Gottfried Pott – A Look into the World of Calligraphy

Writing surfaces, i. e. the materials on which the writing is performed, are just as important as the tools. The available palette extends from brown packaging paper to precious, handmade paper. The latter distinguishes itself through its vertical and horizontal linear structure (egoutteur imprints) produced by the wiregrids of the dipping screen. The manufacturer’s logo is also incorporated into this screen and forms the watermark. Whenever possible, this line structure should be included into the overall composition. The deckle edge is equally characteristic of these hand-dipped papers, also known as “verge” papers. There are machine-made imitations of handmade paper, as well. They are naturally less expensive and can certainly be used for more than just practice paper. Other easily available materials include papers used in printing, end papers, and increasingly also recycled papers. Reaction to color and absorbency, surface quality, color fastness, acid content, weight, direction of fiber and color intensity of the paper as well as format and edge are some of the factors which should be incorporated into the piece of lettering from start to finish. This list, incomplete as it may be, shows how extensive the consideration for the right choice of materials can become. It is important that papers are acid-free and do not contain any bleaching agents. The material speaks to many of our senses, such as seeing, feeling, even smelling and hearing. Papers are extremely important as the “sounding board” for the resonance of the letters. Paper can sound bright or muted, dull or clear dark ..., both during the process of working on it and during the handling by the user. Paper is an “intoxicating” material.

Writing Fluid
The writing fluid withits great influence on the overall effect of the calligraphic piece has to be mentioned here in the same vein. How does it react with the paper? Are we talking about ink, stick ink, gouache, water color or a dye? Does the color rub off, is it waterproof, does it withstand erasing, is it colorfast, how does it flow? What kind of binding medium does it contain? It could be glue, casein, egg white, shellac, or gum arabic. How does it react to being mixed? In markers and felt tip points the solvents are important; they should be ecologically sound and free of hazardous materials. There is a broad range of ready-to-use materials on the market today but one should be cautious. Expert advice is unfortunately rare but it is available and one should seek it out.