GH 2.8 - Watercolor

Watercolor

This week I started the final project for my calligraphy. My main project goal was to write a quote that I like in calligraphy. Last week I picked out the quote and practiced the font. As I practiced the words, I decided how I wanted to write each of them. I also decided I would need to create a background for my quote. I found a video online (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DcoPPzaLThg) that showed me how to create a simple watercolor background for fancy lettering.

I liked a lot of the ideas from the video, but still changed it a little bit to fit how I wanted the watercolor to turn out. I started by sketching out my quote in pencil and framing the area in pencil, as well. I created the watercolor with three layers of colors and then splattered dots of white paint on it. I let the watercolor dry overnight, and then wrote the quote with my calligraphy pen over the sketch.

My final product didn't turn out exactly how I had hoped, but I am still very proud of it. Despite its imperfections, I've noticed how far I've come in my calligraphy abilities. I may not be the best at it, but I can recognize the progress that I've made. My learning goal for this project was to find satisfaction in my work and to avoid criticizing myself too much. I honestly feel that I have succeeded in this goal and I am excited about my new skill.

This may be the last week of this project, but I still plan to continue to do calligraphy. At the beginning, I only planned to learn how to use a dip-pen. However, as I continued this project, I discovered that I enjoyed using calligraphy markers a whole lot more. I decided that practicing something that was fun for me would improve the quality of my project. I learned that sometimes, following your plan doesn't always work out. I still learned how to write in calligraphy, and I loved the results. I was surprised during the final project that I didn't become frustrated very much. I found that working on it was relaxing and fun. I think this skill will be something I can do to help myself relax when I’m stressed in the future.

Thanks for following along during my calligraphy experience! Happy lettering!

My final project!

GH 2.7 - Prep Time

Prep Time

For this week's genius hour, I began my preparations for my final quote project. I went on Pinterest and found a lot of quotes that I liked. I narrowed it down to one: "The best view comes after the hardest climb".

In my action plan, my plan was to use my calligraphy dip-pens to create my final project. However, after a long road of trying to figure out the best way to use a dip-pen, I found much greater joy in using my calligraphy markers. So, I decided I would write my quote in marker so that I won't have to suffer through my dip-pen issues.

I practiced writing most of the words in the quote and explored different styles to write the quote. I've decided to simply use the calligraphy papers that I bought for the final project. I'm currently deciding whether or not I want to paint a background for the quote so that it can be more interesting. However, my worry is that I will make mistakes on the lettering and waste my painting.

While practicing the lettering for my quote, I was getting quite frustrated with myself. I couldn't seem to make the words look the way I wanted them to. Then, I realized I have to be easier on myself since that's my learning goal. So, I grumpily decided to be happy with how everything was turning out, despite the imperfections. I actually decently like the improved versions of the words after I had practiced them for a while. Hopefully when I create the final product, I won't mess everything up. Wish me luck for my final week of genius hour!

(a few of the words are Joel's)

GH 2.6 - New Equipment Review

New Equipment Review

This past week I used my new equipment for the first time. I ordered each of my products off of amazon.com . I ordered a calligraphy notebook, new nibs, and a bottle of dark ink.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the nibs. It might be due to user error, but I can't seem to get the nibs to work as smoothly as I had hoped. However, I will absolutely keep practicing and maybe I'll get the hang of it! I was very excited about the fact that the nibs are able to hold ink for longer periods of time. With my old equipment, I had to consistently re-dip my pen almost after every letter. With my new equipment, I noticed that the ink lasted through entire words!

I love the ink. It is the "SUPER BLACK" ink, so it's always nice and dark. I really like that my ink is now in a bottle, this makes it a lot easier to dip my pen. With my old equipment, the ink had to be squirted into some type of dish. This was a major hassle and quite messy. However, with this new bottle, I can simply dip my pen straight into the ink. I have found this to be much more efficient and clean.

I really like the paper. I'm not sure how, but it is created to prevent ink from bleeding across the page. It has constantly worked so far, and I'm happy with the results. Of course, my writing still has much many more improvements to be made, but I'm still very content with the quality of the notebook.

Overall, I would rate my new equipment a 4/5 stars. I'm happy with most of it, but I'm still having some trouble with the nibs. I'm hoping that as I practice more, I will be able to improve my skills and become completely satisfied with my purchases.

Next week, I will be working on practicing with my dip-pen equipment and possibly markers, as well. I look forward to improving my abilities and hope that with time this skill will become slightly easier.

