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Michela Antonello Calligraphy

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Weekly practice and work-in-progress diary

Garden of Remembrance Plaque – the final piece in Garden of Remembrance Plaque - the final piece in situ, dedicated and blessed on today's Remembrance Sunday.
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More images in the next few days.
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#remembrancesunday 
#remembranceday 
#remembrance 
#memorial 
#inmemoriam 
#churchart 
#calligraphylettering 
#calligrapher 
#calligraphy 
#calligraphyart 
#lettering
#letteringart 
#gilding
GoR Panel – drawing and painting Shown are some GoR Panel - drawing and painting 

Shown are some of the steps in the planning and painting of the foliage surrounding the lettering.

This was a particularly challenging stage for me since I am not used to drawing/painting and I rarely use colour in my work. 
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#calligraphylettering 
#calligraphy 
#calligrapher 
#lettering 
#letteringart 
#remembrancesunday 
#remembrance 
#memorial 
#workinprogress
GoR Panel – gilded lettering completed. Now on to GoR Panel - gilded lettering completed.

Now on to painting the flowers and foliage.
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#calligraphylettering
#calligrapher
#calligraphy 
#calligraphyart 
#gilding 
#illumination
#wrightsoflymm 
#lettering 
#letteringart 
#remembrance 
#remembrancesunday 
#remembranceday
GoR Panel – gilding of the header. This took seve GoR Panel - gilding of the header.

This took several days, with a lot of outlining, laying, scraping and burnishing of gesso, then three layers of loose leaf gold.
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#calligraphylettering
#calligrapher
#calligraphy 
#churchart 
#gilding 
#wrightsoflymm 
#parchment 
#versals 
#remembrance 
#remembrancesunday
Garden of Remembrance Panel – pen and brush letter Garden of Remembrance Panel - pen and brush lettering completed. 
Tidying up still to be done.

Next up: outlining the heading and laying the gesso.
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#calligraphylettering 
#calligraphy 
#calligrapher 
#lettering 
#letteringart 
#remembrance
#remember
#remembranceday
#remembrancesunday
#parchment
#gilding
GoR Panel – preparing to inscribe the final piece. GoR Panel - preparing to inscribe the final piece.

The stretched parchment is now all ruled up for the lettering, with outlines for the gilded and painted lettering also all drawn up.

Because of its size the covered board will have to be propped up on different drawers of the big plan chest, depending on the area to be inscribed. 

The lettering will be done in a very specific sequence so that minor spacing, size or layout adjustments  can be made, if necessary, as work on the final piece progresses.
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#calligraphylettering 
#lettering 
#calligraphy
#calligrapher
#letteringart
#gilding 
#parchment 
#preparationiskey
GoR Panel – practicing Versals on parchment, takin GoR Panel - practicing Versals on parchment, taking serifs and joints decisions, choosing a colour.
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I find painting Versals free-hand much easier and relaxing than drawing them first and then painting them in. However, this may be a little too risky when it comes to the final version of the Panel so may end up drawing them first anyway.
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#calligraphylettering 
#brushlettering 
#pointedbrush 
#lettering 
#versals 
#calligraphy 
#parchment
GoR Panel – stretching of the parchment . Some of GoR Panel - stretching of the parchment
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Some of the steps are shown in the images:
- selecting the most suitable skin
- measuring up and cutting the skin to get the biggest possible workable area.
- covering the wooden board with a first layer of strong paper, having previously sanded the board
- selecting the best colour for the second layer of softer printing paper 
- sanding the skin
- wetting the skin
- getting ready to stretch the skin
- drying the skin.
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The prepping of the board in two layers of papers and the prepping of the skin took two days of sanding, cutting, gluing and drying.
The stretching of the skin needs to happen very quickly, and because of the big size of the board (95x60cm) I had to enlist the help of a skilled friend. 
The board is now ready to be inscribed and illuminated.
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#calligraphylettering 
#illumination 
#parchment 
#vellum 
#crafts 
#craftsmanship
GoR Panel – getting to grips with laying gesso on GoR Panel - getting to grips with laying gesso on parchment using a quill. 
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The L is 12mm high. I wanted to see how small I could get while still achieving fine serifs.
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I'm used to laying gesso with a brush or ruling pen, but for gilded lettering the quill provides a superior experience altogether.
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#gilding 
#lettering 
#letteringart 
#calligraphylettering 
#calligraphy 
#calligrapher 
#gold 
#wrightsoflymm 
#illumination
#quill
GoR Panel – 5 nibwidths v 6 nibwidths (0.8mm diffe GoR Panel - 5 nibwidths v 6 nibwidths (0.8mm difference)
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The writing surface size of the Panel is dictated by the biggest skin I could get.
The challenge is to fit everything in without compromising legibility and quality of layout and design.
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The names list will have to be in a script that will be small enough to fit in the space constraint, yet sufficiently legible at a distance.
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In these trials foundational, italic and gothic shapes are still mashed together as I work my way through decisions decisions decisions.
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Same trial, just 1 nibwidth difference.
Left 5nw, right 6nw.
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#calligraphylettering 
#calligraphy 
#calligrapher 
#decisions
#workinprogress
Flat pen uncial studies. Wanted a capital script t Flat pen uncial studies.
Wanted a capital script to replace the gothicized italic in two sections of the GoR panel. Tried Roman Caps and Uncials but only the flat pen version seems to work.
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My preferred manuscript to study is a page from St Augustine's Confessions, 12th century (Durham Cathedral Library).
It is lighter than the Vespasian Psalter script, 8th century (British Library)
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Did a script analysis, but still need to do some work on manipulating the pen correctly in order to obtain a satisfactory D.
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#calligraphy 
#calligraphylettering 
#lettering 
#uncial 
#flatpenuncial 
#manuscript 
#calligrapher 
#letteringart
Garden of Remembrance Panel – planning stage. . Th Garden of Remembrance Panel - planning stage.
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This was originally supposed to be a big traditional wooden board with painted gold lettering, but after the PCC vetoed it on grounds of size and weight, I suggested a calligraphed and illuminated parchment panel  mounted on wood, which was much welcomed and approved by the PCC. 
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The scripts, illumination and the ornamental design are not quite finalised yet but the overall structure is there. 
The finished panel will eventually measure approximately 60x95cm.
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#lettering
#calligraphy 
#calligrapher 
#calligraphyart 
#churchart 
#church 
#inmemoriam 
#inmemory 
#remembrance
Finally together again 19 September 2022 . . . . . Finally together again
19 September 2022
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Ten years ago, one of my first paid calligraphy jobs while still a student on the Sunderland calligraphy foundation diploma was to inscribe the Visitors Book for King's College London. 
Quite apart from my writing not being really as good as I would have liked it to be for this task, I remember the nervousness and the sheer terror of making a spelling mistake. 
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#queenelizabethii
#signature 
#calligraphy 
#calligraphylettering 
#lettering
Had the privilege of interviewing the German sculp Had the privilege of interviewing the German sculptor Wendelin Matt for the latest issue of 'Forum'. 

