The Glasgow Scribes had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Manny Ling in Glasgow for a workshop on Informal Romans this past weekend. We caught up with the illustrious calligrapher beforehand to pick his brains on 'The Art of Beautiful Writing'.
- GS: How long have you been doing calligraphy?
- ML: Since I was 16, so that’s 37 years ago!
- GS: What does calligraphy mean to you?
- ML: Calligraphy is more than writing—it is the embodiment of oneself. Everything that you are is revealed within the strokes that you make.
- GS: What made you start learning calligraphy
- ML: Quite simply, it was the only thing that I could do fairly well at in School. I was also lucky to have an art teacher (Mr Salt) who teaches calligraphy—an subject that I found easier to do as an A level, compare to Maths or Physics! I was the last cohort in the UK who did an A-Level in Lettering.
- GS: The best calligraphy book you've read/bought?
- ML: This book might not be the best but it is certainly the most memorable and inspirational for me when I first started calligraphy. The book is called 'International Calligraphy Today', 1982, by the International Typeface Corporation. This book is essentially an exhibition catalogue showcasing the best calligraphy work form the period. I used to look at the work in the book every day and wanted to emulate the work that I see.
- GS: What calligraphy resource/tool/material could you not live without?
- ML: I am greedy, so I will list mine—a good sumi ink stick, a size 3 Manuscript Leonhardt Nib with a Caran D'ache pen holder and an East Asian brush.
I have also recently bought several EZA pens from America. Each pen is hand crafted (handle and nib) to your specification by a guy called Alan Ariall. They are quite expensive (about £80.00 each) but thy are well worth the money as the pen is such a sensitive tool. It can do folded pen scripts Italics.
- GS: Most memorable calligrapher you've met?
- ML: It has got to be Ewan Clayton!
- GS: Advice for new calligraphers?
- ML: Identify a script that you like and then practice, practice and practice. Once you are very good with this script, you will find you can do the other scripts much more easily.
- GS: What hobbies/activities do you do other than calligraphy?
- ML: If you can count cooking and eating nice food as my hobbies, then that's what I do for enjoyment and to relax. I also watch too much TV!
- GS: Last TV/Movie you watched?
- ML: I have just watched 'All for Nothing' on Netflix. It is a documentary series about the football club, Manchester City. I am not a Man City fan (Liverpool is my club!), but I love seeing how the manager (Pep Guardiola) and the footballers work together. The passion and believe in what they can do to working as a team to overcome challenges. It is quite inspiring to watch this on TV.
- GS: Tip for the day/week?
- ML: I thought of this today: "Enjoy the little things".
