I should mention here that white-out is my friend. Even after drawing them in pencil first and then using pen, I'm finding problems and need to correct them.

So I'm using graph paper printed with squares equal to the nib width (using that Free Graph Paper calculator programme), referring to

  • my sheets that show the angles of all the letters
  • the one that shows the measurements of where the various ascenders and descenders end
  • the reproduction of a page from the Bedford Psalter (the one from Janet Backhouse's book)
I've found a few details that I need to add to the sheet showing the angles of the letters. Things like the angle of the pen where it finishes at the end of the ascenders of the D's.

I'm up to O. Wha-hee!

What I want to do next is repeat the exercise, using a broad nib pen rather than pencil and biro. That leads to more natural shapes in the letters.

I'm also practising the shape of the ascender.

And I've finished putting the images back into the post about the angles of the letters. Took me ages. I really really hope they don't disappear again!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 8:46 PM and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

3 comments

Your letters look so crisp!

January 24, 2007 at 3:05 PM

Not to mention slightly inaccurate.

It should be interesting when I start using a pen. I am looking forward to it.

I was thinking of you the other day when I was reading of how George Washington kept his false teeth glued in with pink sealing wax. Poor thing!

January 24, 2007 at 10:17 PM

I bet it was pink to match his gums. Let's hope he wasn't using vermillion! And if it was made using turpentine and/or resin, it would have given him a very piney fresh breath. :)

January 25, 2007 at 8:14 PM

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