Friendship Calligraphy in Frame

It always makes a refreshing change, when a client rings you enough not to need a long and lengthy consultation that we, as calligraphers, never got paid for. Very often it takes longer to discuss a job that the actual execution.
Once again I had a regular on the phone, the brief was simple: This quotation, Golds and silvers as usual and in a gold/silver frame. Oh yes… and this is my budget (ALWAYS HELPFUL to know)

I have put pictures on my blog before of pieces that I have one for her and usually the request is the same, I do however, try to keep them similar, but all different from each other.
One thing is certain… they all contain my trademark ‘squares’.

The mount board was spattered using a toothbrush, with gold and copper gouache paint, then the sprinkling of squares tumbled from the mount, through the work and back on the mount again. Making the mount and work ‘As One’.

And here it is in the frame.

You know you have done a good job

when you are loathed for the piece to go!

Wedding Calligraphy

I don’t know where the time goes to thee days.
As the nights grow shorter my life seems to be hurtling past at the rate of knots.
In this time of economic crisis, I’ve been even more grateful of the work coming in, and far from slowing down it’s got busier!

My latest commission has been the place cards, seating plan and Alphabetical list, as well as the table names. I thought I’d share them with you. Nothing too spectacular, unfortunately Weddings being fairly formal and brides in the Uk still liking the ‘traditional’ rather than contemporary, there is little room for creativity. Still, as long as it keeps the wolves from the door, I’m happy to do this day in and day out if necessary!

Below are the place cards

Large Italic Christian names

with tiny capital surnames.

This solves the problem so often faced by calligraphers of the place cards being far too small for surnames!

Below is the Seating Plan,

there were 2 boards exactly the same, only 1 had an extra table on.

I managed to scan and print the monogram onto a card the same size as the tables so that when they stand together they will look balanced.

and a 3rd board completes the set.
To give you some idea of scale,
the word Alphabet is around 1" high.

Close Up Detail

And this must be my favourite job of all

The Table Names. Also VERY large letters, always a bonus when partially sighted. These are double sided and when you do them you really must make sure they can be read from some distance away.

Chrsitmas Calligraphy Commisions at the studio of Inspired by Script

It’s been a flourish of activity at the studio these past couple of weeks. I so much prefer working to commission that supplying shops who seem to take months to pay their bills despite constant reminders and their promise to pay.
I love dealing face to face with clients looking for something truly unique and individual.

My first commission was a 60th Birthday card. The sentiments were simple, yet personal. It was made in the recipients favourite colours pink and purple.

Next was a concertina Book on Love by Kahlil Gibran,

in creams and gold’s.

And some Christmas cards. These were a mixture of Hand Lettering and font, an ideal compliment to each other. I was particularly enamoured by the 3 page fold and was really please with the overall effect.

It’s some time since I did this style and so often we, as calligraphers get stuck in a rut and use just a very few of our ‘stock’ favourites. I must do more of these letters I love them!
Click on the photo to enlarge to see a closer view.

Lastly, there were some party invitations to make for a company in Harrogate. Now I’m particularly nervous about these as a) I didn’t deal with the client direct, but through a 3rd party and b) the Client has no idea about my work and what we modern day calligraphers ‘do’.

I’m always worried about doing anything too contemporary unless the client fully understands Lettering as an Art Form rather than just neat letters on a page. Hopefully, they will be pleased with the result.

When Magic Happens!

It’s sometimes hard to believe, but I have been a calligrapher for over 20 years now. Where does the time go? You would think that after all that time that there would be no great surprises, nothing new to explore and things would get very mundane… not so!
Every now and then a piece of work will just happen, just work out the first time and surprise even the more experienced creative spirit.

