Carolingian Manual Layout

CAROLINGIAN LAYOUT 

This image from a Carolingian manuscript caught my attention due to its layout.

This is from an era with no concept of type setting. The letters were written on paper. 

You can see traces of ruled lines on the page since they didnt have the option of deleting bottom layers or grids that can be turned on and off. This is also perhaps tells us this was a copy for reading not display. The spacing between lines would also be useful for interlineal notes.

Note also the 2 forms of S - one for titles and another for lower case word endings and in the medial position.

There are a few errors Sed intra looks like one word. 

The spacings between sentences are not consistent and it looks as if the scribe was thinking too much about where to put the full stops?

Overall however its quite readable and those variances remember us of the differences between handwritten and printed documents and hte advantages for final edits of a computer?

Perhaps just for practice and after checking the modern Latin forms try typesetting this in a word processing program? Then study the differences?

Here are some modern fonts clearly influenced by hand writing.

Given how similar I and J are in some fonts and calligraphy styles I hope my choices are show how emphasizing the top bar made it easier to distinguish the two letters?

Do also check my prior post on J letter forms please?

Silent Listen Digital Calligraphy?

#digitaltypography #inkscape #typographicart #julievaux

Silent Listen and 2 Questions 

How long do you think this take to do in #inkscape and how long would it have taken in traditional media?

Can it be called #calligraphy if tis done with a #computer?

Copyright Julie Vaux 2015 

I'm very pleased with this design for a variety of reasons and a primary one is how it demonstrates ... well for me the advantages of #digital #typography using #vector #ojects in an #inkscape workspace.

It could be possible to do this as a piece of #typographicart or rather #calligraphy since part of it would have to be painted or airbrushed using watercolor ink sponges etc watersoluble crayon or pencil  but it would take hours or days including drying time.

By using #inkscape text changed to vector objects and filters I finished this in a couple of hours !

Also it works as conceptual art typographic art or dare I type "Calligraphy" ?

Oh its also available on #redbubble

www.redbubble.com/people/scholara/art

S SAMPLER

Some of the many shapes of the letter S in various fonts!

Vespasian Psalter

The #Vespasian #Psalter is one of the oldest extant books with old English text.

The scribe who created this psalter or hymn book of Psalms added what are called interlinear glosses between the lines of Latin text.

Despite the Roman name this is an English illuminated manuscript probably created about 750 ad somewhere in Kent perhaps in a monastery in Canterbury?

The scribe has created a work both beautiful and functional limiting ornament to the titles and headers and writing the main body of text in a strong clear hand with well spaced lines.

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Japanese Typography Example - ZI

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed Japanese typographers whether they are working with romaji or kanji fonts use color more than the chinese?

This image is based on the character zi or ji in an archaic form but a fairly well known textbook anyone who's read up on the history and development of chinese characters would have come across.

Some of the most playful and bold  Japanese typography I've seen appears in anime opening titles.

I admire traditional calligraphy too but perhaps Asian typographers really need to get over the black can express the five colors cultural bias they learn in calligraphy classes or from doing sumi-e?

Characters can have color and not be folksy or vulgar!

Hello Visitors

Hello casual visitors and web searchers. A reminder!

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Brush Work and Lettering

BRUSHWORK
And Lettering

A few examples of  lettering  done with a brush not a pen.

Arabic is usually written with a pen however in China they use brushes.

a more typical use of chinese brushes

to shape strokes fine and broad for both letter shapes and the curves of the flowers

A close up of an asian style brush in use

but the angle  and finger position actually isnt all that different from western brush lettering.

The major difference is the angle of the board

Something to think about?

Has the use of a flat screen thats vertical effected modern lettering style and design and digital typography?

More Book of Kells images

Here's another Book of Kells image showing that , yes, it was readable!
The clerks and monks and scholaras and lay persons who viewed this were used to seeing and reading what moderern paleographers ( scholars of ancient scripts) call Insular Minuscule.

A first post for this blog!

The Letter A is the first letter in most alphabets  and alphabets are one of the many topics that will feature in this blog. Not just the standard Roman alphabet. I'll also be discussing other scripts, signs, symbols, and glyphs, along with typography and calligraphy, and techniques for editing and creatng them by traditional media or computer. If you take pleasure in letters join me?!

The Big A image is a modified letter from a Cursive Font with blur and drop shadow added several times and blended to create a wider heavier yet soft letter.

Perhaps considering the letter derives from an ancient ox's head symbol I should have given the image more points?

Now the image is uploaded I can see a few spots where I should have perhaps used the Smudge tool before I added the shadow and blur? What would you have done readers?

The initial schedule for this blog will be weekly posts. Join me!