Until next time!

(Review Post)

GH 2.5 - Time For Markers

Time For Markers

This past week, I worked on my skills with calligraphy markers again. I practiced my letters in a particular font that I found on the internet. None of my attempts turned out the exact way that I had hoped. However, some were pretty decent. I'm still working on being positive when it comes to my efforts. Of course, I won't be automatically perfect at this. It can be slightly disappointing to see my slow progress, but I know that if I continue to work hard and not give up, I'll be able to improve consistently.

My most difficult letters in this font were: uppercase A, K, F, and W. I practiced the uppercase A so many times, I thought I would go crazy. I feel like mastering this letter is important because I want to be able to write my name in calligraphy. I also can't figure out how to write the letter W. It's all a work in progress, that's for sure.

Next week, I will try out my new equipment that came in. I'm excited to use my new nibs and ink with my dip-pen. I'm hoping the calligraphy paper will work well. It's supposed to aid in preventing the ink from bleeding, but we'll just have to wait and see if it works.

Wish me luck!

GH 2.4 - Markers for the Win

GH 2.4 - Markers for the Win

This week for my genius hour, I broke out my calligraphy markers. I watched a YouTube video by a calligrapher from ooly.com and she taught the basics of using a chisel tip marker. This video ended up being incredibly useful. I learned that I have to angle the marker at about a 45 degree angle from the paper to create the best result for lettering. With her video, I practiced a few letters and the word “Hello”. Afterwards, I tried writing the rest of the alphabet on my own, used my other colored markers, and tried writing a few different words on my own. I’d say it was a pretty successful attempt! I’m excited about how well the markers work, as well as how easily I was able to figure out the concept. This wasn’t a part of my action plan, yet again. However, I’m thrilled to have another type of calligraphy to learn.

My new equipment for my dip-pen calligraphy should be coming by Thursday afternoon. I’ll be trying out that equipment for my next week of genius hour. I’m hoping it will all work out and that I’ll be able to improve my dip-pen skills.

I’ve been doing very well with my overall learning goal. I have consistently been patient with myself and my imperfections. I have purposefully been positive and continue to recognize that I am still a beginner and have a long way to go. My results have surprised me and I’m very happy with them. I know I still have a great deal of practice to put in before I can reach my goals, but I am still happy with where I’m at now.

GH 2.3 - Podcast

GH 2.3 - Podcast

GH 2.2 - Complaints of a Leftie

Complaints of a Leftie

I have continued along my "unplanned" path of calligraphy (meaning: I have strayed from the action plan) and I've come across a few bumps in the road. For this week, I decided to just learn a few letters in a new font again. However, following the textbook seems to be more difficult than I had first envisioned...

I guess rebelling against my first grade teacher has finally bit me in the butt. My calligraphy textbook is for right-handed students. Now, I had first thought this wouldn't be a huge issue for me due to the fact that I could simply switch up how I wrote the letters. I have found that this practice leads to terribly disappointing results. I can't seem to make my lettering match the perfect letters in the book. Let's just say that I want to call myself a failure. However, I'm not allowed to because I'm supposed to be easier on myself for this project. So, my plan for next week is to research other leftie calligraphers on YouTube and see if they have any ideas for me. Hopefully I'll have better results next time!

GH 2.1 - The Art of the Dip-Pen

The Art of the Dip-Pen

For the first week of my calligraphy adventure, I absolutely did not follow my action plan. Instead of just learning the various strokes of calligraphy, I started learning a couple different fonts of the alphabet. My writing doesn't look absolutely terrible, but it's definitely not the best, yet. The "yet" right there is the key word in that sentence. Since my learning goal for this project is to be a little easier on myself, I'm trying to be positive with my work so far. I know that it will take a lot of time and practice to nail this art style, and I'm ready for the challenge.

One of the most difficult parts of learning calligraphy so far has been my pen. My mom's automatic ink pens were completely dry. So, I have been using a dip-pen. This pen works perfectly fine, but it can be absolutely frustrating. It runs out of ink almost every other letter that I write. Also, the ink gets everywhere if I'm not careful. So far, I've only forgotten to clean out the tray once. That one time made a big mess in my book. I guess you live and you learn. That taught me the importance of not being dumb and cleaning everything after it's been used. That seems to be the only way to avoid ink spill disasters.

My first attempts at calligraphy....