I did this piece as I was trying to learn the words off by heart and I gathered that by writing it out I would commit it to memory, like so many of the quotations that are stored in my memory bank over the years.
I gave very little thought to the piece as I was creating it. Because it was about having no fear of the dark I decided to lay down a watercolour wash and then write the words in black and white to represent the full and dark aspects of the moon. No great thinking there then. However, it was only when I came to photograph the piece and notice it at an angle on the drawing board from a distance that I thought a piece of Transtrace © had been laid over the white letters. Can you see the stripe of what looks like semi-transparent paper over the letters?



I went to move it to find out that it wasn’t there at all but an optical illusion! Here is a photo of the piece side ways on to prove I'm not kidding. Being partially sighted, my eyes play many tricks on me, so I'm sort of used to this... but I think it's clear that this could have fooled anyone....

And if you want more proff

heres an even closer version...

Now that’s magic!

Mysterious Britain

A friend of mine's husband and some friends have just finished launching their new site Mysterious Britain. It's about Myths, Legends and the Paranormal. There's lots of useful information and links, so, if you are interested pop on by to http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/ and say hello!

Creative Bookbinding - Concertina Book Commission

Off all the commissions I get from my website, I find there’s nothing more satisfying than making a Concertina Book, especially when the people who has commissioned it gives me free reign.

Concertina books are easy, some call them Accordion Books. They are quite simply folded strips of paper into an even number of pages with a front and back cover.

Sometimes they have a ribbon running out of the back which is then used to secure the book closed, adding to the anticipation of the recipient when opened.


The poem itself had 6 verses and I decided that I would put 2 verses on each double spread. The writing was completed first and then the background was decorated with chalk pastel, scraped off the chalk with a scalpel and then rubbed in gently for a cloudy effect. This close up shows it in more detail. I cut stars into the concertina itself , along with a heart.

I then decided to make a case for the book to protect it while in transit. The recipient in question is off to Canada so hopefully it will travel well and come out virtually unscathed. The wonderful thing about concertina Books is that they can stand alone and be used as ornaments on a shelf. It will be a reminder that her family is not very far away.

I've included the following photo as it shows the true colours of the cover so much better

However, every job is not without it's problems.... and can you believe that this clasp and fastening took longer to work out and 'do' that Practically the whole book! lol. Ahhhh such things are sent to try us.

The star split pin reflects the stars cut outs inside.

My final idea for the closure was to thread ribbon through 2 brags when the book is inside the beads can be then pushed up to form a tight closure. I'm sure I could have come up with a simpler fastening.... but hey... that wouldn't be so much of a challenge would it?

Easy and Effective Backgrounds for Calligraphers and Artists alike

I am inspired by Autumn. The leaves gently turning from the lush green of the Summer to the variety of greens, gold’s, yellows and reds. Surely Autumn is one of the most colourful seasons of the year.I have blogged about this before, but whenever the muse seems far away I paint backgrounds, it gets the creative juices flowing and stimulates creativity.

I have a repertoire of paint techniques that need no skill, are very effective and make excellent backgrounds useful for both my calligraphy or as use in my bookbinding. I don’t have to think and the pieces virtually dictate themselves. I’m not an artist, I’m a creator so if I can do it anyone can.

I mainly use Acrylic or Watercolour Paint for my background, but this time I decided to use pigment inks which were in powder form and diluted with water to see how they would react.

The first idea is simple and one which I use often.

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT:

You will need Paint, watercolour paper or something substantial that will take a lot of water, decent large round brush (Size 10) and some cling film.

1. Mix your paint to a loose consistency.
2. Throw the colours on in a hap hazard way.
3. Crumple some cling film, open out and lay on the wash

4. leave to dry
5. remove cling film

6. and voila! Instant background!

WARNING: This technique is addictive

so prepare lots of pre-cut paper before hand!

I decided to try this technique with metallic Acrylic Paints… WOW!

And this one's on black paper! Stunning!

Then I used resists. I tried PVA

Liquid Wax

And Pebeo Masking Gum. This is so much more preferable that W7N Masking Fluid as it doesn’t tend to take the paper with it when removed.

Ahhhh happy bunny!

