-revolution-and-more-mid-life-crisis-1.4049122

    Liked by 3 people

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  4. lisleman

    Well it appears so.
    Basically I commented that I can relate to Jon’s comment and I also handwrite in non-cursive. Then I share a Brexit commentary passed on to me from an Irish friend. Here’s a snippet but I will not include the link from the Irish Times site.
    “…Whitehall could have a Norway-style deal in the morning, but instead it seeks a fantastical arrangement whereby it cuts the nagging Euro-wife loose, mounts its Harley Davidson and glides into the horizon. It’s no coincidence that Brexit’s poster boys are mostly middle-aged men estranged from their spouses. This is less a people’s revolution and more a mid-life crisis, limping towards its inevitable, pathetic conclusion.”

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Bill – Ha Ha!!! I like that! Definitely a midlife crisis! Christ knows where we’ll end up with it all – balding and needing Viagra probably.
      Sx

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      1. lisleman

        Yes it’s a funny commentary and worth reading. I do wonder how things would be different (better) with more women leaders. Just a more balanced of power in the world would improve our future.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Scarlet Post author

        Bill – It’s an interesting thought. I would be hopeless if given a position of authority… I would re establish handwriting lessons and give out free sonic scrubbers to everyone.
        Sx

        Liked by 1 person

  5. dinahmow

    Where to begin??? For some weird reason, my eyes do not cope well with Italics and Copperplate.
    I have not practised my limited calligraphy for many years.But I can still appreciate well-formed letters.

    And I think a sonic scrubber sounds like something we all need after listening to news bulletins TV news is banned at dinner time Chez Dinahmow..

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Dinah – Practice BIG!!! Yes, my eyes have changed over the last couple of years. I’m forever flinging my glasses off for all close up work – even for chopping vegetables. I no longer need them for my phone or laptop, this is kind of strange because I’ve worn glasses since I was eleven.
      Trust me, we all need a sonic scrubber.

      Liked by 2 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Thank you, Lulu! My copperplate is a work in progress whereas my handwriting can’t even get to grips with lined paper – it’s all over the place!
      Sx

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  7. savannah49

    I am in awe of your calligraphy! My handwriting has gone south and no longer follows the Palmer Method the nuns spent so much time and energy teaching me. My mother would be appalled at the scrawl I now call my signature! xoxo

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. Mitzi

    I would love to be able to write like that, especially shopping lists for Waitrose visits, I’d attach it to the little clipboard they have on their trollies for all to see, unfortunately I write like someone with the DTs more suitable for Asda visits. I sent my maid of all work to Morrison’s the other day with a shopping list, she called me up from the shop to ask me what ‘strab ockyanni’ is, after a pause it came to me Strawberry Onken yoghurt.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Mitzi – When I go to M&S again for the Christmas shop [something I’ve not done since 2008] I will gild my list with gold leaf! Maybe they’ll throw in a free chocolate pudding for creativity?
      Should I try an Onken yoghurt? I feel like I am missing out.
      Sx

      Liked by 2 people

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  9. batarde

    According to Zaner the Younger (I think), you need a good “D” because of all those letters starting with “Dear …”. Would that my best were half as good as your worst! And as for “x”, it’s a scurvy little character, isn’t it?
    Interesting about the fifty pence piece: I thought that you’d been doing the Inquisitor crossword for a moment there, but now I know why that theme appeared this week. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. Scarlet Post author

    Mr Batarde – Well exactly! Think how I feel every time I begin to write a letter! I do have a favourite D, but it doesn’t fit with my copperplate. Ack. My D’s were dreadful this morning.
    Re the 50p – My blog is pretty…and now educational! I am covering all bases.
    Sx

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. nick

    I always liked the old threepenny bit because it had twelve sides (very visible sides, unlike the barely noticeable ones on the one pound coin).
    You could try putting the Booker runner-up Ducks, Newburyport on the chair. At 1030 pages, it would look pretty impressive. I wouldn’t recommend actually reading it, you’d be at it for months.
    I can’t see anything wrong with your xes (?) or your Ds. But then you’re probably setting yourself very high standards….

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Nick – Thank you for telling me about Ducks, Newburyport – at first I was excited, but then discovered that there are NO DUCKS on the cover. Appalling. This is why it was the runner-up and not the winner.
      Yes, I probably do have high standards.
      Sx

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  16. looby

    It all looks lovely from here and a darn sight easier to read than those old indentures and deeds that one sometimes sees framed in pubs and ye olde country houses of England. Should I ever have the need to bind a young boy to me I will commission you to write the conditions of his obligations.

    When I was in Kazakhstan, everyone wrote in this florid, cursive style which indeed made me curse very much as I could not read it at all.There’s quite a distance between the geometric, modernist printed Cyrilic and the swirling mass of curls in the handwritten version. Yours is much easier to read.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Thank you, Looby! Oh crikey, yes, I can’t get my eyes around Cyrilic – I guess if it was part of our culture though, I would just adapt to it. Blackletter/Gothic can be challenging to some, but I am used to it.
      Sx

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Mr Peenee – Nooks, Crannies, and that impossible place behind the bath tap that nobody can see anyway unless they’re in some peculiar position dangling from the ceiling.
      Sx

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  18. Peter Wells aka Countingducks

    Whatever you say about your calligraphic short-comings, I am always very impressed by your penmanship. I happen to think of it as wonderful.. After just a few years I have noticed you have an Instagfram account and I have begun to follow you so I can gorge on more of your work. Yippee xx

    Liked by 3 people

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  19. nick

    I can’t be doing with sonic scrubbers or any other fancy cleaning appliances. If there are any grimy nooks and crannies in the house (perish the thought), I just ignore them and pretend they’re waiting for the cleaning lady.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. B.Joe

    Penmanship is a dying art, I love writing and more so in cursive format. So what I do is to write down my things to do for the day in my diary, in cursive of course instead of doing the same in the computer. And I am getting my kids to start writing in cursive as well. I miss the days when we all wrote letters and an opportunity to show our skill in penmanship.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Scarlet Post author

      Welcome, B.Joe!!
      I stopped practising my calligraphy when my dad died in November, but I should really start again, and I mean to send out some letters soon as it is so much fun. Writing cursive is good for the mind as well as the soul.
      Sx

      Liked by 1 person

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