Vintage Nibs

Back in April, I attended my first calligraphy conference.  There were classes and vendors.  One of them sold vintage nibs.  I sat and tried a few.  Vintage nibs are old nibs that aren't made anymore, but the vendor can usually still find boxes of them at estate sales.  I had to make sure I didn't get too attached to any one nib though.  Since they aren't made anymore, you're out of luck when they finally run out. 

Typography Class Final Project

I took a typography class this spring.  Our final project was to create a folder or binder in which to put all our assignments.  I decided to create a giant envelope and tie up all my notes and assignments inside it.

I took apart a regular sized envelope to see how it was constructed.  Then I cut a giant piece of red cardstock to the same proportions.  I recreated an old "Love" stamp from the 1980s.  Then I drew hash marks on the bottom right hand corner.  Fini!

Church Banquet

We had a church banquet last week and I did the program and place cards.  It's amazing how many names you memorize when you hand write all of them!

Baby Shower

This is my friend's baby shower.  It was adorable!  I got to make the placecards and some cards that that guests filled out for the mother-to-be's album.  To top it off, the weather was spectacular!  Congrats Rebekah!

Calligraphy Bird Flourishing

The designs in this book looked so intimidating that I set it aside, thinking it would take forever to learn this.  But as it turns out, it's not as difficult as it looks.  The trick is in how you hold the pen.  You angle your wrist upwards and draw away from your body.  It was actually pretty fun.  I'll keep practicing these and post updates.  I highly recommend trying this!  The book is from a five book series of instruction manuals written by  Stephen A. Ziller.  You can get it online or at Paper & Ink Arts in Maryland. 

Love is Sweet

A recent client was creating a dessert table for a bride and groom as a wedding gift.  What a great idea!  She had a whole list of treats and wanted placecards and a sign to decorate the dessert table.  The desserts sounded absolutely scrumptious!

Linocut Block

I am taking a typography class.  As a calligrapher, I find it all very fascinating.  In our first class, our teacher had us cut a design in a linoleum block.  Later we went to the letterpress studio and printed it on an old letterpress.  Very cool!  I wish I had the presence of mind to pull out my camera phone and take some shots of the studio.  Oh well, here's a picture of the final product.

Modern Wedding Invites

Here is a job I just completed for a wedding client.  Gold ink on a chocolate brown envelope.  The client's invitations were a gorgeous cream, apricot and brown.  They also had their return address beautifully embossed on the back flap.  When I got married, everything was white, cream, and ivory.  I love that brides can now pick any color and do anything they like with their wedding invites!

Calligraphic Thoughts

I've been noticing how beautiful traditional calligraphy is.  As you can see from the examples above, I don't do much of it.  It is quite a discipline.  You're writing on straight lines, pressing down on the nib at very specific points on each letter.  It's actually kind of fun, mastering a different style.  But sometimes, there's nothing better than the feel of the pen gliding across that glossy paper, and you're not even sure where it's headed.

Quirky Blue

Blue on blue.