Single Man Wanted

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Melbourne Herald Sun last week.. SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I' m a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your ute, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call (0409/434328) and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting....
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN....


Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the RSPCA StKilda..

Doesn't the RSPCA just have a knack of raising awareness. Our UK Christmas money raising efforts have once again come up trumps.
I received a card with 3 sticky coin places on it asking for £3 to help an animal in distress. The story showed a cute little, dewy eyed kitten badly treated by being set on fire by a gang of youths..... and what did they call it? FRAZZLE! Bloody FRAZZLE! I ask you, not like the poor things gone through enough, it's now going to have to live with the story for the rest of it's life!
Having fostered for the RSPCA I ask you this, please, please, please ignore the letters from them coming through your door and donate to your LOCAL BRANCH! I implore you to do this. All branches are self funded. All the workers and foster carers are volunteers and get NO PAYMENT for this, all the money you donate goes to the branch direct, and the branch pay the head office for the privilege. Head Office is loaded! Trust me on this one and branches get nothing from them!

How Banks Make Money - And it's not how you think!

I 'was' always under the impression that when you went to the bank and asked for a load, you were actually borrowing money that was deposited into the bank by the wealthy few! How naive I was! Shows you're not too old to learn.
I found the following link on my friend Ceridwens Site
Watch this series of 5 videos starting here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkFb26u9g8
I bet you learn something!

And on from there Yuri put this link on his blog
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
WARNING this is a very long video so make some sandwiches, go make a flask of tea, sit down and learn the control that banks and money have over everyones life.

Journal Keeping for Calligraphers, Artists and Other Creative Spirits

Ideas come and go. Inspiration strikes at the most inopportune moments. Keeping a journal is a purely personal matter, but journals can take many forms.

In your creative life they can be somewhere to sketch ideas down when you don’t have the available materials to hand.
I have many journals for many things… here are a few suggestions…

Put pictures, jottings, pictures of colours that you particularly like, photographs, textures, line drawings, thumbnail sketches, Paint techniques, background techniques, try outs, nature pictures, quotations, inspirations.
Name your book:

Give your book a name, this will help feed your creative spirit.
Call it: Idea Catcher, Colour Therapy, From the Heart, Inspirations…. Think of your own.

Put anything and everything in your book that will become a useful reference for those times when ideas seem to vanish and all your creative juices are like a desert and in need of hydration. It’s also a great place to store all those pieces that didn’t seem to work out at the time, but be warned, pieces that looked unsuccessful at the time have a nasty habit of looking far batter once they’ve been locked away in a book and not see the light of day for a while.
For the serious journal keeper I suggest you write in your journal every day. If you don’t think you have time, use the time just as you wake, or sit down to your morning coffee or just after tea… give yourself permission to write, even if it’s only 15 mins and you can only manage a sentence. It will become second nature.

Personal Journals can be kept for lots of reasons also. A Dream Diary, A Gratitude Journal, Somewhere to off load the angst of the day, get it out there.

Years ago I did ‘The Artists Way’ its quite a commitment keeping up the morning pages and I’m not particularly a morning person either, but what happened over the course of 12 weeks was to unleash creativity in ways I could never have expected. Just giving yourself that half an hour or so means you never loose that idea that may one day turn into a great piece of work.
Start now. Use journals with plain pages in so that you can draw and sketch if necessary.
Choose a paper that will hold at least a bit of water if you fancy using watercolour paints.
Keeping a journal takes the fear out of having to complete a ‘perfect’ piece of work, if it does turn out to be spectacular you can always take the page out and mount and frame it, providing the paper is of good quality. Using good quality paper in your journal also makes you respect it a lot more too.
Above all….start today keep it up and see what happens!

What do you use your Journal for?
Do you have more than one?

