Nude Art <br /><br />In today's age of electric typewriters and computerized typesetting, the concept of people glorifying the art of writing by using pen and ink to form handwritten letters and words in the manner of the early scribes seems like an anachronism. Yet calligraphy, which suggests " stunning writing," is being practiced by surprising numbers of people‐all throughout the contry.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></center><br /><br />While many people correspond Italic writing with the word "calligraphy," the ability goes far beyond that to consist of such decorative hands as Roman, Black litter or Gothic (more typically identified as Old English), 18th century English Roundhand or Copperplate (known for its elegant swirls of thick and thin curling lines), and lots of other hands from varied places and durations.<br /><br />Alfred Fairbanks, a British calligrapher and author of several books on the Italic hand describes this as "the dance of the pen." He describes: "How exceptional that handwriting can offer an outlet for skill and esthetic feeling, especially where the ability to draw is lacking. How beneficial when handwriting interests the author and pleases the reader. How rewarding when something common and commonplace is raised towards the beautiful."<br /><br />The Carolingian hand, the most widely used style of composing at that time, was followed by numerous Gothic hands. Among them, the Black Letter or Northern Gothic hand, was developed since it used a more compressed letter which conserved area on the vellum that was utilized for writing– skin was costly and always in short supply.<br /><br />There are 2 schools of thought concerning pens– the fountain pen school and the dip‐pen school. The previous favor pens such as the Platignum or Osmoroid pen (which include assorted points and sell for about $5– both available at lots of art stores). Users of such pens are cautioned to purchase water soluble ink because an ink that is labeled " water resistant" includes carbon which will cake in the pen preventing the ink from streaming.<br /><br />Beginning calligraphers are encouraged to get a sloping writing surface, such as an adjustable drafting table; to prevent that expense, they can prop a board up at an angle to form some sort of inclined surface. Frances Manola's students at the Craft Students League I use basic homemade drafting board approximately 16 by 20 inches in size. These have a hinged piece under the back edge which can be folded down so that the board slopes when rested on a level table. Miss Manola advises a cushioned composing surface on the board and for this she folds about 6 pages of paper over chip board with a clean sheet of paper on top, then tapes all sides to make a compact system. She also recommends that trainees keep nearby a sheet of paper comparable to the one they're dealing with to evaluate ink circulation and strokes, and also a container of water to clean off the pen points when ended up. Such care protects the points.<br /><br />Although a lot of calligraphy trainees are anxious to discover the Italic hand, some teachers choose not to teach it as a very first hand considering that it is tough to discover and ought to be approached only after one is thoroughly familiar with the pen and has actually started to acknowledge easier structures. "After all," states Martin Oberstein, "a person studying medication would not anticipate to do brain surgical treatment right off the bat." Hi his course, Mr. Oberstein, who does lettering for Tiffany's and also teaches at the Calligraphy Workshop, the art students league, and the School of Visual Arts, does not offer Italic till after he has actually taught Roman, Black Letter, and Southern Gothic. Other teachers might concentrate an entire course mainly on Italic considering that numerous trainees are primarily interested in discovering that hand.<br />