Logo designed by Judith Lovell
NEWSLETTER ISSUE #47, MAY 2010 Front Cover Artist:
Laura Griffin
Back Cover Artist:
Lorraine Hoy
Titles Page Layout:
Lenore Le May
COPY DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE 14 September 2010
Microsoft Publisher
Printing Services:
Copycat Printing & Design
Regular Contributors:
Lorraine Hoy, Janet Peters, and Linda Yaychuck
Regular monthly meetings
Proof Reader: Editor:
Denise Rothney Charlotte Whiteley (250-245-5960) e-mail: chaw@shaw.ca
Warmland Calligraphers of the Cowichan Valley (the Guild) is a non-profit group formed to facilitate the exchange of information between calligraphers, and to promote interest in and appreciation of calligraphy as an art form within the community. Its membership is open to calligraphers at all levels of expertise as well as those with a love of beautiful writing.
are held on the second Tuesday of each month from 9am to 12:00pm (Except JULY and AUGUST) Island Savings Centre 2687 James Street Duncan, BC
Executive Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Eleanor Harris’ home from 9am to noon All members are welcome!
P.O. Box 2, Duncan, B C, V9L 3X1 Canada http://members.shaw.ca/warmlandcalligraphers
Contents of this newsletter are copyrighted by the authors/ artists. Requests for permission to reprint any part must be made through the Editor. The views of contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Guild. Members are invited to submit concise pieces for publication as well as to alert the Editors to conferences, papers, speeches and other matters of interest to our readers. The Editor reserves the right to make editorial changes in material accepted for publication. These include such revisions or additions as are necessary to ensure correctness of grammar and spelling, clarification of obscurities, brevity and conformity to the newsletter style.
2
Membership in Warmland Calligraphers includes three newsletters published in February, May and October. Annual dues are C$20 for Canadian residents and US $20 for US/International
Submitted by Marilyn Lundstrom A new year! Our fifteenth! Welcome! Uniquely, the Warmland Calligraphers Guild starts its year in April and by that meeting the dues have been collected and elections held. I am pleased to be President for the next two years, although I feel the responsibility of writing a message for each edition of our newsletter a little daunting. We have had two very productive, energetic, well-organized, steady-handed years with Marilyn Silver at the helm. Thankfully, she will continue on for a year as a guide for our new executive, a fact for which I am very grateful. Judy Dearman leaves her library books, magazines and keys to the very capable hands of Janet Peters as she takes up the post of Vice-President. To help with making plans for the programs at our Guild meetings, Denise Rothney has sent out an e-mail questionnaire.
We are asking for your input about what you would like to see covered during the coming Fall and Winter season. If you haven't yet responded to Denise, please do as she is waiting for your ideas. Eleanor Harris continues to count our money and host our executive meetings. Trish Peebles and Gwyneth Evans share the job of recording the minutes. Betty Locke and Marilyn Boechler will continue to keep us on our toes with a steady stream of varied, enriching and exciting workshops given by both international and local teachers. It looks like this will continue for the next year. We are very lucky to have so much talent close to home. At one point, we actually had three different classes starting the same Thursday. That said, we look forward to our May workshop with Georgia Deaver and the annual June potluck at Barbara Qualley's home. Barb will be directing her energies as our webmaster over the next two years. A number of our members are going to Red Deer to the ABC 2010 convention there. We look forward to hearing about that in September. Have a wonderful summer.
Submitted by Laura Griffin I used sumi ink (this is a black stick that you grind on a stone and then you add water to a consistency that you like to work with) on Fabriano Hot Pressed watercolour paper with a C3 Speedball nib. I chose the quote because I’ve been studying Edward Johnston’s book “Writing, Illuminating, And Lettering” borrowed from the Warmland Calligraphers’ library and because I thought his grandson, Andrew (who is making a presentation at our May meeting), would like it. I also chose it because I enjoy script based on circles and Roman Capitals.
