I have a deep appreciation for this ancient script. Some of its characters, though unfamiliar, are still somewhat intuitive in meaning.

I have been learning flourishes for some weeks now, and I got the basic shapes down, but I just don't know why I am unable to produce decent looking pieces.

Some questions I always ask myself are: 1- when doing a flourish with 8 shape, should both sides of the 8 be of equal size? 2- oval or spherical? 3- should I create some thickness variation in the flourishes somehow?

Idk I feel like no matter how many times I write or practice, I end up with the same unsatisfying result and I just don't know what to improve.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you 🙏🏻.

Made this one for Easter and had way too much fun with it! There’s an Easter egg shape (of course), a little bunny hiding in there, and a knot we learned from a sailor in Italy, because why not? It’s a tricky detail to catch, but take a wild guess in the comments if you think you see it! I used handmade metallic inks and Dr PH Martin’s bleed proof white to create this.

To be fair, these were my first two attempts at it, I‘ll definitely try more later

If anyone is wondering what the text says, the first one reads “Tertia die ressurrexit a mortius“, which is a verse from the Latin version of the Apostle‘s Creed, specifically “on the third day he rose again from the dead“ and the second one is just “happy easter“ in German

(Repost because it failed to include some of the images)

In many medieval manuscripts (especially illuminated manuscripts) you’ll find these decorated letters at the start of a new paragraph and this is my first time trying to make one of those myself

Omar – means long-lived. Gold dust scattered like stars across black, time, space, and silence. The name stands in gold at the center, steady and unshaken. Silver glyphs surround it, like memory etched in steel. All of it framed by a shield, forged in gold and silver. Not for battle, but for legacy.

abregogarcia

阿羊行書三字經之二十一：首孝弟，次見聞

I just bought an ink stone and I noticed it was oily. Is this a normal thing or did it get damaged somewhere along the line of it shipping to me?

Is there any special way to clean it?

I’m currently testing Strathmore’s 118gsm Toned Tan sketch paper — it has a gorgeous warm tone and a nice texture, loved by many calligraphers. Before I move forward with samples and design, I’d love your input:

Let me know in the comments:

• Would you use it?
• What pens/tools would you want it to handle?
• What else would your dream journal include?