Two Great Books" "Hand Lettering" and "Thank You Notes"

 I was very fortunate to have been able to have these books to review. Each of them is a 5 star rating - which, for those of you who don't read my book blog may not know, is unusual for me. After posting the review on my book blog I thought that it might also be of interest to you as well. Please head over to my book blog to have a look at LOTS more photos from the books! I have only included the table of contents pages here.

 

This review could have been done as two separate reviews - one on each of these book- but, quite honestly, I loved them both a lot and they both seem to go hand in hand  - and they are about  two of my favorite things - lovely lettering and really nice, snail mailed, hand made, cards - so I decided to review them both together. I collect books on lettering and calligraphy. I love lettering and I try to improve my own beginner calligraphy as often as I can. I was curious what this book was going to be like. I LOVE it! The authors - and Lark Books - did an excellent job! 

"Hand Lettering" by Marci Donley and SeAnn Singh is really well thought out and is a really nice, easy to use, non intimidating book on lettering. The table of contents ( all photos can be double clicked for a better view!) is really comprehensive. The beginning of the book is about, of course, the basics. The sections on various pens is one of the most complete I have ever seen - and all sorts of pens, markers, brushes and fountain pen calligraphy pens are discussed in detail - along with some more unique writing implements like dental stimulators and pieces of sponge. A lovely section about papers in included of course, along with a section about measuring devices, a section that covers all of the types of cutting tools you might want to use and how to put together a "ready the letter" box of supplies.

 

This book is so full of so much great information and so many really wonderful alphabet styles that I can't imagine how the got it all into a book of this size! You're right I am a bit 'gushy' over this book and, quite honestly, I was not certain that I would be. I don't generally hand out 5 stars very easily - but this book (and the next too for that matter) really do deserve the. This book will be a "must have" addition to the library to calligraphy beginners and scrapbookers as well as to more advanced calligraphers. I highly recommend this one - it's staying here with me !

Moving right along to the next, great 5 star beauty book. Making notes and letters look nice has been a nearly lifelong fascination for me. I always spent a lot of time on letters and on decorating the envelopes for the letters since I can remember - probably about  when I was 12 years old. I still prefer the beauty of snail mail to email. Fat more personal and entertaining...and I do want our postal system to survive so I take great pleasure is designing and sending cards! I couldn't wait to see what sort of techniques were contained in the lovely book entitled, simply "Thank You Notes" by Jan Stephanson and Amy Appleyard. This is another book that I am totally enthralled with. I think that it also has such well done, fail proof directions and well thought out information that you can't go wrong.

This book begins with a shorter, but thorough, section on materials. The cards in the books are grouped by thought in a way. Thank you to my sister, my better half etc; Thank You for a special day, the cash, for being there, for lending a hand, for being sweet.... you get the idea. The thing is that all of the thank you cards - as pertinent as they are to the specific sort of thank you - the cards and the techniques can easily be used for any other reason to send a delightful card. It's the great variety of techniques that this book gives you that really makes the book shine in my eyes! The techniques are all very clearly explained with particularly well done how to photos. You can't go wrong with these instructions!

Disclosure: 

This book was provided to me by the publisher for the purpose of reviewing the book. No other remuneration was received

Stocking Up For The Season Of Eternal Gray

This is a stack of books that I have amassed recently through the magic of swapping with other book fixated cyber friends. I am stocking up as insurance policy against the season of eternal gray - sometimes called Fall & Winter where I live. Fog hangs heavily here almost every day & the sun quickly becomes  a curiosity. Each & every one of these books is one that I have wanted to read - and each has been on my personal wish list for some time. This will keep me reading for awhile don't you think!

Some of these books are fairly new like "Richard The III: The Maligned King" by Annette Carson while some, like "The Fatal Crown" by Ellen Jones are gems from the past that I was happy to locate. I am looking forward to reading them all - and reviewing them all here as well.  I have more on the way - including a selection of 'old' gold' calligraphy books.

Speaking of calligraphy --- my class through Creative Workshops in 'Italic Calligraphy - A Good Foundation" - Martha Lever, Instructor -  is going very well. It really is a foundational class that Martha offers & I  see - as if I had not already known it - that practice & determination are the keys to success in calligraphy. Although I don't have the time to take from my quilts& paints to become a dedicated calligrapher I do want to master Italic calligraphy & several variations on a theme so that I can use them in my quilts & journals. In only a week - and not a whole one at that I have managed to come some ways. This photo of my piled desk tells that story - oh - and I have finally found out why a slanted board is a very good & helpful thing. Thankfully, dear friend Lauren,  provided me with this board this summer. I am looking forward to 'decorating' it splotches of ink and paint all over it in the years to come!

While Visions of Monolines Danced In My Head

These practice sheets account for several hours

trying to master simple monoline letter forms!

PS: I just had to add back the word verification thing back on comments. I apologize, for that  but recently I have been getting robo 'anonymous' comments. I hope that you will consider leaving me a note anyway!  Hopefully, I'll be able to take it off soon!

