Jake Wiedmann Master Penman Video

[Blade Runner]

[Barkingpig]

WOW!

 

 

Thank you for posting this. It is enjoyable on SO many levels.

[dhnz]

The video is a bit over the top for my taste, especially statements like ‘it takes extreme passion to save a dwindling artform’ and all that guff about ‘abdicating so much of what we're learning and retaining not to our own memories but to the memories of our computers and other devices’ and ‘if you don’t teach your child handwriting, the thoughts that they develop when they wish to communicate through a computer will vanish as soon as they touch the keyboard’. Really?

 

I’m sure I’ll be in the minority here, but while I think Jake Weidmann is an extremely talented draftsman, his pictorial work is not what I would call art. And out of all the ‘master penman’, he is probably the one who I have seen the least work by, and what I have seen is at a distance or low resolution, so I cannot really see the quality of the letterforms. I did pause the video above at 2.55–56 on his flourishing, and the quality of the lines there is not that high, in my opinion. I’m not saying I can do better, I’m just saying that I haven’t yet seen such work to justify all the great praise I’ve heard lavished on him.

[smk]

@dhnz - we will be a minority of 2 then :-)

 

Jake Weidman is a very talented individual but I agree that of all the things he does, Calligraphy is not his strongest suite.

 

When they make statements like 'there are only 11 Master Penman in the world' they make it sound like nobody else in the world has comparable skill. I just cannot take statements like that seriously.

 

Salman

[Gloucesterman]

 

Fascinating presentation. Thank you.

 

Here is Jake delivering a TEDx talk, which, in my opinion offers additional insight and information about the fuller value of writing by hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bqT904VWA.

 

As with much of our "usual" capabilities such as handwriting, we are unaware of the added dimensions of living and learning that are ultimately part of the processes such as writing. As Jake mentions in his TEDx presentation, there is much more going on when someone learns to and uses a pen/pencil by hand than eye/hand coordination.

 

Once again, thank you Blade Runner for bringing this talented person to my (and our) attention.

 

For those people who may be interested in another very talented (imho) calligrapher check out http://www.ewanclayton.co.uk/.

This man contributed to and, I believe, coordinated the creation of a full illuminated calligraphic copy of the Bible (The St. John's Bible). I think it was completed around 2005. http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/

 

There is so much beauty around us, let us look at that first, even as we comment and critique the work of others.

 

A friend of mine who trains others to use their unique qualities has a wonderful (again, imho) saying...

"It's not how smart are you, rather How are You smart?" the capitals are my own addition - for emphasis.

[inkstainedruth]

A friend of mine posted a link to this video on YouTube recently on Facebook. I thought it was interesting. And even more so because I think of my friend as a writer, not a [visual] artist (she also has posted some stuff about the push in some quarters to re-introduce cursive handwriting into school curricula).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dhnz]

@dhnz - we will be a minority of 2 then :-)

 

 

When they make statements like 'there are only 11 Master Penman in the world' they make it sound like nobody else in the world has comparable skill. I just cannot take statements like that seriously.

 

Nice to know I’m not alone Salman!

 

I watched the TEDx talk linked above and, sad to say, came away from it more than a little put off by his self promotion, especially when he talked about how he had to learn to make his own penholders because of the lack of quality he perceived in existing penholders and the general lack of tools available, but now he’s made ‘hundreds of pens for penman around the world so that the art of the pen might thrive’. He even makes his own ink and fits his own nibs. You could be forgiven for coming away from this thinking that no one else made penholders before him, or made their own ink, or placed their nibs on their holders themselves. And the bit about being the youngest master penman, one of only 11 in the world, does rankle with me, too. A little bit of context would not go amiss here (namely, that Iampeth is mainly a US organisation, that its procedures will always keep the number of ‘master penmen’ low, and that ‘master penman’ is a title relevant only to that organisation and not some universal calligraphy qualification).

[Cryptos]

I was hesitant to make a comment, given my absolute beginner status (obviously I cannot speak to his calligraphic skills), but I do tend to agree that the attempt to distance themselves as somehow elite does fall quite flat. Bit like saying you can only be an artist if you attended the Royal Academy. History has shown time and time again that this kind of posturing is baseless. So questions around motivation arise.

 

Actually I like his illustrations. They are perfect for the wall of a bar or club. I wouldn't have them on my walls, but that's merely personal taste.

[Beechwood]

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Edited August 11, 2015 by Beechwood

[smk]

IAMPETH recently suspended their Master Penman program. Their board felt that the process did not have sufficient transparency and could not be allowed to go on in its current form. It is not clear if it will be replaced by some other process or program but it is good to know that they are aware of problems and willing to take steps to address them.

 

I would love to see some kind of standards delivered for Calligraphic proficiency. There is a 'CLAS Certificate of Calligraphy' available but I am not sure how widely recognized it is. They take applications for assessment twice a year.

 

Salman