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Wow, I can't believe how busy May has been! Usually when I don't blog for a long time, it's because I'm busy with non-calligraphy stuff, but in May, I have been really busy with calligraphy! Well, non-calligraphy has kept me busy too - I have been writing my dissertation (all but 2 chapters drafted!), and I got a dog. He's wonderful and amazing, but it's been a big adjustment working a doggie into my routine!
I have been learning a new script (see the first picture).
This English Gothic cursive was common in late medieval Britain, and since that's the period I focus on in my research, it makes sense to learn the script. It's a tricky one to learn, though - the distinctive look of the script comes from the fact that it was written very quickly, but to learn the script, I have to write the letters slowly, so they don't look right. Yet. I'm working on it.
I have also had to revive a script that I haven't used in a while for another project in May. I was asked to write a prayer in Irish for a retiring Catholic priest, in a style as close to the Book of Kells as possible. The Book of Kells is written in Insular Majuscule, which is a delightfully quirky script. I haven't used it in a long time, so I had to practice a bit. I'm really happy with how the finished product came out - it was really fun to look at the Book of Kells a lot and copy its style. The customer was happy with how it came out, too - so happy that she ordered a second one!
Finally, I had a fairly straightforward commission for an Irish blessing to celebrate a wedding, but I didn't manage to get any pictures of the finished product before I mailed it off.
So it was a busy month of May! June promises to be busy, too, but hopefully I'll be able to make more time for blogging!
