These are probably my two favourite gifs from Christmas, not that I received a great haul of presents, but from the little pile at the base of the Christmas tree, these got the biggest smile. They are, of course, related, both being to do with scribing.
The book, a gift from my husband, which I saw reviewed a little while ago, is about one of my favourite types of historical artefacts, manuscripts. A few years ago I was given a similar book, Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, by Christopher de Hamel. That was a wonderful read, bringing one into the quiet spaces of many great libraries of the world to sit, with him, and pore over their treasures. It will reward a second reading at some stage, but for now I will content myself with my newest gift. I have only just started but already I find myself enjoying her writing style and looking forward to what I shall learn within; little snippets of the past like her comment about a scribe from the 13th-century known only as "The Tremulous Hand". She talks in the introduction about how manuscripts tell us so much about the hidden past, if we just take the time to look closely. I am anticipating many more similar pleasures as I wander through the rest of the book.
The second gift, a stylus for my iPad from my daughter, has been a revelation in the way it allows for so much more sensitivity in playing about with the several drawing apps I have installed over the years. Not that I create any images of value, but it is fun to pootle about drawing this and that, exploring colour, seeing how they work. Until now I have just had my finger or the rather clumsy little "pens" with a squishy rubber tip which don't enhance one's efforts, however amateur, a great deal. With this I can see clearly what I am doing, and because it is weighted, it sits in the hand like a proper pen, being therefore a great deal more responsive to the hand's movements. I has allowed me to explore one of my favourite poems, one I read at Mum's funeral, and one that she and Ganna also loved, and often recited with each other, passing lines back and forth between them. Using Amaziograph, it is written within an image repeated in rotation around the "page", As I wrote I enjoyed the effect that the differences in line length make as they are pushed out from the centre. Layers allow one to fiddle about with the background and add graphical bits that echo the ripples on the lake shore and the fluttering of the linnet's wings.
So, two fine pleasures to enhance the new year. I hope you also have some joys to look forward to in 2022
That sounds like a truly fascinating book!
ReplyDeleteI've found that with tools like brushes and pens, it's well worth having a better quality one, even when you're a relative beginner, because, frankly, it takes years of experience to get a decent effect with shoddy tools. I'm sure you'll find your stylus enhancing both the results you get and the fun you have doing it!
Old manuscripts do intrigue me. And their makers perhaps even more, so I would also be happy to find this book under my tree. I love my iPad but haven't gotten very creative with it.
ReplyDeleteHello Rachel and Mary, I've finished the book now, which was a delightful read, most interesting, and the stylus is giving much pleasure with my iPad. I'm amazed at the difference it makes to the experience of drawing on the screen, very liberating :-)
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