3
Submitted by Lorraine Hoy We were fortunate enough to have a second card making workshop from Trish Peebles and Marilyn Silver. The course was composed of two three-hour morning classes on January 21st and 28th. We were divided into two groups to create cards, some done in stages and other simpler types completed in a session. The techniques included gilding with foil, fabric appliqué, stamping and origami to name a few. Marilyn and Trish are particularly organized. Each of us received a package of supplies and fact sheet for all seven cards (with accompanying envelopes) allowing us to easily replicate each card at home. We also had access to many wonderful inks, acrylic paints, Perfect Pearls, embellishments, stamps, fabrics and embossing pastes....it was like a candy store. Working as efficiently as possible we completed seven different cards.
Method: Center the cardboard on the material and glue down opposite corners and sides of the material to the back. Do this to both pieces. Decide which is your back cover and glue down the ribbon to the center of the card. Glue the 2 ¾” cardstock to each covered cardboard piece. In your finest calligraphic hand, write your message on the folded paper before gluing it on the covered squares. Tie the ribbon from back to front and you are finished. Be it a celebration or a condolence, there is nothing more lovely than receiving in the mail a hand-made card. They are truly little treasures.
One of the simpler card creations was called the “Accordion Card.” Here are the instructions, with thanks to both Marilyn and Trish. Supplies: Two - 3 inch cardboard squares Two- 4 inch sq. cotton material, ironed Glue or two sided tape Ribbon, about 16” long Two pieces of 2 ¾” square cardstock to go with the material A piece of lighter weight paper cut to 2 ¾”x16 ½”
Lorraine Hoy bonded fabric to card and embellished with tokens.
Card by Lorraine Hoy
Concept: Cut out a piece of paper, folding it back and forth on itself like an accordion and attach each end to the covered cardboard squares, hence the name, Accordion Card. The accordion is a 2 ¾”x16 ½”piece of paper folded to create six sections each section being 2 ¾”. Mark your paper as follows: At 2 ¾”, 5 ½”, 8 ¼”, 11”, 13 ¾” and 16 ½” from one side and then fold back and forth. 4
Lorraine Hoy creates this beautiful dragon card using a stencil and embossing with Dreamweaver Paste.
Charlotte Whiteley’s collection left to right: alcohol ink and stamp on acetate card, paper towel and Perfect Pearls card, accordion card, gilded card and tea bag fold card
Simple materials were used for some of these cards. The Dollar Giant was a source for medallions and paper covered wire. Scraps from the sewing box were salvaged for the fabric covered accordion card and remember: pieces of ribbon should never be discarded as they can be handy for small projects. Don’t forget about textures that are found in paper towels. The list goes on and on.
Elizabeth Moss created this card by bonding fabric to paper using Heat and Bond or similar products.
Editor’s Note: All these beautiful cards can be enhanced with calligraphic notes on liner pages inserted into the cards. The group enjoyed the class so much that future classes are planned.
Marilyn Silver instructs Bernice Sutton on the finishing touches for the acetate card.
5
Submitted by Charlotte Whiteley
Charlotte Whiteley attempts some variations.
The newsletter was distributed to the membership today. The new executive was presented to the group and we continued with the Italics workshop with Betty Locke. Today we explored "Other Strategies for Large Letters". This takes us another step forward in creating interesting pieces of calligraphy. We worked on the "swash" last month. It came to our attention that some letters like the C,G and O are not swash friendly. We ask ourselves: what to do? There are no real rules when it comes to capitals so this month we created letters with modifications to the swash and we tried changing the way we draw the letters to add interest. For example on the "O" we brought a vertical line down off-set to the left of center to about 3/4 of the height of the letter. It is hard to describe the exact process but these workshops are so valuable. Check out the Warmland Calligraphers website for Betty's exemplars on this topic.
Submitted by Charlotte Whiteley This month's Galleria topic was to create a calligraphic piece using coloured paper. Betty Locke critiqued this group of beautiful work.