I have been fascinated by lovely handwriting & calligraphy since I was quite young. My mother had a very distinctive hand & I've never seen any other handwriting like hers was....so I guess that she was really the reason that I became intrigued by & desirous of a 'good hand'. I've always been a pen addict - and colored pencils, markers, & paints of all varieties - and have used only fountain pens for everyday use for years. Yes, there is a large & active group of pen obsessed, ink fascinated folks. One of the places that penophiles/stylophiles can be found is at the Fountain Pen Network. They are a really great group and my association with them over the last couple of years has made me want to really learn something more about calligraphy & letterforms.

Because of where I live there have been no options for learning true calligraphy. Luckily Creative Workshops & founder Gail Schmidt,  found a great teacher in Martha Lever who is teaching two wonderful, calligraphy oriented classes. One is just plain fun. Called, aptly enough 'Calligrafun'. The other class that just began on Monday, November 11 is called 'Italic Calligraphy' and is is a more structured, formal approach to learning the Italic letterforms. I am thrilled that these classes are availble to me now!

 

This is the first page I started with. These are called monoline forms - & they are more difficult than they may appear. Just getting the right shape for the 'a' is difficult let alone the spacing issues I obviously have !

 

Getting better at the end of my "school" day. Still a long way to go.

I cannot wait to become good enough to skillfully use what I learn on my quilts!

Western Cedar Nib Holders From C.S.Hawkins

As some of you may know by now I am bound and determined to 'play' - teaching myself, at long last, some calligraphy. I have been trying a variety of different nibs & nib holders & I plan to post an article with photos of the various holders that I have been trying in the near future. These nib holders, however, deserve some special note. I wanted to try an oblique holder (the one on the bottom). I had heard that it makes some calligraphy easier and, eureka!, it does.

I was having a bit of a time deciding on what brand and what style; what shape and what size to order when I happened up C.S. Hawkins. She sent me an email in response to a query I had posted and the rest, as they say, is history that I can now hold in my hand. Cathy Sue makes holders, hand turned pens & pencil holders out of a variey of gorgeous woods. I wanted one made from my favorite Western Cedar because we have several "grandmother' trees in our yard and I have a special affection for these remarkable trees. Lo and behold ! She was able to special order some Western Cedar. These are special holders for and I hope I will one day do them justice. Check out Cathy Sue's great website and see some more of her beautiful creations! I'll have a post detailing the variety of pen holders I am trying soon!

More Magic With Golden Digital Grounds

I've been continuing my playtime with Golden Digital Grounds and am finding them utterly addicting. I keep thinking about new things I want to try making with them. I am also having a fine 'ole time experimenting with using 'skins' & 'no skins'. This is a playground I may not ever want to leave I fear!

"Be Peace" was made by using two coats of Golden Digital Ground For Non-Porous Surfaces on a layer of silk organza. I printed an image of a photo that I had taken some years ago. I hand- lettered the words, layered the organza onto a piece of vintage kimono silk, added a post card back & then sewed around the card. I used a 30 wt thread on this card . My favorite thread for this purpose is Sulky Blendables 12 wt thread. That being said I am going to go on a hunt for something similar weight from my fav companies, Superior Threads & Wonderfil threads. Maybe I just love this specific Sulky thread and that's a good thing too!

One of the interesting things about this method - not using an acrylic skin underneath - is the organza has an almost holographic effect and changes colors depening on the way the light hits it!

These are my next experiments - ready for printing. Top is cotton voile coated with Digital Ground For Non-Porus Surfaces on a skin of matte medium, the piece in the middle is bleached harem cloth with Digital Gound Matte White on a skin of self leveling gel medium & the bottom piece is silk chiffon coathed in Digital Ground For Non-Porus Surfaces on a very thin skin of clear tar gel.

Go here for Golden digital ground information.
Go here for Golden acrylic mediums information.

In the photo above you can see how sheer the chiffon will be (front)- and the voile not far behind (on the top) in sheerness. The harem cloth (middle) with white digital ground will be opaque rather than having a transparent quality.

Up close on the cotton voile - double click for up close look

Here (above) you can see chiffon over voile

How thin this skin is with the chiffon!

I have to go and print now! I am also trying some other light fabrics with the Digital Ground For Non-Porous Surface - which has become my favorite of all! Hopefully tomorrow I will have some more experiments to share with you!

Beautiful Glass Dip Pens & Silks

Is this not one beautiful pen?!

I have, for many years, wanted to learn calligraphy. As I must be self taught, I try to teach myself a bit here & there, and each time I make a bit of progress. I have a long, long way to go. I was very lucky to have been given some gorgeous glass dip pens to try. The same gracious woman, Karen, from Exaclair, has provided me with not only paper & some ink but now she also has graced my with these pens that look too beautiful to use! Unbeknownst to Karen though, she has also driven my desire to learn more calligraphy! I am working on an idea that will incorporate calligraphy on various textiles and papers. Of course Exaclair is the purveyor of my favorite fountain pen ink, J.Herbin. They also make some calligraphy inks - even pearlescent ones that I also hope to be able to try some day.

