Black Ustav script
Intro
Vika and Vita Lopukhiny are incredibly talented and world-known Ukrainian calligraphers and designers. In 2016 Vika Lopukhina gave me as a present a fantastic calligraphy tool that made her calligraphy teacher Vasiliy Chebanik. I was so flattered that I created a calligraphy project directly connected to this cola pen.
First things first.
What actually is Cola Pen?
It’s a calligraphy writing pen that can be similar to a standard wide nib but with some unique additions, such as a high level of line width variations and the ability to create expressive splashes and splatters. Each cola pen is unique since it’s mostly a handmade instrument, but from time to time, you might find a model that is made in multiple copies.
Such is the cola pen that was created by Vasiliy Chebanik. The cola pen’s nib is slightly flexible since it’s made from a tin can.
Black Ustav
During the cola pen’s test drive, I created my variation of Ustav with extraordinary appeal since it has a certain gothic feeling. However, it is still close to traditional Cyrillic forms. Since I’ve wanted to share publicly, I’ve created a small animated guide on how to write such letters.
I’ve named it Black Ustav since it might resemble the aesthetics of modern Gothic blackletter but with traditional Cyrillic Ustav letterforms. Below, you can see the comparison of traditional Ostromir Gospel’s Ustav and my Black Ustav. The proportions are different, contrast is almost the same. Still, I would like to point out the expressive splashes that, at first glance, might look trendy, but they are aesthetically connected to these forms for sure.
Ductus
In calligraphy, a ductus is the direction, number, and sequence of the strokes that work together to create a letter. Since Ustav is a Cyrillic calligraphy branch, I didn’t have the guts or skills at the moment of creation (2017) to create a Latin variation of these letterforms. Yet, that I might do someday, but there’s a chance you might do it better! In this showcase, I’ve animated every letter variation of Black Ustav.
In these calligraphy guides, the order of the strokes is not a final instruction for writing since everything depends on how and with what you write. Always pay attention to your writing instrument! For example, you will not create authentic expressive cola-pen splashes with a brush or pen. But with cola pen, you can not create a pleasant-to-eye form that is done with a broad brush.
