Easy Pencil Calligraphy

All pencil work except "City" as noted below, is artwork by Anne Rita Taylor, enhanced by filters.

Last Saturday I led a presentation at the Houston Calligraphy Guild with a few techniques from Amity Parks workshop at the Legacies II Calligraphy Conference in 2014, called Graphite Techniques. Graphite, otherwise known as pencil lead, is a mixture of carbon and clay, not lead.

The #2 pencil is considered 2B or an HB combination. A hard graphite results in a light grey - H for Hardness. Soft lead is darker, B for Blackness. 

My handout has the four techniques I demonstrated. We started with drawing shades with any pencil, from light to dark. This is called the VALUE of a color, so you learn how to vary your pressure while using a pencil.

Next was an exercise for a Cross Contour, that makes words pop and look three dimensional as you can see on my handout with the words JOY and PLAY.

Two tables were set up for hands-on play: one with graphite sticks. You can cover a large area with graphite, then use an eraser to write into it. A famous artwork using powdered graphite is “City” by Ed Ruscha, made in 1967, held in The Broad, a contemporary art museum in Los Angeles. 

The other table had water-soluble graphite sticks. Also cover a large area, then write with a paintbrush wet with water. Or use the graphite as watercolor where I wrote: Believe, with the quote above.

A big difference is graphite can be erased, but the water-soluble graphite cannot be erased as easily. Water-soluble graphite mixed with water is an ink wash, like painting with watercolor except it looks like pencil markings. Fun to spray water on a quote made with water soluble pencil, comes out like this:

All in all, I think 40 calligraphers enjoyed a few techniques I learned in Amity Parks workshop. And I can’t wait to take her next workshop in March when she comes to Houston to teach Mixed Media. What do you think about pencil calligraphy?

Varied my writing pressure using a #2 pencil, plus brushed on water soluble graphite.

©Anne Rita Taylor 2017

6 Ways to Get Published

I enjoy writing - I published 22 Zines (small magazines for family & friends) from 2000 to 2015, before starting my blog. 

Following are 6 ways I shared my writing in print, was paid for a few, and you can do it too!  

- Basics are listed at the bottom: how you can send your writing to magazines.

1. Submit to a major magazine

I submitted my article to several women’s magazines and received rejections. My husband noticed the celebrity magazine, The Star was having a series on ways to improve your life. 

My volunteering article had the same theme: Help Others, Help Yourself, about how you can learn doing many jobs by volunteering. I submitted, they edited, and paid me $300.

2. Submit to Trade Magazines also called industry newsletters or journals.

In 2001 I learned White Vine Letters, a type of calligraphy. Fast forward twelve years, I thought about writing an article to include historical facts. I asked the teacher I had in 2001, Karla Hamilton, she said to go for it. 

I added a short how-to and was accepted in the book arts and calligraphy trade journal, Bound & Lettered. I was paid $100 in supplies from John Neal Books, White Vine Letters, 2013.

RubberStampMadness is a rubber stamp trade magazine. For the article I wrote, Sculpting the Image, 1992 - I was paid $40. - how carving a rubber stamp compares to sculpting in clay.

3. Write instructions 

I wrote instructions for a class I taught July 2016 & made $300 for one session teaching people how to make this book. 

4. Write for Newsletters 

Association for the Calligraphic Arts - Newsletter, Artist Demonstration at The Getty Museum, 2004. Before I visited The Getty I checked the Event Calendar online and sent an RSVP to attend the demonstration.

For Ampersand, the journal for The Pacific Center for Book Arts, I wrote The Thrill of the Swap, 2008 about the joy of swapping my handmade books.

Also, for the Houston Calligraphy Guild's newsletter, Handscrit, I wrote Eraser Carving, about how carved rubber stamps can be used with calligraphy. I just re-submitted my article to another trade journal.

5. Write an anonymous article for a Public Relations Rep. I wrote an article about the Cinco Ranch Ladies Club Craft Group meeting that I led for The Cinco Spirit, Crafting in Katy, 2017.

6. Print your own magazine

I wrote Zines for family & friends, see my 3 blogs I wrote about publishing, writing & designing ZINES:

https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/10/publishing-zines.html

https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/11/writing-zines.html

https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/11/designing-zines.html

Basics:

Go to the Magazine’s web page to be sure what type of articles they print. After you found out if the magazine is right for your masterpiece, go to the About Us page where you will find the various Editors listed.

Writers Market, updated annually, is especially helpful. The 2018 edition sells for $25 from Amazon.

Please let me know if my suggestions helped you in any way!

©Anne Rita Taylor 2017

Calligraphy at The Marriott

Every two years the Houston Calligraphy Guild reserves classrooms in the Marriott Westchase offering discount rates for over-nighters. I last attended in 2011 when I taught Zine-Making - see my prior blogs about Zines:
https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/10/publishing-zines.html
https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/11/writing-zines.html
https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/11/designing-zines.html
I attended the HCG Retreat last weekend & really enjoyed myself.

There were 9 classes (2 & 1/2 hours each) to choose from. Forty HCG members each picked 3 classes. Saturday morning I chose Journal Contour Drawing with Shirl Riccetti: http://www.shirlriccetti.com 

Shirl exhibits her drawings & watercolor art at the Archway Gallery in Houston.