A Tribute to Glen Epstein Calligrapher Scribe and Joker

I was saddened on Monday to hear of the death of a fellow scribe, Glen Epstein. I first met Glen many years ago on a calligraphy message board and after the initial shock of getting to grips with his unique humour, found he was easy to like and despite first impressions was a gentle and wonderful spirited man who couldn’t do enough to help and was generous with his valuable knowledge. Other scribes have described him as a joker, teacher, minstrel and trickster, a doting father and grand father and a man who was passionate about animals. His website at http://www.glenepstein.com/index.php Will show you just a small selection of his work from a very talented and adaptable scribe who had many facets to his nature.

It prompted me to put a message out to the Cyberscribes thanking them for the kindness they showed me long, long ago when I was first diagnosed with Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome and soon after my husbands death. These people I consider my friends, most of which I’ve never meat, yet we somehow connect on a far deeper level. We ‘know’ each other, we respect each other, we share our knowledge and our feelings. We are one.

It’s got me thinking of the many people that pass through our lives. Some are only there for a while but leave a lasting impression. Some are around for a lifetime. I have publicly thanked these people for being part of my life. I have had wonderful emails reminiscing of our early days on the board. There are calligraphers who I had a huge impact on my life and my work both in the UK and USA especially.

Among the many tutors Brian Walker, Peter Halliday, Gaynor goffee, Sue Hufton, Richard Middleton, Ann Hechle, Donald Jackson…. Oh I could go on, but one tutor in particular had a huge impact on not only my work but on my life. His teaching of calligraphy taught me as much about Lettering as it did about myself. He now lives in the states and it’s our loss and their gain.

Life’s quite a journey and when you sit down and really think about those in your life who have made such an impact, it’s quite overwhelming. Each one having an impact on ‘who’ you are today.

Keep on connecting. Keep on remembering. Keep on being grateful for everyone who comes into your life. Each one is your teacher.

I will end this blog with a Video of Glens, which I hope you will watch. Glen made an impact on many lives. I only home he was aware of this during his lifetime. Rest easy Glen, your work lives on and will continue to inspire for many more years to come. I wonder how many of us can be assured of that when we eventually go off to the Summer Lands.
Please - Go and see Glens Video here
http://www.glenepstein.com/video.php

Keeping a Blog for prosperity

This most amazing sunrise was taken just 15 minutes ago. It has absolutely no relevance to the following post, it’s title or it’s contents, but it was so fantastic I had to share it with you. It was worth running out in my PJ’s in full view of the neighbourhood to get the picture. MAGIC!

It’s ironic isn’t it? That as a Calligrapher, I’ve never been much of a writer…. Well not in the conventional sense that is.

Every year as I child and growing up I looked forward to getting a diary. I promised myself I would keep it up and looked forward to New Years Day, the start of a whole New Year. Every year was the same… I get to the middle of February and the pages became empty, once again. As the days of forgotten pages grew longer, it seemed a bit of an insult to pick it up and start writing again, as if nothing had happened in the previous weeks and months.

I have a couple of them left, ones that I did keep up, ones that are filled with my teenage angst and usual ranting and ravings, broken heart memories from being dumped by the latest boyfriend, thinking I would never recover… of course we do. Then the diary that I kept after meeting my husband, getting married at 18 and trying for a baby. Month after month of hope and disappointment, until at last it happened. Diary keeping became a thing of the past when the joys of motherhood took every spare minute of my life. I did however keep a memory box and added to it things that would remind me of special times, days out, special occasions, never thinking that one day I would ever use them and put them into a book. However as I get older and my son has left home, my husband is no longer alive to pass down stories to my son, it’s become more important for me to get things in order so that if anything happens to me he won’t find the drawer filled with tickets and bits and pieces that mean nothing to him without them being explained. Part of my life that is so intimate it can only be shared by the three of us and one of us is no longer here.

At least with my blog, I don’t feel obliged to write every day or even week. Missing pages are not important and one post runs into another. Yes the blog is fragmented. It’s about my work, my life my friends and family, my animals, my ponderings, my musings and yes…. There’s still that teenage angst now and again. Only these days I’m seen to be a whinging old crone! Lol. It’s a no holes bared, heart on the sleeve job. A glimpse of who I am as a person. (I hope).

