Anke boosted
Close up on the raven skull centerpiece. The skull is shaded to look 3D, the grey knotwork around it is shaded to look like cracked stone, the entire circle piece has shading that makes it look raised from the paper, and the columns of patterns extending up and down are shaded to look like 3D engraving.
Close up on the raven skull centerpiece. The skull is shaded to look 3D, the grey knotwork around it is shaded to look like cracked stone, the entire circle piece has shading that makes it look raised from the paper, and the columns of patterns extending up and down are shaded to look like 3D engraving.
A hand-drawn black ink artwork in a gothic thick black frame.

The words 'We're dying to live' and 'We're living to die' are calligraphed in black ink Blackletter script in boxes at the top and bottom. There's a central circle that has a raven skull surrounded by vines and lily flowers against a black background, set inside a ring of Celtic knotwork coloured in cool grey to look like cracked stone. There are detailed columns of repeating patterns extending up and down from the circle, and two strips of warm-grey coloured stone celtic knotwork down both outer edges that entwine around tiny skulls. There's gold highlight edging throughout.
A hand-drawn black ink artwork in a gothic thick black frame. The words 'We're dying to live' and 'We're living to die' are calligraphed in black ink Blackletter script in boxes at the top and bottom. There's a central circle that has a raven skull surrounded by vines and lily flowers against a black background, set inside a ring of Celtic knotwork coloured in cool grey to look like cracked stone. There are detailed columns of repeating patterns extending up and down from the circle, and two strips of warm-grey coloured stone celtic knotwork down both outer edges that entwine around tiny skulls. There's gold highlight edging throughout.
Close up on the raven skull centerpiece. The skull is shaded to look 3D, the grey knotwork around it is shaded to look like cracked stone, the entire circle piece has shading that makes it look raised from the paper, and the columns of patterns extending up and down are shaded to look like 3D engraving.
Close up on the raven skull centerpiece. The skull is shaded to look 3D, the grey knotwork around it is shaded to look like cracked stone, the entire circle piece has shading that makes it look raised from the paper, and the columns of patterns extending up and down are shaded to look like 3D engraving.
A hand-drawn black ink artwork in a gothic thick black frame.

The words 'We're dying to live' and 'We're living to die' are calligraphed in black ink Blackletter script in boxes at the top and bottom. There's a central circle that has a raven skull surrounded by vines and lily flowers against a black background, set inside a ring of Celtic knotwork coloured in cool grey to look like cracked stone. There are detailed columns of repeating patterns extending up and down from the circle, and two strips of warm-grey coloured stone celtic knotwork down both outer edges that entwine around tiny skulls. There's gold highlight edging throughout.
A hand-drawn black ink artwork in a gothic thick black frame. The words 'We're dying to live' and 'We're living to die' are calligraphed in black ink Blackletter script in boxes at the top and bottom. There's a central circle that has a raven skull surrounded by vines and lily flowers against a black background, set inside a ring of Celtic knotwork coloured in cool grey to look like cracked stone. There are detailed columns of repeating patterns extending up and down from the circle, and two strips of warm-grey coloured stone celtic knotwork down both outer edges that entwine around tiny skulls. There's gold highlight edging throughout.
Calligraphed in teal-coloured ink in insular script, and with a big ornate 'O' filled with black ink patterns and surrounded by gold;

'One ring to rule them all
One ring to find them
One ring to bringthem all
And in the darkness bind them'

The box that the 'O' is in has bars extending from the top right, and bottom left, wrapped in black ink line art curling vines.
Calligraphed in teal-coloured ink in insular script, and with a big ornate 'O' filled with black ink patterns and surrounded by gold; 'One ring to rule them all One ring to find them One ring to bringthem all And in the darkness bind them' The box that the 'O' is in has bars extending from the top right, and bottom left, wrapped in black ink line art curling vines.
Black ink calligraphy surrounded by a decorative border of swirling leaves and knotwork.

Calligraphed in insular script;

'Home is behind, the world ahead
and there are many paths to tread
Through shadow, to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow, cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall fade'

The first 'h' is big and painted gold.

