52 in 2011: Week Four

I made this for my little granddaughter, Maddie, who will be turning 1 on February 13.  I love hearing her waking up in the next room, peeping and cooing like a little bird.  Another quote from Les Miserables.

Strathmore Drawing Paper, Medium
Walnut Ink
Derwent Watercolor pencils
8 x 10

 Isn't she adorable?

52 in 2011: Week Three

Sumi Ink

White Pergamenata Paper Scrap

3.5 x 17 in.

#3 Tachikawa C broad nib

Well,  I did say I'd post the good, the bad, and the ugly!  This one is pretty bad, but it's done!  This was the first time I used the new Tachikawa nib.  I really had to lean on it to keep from getting ragged edges and it slipped a bit on the Pergamenata.  I'm going to try this one again with a toothier paper and see if I can control it better.  I'm pretty rusty at the broad nibs but at least my nib isn't rusty!

Park Place Bridal Fair

52 in 2011: Week Two

So, today I spent the whole day getting ready for tomorrow's Bridal Fair.  I've done this enough times now that you would think I'd have it down, but there's always something new to add and everything needs to be organized and packed.  It was late before I even remembered about my 52 in 2011 post.  I thought about just doing it tomorrow or Sunday but instead I grabbed a piece of scrap paper, and scratched out another short quote from Les Miserables.

My Sumi ink had been decanted into a dappen dish for hours on my hot, lighted drawing board and it had evaporated.  I didn't take the time to thin it down, so the hairlines are not really hairlines.  Slap dash, done in less than 10 minutes.

Don't look too close.  It doesn't bear close inspection.  But it is a nice quote, don't you think?

I saw that double ff in a book earlier in the week and thought I'd try it out.  Poor execution but I think I'll play around with it more and see if I can do it better with some practice.

A New Years Eve Wedding

8 x 10

Pergamenata paper

Sumi Ink

Watercolor pencils, blended

Dr. Martin's Copperplate Gold

52 in 2011: Week One update

Scanners suck the life out of calligraphy.  Often, all the texture is lost and the lettering looks flat and, well, dead.

I took a picture of my Week One offering basking in the sunshine so that you can see the texture and a bit more of the 'life' of the piece and also to demonstrate the pitfalls of scanning work.

52 in 2011: Week One

52 in 2011

52 in 2011 is a weekly challenge that my Facebook friend, Denice Nitschke (and perhaps others) are undertaking in '11. The challenge is to post a NEW calligraphic endeavor every week for 52 weeks.

I have decided to post snippets from whatever I am reading. My self imposed rules are to publish something every Friday (even if it's just a book title), to spend as little time as possible in planning the piece in hopes that over 52 weeks I will improve in the organization of unplanned arrangements, and to post them, warts and all, with very little editing. What editing I have done, I will confess to in the comments of each piece.

Some weeks I'll have time; some weeks I won't; but, God willing, I will do my best to post something every week.

Constructive criticism is welcomed.

This one is in my 'to do' file. . .

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. -- Woody Allen