Written and filmed, singlehandedly, during a hot Friday afternoon while awaiting new members at the Luton Irish Forum Calligraphy Group. Quite a meditative exercise. Concentrating wholly on each stroke as it was made, but having to keep everything within the scope of the camera. There were difficulties with video angle and there are a few mistakes that I am sure the more experienced scribe will shudder to see, but all in all I was quite pleased with my afternoon’s work.
Only a few edits of the worst bits so the viewer has a good idea of the timescale, speed of writing etc.
I am wondering, as you probably will as you watch, especially if you have the sound turned up, who is walking purposefully up and down the room. I am used to hearing footsteps from the upper floor but watching this, I am sure there was someone in the room who, perhaps, didn’t wish to disturb me. If so, I must apologise if I seemed to be ignoring you. Come and tap me on the shoulder next time.
If you would like to join us, we meet on Tuesday evenings from 7.00-9.00 and Friday afternoons from 2.30-4.30.
We are a nice friendly bunch of scribes of mixed ability all learning from one-another. Whether you are an absolute beginner, or a scribe of long standing, please do pop in and have a look at what we are doing.
At the time of writing this, Gill and I, with the help of the Humanitas Shop In Hitchin are now running fortnightly Monday, morning / evening sessions. Please speak to Donna re availability.
There will be more on Blackletter in due course.
Cheers.
Keep watching this space.
This time I have changed the scale massively from the usual Calligradoodle x height of 1″, to 8″. The marker points, (nib), set to 2″. As usual, the whole thing was written and filmed in one take, with no editing, so there may be some small anomalies but I hope that teamed with all the previous worksheets and templates at Lesson 1, and at Luton Calligraphy Workshops 1, it helps to make this most important step in the journey much easier to grasp .
If you have been following my YouTube progress up ’til now you may wonder why I decided to put together this compilation of all the videos I have made and why I decided not to add an audio track.
Firstly, a Facebook friend was bemoaning the fact that YouTube was not available in his country and so could not watch many of the Calligraphy videos posted on group pages. This then, began as my small way of compensating him for that lack and was published just in time for his Birthday. Cheers Shahed!
So, you may well ask, why did I not add music?
It is a long story, but briefly it is all about the way, even when logged into YouTube, I was unable to gain access to edit my videos and playlists until after days of haranguing the help department, when suddenly I found I was, as I thought, back in control. A bit like knocking on the door again and again and then, with no explanation, finding yourself on the other side.
While all this was going on I had the idea that as I had used YouTube audio swap, which I am sure, we were told at the time was copyright free, they had placed advertisements on all my works. I am sure that very little revenue would be earned by my measly efforts but I thought, why should YouTube take all the proceeds from the millions of “Audio Swapped” videos out there and what can be done to change things?
Have you tried to “monetise” your Video? First of all you need to make sure you are registered on the Adsense programme, a minefield of all your old YouTube user names, Google accounts and passwords, and then work out how to actually tick the right boxes, or should I say, find the right boxes to tick in the first place. When you first see the magic question, Monetise?, you think you have cracked it. Then having said yes please. You are told in no uncertain terms in a big red box, “Oh no you don’t. Your video does not fit the accepted criteria. Go and find out why!”.
Have you tried to remove the “Audio Swapped” music from your YouTube videos? So far, on my two least viewed videos only, I have had an option to “remove music track, Beta” Beta it is. After numerous attempts, although the text stated audio removed or words to that extent, no change.
Then it was a trip to YT’s “Video Editor”. Having copied the two lowliest of my offerings, with muted audio, Bingo! They now have the coveted $ sign. I am rubbing my hands with glee, I do a similar operation with a further two videos, publish, monetise………. UH, OH!….. Then more or less, words to the effect of, “If you keep doing this, your video might be suspended or blocked or removed, so go away and behave yourself.”