Journals can be kept for all sorts of reasons…. And I will talk about this on my next post.

Meanwhile, over the next year or so I plan to put together that journal, so one day my son can enjoy that journey that is so much a part of his past too.

What is the difference between a Calligrapher and Lettering Artist?

When I tell people what I do…. I wait…. For the stunned silence that follows. After I say “I am a Calligrapher and Lettering Artist” there is always an uncomfortable period of silence, as if the person asking is searching for something positive to say. It’s then usually followed by “What’s a Calligrapher?”. The never ask about Lettering Art. I’m always surprised that in this day and age not many people know what Calligraphy is. Calligraphy dates back to the 6th century and even before that… so it’s not exactly a ‘new’ thing.

I work from my studio ‘Inspired by Script’ in a small market town in North Yorkshire UK. My fellow calligraphers and lettering artists in the US and around the world don’t seem to have this problem. Chinese and Islamic Calligraphy is considered an Art Form and is held in high regard. Perhaps the use of computers makes is oblivious to ‘Hand Lettering’ these days, however many of the fonts on your computer are designed by Calligraphers (Did you know that?) Chances are, if you are a Calligrapher, you did and if you aren’t you probably didn’t.

I use the tern calligraphy to define ‘Formal’ lettering with a particular name for the style, it is regular and consistent and is most useful for Weddings, wedding Albums, and Certificates.

Lettering Art however is freer and lends itself more to expression and personality. Among it’s many uses are mixed media work on canvases, packaging, fun and personalised gifts. Both Calligraphy and Lettering Art can be used together (like my cards here) to create contrast and gain attention in the piece of work.

So I suppose, Calligraphy is what I ‘do’, Lettering Art is what I create.

Sometimes it's one, sometimes both. Whatever the difference, it's a life long passion of mine and far more interesting than the silence that follows the question "What do you do" deserves.

Amazing Gold Leaf Video

For calligraphers everywhere, who have had the pleasure and the pain of working with Gold Leaf. As you will know it's not the most obediant of materials and so ultra tissue thin it flies away and disintigrates at the slightest whiff of a breeze... this Japanese lady deserves a medal!

You are worth the time

Jan Phillips has a website at http://www.janphillips.com/

Choosing Calligraphy Nibs

A selection of nibs -

Wm. Mitchell on the far left
and Brauser in the middle

There are 2 basic types of calligraphy pens. These are cartridge pens and dip pens. Dip pens are the most versatile for calligraphy and either come with their own built in reservoir as do Brause or, , need one adding as in the Wm. Mitchell. Dip pens enable you to put ink through them and change colour at will, by a quick shake about in water. More importantly, serious calligraphers use Gouache Paint rather than ink (more about this later). A calligraphy nib gives 2 basic strokes, a thick one, when the nib is drawn towards you and a thin one when it you slide it to the side.
With slip on reservoirs it’s a little more tricky to get it so that it’s in just the right place, but with practice this becomes easier. If you are heavy handed (like me) I would recommend Brauser nibs. Also if you are left handed, you need to choose a pen with an oblique nib, which is a nib cut slightly shorter on the left hand side. While Brauser nibs are more expensive, the difference in cost is negligible and they will last longer.

There are many other pens available to the more experienced calligrapher these range from Automatic Pans, Ruling Pens, Parallel Pens and many other mark making tools. I will talk about them in detail at a later date.

All the materials you need to start calligraphy!

