ANST - The Few, The Proud, The Calligrahpers

[Dawn Draheim]

>With beginning calligraphers, the process is more inward and much
>longer.  Those beginning calligraphers who are fortunate to enter
>into a initial relationship with an existing scribe are gleefully
>shown the basics:  we discuss hands, stylus position and strokes,
>and we begin to discuss looking at source materials.  And, we try
>to find the hand that is best suited for a new scribe (that may
>take some time).  However, after that, the new scribe must (on
>their own) begin a long, long journey of practice, practice,
>practice. He or she must find their own unique hand and style,
>and the existing scribe can only assist to an extent....the new
>scribe must devour books and practice.  


I think that people don't expect calligraphy to be as 
challenging as it can be.  Writing is something that we
take for granted and don't think of  as something that 
we might have to *work* at in order to do it well.  Something
that can help is to think of calligraphy more as drawing the 
letters than writing them; it can help the scribe to focus more 
on the process.

Something else that a beginning calligrapher often doesn't
consider when learning a calligraphy hand -- don't try to
learn each individual letter.  Study the hand and try to 
figure out what are the individual strokes that are used to
form the letters.  Many of these strokes are used over and
over again to form parts of different letters.  If you try to 
learn the strokes, it can really help shorten your learning
time as well as help your overall hand look more consistent
more quickly.


>A unique twist to our situation is that, unlike what was done
>typically in period, Society scribes are asked to learn multiple
>hands.  Imagine the time that it takes to learn (or even master)
>one hand, only to start all over again on another.  


Thanks for bringing this point up again!  I'd meant to comment
on it in response to an earlier remark made about a week ago
and I forgot about it.  (Warning, simplifications ahead!  :) )

This isn't really quite true.  The calligraphers in period did 
know more than one hand.  Multiple hands were in use in
all times, some were used to write books (breviaries, psalters,
antiphonals, books of hours, etc.), some to write legal 
documents, among other things.  It's more that a period 
calligrapher wouldn't necessarily know the hands being used 
in other countries in his time.  I suspect they devoted rather 
more time to practicing and using their calligraphy than we 
do though...  ;)

An SCA scribe, however, typically is expected to know multiple 
hands from different time periods and cultures.  A period 
calligrapher sometimes possessed this same knowledge
though...has anyone ever looked at Mira Calligraphae?  Most 
of the calligraphy in that book was done by one calligrapher, 
and a truly amazing display of expertise it is too.  I've also 
seen surviving exemplar sheets that would have been used 
in shops to demonstrate to customers what sort of things 
they could request when ordering books to be made for them.

Lasair ni Fhionnualann
Barony of the Steppes

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