Calligraphy Classes in Sunderland and South Shields

Winter term classes will be starting in the week commencing 17 January. The venues are the Sunderland Museum on Monday mornings, St Bede's in South Shields on Thursday mornings and Age UK on Wednesday mornings. All classes are taught by Susan Moor. Newcomers are welcome and if you would like further information about fees and times please contact Susan on susan.moor (at) givemail.co.uk.

Twenty Four Hour Party People

Well, it was more like five hours really, but the Northumbrian Scribes Christmas meeting is a highlight of the calendar and much looked forward to and we know how to enjoy ourselves. Above you can see Maureen Ormston, Judi Postle and Margaret Empson setting out the lunchtime goodies. The other picture shows the winning team in our post-lunch calligraphy quiz where we proved that only some of us can tell out Carolingian from our Rotunda. The lucky winners got a print of a calligraphic piece by Tom Fleming.

There was also an identify the scribe from a baby photograph competition. Some of the images of the lettering-babies are shown below. As some of us go back quite a long way the photographs were in various shades of sepia through to black and white.














There was an extra treat in the afternoon. Tim Sokell's wife, Brenda, sang for us. Brenda recently won a singing competition and her prize was to make a recording with the Chelsea Pensioners of the Christmas song 'White Christmas'. Although her recording was not due to be released for a few days yet she let us have a preview and sang some other seasonal songs for us too.

November workshop with Jilly

The meeting was at Sunderland University rather than our normal venue but two dozen scribes came to the workshop to explore how to modernise a traditional hand with Jilly Hazeldine. Using Insular Capitals as the model Jilly explained that we would need to keep some features to maintain the essential nature of the script. First to go were the archaic letterforms, the g, the r and the d, while Jilly suggested retaining the insular-style serifs in a lighter form would help preserve some essence of the script. The photographs show Jilly teaching and demonstrating during the workshop.

Party animal at 90

These photographs (courtesy of Manny Ling) show Northumbrian Scribe John Loftus enjoying his 90th birthday party celebrations. The hall was full with children, grandchildren and friends and John was up for every dance, a huge smile on his face and endless energy. Happy birthday John.

CSI: Alphabet

Manny's decorative alphabet ideas are shown above.

Manny investigating alphabets

Some work produced during the October workshop

At the October workshop intrepid CSI: Alphabet investigator Manny Ling noted at the scene of the incident that there were 'many common body parts to letters'. He drew this conclusion while exploring how decorative letters can be made by adding fine lines or lifting off corners of the nib when writing. Using automatic pens to create the straight strokes then embellishing them or dragging the nib to make a fishtail are part of the hardened letterer's modus operandi.

Scribes were able to test their own investigative powers later when encouraged to be free with their hand movements and create decorative letters of their own. Released from the shackles of formal alphabets some interesting findings were made and the afternoon came to a satisfactory conclusion with an identity parade of work done during the day. Whether any of them were crimes ... I could not possibly say.

Manny Ling workshop in October

Manny will be doing a workshop on decorative letters at our 16 October meeting. Please bring walnut or Chinese inks, size 3A automatic pens, small nibbed pens, red gouache, cartridge and layout paper and a ruler and pencil. We are at our usual meeting place at Bede's World in Jarrow and will start at 10.30. Anyone interested in learning about calligraphy is welcome to drop in and see what we do. See you there.

Sticks and stones at September workshop

Writing on natural objects including stones, leaves, driftwood from Lindisfarne and bark was the core of our last workshop with Marlene Gray. With stones you can wash off your mistakes which is a great advantage and there is also no shortage of leaves at this time of year either! Shown in the photograph above are some of the pieces made during the session.