So, I am left with the dilemma. Do I remove all my videos from YouTube, losing all the stats and analytics, the goodwill and the links that have been built over the last four years or so, or do I leave them as they are and publish the whole series again, perhaps with no music, or with tracks that have been specially written by a friend of mine who would be prepared to sign over the rights of his works to me on the understanding that he/she would share the earnings? Or, do I just say, as I’m sure most YouTube users do. To hell with it. Let Uncle Google have his pound of flesh.
So far, according to “Analytics”, my videos have had 14,o57 views between them. Total earnings, zilch! After just 8 views this new silent video has earned 3 cents in revenue for me, and YT are still getting their cut.
UPDATE 5th March ’13
YouTube support have asked for feedback. I ticked the multiple choice boxes and added :- My initial query about access to edit videos has been addressed.
Now I am finding it impossible to remove the audio tracks. I have tried Remove a Song – Beta on the two videos where this is available to no avail. I wish to have the option to remove all audio from all my videos. Many thanks.
UPDATE
You might be interested to hear I have now uploaded my videos to Vimeo.
My wish for all who dwell here on earth. Peace, joy, health, and prosperity. My greatest desire is to see, in my time, a world striving for peace.
Wishing all these things and more, to all my friends and visitors, wherever you are. With many thanks for continuing to drop in here at Bill’s Space. Hoping I can find plenty to keep you occupied through the coming year.
This Sunday September 9th, 11am to 5 pm, come along to a Medieval Family Fun Day at Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, where Gill and I will be hard at work in the scriptorium. We have been busying ourselves all this week making pretty bookmarks and cards on which to write Your name, or whatever else you would like, bamboo pens and double pencils for You to try, and getting together some original works, prints and doodles hoping that you will dig deep enough into your pockets to tempt me to throw off these monkish robes.
I am hoping to find time to give hourly demonstrations of double pencil alphabets. I shall be asking for donations for the Pilgrim Badges (above). These, plus ten percent of any profits I make on the day are earmarked for the upkeep and restoration / preservation of Saint Mary’s Chapel.
I shall look forward to seeing all my Fb friends and Bill’s Space visitors. Don’t hesitate to tap me on the shoulder and let me know you are there.
If you can’t make it, never mind, I shall post details and pics in the next week or so.
The works I show here, were made for my own entertainment and first shown in my Facebook album “Just for Fun”. They were given quite a good reception from those who saw them, so when I saw an invitation to enter the luton art’11 exhibition, I thought why not? I had never previously entered an open exhibition even though Luton’s Annual art exhibition has been a feature in the town way back since before I was born, which is a day or two!
So, on the submission date, off I went with my shortlist of three pieces, shown here lined up on the mantlepiece. From left to right a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche and two versions of Aehd wishes for the cloths of heaven by WB Yeats.
You could have blown me down with a feather when I subsequently got notice that two of my pieces had been accepted. Guess which………………………………..
If you live locally you can find out by going to have a look. The exhibition is on until 26th February. There is some lovely work on display. Wardown Park is a great setting so why not make a day of it?
Once you have got your teeth into italics you will need some capitals. These are my version. It has taken some years to reach this stage. I strongly recommend that the beginner first studies Richard’s example before adding flourishes/swashes.
These are eight nibwidths in height. That is two and a half inches. You will note that the minuscule x height was five nibwidths / one and a half inches. Whatever you do with Initial capitals, the capitals within a body of script look more balanced and seem slightly weightier if kept to approximately half the height again of the minuscule.
Once again there are one or two letters here that have gone slightly awry. Rather than stopping to rub them out, thus spoiling the rhythm, I have again elected to carry on and show the whole sequence, warts and all.
If you have any questions regarding this lesson or any of the others, please ask them in the comment box. Others might like to see the answer too.
Next, and hopefully, not long in coming, Old English Blackletter.
independent researcher interested in visual art, poem and short story writing, nature photo taking, science, paranormal phenomena and politics. Warning - Wicked Sense of Humour!
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