My quick portrait of Shirl Riccetti - left / Lobby sketching - right

Shirl liked timed drawings of 2 and 3 minutes! First we drew a chair copying from an upside down drawing from Van Gogh - I liked that! We practiced outlining and filling in while copying from magazine photos. 

I loved using one of my Paris photos for a timed journaling exercise. Finishing up, we actually went out to the lobby & sketched - fun & daring.

My Saturday afternoon class was Pointed Pen Uncials taught by Cindy Haller, a talented local calligrapher for hire:
http://www.houstoncalligraphyguild.org/blog/cindy-haller.html 

The class was modeled after Michael Kecseg who was bringing this historical letterform into the 20th century. 

Cindy’s class would have been better for me if my bottled ink had not exploded in my art supply bag - ugh! Cindy suggested I use a pencil first and go over it with a monoline tool (no thicks or thins). I will practice these letterforms since done correctly, they are very pretty.

On Sunday morning I took J.B. Banzon’s class, another talented local calligrapher. This was his first time teaching and he was excellent! Snowflake Flourishing was lots of fun with attention to detail. How long ago had I used this compass!?!

On Friday evening we dined at a lovely French restaurant, La Madeleine. During the weekend the Marriott provided two breakfast buffets with yummy crispy bacon, and a fine lunch and dinner on Saturday. The cookies that afternoon were a treat! Plus I actually had two good nights of sleep. 

Saturday night there was a raffle for calligraphy prints from a legacy left by Helen Shinpaugh, a most beloved HCG member. I was lucky enough to win the print above by Mark Van Stone.

All in all it was a fun weekend of making art and being with my calligraphy tribe.

©Anne Rita Taylor 2017

Cards for Christmas

Every December the Houston Calligraphy Guild has members exchange up to three Christmas cards that we can actually send to others. There is a numbering system at the meeting so you never know which cards you’ll receive.

My Xyron machine added adhesive to the back of the green paper. Double-sided tape works too.

Happy to say - my carved stamps make unique cards. See my carving instructions here: https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/01/carving-images-for-prints.html - I carved the deer, ornament, PEACE, Merry Christmas, the tree and small circle. The Earth stamp was from All Night Media - out of business from my Google search.

On my visit to Hobby Lobby last week I found Christmas stamps too. Here is the Christmas Ornament card with supplies used.

And I carved a Christmas tree with open circles for tree ornaments and the planet Earth.

Do you send Christmas cards - store-bought or home-made? Are you satisfied with sending a text!?! What Christmas cards, if any, are you sending this year?

©Anne Rita Taylor 2016

Journaling a Book of Hours

Personal journals are for lists, quotes, maps, art, appointments, perhaps prayers, and every day musings. In the 13th to 15th century a Book of Hours was a personally owned prayer book. 

The Contemporary Book of Hours workshop, through the Houston Calligraphy Guild, was taught by Carol Pallesen; she teaches at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. Carol's Foundational Calligraphy class starts October 18th.

From The Illuminated Page, Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting in the British Library by Janet Backhouse, 1998

Medieval Books of Hours were written in Latin and lavishly decorated. 

Current journals have many variations; I use mine for calligraphy practice and art journaling.

The leather covers are 8 x 16 inches. In the workshop we tore 3 sheets of Arches paper. Carol's handouts included resources, definitions, history, sewing cradle instructions & calligraphic page proportions. I highly recommend taking Carol’s worthwhile class.

We decorated paper using Pelikan Plaka paints (the colors come from Germany; black and white are available from Dick Blick). Easy to write over this paint with FW Acrylic ink.

I got carried away - what else is new!?! I decorated pages with a red leather cover from Carol. Recently I bought leather from Tandy Leather to make books using variations of the long stitch binding.

Shameless plug: Today I sell smaller versions on my Etsy site: www.ARTbooks.Etsy.com in different sizes, prices, & with doodads, mostly white pages. Custom orders on request!

Please let me know if you like this book style with wrap around covers. Reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!
©Anne Rita Taylor 2016

Art Day Techniques

I was thrilled when Carol invited me to an Art Day, explaining that we would show each other an art technique. All the participants were members of the Houston Calligraphy Guild.

Each person taught some form of art, bringing materials for the others. One day three of us made paste paper in Carol's garage.

We met on Saturdays every two months for several years. Carol was the hostess, her husband Cooper made delicious dumplings for us! We met all day. During the last year and a half we had the same five women participating. 

One Art Day I handed out cardboard boxes from Michaels. We collaged the top, bottom, sides and inside of the box which I learned from Teesha Moore in her Curious Little Box workshop in Spring, Texas.

Carol taught us fun background techniques using large salt crystals in wet watercolor paint and we made a book with our samples.

Then we used an embossing tool with brass sheets. We embossed over clip art, smeared with ink, and when dry - wiped with steel wool.

Fran taught us Contemporary Decorated Capitals, using Micron pens, Ziller inks and watercolor.

I love meeting with other artists for play days. Any Art Day fuels my passion for creativity! Do you make art by yourself or also with groups? I would love to hear from you.

©Anne Rita Taylor 2016