Ornate Pictorial Calligraphy: Instructions and Over 150 Examples

by E. A. Lupfer

"The law of harmony in flourishing is the same as in love. As long as everything goes along smoothly, harmony prevails. But as soon as some rival crosses the pathway, especially in a diagonal way, there is likely to be trouble in camp. Therefore see that the lines run nearly parallel or cross nearly at right angles."
With the charm of words like these, this pleasantly old-fashioned manual inculcates a fine art that has been virtually lost: the art of ornate pictorial calligraphy, or "flourishing."
A good pen, this book, and practice are all you need to create your own magnificent swirls, delicately shaded curves, harmoniously crisscrossing lines, from which birds, rabbits, deer, ribbons, and other images gracefully emerge. Complete instructions lead you from proper positioning and basic exercises to finished flourishes of increasing complexity.
Frequent helpful hints encourage calligraphers to cultivate grace, harmony, and symmetry by means of diligence, patience, and perseverance. The approach is quaintly traditional, the results delightful. Over 150 lovely examples of flourishes form in themselves a wonderful collection of ornate pictorial calligraphy.
With this unique manual and ample practice, you will help keep alive a glorious decorative art. As this book belongs to the Dover Pictorial Archive series, its royalty-free illustrations may also be applied to a multitude of graphic arts and design purposes.

Genres: Art

80 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1982

Reviews

[Todd Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning showcase of masterful peens flourishing prowess.

[Squeasel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine, but it really should have the word "bird" in the title, since only maybe three of the 150 examples were NOT birds or parts of birds. It felt sort of like if you're flipping through a book titled "150 Sex Positions!" And as you're reading, the realization grows that 145 of those positions involve a large cabbage. On every page. In almost every example. I don't know about you, but by nowhere near the end, I'd be quite curious about the author. I'm not saying I wouldn't read a book where 145/150 sex position examples involved a cabbage/Adirondack chair/roomba/umbrella/whatever. In fact it might be a draw, but I'd probably prefer a bit of a heads-up before spending the money.

That said, if you're looking for a book on Ornate Pictorial Calligraphy, but you have an overwhelming hatred or fear of birds, Alfred Hitchcock PTSD, whatever, this might not be the book for you.

(Might also not be exactly what you'd hoped for if you're looking for a wider array of beasties, as I was.. I believe there was one rabbit, one stag, and a rat-dragon-looking-thing. Pretty much all the rest were birds with vaguely creepy eyes, not a ton of variation. Oh, or feathers without the rest of the bird.)

[A. Noon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the examples are ornate and interesting to see, I was disappointed there wasn't more instruction. I'd love to see examples and exercises, but that wasn't what the author included. It's clear it's an older style book because there's a lot less of how-to, and more showing of existing pen art.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit dated for modern calligraphy but the techniques and patterns are still relevant.