American Gothic

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I started a new calligraphy session in the Fall – Gothic/Blackletter. After working on pointed pen calligraphy all summer, getting back to the broad nib pen took some getting used to. We started with Textura which felt very structured, and of course, I didn’t like it at all. But after several weeks of keeping at it, I can finally say: I like Gothic! I just couldn’t get my writing to look as beautiful as I want it to be, but that’s something to work hard for.

Today I decided to have a bit of fun and made a garland for Halloween. After all, nothing’s more perfect for Halloween than the Gothic hand!

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Little flags in progress. I used 2 sheets of cardstock, one black & one orange, the flags are about 3″ x 4″ with the bottoms triangles cut off at 1″. I used my 6mm Brause nib (I had never used it before!) with Dr. Ph Martin’s Pen White, added a few drops of water.

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And here’s the finished garland. I used a 1/8″ punch and threaded white satin ribbon through each flag, and voila!

I challenge anyone to find something like this at Party City ;)

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We are learning Fraktur next. I know it’s going to be another challenge, but I can’t wait to try.