Well, here I am after a few weeks of practice. Not a master (probably never will be), but definitely improved. At least, I like to think so 
Ok, I’ll even dare a close-up. What do you think?
Myriam
Calligraphy – Update #1
Well, I started my calligraphy lessons a couple of weeks ago. For the first week, the teacher gave me some exercises with a broad nib (Speedball C-3, for those who know ).
Speedball C3 nib, Authentic Model Scribe’s Black Ink
I even tried my hand at writing a word. The one on top is the example, the one on the bottom is the one I wrote. Not perfect, but at least it’s readable! 
Speedball C2 nib, Authentic Model Turquoise ink
Last week, she had me start the Copperplate exercises. Still needs work, but I think I’m doing not too bad considering I started only a week ago. I have my third lesson tomorrow; we’ll see what she says. However, I’m enjoying the practice. I’ve always loved the action of writing, even more so with inks.
Esterbrook 355 nib, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Violet India Ink
Learning Calligraphy
I’ve always enjoyed calligraphy. Not that I’m very good at it, but I do want to get better. In about a month from now, I’ll be taking private lessons. I’ll follow what the teacher wants me to learn first, but I did mention that I want to learn the Copperplate style. It’s that beautiful penmanship from the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. It’s just so beautiful. Here’s an example taken from the New Zanerian Alphabets originally published in 1900.
Don’t you agree that it’s so beautiful? I just love it.
Earlier this week, I ordered the flexible nibs required to create this style of letters. However, I didn’t order an oblique nib holder and from what I’ve read so far, it looks like that’s what I’ll need to get better results. Oh well, I have a straight nib holder and we’ll start with that I guess and see what the teacher says.
Windy day
The wind has been blowing non-stop since this morning. When I say blowing, I mean blowing! Weather service says the winds are around 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph. I have no problem believing it. Proof: this picture taken with my phone. Not a good quality pic but look at all that dust!
Upland sandpiper
We have been lucky to see a lot of wildlife this year. The weather and food distribution must be just right in our area. Earlier this year, we saw a herd of deer in the field. Neither of us had ever seen so many deer at the same time. Some of you might have seen the pictures I posted in our gallery. We have also been seeing a lot of different birds of prey. In the previous years, we were mainly seeing only harriers and great horned owls. This year we’ve added sightings of kestrels, bald eagles and golden eagles. And tonight, we first heard and then finally saw an upland sandpiper. Their song is particular. I would have loved to post a sound file here but couldn’t find one I could download and post here legally. So if you want to hear it, you’ll have to visit this website I found: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They have a good sound file on their site. The link will take you directly to the upland sandpiper’s page.
By Johnath (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)