Oxford Scribes is a society that has been going for 28 years and of course in that time has had its ups and downs. In the last two years we have lost some of our founder members and last year Isabelle Spencer passed away leaving a gaping hole in the society.
We have soldiered on and in many ways caught up with technology, colour printing and the needs of the calligraphic community. Oxford Scribes is an exciting society to join with something for everyone. Helen Scholes is editor of the Oxford Scribes Newsletter and is has become a very desirable addition to calligraphy society magazines. Anyway here is my first article (in two instalments) for the first new edition earlier this year - I am now writing the third in the series...join Oxford Scribes and get it hot off the press!
www.oxfordscribes.co.uk/
If you have just been given a
commission of too many certificates with too little time, the computer really
comes into its own, even using just “Word”.
Ask
the client for the names to be sent by e-mail in alphabetical order. This will
save you sorting the certificates out later and they will be easier to check.
If they don’t do this, put them into alphabetical order yourself using the sort
button.
Quick
Centering of Names
If
you are using Uncials, use Times Roman or Verdana or if you are using Italic,
print them out in Times Roman Italic. On the computer, space them with double
interlinear spacing and centre them in a single column in the middle of the
page.
I’m
going to explain this using Uncials.Estimate which size nib will look right
e.g. WmM#3.5 and write out the longest name. In this case it is “Patricia
Vlietstra”.
If it looks like a good size for the certificates, write out four more names, two long and two short ones.
Measure each name and by trial and
error (or using the rulers on Word) establish which pt. size in Verdana (27.5) or Times Roman (34.4) will
work out at the same length as the names you did using your 3.5nib.
I chose these two fonts because they both bear a resembalnce to the spacing and letter shape of Uncials. If you were using Italic, you could try Time Roman Italic or Ccataneo.
Convert
your “Microsoft Word” list of names to to Verdana 27.5. Ignore the “oversized letters” as we are
working with length only, not height. Print it out and draw a vertical line
through the centres of the names.Cut the list into a long narrow strip by
cutting off the blank sides.
Rule
up a template for your certificate, with lines on either side to align with
your ruler for the names. Also draw a vertical line in the centre of the
template to line up with the centre of the certificate and the printed list.
This
will probably take an hour. Warm up on layout paper. From now on it should take
1-2 minutes per certificate. Fold your printed name strip beneath the first
name and stick with removable sticky tape directly above where you are going to
write, and begin. Refold for the second name. Keep writing!
In
this article I am looking at using the computer at its most basic level. By
following the method I use on certificates you can lay out a family tree,
although you might need to do a paste up of digital names unless you have a
graphic programme like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. Just keep remembering that the
printed letters look horribly large, and we are working with the length,not X-height. I try
to use a font that suggests the finished piece to help me visualise it.
This blog address will soon change to www.limetreesstudio.com. I'll keep you posted.
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