222 Celtic line
I've been thinking about what it is that makes Celtic letters Celtic.* Here is a version, Celtic Line, that omits the traditional variation between thick and thin. It still has eighth-century Irish flavor, but updated and simplified. To keep it Celtic, I've emphasized the triangular serif and used some of the quirkiest letterforms.
*In the Celtic chapter of Learn Calligraphy I dissect Celtic style into ten main characteristics, which I gave names that start with C to make them easier to remember:
- comfort at all sizes
- choice of weights
- changeable pen angle
- compound serifs
- chunky extenders
- commoncase font
- cute proportions
- coils that continue
- coils that stretch
- contained spaces
This is gorgeous. I remember waaaay back in, oh, gosh, 1986?, when I first attempted Celtic Uncial hand. I found it fascinating, especially the "d". My father wrote a poem for St. Patrick's day and I lettered it, and we sent it out to a number of family and friends that year. This alphabet today sings to me and I can't wait to play with it.
ReplyDeleteI am also so very excited to report that my copy of LEARN WORLD CALLIGRAPHY arrived in the mail today. I have a bachelor's degree in Russian and am particularly excited to try the Cyrillic alphabets. I haven't seen much on Cyrillic calligraphy in English (by that I mean instruction books) and this is neat to have it laid out by a teacher I love. Thank you so much!
I hope Learn World Calligraphy has led you into some new designs. I only scratched the surface. The "virtual" or hybrid alphabets were the most interesting discovery.
ReplyDeleteI am thoroughly enjoying it. I love the African alphabets; I hadn't been aware of them before. Do you think you'll do a sequel or another book exploring virtual or hybrid alphabets?
ReplyDeleteI also bought LEARN CALLIGRAPHY. I have LEARNING CALLIGRAPHY from 77, and mistakenly thought it was the same book. I am loving it. You mention in the introduction that this is the book you wish you'd had when you started out, and I can totally see why. I've been learning a bunch about stuff I already thought I knew. The links between Celtic and Runes, for example, are fun to explore through that, and then read the WORLD CALLIGRAPHY for more on the Runes themselves.