For a bit over a year I’ve been building up to committing a new piece of art. The main component is the recognizable, engrossed (calligraphy) version of the Declaration of Independence. While many would have just printed off a full-sized copy of the text, that didn’t seem arty enough for me. So I’ve spent time learning the hand, or the letter style, of the document and practicing so that it looks reasonably close.
I’m currently in the third attempt. It’s an awkward piece to work on given its dimensions (I’m doing it at more-or-less actual size). Along the way I had to find a good support, the right ink, and most importantly, the right combination of nibs. There have been many delays (other art, novel writing, life, etc.). Losing more than a few days of practice meant extra time getting back up to speed. And then there were damaged supports, bad nibs, and…well, basically there have been issues.
This is one of those works that has been a royal pain in the arse to do. Even so, there is a plus side. Given all the practice, I have a closer bond with this document now than before — and it was pretty good before. I guess I should serve up a taste:
The segment with the red numbers at the left side is a full-sized printout of the original. Showing from above and below is the in-progress result of me engrossing the declaration anew. It might not be close enough for government work, but hopefully it’ll be close enough for art work. There is still a lot of hours yet to put into this thing.