Anne Berens used red Canson paper. The quote was written in Foundational hand and had special meaning to Anne’s husband.
6
Marilyn Lundstrom used Dr. Martin’s Bleed-proof White gouache on black Canson paper. She quoted Dr. Suess. The piece has a nice balance of dark and white spaces. The small writing on the side says “those who mind don’t matter - those who matter don’t mind.”
Trish Peebles wrote blue on blue. She tried blue ink and was not happy with the results so changed to blending watercolour. One suggestion to Trish was to vary the letter size and another was to start with a versal or decorated letter.
Joyce Gammie used gold gilding on green Canson paper. The additional text was written with walnut ink and Schmincke gold powder. Joyce added Gum Arabic to keep the ink from flaking. The dark paper is a challenge when using a pencil for layout and guidelines.
Charlotte Whiteley created a busy piece using Canson red paper backed with scrapbook flower paper. The calligraphy was done using white gouache. The heart was cut out showing the flowered background. Mistakes were covered up with sparkle pen. The copperplate hand was varied with little hearts. One suggestion was to reverse the hands used so the word imagination would stand out and the quote would be more effective.
Judy Dearman used black Canson paper with gold lettering. The art work was created using the splatter paint technique over a stencil after the calligraphy was done. Judy created her own version of this hand to give the verse an air of eastern mystery. She said she had fun with this piece.
7
Marilyn Boechler used brown cardstock with subtle artwork. Marilyn used a hand she learned at a Heather Lee workshop The lettering was done with white gouache. Suggestions were given to use a dark matt to help the artwork and the lettering pop, and to try Dr. Martin’s Bleedproof White.
Ida Marie Threadkell used handmade paper called Lotca from Salt Spring Island. Ida Marie said of herself “I’m either developing a style or repeating myself.” We like your style Ida Marie. One trick for cutting this type of paper is to wet the edge well and gently pull apart. The result is a raggedy edge.
Marilyn Silver used black Canson paper and white ink.
8
Denise Rothney created another stellar piece for the 50 word challenge. She used pencil crayon, chalk, pencil and dark blue acrylic ink textured light blue paper. This time her piece shows an uncoiling of time fashioned like the coil in a watch. The baby to elderly person show another way we see time passing.
the en Canson paper and Gwyneth Evans used gre . ink e blu is sot myo h Carolingian hand wit and der bor a bottom form The flowers along the ct. have a translucent effe
Betty Locke used a hand made paper with seeds and leaf bits embedded. This piece represents the second version of the long quote challenge issued at the beginning of September. The right justifying is clever and the versals allowed Betty to vary the letter heights and widths. The ampersand provides a quiet focal point.
9
Submitted by Judy Dearman Our annual Loft show was held February 6 to March 5, 2010 in the Loft Gallery at Valley Vines to Wines in Mill Bay. Nineteen Warmland Calligraphers contributed a total of 69 pieces, six of which were sold: three works by Betty Locke and one each by Marg Marshall, Barbara Qualley and Lenore Le May. Other contributors were: Marilyn Boechler, Judy Dearman, Joyce Gammy, Laura Griffin, Ria Lewis, Judy Lowood, Marilyn Lundstrom, Liz Moss, Denise Rothney, Marilyn Silver, Bernice Sutton, Ida Marie Threadkell, Pat Wheatley , Charlotte Whiteley and Linda Yaychuk.
One of Lenore Le May’s many contributions to the show.
A little peek at the inside the show.
We were lucky to have the Loft for our show and express our appreciation to Pat of Valley Wines to Wines for her unfailing helpfulness. Last but not least, thanks to all the volunteers for doing the many jobs a show requires. There were posters, labels, set up and take down as well as record keeping and coordinating. Many hands make work light.
Editors note: for the full collection from the show, go to the Warmland Calligraphers website and click on Exhibitions.
Decorated envelopes - 20 envelopes were submitted.
