[Scriptoris] Nibs, Text, and Broadsheets--Oh, My!

[Elaine]

Greetings to Celestria and interested Gentles,

At the risk of sounding confusing/bewildering, I would say that  
whatever nib size you use depends on whatever hand you are scribing  
and the text block(s), not just the broadsheet size. I have used as  
many as four nib sizes in one project. Some small nibs I have even  
made by honing a pointed steel nib to get tiny enough for the  
project's requirements. (Forget having made quills to size!) Testing  
is the secret. Lots of test sheets before you ever put pen to the  
"good paper."

Each letter style family has an optimal height and width. Italics are  
taller and leaner, for instance, than Uncials. The Textura hands  
("Old English" family) are taller and narrower than italic. Then  
there are the Humanistic ("baby Roman") styles.  And don't forget the  
more esoteric or made-up styles to look like another language (eg.  
Arabic. ) but read in English.

The slant, if there is one, of the letter and how condensed or loose  
the spacing between the letters, the words, and the lines of text  
also matter. The "ruler" for measuring is the Pen Width of the nib  
you may be planning to use, not the blue grid on the layout sheet.

The next thing to consider is the style of layout you are using. Some  
include pictures or devices, some have varying sizes of Versals, and  
some are done in a double column style, not to mention text done in  
blocks and the spacing between the blocks. Did I mention planning a  
margin for "air space" around the blocks and along the edges of the  
sheet? All of these also vary in number, size and space requirements.

The next points are the amount of text for the page size and the size  
of any special-attention areas such as the event name, the  
recipient's name, and the like. "Bold" text takes up a lot more  
length and height than the ya-ta-ya-ta blocks.

If the text has too large/small a nib for the sheet (and the other  
considerations) size, the work will look like what it is----crowded/ 
stringy, chunky/anorexic, and not very professional. As scribes, we  
want the recipient to want to be proud enough to hang our work in the  
most prominent place available. Right? Then we have to look  
professional enough for him/her to want to do so. Professional is as  
professional does, to paraphrase Forrest Gump.

Which comes down to another whole subject---lots of study under the  
best teachers available (I say SCA and mundane alike.---oh, burn her  
effigy for heresy!). Do lots of test pieces and mockups, and  
practice, practice, practice.

If I sound tedious and nit-picky, so be it. I have been at this  
calligraphy-thingy a lifetime, I know what doesn't work, and, as a  
result, my works hang in prominent places. Otherwise, I am a lot of  
fun. ;  - )

YIS,

Hon. Lady Lete Bithespring

............................................................
On Dec 16, 2008, at 3:00 PM, Celestria leDragon wrote:

> Hi
> I'm working on a baronial scroll and was wondering what size nib  
> you like
> using. It's going to be on a 8x10.
>
> Thanks
> Celestria
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