Calligraphy Classes and Visiting Melbourne

It's true!  I will be visiting Melbourne, Australia to teach at the Summer School in Winter calligraphy conference, hosted by the Calligraphy Society of Victoria.  Interested?  Then please stop by my current blog to read all about it, and then sign up to receive a notification when I update ... which I hope to do quite a lot.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Making A Move

While Blogspot has been a wonderful place to start my blog, I will soon be moving to Wordpress so that it will have a home on my website (something Blogger doesn't offer).

Today I transferred all my past posts, but I may continue to blog here for a little bit longer, we'll see.

Anyway, whether you follow me here or haven't yet taken the plunge, please be sure to head on over to follow me there ... I don't want you to miss a single post to come!

Set-Up Fees for Calligraphy

While this may not be the sexiest post ever ; ) the topic of Set-Up Fees came up while I was recently in Dallas to teach a workshop (more on that to come, so stay tuned), and I thought that posting my list of what is included in my [relatively] small charge might be a good idea. Not only is it important for my clients to understand why the fee is requested, but I feel that it is necessary for calligraphers recognize as well.

When someone asks, "How much do you charge to address an envelope?" I respond with a price for lettering a simple script, in black ink on an envelope by Crane & Co., or equivalent, which is based on the time it takes to do the lettering, and I go on to add that a there is also a Set-Up Fee which helps defray the cost of other activities and supplies associated with addressing those envelopes.

Without further ado, here is my list....

                  
                       Click on the list to see a larger image.

Of course, there are additional charges for extra flourishing, lettering on difficult paper, mixing an "exact" ink colour, writing in gold or pastel inks, etc., etc., but again, all of these (and more) are based on the time it takes to do the work.

So, now you know!

Copperplate Calligraphy Class

This year began in a whirlwind! While my resolution to post more frequently was truly authentic, too many great projects got in the way, but I hope to rectify my neglect with the next few posts. ; )

March saw the end of a six-month Copperplate continued studies program in Murrieta, California. All I can say is how wonderful it was to have an opportunity to teach such a lovely group of wonderfully dedicated letter lovers.

Our first few classes began by going over the basic strokes and letterforms, with the rest of each day devoted to individual instruction from me and practice, practice practice. The following classes saw more one-on-one attention and much practice, with definite improvement seen along the way.

                    

                    

                    

Studio tips were offered throughout the time and included an opportunity to experiment with writing on black with gold and pastel colours, and writing using a phantom liner.

                    

                    

                    

Finally, we explored how to make subtle changes to the look of the lettering while keeping true to the Copperplate style, and each student made their own small book with the various examples to use as a reference. To round it all off, the last two sessions extended the class in order to do some flourishing work. Phew!

And last but not least .... a heaping huge note of THANKS to Dots n Doodles for kindly sending some great samples of wonderful products to the students!

                                  

What a great experience I had with my first extended studies class ... I certainly hope to have the occasion to do this again soon!

Valentine Calligraphy

Being one who works with calligraphy and design, pretty much day in and day out, one would think that I would produce the most gorgeous valentine for my love. However, I shamefully must admit that over the last few years I have been so busy that my wonderful husband has received a purchased card.

However, this year I broke out of the rut and made him a valentine! It is simple and sweet, so it was a surprise to realize that taking a photograph of three paper hearts suspended on golden thread is not as easy as I had imagined ... and I certainly didn't expect the drama involved of keeping still all those moving parts. ; )

So, whether you celebrate with your family, a loved one, or just do something loving for yourself, my wish is that you have a wonderful day!