This week I had occasion to write out a poem in letters of nearly 1/2″ x-height. It had been a long time since I had written anything of any length with a 3mm-wide nib, so I began with my go-to practice page, the alphabetical list of related terms. The first page was of upright italic, and then I tried something with a good slanted. The final piece had a slant that was somewhere between these two, but these two sheets were a good starting point and a great warm-up. The post In calligraphy, practice approaches perfection, right? first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

I had a thoroughly good time at our state guild’s spring workshop last weekend. Suzie Beringer taught her “Once Upon A Circle” and was a fantastic experience. Helena’s local guild were wonderful hosts. Deb brought a slice of her store, Queen City Framing & Art Supplies, for our shopping pleasure and also hosted a dinner Saturday night. All in all, a beautiful weekend, and I’m grateful to have had to opportunity to be there. The post Lots of fun with Big Sky Scribes and Suzie Beringer first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

Watercolors, collage, Cocoiro brush pen, bookbinding thread on watercolor paper. 11 x 14 in. I’m having a good time with these new watercolors … and some sewing. At least a few parts of this page are interesting The post Letters and watercolor and collage, oh my! first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

Response to an online prompt: What are you listening to? Walnut ink on drawing paper. 5 x 10.5 inches. The post What I’m listening to in my studio this spring first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

I thought this was a Tolkien quotation, but found out as I was lettering it that it was said by the director of the movies. Still, others have said similar things. Gouache and pen. About 5″ square. The post A quotation with a green Celtic twist first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

26+ Alphabets in 4. Gouache and metal pens on paper. 4 x 4 in. I’m so pleased to have my work included in this year’s juried annual issue of the Letter Arts Review! My copies arrived in the mail today. In making this piece I found myself exploring many of the same design elements that quilters contend with: proportion, color, texture, direction. At just four inches square, this was an exercise in small writing. Each 1-inch quadrant contains a large letter made of white space, the remainder of the alphabet in medium-sized capitals, and a lot of smaller complete alphabets.  T ..read more

Gouache, Zig Cocoiro brush pen, ZIG Mangaka 01 pen on Canson XL watercolor paper. 6 x 9 in. I’m continuing to enjoy Akim lettering. I made these in preparation for next month’s local guild meeting. Even though I switched to a brush pen for the main lettering, I tried for a fairly monoline effect. I love doing Akim lettering with a brush pen. Gouache, ZIG Mangaka 01 pen on Canson XL watercolor paper. 6 x 9 in. Here I used the same palette as for the first one, but mixed neutrals. After I penciled in the box and did the main lettering, I went over the lettering inside the box with Pebeo masking ..read more

Studying Akim for our guild’s long-term project with monoline lettering. Here the lines are discrete, but the letter elements are stretched to maximize the graphic impact and slow down reading. Fine-line marker on Clairfontaine paper. About 4 x 6 in, as I recall. I’ve come across Akim script several times over the years, most usually because I return again and again to Hans-Joachim Burgert’s book The Calligraphic Line. This script is an approach as much as a hand, developed by Burgert. Until now, it has not drawn me in. But now I see it as a relaxation of the confines of lettering in favor of ..read more

Our local guild, Bridger Mountain Scribes, is now 8 months into a year-long project. We are each making a portfolio of 6″ x 9″ pieces featuring a variety of monoline lettering styles and watercolor decorations. My theme is “Questions.” And here’s my piece, which I may re-do, for month 6. (You can see 3 earlier months’ work here.) The post Layouts & monolines guild project first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more

The post Happy New Year! Ring out the old, ring in the new. first appeared on Painting Speech ..read more