Engrossing Script

[supxor]

Schin,

 

Thank you for you post, which means significantly to me. Bill's work means the world to me, and I have set out to perpetuate it to the best of my ability. He still gets on me from time to time, when he deems it less than my best. For his brutal honesty, I am grateful.

 

My goal is to serve the scripting art selflessly, honestly, and artistically, as Bill has demonstrated in over 50 years. Since I am in my 66th year, hopefully, I have enough autumn years and hopefully some winter years to raise my script to a higher level. As I have told Bill multiple times, I want to out-script him--even during his lifetime; to which he replies: TRY IT!

Bob

[pavoni]

I am in full admiration of your devotion supxor, and your generosity in posting as frequently as you do.

 

Looking forward to your next piece of work

 

Pavoni.

[supxor]

Pavoni,

 

Thank you so much for you kind words.

[Cryptos]

I normally have no difficulty reading any type of script - even in other languages - as I have been lucky enough to be exposed to them since I was a young boy. However, some of the lettering in the given examples here is not all that clear. Of course this is possibly due to the images being poor resolution scans, but I would still appreciate an answer to my question (Post #154).

[supxor]

Cardboard,

 

Fear not, I continue to practice this art. Might it improve for you. Know, I shall and will give it my every possible hour, at 65 years old, to perfect and provide legibility.

 

If you be additionally helpful to me, a novice, pls. provide an example of your script, because I aim to highly perfect the alphabet, which I dearly admire and revere.

[Cryptos]

Good Lord no! I am not a writer by any stretch of the imagination, and I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with your examples, in execution. The images as posted are a little fuzzy and indistinct on my screen and that makes reading such script more difficult than it needs to be. My question was asking if you see a difference in person as compared to that which is posted as an image. There really is no need to be so defensive. Your skills are obvious to anyone who cares to look. I am not enjoying them as much as I would like as the images are not that well resolved. It's a digital thing I suppose.

[supxor]

Cardboard Tube,

 

I shall attempt better pics, but with an iPhone am limited, I am probably limited.

Edited February 16, 2015 by supxor

[dhnz]

Hey Mr Tube, I also found these examples hard to read. In my case, I put it down to a combination of the unusual ‘r’s and ‘t’s, the shading on the tops of the loops on letters like ‘b’, ‘h’, and ‘l’, and the low-resolution scanning.

[Cryptos]

Please, you can call me CT.

[supxor]

Thanks goes out to the apostrophe.

[supxor]

A finished project and one underway. God, I love this art; may I get real good it. I still locate flaws when I take a step back and look.

[Cryptos]

Okay, I have another (possibly impertinent) question, as this kind of scripting is far beyond any skill that I could ever aspire to. I see in the first of these two examples there are a lot of pencil marks. Is it typical of this form to sketch the letter forms before putting ink to paper? I had always thought, naively perhaps, that these beautiful scripts were written in practically a single flourish, as it were.

[supxor]

It is perfectly acceptable to sketch the pre ink details in light of the fact that engrosser's script requires drawing of letters and flourish, opposite of continuous pen to paper writing. The former is a SLOW and TEDIOUS raise and lifting pen to paper. As Bill Lilly states, it can take about an hour to script 25 words when ES'ing. The manner of penmanship requires a constant shifting of paper position between many of the pen strokes. It is my hope, though I am

not a pro penman, I have clearly answered your kind and thoughtful inquiry.

 

As Bill Lilly, a highly accomplished scripter, others, unlike me can pre sketch less if at all.

[Cryptos]

Thank you for this information. It is as I supposed. For clarity, I did not think it unacceptable to sketch first, I was merely enquiring as to the method that is commonly used. Now I know! And you are far too modest, in my opinion, regarding your own skills - though I am by no means an expert observer.

[supxor]

...long time since I shared my script. Now that I am retired, I can and do go head strong at it. I finished the attached piece as a gift to two former students who recently married. Enjoy to the degree you wish.

[smk]

Thank you for sharing this example of beautifully executed script. That B in the third line is just lovely.

 

- Salman

[Cryptos]

I am sorry to be the one to point this out... but there are two adjacent "have"s in the fifth line.

 

Oliver Sacks' quote is thus (emphasis mine):

 

I cannot pretend I am without fear.

But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude.

I have loved and been loved

[supxor]

Empty of clouds, you are so correct--and you caught me!!! Rather than scratch it out, I left it in--and omitted quotation marks around the entire quote. Not many would have caught the error----good eye!