Who here, can write calligraphy upside down and backwards AT THE SAME TIME?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vw4nUdHYQ4E

Caliken, perhaps?

Wow! I can't do that - but, boy do I wish I could! That was beautiful!

I would have been more impressed if he had put the flourishing on first... but even so my jaw dropped.

I got a bloody nose from smacking my forehead in amazement! So Great!

Truly amazing !

Wonder what his handwriting will look like when done normally and rightside up.

Amazing !

I have seen that before, it is a very good video

That's just insane.

As for his handwriting right-side up, I'm guessing that his handwriting is as good as it's going to get, so there probably isn't much difference.

Awesome! Considering the speed at which I tried writing backwards (not even upside down) today, in blocky capital letters...WOW!

OH! So that's how it's done! All this time, I've been trying it the other way....

I can...but it won't look the same as that

K

You know - I think if you have the level of control necessary to do beautiful calligraphy, it would not matter if it were upside down or rightside up. At a certain point, you are drawing shapes rather than writing letters. Working upside down, or backwards, might even allow you to focus more on the shapes that you were making rather than being distracted by the fact they are letters.

I have heard that good forgers use a similar technique - either working upside down or backwards when copying a signature so that they focus on copying the shape of the signature and don't get distracted by the name they are writing.

Not that I could do that. . .

John

You're right about the forgers.

I use the same idea when I'm teaching drawing - it makes you draw what you see not what your brain thinks it knows is there.

But I couldn't do that. I can read upside down and mirror writing but I can't write it.

Wow, I have to admit that was pretty cool. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Caliken, and not to take away from the artistry of the person who did create this, but I'd be willing to wager that Caliken could easily do the same and with a cleaner, crisper line - after all, Caliken uses a fountain pen.

Oh! I thought you meant writing mirror-writing upside down... not upside down in reverse... though that's pretty cool.

It really just takes a lot of practice and consciousness of what you are writing. Mostly practice. Years of tutoring has kept up my ability to write upside down (so it's right-side up to the student sitting across from me). It's a fun party trick.

A friend and I used to exchange notes in mirror-writing in middle school. Clearly, we were far too under-stimulated. It got to the point where it was easier to write backwards than read backwards. I still do it occasionally on the bus when I feel too many people are trying to read what I'm scribbling to myself.

Calligraphy upside down, though, I shall have to try...

I agree with Johnny.

Actually, this is a fairly simple exercise and a bit of fun.

If you write out the sentence as normal, and then turn the page upside down and copy it, you're just copying shapes, which is quite easy.

If the sheet from which you are copying can be out of camera shot, that's all there is to it.

It would be perfectly possible to memorise the shapes and do it "cold" without having the original writing to copy, but this seems time consuming and a bit pointless.

If anyone is sufficiently interested, I will gladly post a video example.


caliken

ps Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiavonne!

Many years ago, I learned how to write "This is not half as hard as it looks!" in cursive upside down and backwards, writing it backwards (starting with the crosses and dots, drawing the s on the left, ending with the bar on the T), and could execuite it on a white board. Now that startled a few people.

Only this and nothing more!!

That's veeeery cute. Is that a Chancery italic?