Posted @withrepost • @letter_exchange Forum 44.

The latest issue of our journal ‘Forum’ is out now and landing on members’ doorsteps. It’s packed with excellent stuff. An in-depth article on the sculptural lettering work of Wendelin Matt, James Clough looks at the history of monograms, and Kristoffel Boudens writes about his father Jef Boudens, plus news and reviews. 

If you’re not a member of Letter Exchange you can still get hold of a copy, along with back issues, through our online shop at letterexchange.org

❡ There’s a link in the bio at the top

#letterexchange #forum #lettering #design #typography #fonts #typedesign #calligraphy #lettercutting
Book of Condolences for our most gracious Queen El Book of Condolences for our most gracious Queen Elizabeth II.
Requiescat in pace.

An urgent overnight commission, as the church is open to the public from 8am today.
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#ripqueenelizabeth
#Queenelizabeth
#queenelizabethii 
#inmemory 
#inmemoriam
#condolences 
#calligraphy
#lettering 
#letteringart
Initial research for St Martin's Garden of Remembr Initial research for St Martin's Garden of Remembrance Panel
- context: church entrance, brick background, between entrance glass doors and stained glass windows
- stained glass windows: colours, symbols, patterns, lettering
- silver cross: symbol, patterns
- altar frontal: colours, patterns, plants and birds

This will be a Panel listing the names of people interred in the Garden of Remembrance, commissioned by a member of the congregation in memoriam of a dear friend.
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#inmemoriam
#remembrance
#calligraphy 
#lettering 
#illumination
#churchart 
#designresearch
A very special Trooping the Colours this year, on A very special Trooping the Colours this year, on occasion of the Platinum Jubilee, with a stunning display of discipline and tradition by the Queen's personal troops, the Household Division.

By chance I have currently their Book of Remembrance in my studio, waiting to be inscribed.
The Household Division comprises of seven regiments, hence "Septem juncta in uno" on the Regimental Badge. 

The title page is incredibly beautiful, and shows the scribe's fantastic lettering, gilding and illumination skills. 

Unfortunately I have been unable to identify the illuminator/scribe.
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#troopingthecolour
#householddivision
#platinumjubilee
#lettering
#calligraphylettering
#calligraphy 
#gilding
#illumination
#bookofremembrance
Mayakovsky's poem "Call to account!" written in 19 Mayakovsky's poem "Call to account!" written in 1917. "Why are we fighting?"
Linocut, 2017.
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#ukraine 
#warpoetry 
#mayakovsky 
#linocut #linoprint #lettering
Musicians' Book of Remembrance – opening pages, re Musicians' Book of Remembrance - opening pages, remembering among others Sir Henry Wood and Sir Edward Elgar. 
Beautiful combination of Copperplate and Gothic. 
Interesting Gothic 'a' shape.
Scribe unknown.
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#lettering  #letteringart  #calligraphy #pointedpen #copperplate #copperplatecalligraphy  #gothiccalligraphy #pointednib  #repetition  #practice #bookofremembrance
#musician #classicalmusic #elgar
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