These days, I must admit, to having a wry smile on my face when I look at the list of Basic Materials I used to give out to my first term beginner students and I’m sure those who are still doing it many years later will have one too!
The list was as follows:

DRAWING BOARD: ¼” ply or 6mm MDF, 15” x 18”

PAPER: A layout pad or Printing paper

PENS: Wm Mitchell Dip Nibs, A couple of reservoirs, and a couple of pen holders

INK: Black Ink, Liquid Chinese Stick Ink is preferable

ERASERS: A plastic eraser or at least a soft white one

PENCILS: A 2H and a 2B will do for starters

RULER: 18” see through plastic

GLUE: A Pritt Stick or similar or look for 3M scotch magic tape

A NOTEBOOK: For taking notes in class

Total Cost…. Around £15 – £20

Other Useful Items

A Scalpel, Masking Tape, Steel Rule for cutting and a cutting board (Put this on your Christmas List)

Why the smile?

Well if only life was that simple. As I look around my studio I realise that this is only the beginning, and if you become obsessed (like I did) with the wonder of letters then you will never have enough pens, papers, paints, glues, brushes, cutting and measuring implements, frames, canvases…. Oh I could go on…. I think we all accumulate items that we just HAD to have, some more useful than others. Funnily enough, for the beginner the list above hasn’t really changed…. But for those with the passion…. Well, the list is endless. In the nest article I will discuss the various writing implements both conventional and unconventional. Any questions on Pen, nibs etc. Please email me HERE and I’ll try to answer them on my blog. Happy Scribbling!

The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel

This has to be one of my favourite poems,
I just love Betjeman

The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel
By John Betjeman

He sipped at a weak hock and seltzer
As he gazed at the London skies
Through the Nottingham lace of the curtains
Or was it his bees-winged eyes?

To the right and before him Pont Street
Did tower in her new built red,
As hard as the morning gaslight
That shone on his unmade bed,

“I want some more hock in my seltzer,
And Robbie, please give me your hand—
Is this the end or beginning?
How can I understand?

“So you’ve brought me the latest Yellow Book:
And Buchan has got in it now:
Approval of what is approved of
Is as false as a well-kept vow.

“More hock, Robbie—where is the seltzer?
Dear boy, pull again at the bell!
They are all little better than cretins,
Though this is the Cadogan Hotel.

“One astrakhan coat is at Willis’s—
Another one’s at the Savoy:
Do fetch my morocco portmanteau,
And bring them on later, dear boy.”

A thump, and a murmur of voices—
(”Oh why must they make such a din?”)
As the door of the bedroom swung open
And TWO PLAIN CLOTHES POLICEMEN came in:

“Mr. Woilde, we ‘ave come for tew take yew
Where felons and criminals dwell:
We must ask yew tew leave with us quoietly
For this is the Cadogan Hotel.”

He rose, and he put down The Yellow Book.
He staggered—and, terrible-eyed,
He brushed past the plants on the staircase
And was helped to a hansom outside.

Calligraphy Groups in the UK

Here is a list of Calligraphy Groups in the UK

North Yorkshire Calligraphers
Eden Valley Scribes
Gloucestershire Scribes
The Cinque Ports Scribes
Mercian Scribes:
Nottingham Calligraphers
North West Calligraphers
Oxford Scribes:
Peannairi Irish Scribes
South Hampshire Calligraphers
South London Lettering Association
York Scribes

If you would like your group adding or know of any other groups not on this list please email me via my contact page.

Calligraphy Societies in the UK

There are 2 main Calligraphy Societies in the UK.
These are:

CLAS – The Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society
http://www.clas.co.uk/festival2008.html
The Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society exists to promote the study, practice and teaching of the subject in all its forms and to generate awareness and appreciation with the widest public. The Society is a charity registered with the Charity Commission No. 1046526 and is therefore a properly constituted, non profit organisation. It belongs to its members who each have equal voting rights.

SSI – Society of Scribes and Illuminators
http://www.calligraphyonline.org/
The Society of Scribes and Illuminators, based in the UK, is one of the most well-established and respected calligraphy societies in the world. This Internet site gives information about the Society, its aims, membership and activities. There are also pages giving information about what is currently happening in calligraphy and about other sources of interesting information.