There's a bar of Celtic knotwork down the left coloured to look like cracked stone, with a gap in the middle with vines showing through. There's another narrower border of knotwork cross the top, with vines curling around it, and then loose curling vines with leaves and flowers across the bottom and right.
Black ink calligraphy surrounded by a decorative border of swirling leaves and knotwork. Calligraphed in insular script; 'Home is behind, the world ahead and there are many paths to tread Through shadow, to the edge of night Until the stars are all alight Mist and shadow, cloud and shade All shall fade All shall fade' The first 'h' is big and painted gold. There's a bar of Celtic knotwork down the left coloured to look like cracked stone, with a gap in the middle with vines showing through. There's another narrower border of knotwork cross the top, with vines curling around it, and then loose curling vines with leaves and flowers across the bottom and right.
'If thou can read this, fuck off, thou standeth too close' calligraphed in black ink insular script. The 'fuck off' part is bigger and with a big ornamental F in gold in its own decorated box. There's a border of swirling leaves across the top and bottom, and bars with vines hanging down and up on the right, framing the text.
'If thou can read this, fuck off, thou standeth too close' calligraphed in black ink insular script. The 'fuck off' part is bigger and with a big ornamental F in gold in its own decorated box. There's a border of swirling leaves across the top and bottom, and bars with vines hanging down and up on the right, framing the text.

so, my current de-stressing activity is learning English round hand from period copy-books. the lines in copy-books that aren't just practice letter-forms are horrifically boring, extremely cringe moral mottoes, and I'm running out of stuff to practice writing

current texts include the long-term nuclear waste warning message, old copypasta like "then who was phone", city names, scientific names, this alphabetic poem from an 1806 manual

any ideas for one-liners or very short texts? or, I guess, anything you want put in fancy script, albeit by a beginner

#calligraphy

The whole page, from above and sadly partly out of focus, but you get the idea. The poem:
"I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold" 
The date is mistakenly given as 1938 (it was written in 1934 but a collection it was in was copyrighted 1938).
The whole page, from above and sadly partly out of focus, but you get the idea. The poem: "I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold" The date is mistakenly given as 1938 (it was written in 1934 but a collection it was in was copyrighted 1938).
Calligraphed in teal-coloured ink in insular script, and with a big ornate 'O' filled with black ink patterns and surrounded by gold;

'One ring to rule them all
One ring to find them
One ring to bringthem all
And in the darkness bind them'

The box that the 'O' is in has bars extending from the top right, and bottom left, wrapped in black ink line art curling vines.
Calligraphed in teal-coloured ink in insular script, and with a big ornate 'O' filled with black ink patterns and surrounded by gold; 'One ring to rule them all One ring to find them One ring to bringthem all And in the darkness bind them' The box that the 'O' is in has bars extending from the top right, and bottom left, wrapped in black ink line art curling vines.
Black ink calligraphy surrounded by a decorative border of swirling leaves and knotwork.

Calligraphed in insular script;

'Home is behind, the world ahead
and there are many paths to tread
Through shadow, to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow, cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall fade'

The first 'h' is big and painted gold.

There's a bar of Celtic knotwork down the left coloured to look like cracked stone, with a gap in the middle with vines showing through. There's another narrower border of knotwork cross the top, with vines curling around it, and then loose curling vines with leaves and flowers across the bottom and right.
Black ink calligraphy surrounded by a decorative border of swirling leaves and knotwork. Calligraphed in insular script; 'Home is behind, the world ahead and there are many paths to tread Through shadow, to the edge of night Until the stars are all alight Mist and shadow, cloud and shade All shall fade All shall fade' The first 'h' is big and painted gold. There's a bar of Celtic knotwork down the left coloured to look like cracked stone, with a gap in the middle with vines showing through. There's another narrower border of knotwork cross the top, with vines curling around it, and then loose curling vines with leaves and flowers across the bottom and right.
'If thou can read this, fuck off, thou standeth too close' calligraphed in black ink insular script. The 'fuck off' part is bigger and with a big ornamental F in gold in its own decorated box. There's a border of swirling leaves across the top and bottom, and bars with vines hanging down and up on the right, framing the text.
'If thou can read this, fuck off, thou standeth too close' calligraphed in black ink insular script. The 'fuck off' part is bigger and with a big ornamental F in gold in its own decorated box. There's a border of swirling leaves across the top and bottom, and bars with vines hanging down and up on the right, framing the text.