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A bright, sunny day in April was the setting for our workshop with Mark Lurz,
a well known calligrapher from the Calligraphic Arts Guild of Toronto (CAGT).
A frequent visitor to our Guild, Mark presented a workshop last fall on Gothic which we thoroughly enjoyed. This workshop was also packed with ideas, skills and inspiration.
USING THE GOLDEN MEAN
Having never had a workshop on layout, we had plenty of new information to assimilate. One of the most important things to remember was the Golden Mean, a ratio of 1:1.647.
Another way to remember it was that the first line was 1/3 and the second line was 2/3 longer.( Figure 1).
This measurement helped form the most aesthetically pleasing lines on layouts.
Dividing your page into thirds (width and lengthwise) helped established the focal points. Heavy lines of lettering could be used on those lines.(See Fig. 2)
When working with a centered layout, it was advisable to leave some white space at the bottom of the page to lift the work slightly so that it would not appear to fall off the page.
The optical center of the page was slightly higher than the mathematical center. (Fig.3).
Leaving white space in between words like "Merry" and "Christmas" did not unite the design but moving the words closer together did.(Fig.4)
TEXT PARCELS
Another trick was if you had a great deal of text to letter e.g. in a proclamation, to parcel the text in small pieces and leave white space in between the text but no wider than the margins.(Fig. 5)
The strongest focal point on the page was in the upper right hand third of the page. The next noticeable was the upper left third of the page.
Layouts with contrast in weight were examined. Using a light text balanced a smaller amount of heavy text on the same page. (Fig.6)
More sophisticated designs included an "s" shaped text, and geometric shapes e.g. a circle and three complimentary lines.
Repetition was another trick; using three lines of the same length, with little interlinear space, repeating down the page.
This pattern hooks the reader and he becomes comfortable with it.(Fig.7)
Using the three line system, one can create harmony by also using three lines of different lengths but closely spaced , and repeating the pattern on the page. Four lines also worked well but 5 lines together usually did not.(Fig.8)
DIPLOMA
For a diploma or certificate, the following items needed to be checked first: a) spelling b) date and place c) rechecking details with client d) writing entire text out once to determine the layout.
The most important thing to remember was to letter the name and achievement in a bold text and work out the rest. The acid test was if the work looked good in black and white, colour would only enhance it. Pale colours were to be avoided but bright colors such as red or red or gold were preferable.
The layout could be in text parcels, separated by margins no wider than the
page margin. To complete the diploma, an Uncial line e.g. dated this 30th day
of May, 2001 could work with any other alphabet selected. Writing it across
the bottom completed the piece but did not draw attention away from the name.(Fig.9)
LAYOUTS: The GOOD, The BAD and The UGLY
After learning about many types of layouts we received several examples which we were to improve using our new found skills. Here are some examples:
ALF EBSEN
To relax at the end of the day, we viewed slides of Mark's and Alf Ebsen's (CAGT) work. With our new perspective about layouts we were able to pick out what layout each calligrapher had used and why it was successful.
One particular piece of interest was a diploma by Alf Ebsen which had a piece of red ribbon woven through it in the margin. The effect was just beautiful. All of Mark's pieces showed good use of layout and design. The Gothic and Fraktur pieces were quite dramatic and lovely.
We always enjoy your company and you are so patient with all of us. Thanks, Mark for coming and sharing your skills with us.
Helen Small
