Meet the latest Artist of the Month... Bas! Read on to find out more...
What is your background and when did your passion for Calligraphy and learning begin?
My journey as a calligrapher started when we had to do calligraphy while at teacher´s college in order to write proper letters on the blackboard (Yes, I am that old!) and I enjoyed it so much that I never stopped learning more. The sheer joy of making beautiful images by shaping letters in various ways has never left me since.
Who / Where do you take your inspiration from?
When I read a text or hear something I really like so much myself enough to share it with family, friends or clients, I find calligraphy often gives me the opportunity to express my feelings towards that text. I try to communicate those feelings through letter shapes and colours, at times combined with illustrations too.
On top of that doing something creative by hand gives double pleasure: losing time and space while working is relaxing, seeing the result can be rewarding.
Do you have a favourite style?
I like many different styles of writing and don't reject any, but I am particularly fond of the scripts called italic and gothic. I have used them on several small and big projects. Decorating all the doors and walls of a local school was very exciting, but I also love making small books like I am working on now.
What it means to you to be an artist?
When people ask me what calligraphy means to me I often reply by saying it is my living, but also what I live for. To grab a pen and see letters occur on the paper is magic! The sound of a metal nib scratching on the surface, the movement of a brushpen softly making a swirl or the ink from a fountain pen flowing effortlessly, I just love my tools. And allthough I mainly use metal nibs when it gets serious, playing with brush pens and colours is always a pleasure too.
What is your best calligraphy tip, trick, or tutorial?
Never stop playing is very essential! We all make mistakes, play with them and make them into part of your art. You can learn from the experience of doing something that is not right by the book. I often joke to my students that knowing how to «cheat» when it doesn´t look good is also an art form.
Start by learning one alphabet properly, find good examples and when you feel confident make it a more personal style, your style. Calligraphy is perpetual!
To see more of his beautiful work you can follow him Bas (@kalligrafbasvlam) and remember to follow @manuscriptpenco on social media where we will be showcasing her work throughout the month!