Here are two bamboo pens and glass pen with a leather-like holder. Simplicity at it's best!
ps: the Buddhas is one of the first gel transfers I made some weeks ago.
It is one fabulous technique to become familiar with !

Simple bamboo dip pens - used for centuries and still going!

This is one of the prettiest, wabisabi-ish, pieces of silk I have ever seen.
Undulating waves of grays with an occasional butterfly to add visual interest!
I have a use for a small piece of this silk already planned!

I had add some photos of some of the more recent silks I have received from Ah!Kimono. As I have mentioned in the past, every month Cherie selects fabrics that for her club members. She has come to know us well. I'm always excited to see that little package arrive in the mail!

Orange on deep,deep brick red. How perfect is this ?!

This one just makes me smile whenever I see it in my pile of silks

A luscious 'wood grained' piece of silk in shades of orange - my perfect color scheme!

Penfabulous : Another Fine Virus Hits

This has been another week of being patient with myself. I seem to have been hit by another round of virus - whose main component is mind numbing exhaustion, cold sweats and a bit of dizzyness (no cracks from the peanut gallery - and you know who you are!). I did go to work & I did manage to get down to the "wood" beneath the piles on my desk. No mean feat at that! I was bound and determined that 1: I would make it thorough the work week and 2: that I would get through the piles before the new piles, marking the beginning of the month, began to appear by mail, fax and pony express . Mission accomplished.

Levenger Golden Tortoise

It was also one of those relatively contemplative weeks - frustration at not being as fast to recover, thinking about what I really wanted to make certain I finish before the final curtain gets called - hopefully a very long time from now, and thinking about the things that I truly enjoy doing. The things that fill me up - and don't deplete. When I was in my 20's & 30's I seldom deigned to use anything other than a fountain pen. I love fountain pens - always have. Somewhere along the line I was led astray & began using gel pens or ball points. Most people know that even with those plebeian instruments I am fussy and very picky. I am happy to report have finally returned to the fold. I had been grazing the foddered fields of ebay last week longing to replace the one pen that I truly miss. It was always my favorite and I still can't believe that I lost it somewhere along the occasionally dreary path to adult hood. It was a Mont Blanc fountain pen -of course. My holy grail of pens. Alas! In the intervening years I find that there is hardly any chance that I will be able to replace this pen of all pens. Pen prices have become as sky high as petrol prices (well, truth be told - a lot higher) and the business of putting ink to paper is no longer a young girls game. I did find a Levenger True Writer Golden Tortoise on Ebay from the Levenger Outlet - and I have to say that I am in love with it. It came with a medium tip that is, to me, a broad point that simply does not work very well for my hand. Levenger is sending out a fine point though which is wonderful &, in the mean time, I am enjoying the "medium" just fine. It's odd too that I would like this pen so much. It is larger for my hand that I though would be comfortable. I like where the "finger stop" is on this model - and I also like the nib - a steel nib but it does have a nice bit of flex and the ink flow is a bit wetter than drier. Perfect - not a Mont Blanc - but quite good none-the-less. The sensual feel of a good pen, with fine ink laid on paper is something you just have to understand! I am really enjoying writing - even just my journaling - so much more again!

Retro 1951 Scriptmaster 2 Fountain Pen in Citron

Here is my next pen. This is the pen that I must, absolutely, own. It has taken all of my will power this week to not just hit the "buy" button on several web sites. It would be here by now where I could be drooling on it and filling it with Noodlers Forest Green ink. Those of you who know me, understand why this pen, above any other is THE pen for for. I want it. I will have it ....soon anyway ! Lord ! I hope they don't run out of this in a fine point !!!

Pelikan 120 from the 1970's

Here is The Pelikan 120 that I unearthed this week. Is is the one pen that I have held on to for all of these years - and it still writes like a top - italic nib and all. I came across this wonderful place Fountain Pen Network this week too. Talk about an education ! Great people, lots of help, lots to learn. I found out about Chartpak, where I can send the Pelikan in to have my 'antique' fixed up... the top is cracked and she has lost the part that holds pen to shirt pocket. I think it will be nice to bring the old gal up to snuff again I think. Now, if bringing myself up to snuff was only so easy !!

The Beloved Mont Blanc That Is Lost.

This was the Mont Blanc that I used to carry everywhere. I used to write a lot then - probably much like now - but no doubt in a more plaintive way! This pen had a wonderful 22k gold nib that conformed itself to my hand writing. I guess it will always hold a special place in the pen box in my mind - I am still shocked at the prices. My father had a Mont Blanc Diplomat that I lusted for too. Unfortunately before I could ever screw up the nerve to ask him to leave it to me ( I mean before I was disinherited!) - he broke it quite soundly. It was also a bit large for my hand - but it was beautiful to look at!

I have also been enjoying an inexpensive Shaffer Calligraphic pen. They have made the [en more ergonomic than earlier models and it writes really wee. A couple of months ago Teri got me hooked into buying two of Pilot's new Parallel Calligraphy pens - now there are truly a boon to calligraphy and nice hand writing in general. There really is nothing like the feel on real ink on paper. Thank goodness thet still make it !