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alexmusayev.bsky.social
Calligraphy practice, writing aesthetics, and so on.
25 posts 38 followers 57 following
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Just a late night practice sheet. Trying thin crosslines this time.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

This is a page from the Speedball Textbook showcasing an elegant Fraktur by Yukimi Annand (yukimiannand.com). It looks quite minimalistic, but there is a catch: the nib angle gradually changes, adding a slightly heavier termination to some strokes. Executing this is not easy. At all. I just tried.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Speaking of parallel rulers, here is a picture from Etsy of an old Soviet ruler that served as an inspiration for the one I’m designing now (mostly for fun). Super heavy stainless roller.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Litany against fear.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Just got three pens from pratikpen.com. They feel quite unusual after Pilot Parallel pens I typically practice with. And very interesting.

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Another practice sheet. Consistency is hard. Specifically, keeping things vertical end equal.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

Trying the Parallel Pen 3.8 mm to fit more text per line. Also trying to avoid as many errors 🤦‍♂️

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

Canson marker paper, 70 g/m^2. Reasonably transparent, so the grid remains visible.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

P stands for Patience. And the lack of Printer also.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

“Everything round and running true” (it is Textura Quadrata, so nothing is round, actually, but let's not cling to words).

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

Iterating “g” variations. Pilot Parallel pen, 6 mm, 2:5:2.

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

Practicing the letter “e”.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

Working on spacing consistency, parallels ant the letter S.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

Anyway, I ended up designing my own rolling ruler. Hopefully, it's going to be more grippy and stable compared to the mass market options. The parts for the prototype should arrive from JLC3D in around a week. This one is to be continued.

submitted 30 days ago • 1 comment

Getting a good rolling ruler for calligraphy guidelines is not as easy as one might expect. There are either super-cheap and dissatisfyingly plastic options from China, or antique marine navigation tools from the British navy on eBay. The latter is no doubt cool but a total overkill for the hobby 🤔

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

The important part is to post every practice sheet, whether I like it or not. Otherwise, the perfection threshold will inevitably rise to an unachievable level, basically nullifying any trackable progress. So here’s the next one.

submitted 32 days ago • 3 comments

Okay, Bluesky. Let's try tracking some of my progress in blackletter calligraphy practice. I have very modest experience so far and no grand ambitions. My only goal is to develop the skill, and create inscriptions that look nice.

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments