"This is the book that started it all" —Patrick O'Brien, MICA
James Gurney
This weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.
You can write me at: James Gurney PO Box 693 Rhinebeck, NY 12572
or by email: gurneyjourney (at) gmail.com Sorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.
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All images and text are copyright 2020 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.
However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.
Seb Lester's calligraphy is best known from a series of videos showing a wide range of calligraphy styles.
A freehand demo of some familiar corporate logos recently went viral. (Link to Video)
On his Facebook page, Mr. Lester has generously shared a detailed description of his lettering tools:
"In terms of broad edge tools, necessary for Gothic and Italic styles of calligraphy, Pilot Parallel Pens are good tools for beginners. These are the pens I have been using for the clips that have recently gone viral on social media and websites like Design Taxi and Buzzfeed. ‘Manuscript’ brand calligraphy fountain pens are widely available and practical beginners tools. As you advance you will probably want to start using traditional metal calligraphy nibs made by established manufacturers like Brause and Mitchell and also Automatic Pens. They can be a bit more difficult to handle but can help achieve finer, crisper results."
"For pointed pen calligraphy, characterised by graceful curves and strong contrasts in line width, I would recommend trying Nikko G-Pen nibs. You can use these in either a traditional or an oblique pen holder, it is a matter of personal preference. Iron Gall ink is best for this type of calligraphy. Walker’s Copperplate Ink and McCaffrey’s Ink get good results for me."
"Paper is always an important consideration. The paper I often use with Pilot Parallel Pens is Daler Rowney Smooth Cartridge Paper, but any smooth cartridge paper should be fine. When I’m working on roughs for any type of calligraphy I often use layout paper and marker pads. In terms of sketch pads a lot of calligraphers like the Rhodia and Clairefontaine brands as the paper doesn’t bleed very easily. As with everything the key is to experiment, paper with more texture can produce interesting results too."
"In terms of books for inspiration I can recommend ‘Scribe: Artist of the Written Word’ by John Stevens, a true modern master. For instruction I would also suggest ‘Foundations of Calligraphy’ by the brilliant Sheila Waters. ‘Calligraphy’ by Gaye Godfrey-Nicholls was published last year, a good book for beginners. Any of ‘Speedball Textbook’ series are also inexpensive sources of instruction and inspiration."
"The key to producing beautiful calligraphy is perseverance. Progress comes through focused and sustained study and practice. You will only persevere if you enjoy what you’re doing. For this reason I’d personally suggest starting with a calligraphy style you particularly like the look of. When you have a reasonable grasp of that style you will notice many of the skills are transferable to other styles."
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With the plethora of computer fonts readily available it's become very obvious beautiful lettering is not printed out but drawn by an artist. I love seeing his tools as well as his gorgeous work! Thanks!
In watching the second video of logos, I felt for the first time the letter "O" in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was probably meant to invoke the round door of a hobbit house. In both titles, the "O" is treated differently than the other letters, it is does not reach as high. Though I've seen those titles dozens of times, there was something about watching the letters being constructed one at a time that made the design decisions more apparent than when the finished logo is seen in one glance.
The two posters in the first video brought to mind the handwork of David Smith in his labor-intensive album cover art for John Mayer's Born and Raised: https://vimeo.com/60647216
3 comments:
With the plethora of computer fonts readily available it's become very obvious beautiful lettering is not printed out but drawn by an artist. I love seeing his tools as well as his gorgeous work! Thanks!
In watching the second video of logos, I felt for the first time the letter "O" in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was probably meant to invoke the round door of a hobbit house. In both titles, the "O" is treated differently than the other letters, it is does not reach as high. Though I've seen those titles dozens of times, there was something about watching the letters being constructed one at a time that made the design decisions more apparent than when the finished logo is seen in one glance.
The two posters in the first video brought to mind the handwork of David Smith in his labor-intensive album cover art for John Mayer's Born and Raised: https://vimeo.com/60647216
Bravo! Bravo! This guy is amazing! When it comes to choosing up sides, I want him on my team! -RQ
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