Calligraphy

A world of beautiful writting…

Calligraphy

The word Calligraphy comes from Greek, meaning “beautiful writing”. It has evolved along side many cultures around the world varying in technique and instrumentation.
All art takes practice to perfect, and caligraphy is no exception.

First Ideas

Concept

Introduction

The user initiates interaction by selecting a paper and embarking on the journey of writing a letter. They follow a step-by-step process to compose the letter.
Exploring diverse calligraphy styles adds depth to the experience, with options ranging from Chinese, Western, and Arabic offering a rich exploration of artistic expression.

Explanation

This exploration delves into the anatomy and intricate details of character formation, examining their orientation and structure.

Conclusion

“After obtaining additional information upon completing the character, users can freely draw more characters or continue reading the print information in the next step.”

guidelines for drawing characters

Initially, the entire character or letter is presented, followed by the option to draw each stroke individually. The guidance is provided through arrows indicating the direction of writing. Upon correctly executing a stroke, appropriate feedback is given, and the next action is initiated. This process continues until the character/letter is completely drawn/written. However, if one deviates too far from the predetermined line, feedback indicates that the preceding action was not entirely correct, allowing for another attempt.

User journey

Choose a script
Select one script from the three languages: Chinese, Arabic, or Western.

start drawing
Follow the on-screen instructions to explore and learn about the characters.

want to know more
Collect a few more information about the language and its characteristics.

Start another language
Once you’ve completed your current calligraphy exploration and wish to delve into other scripts, simply switch to another language.

Layouts

Print layout in A3

To enhance user experience, we decided to print information on paper alongside its digital presentation. This not only makes information immediately visible without navigating digital menus but also adds a tactile dimension to writing when placed on a graphics tablet. Careful organization and concise content, covering Historical Insights, Area, and Material, ensure informative yet easily comprehensible printed materials. This approach allows users to quickly grasp key points with a pleasant readability.
“And the paper serves as the language selection tool to choose different languages and initiate interaction with it.”

Digital layout

In the digital layout, a crucial aspect was placing the character/letter correctly and determining its size. This involved experimenting with different sizes and positions. However, it was necessary to also accommodate other elements, such as instructions and characteristics of the character/letter, around it. The peculiarities were intended to be displayed whenever they appeared.

Technical implementation

Arduino
In our project, Arduino served as the interface between the sensors and Processing, managing all the necessary code to implement the instructions for drawing and writing the letters and characters.

Processing
Processing was employed to create the writing template for letters and individual characters, the tracing instructions, as well as additional information. It was also used to delineate the areas for writing, restricting them, and issuing error messages if the pen deviates from the designated line.

Sensors
The utilized infrared sensors are affixed to the table beside the graphics tablet. These sensors play a crucial role in triggering the selected language projection.

Holder
The holders were created using a 3D printer. They serve a dual purpose – first, to position the language selected through the print layout onto the graphics tablet, and second, to cover the sensors. Each of the three holders has small extensions at various positions to cover the sensors that initiate the selected language.