10
Submitted by Georgia Angelopoulos
The Greek Panels Project This work is a part of a project consisting of ten panels documenting Greek history and its contribution to Western civilization. They were commissioned by the Greek community in Victoria and will be displayed at their community centre and also be loaned to schools to enhance the history curricula. The objective of the project was to provide an interesting and hopefully arresting alternative to printed information that would prompt engagement with the subject – especially for youth.
Each panel is a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico (140 lb). I separated the texts into three columns with the largest in the center and peppered the pages with many illustrations to add visual interest. The main script is a modernized Cnut Charter hand and was written with Japanese stick ink and Schmincke calligraphy gouache. The illustrations are rendered with ground pigments mixed with Gum Arabic. The panels are linked visually by similar layouts, but each features a different colour scheme and type of gold.
Funding from an external source required that the project be completed in a year, so I had to jump in with a ‘do your best’ attitude! I had to research and write each of the texts which were then given to a Classics professor to check for accuracy.
Two years later…I have only completed four and am currently working on the fifth! I managed to convince the powers that be that one or two of these a year was enough exercise for any sane calligrapher! I am really excited about this educational application of calligraphy and illumination.
11
Submitted By Linda Yaychuk Workshop facilitated by Marilyn Boechler and Shirley Johnson. We began our day by making a hardcover book under the guidance of Marilyn. We tore a large sheet of Arches Text Wove (it takes both ink and water colour) into four signatures of four folded sheets. A signature is a group of folded papers which are sewn together to make the pages of a book. The top of each signature was marked with a T and numbered 1-4 so that when they were sewn together they would line up properly. We then made a template with measured holes that was used to mark the signatures that we then sewed together.
allow for the thickness of the cardboard and signatures. We mitred the corners of the leather at a 45 degree angle and glued the leather to the inside of the cardboard working the corners until they were smooth. Two pieces of twill tape were threaded through the signature stitches and glued to the covers. We then measured, cut and glued two sheets of decorated paper to the covers and front and back signature pages. The books were weighted down for about five minutes and voila, we had a beautiful leather hard covered book.
Dinah Cyr and Shirley Johnson with the finished project
Leather and fabric examples with stamping and acrylic painted designs
The cover was made by measuring and cutting a piece of leather. We then cut cardboard for the front and back cover and the spine. They were glued onto the leather leaving an outside border and spaces between the covers and spine to
Shirley then led us through the preparation of a soft covered book. After measuring and cutting the leather, we cut a smaller liner which was then glued to the wrong side of the leather.
Linda Yaychuk finishes sewing the signatures into her book
We then made a template of pre-measured holes. We used it to punch holes through the lining and leather using awls. The stitching was done with double thread that was waxed and knotted at the end. We sewed each signature to the Liz MacDonald struggling to sew through the thick leather
12
Example of the cradle used to punch holes through the signatures.
leather cover one at a time resulting in four long vertical threads in the middle of the outside spine and two horizontal threads at the top and bottom. Given time, we could have added beads as we sewed the vertical threads. We could also have added a clasp by sewing a narrow leather strip near the vertical front edge, and a horizontal strip to the back.
Eager students Gwyneth Evens and Lorraine Hoy await instruction.
The day passed too quickly. We were very pleased with the two lovely books we had made and looked forward to preparing them on our own. Here are some tips we were given: If your leather has patches of flaw marks you can hide them by stamping or painting designs over them. You can also sew smaller pieces of leather together to make larger pieces. I've seen wallets made this way using a zigzag stitch and they look very attractive. You can buy leather at Tandy's on Yates St. in Victoria or try the Thrift shops for leather clothes. "Yes" glue is recommended which you can purchase at Island Blue. Many thanks to Marilyn and Shirley for the time and work they put into preparing and presenting this workshop and sharing another new skill.
Lenore LeMay glues the liner pages into her book.
Buckles are one way to finish the ties.
Charlotte Whiteley’s book waiting to be assembled.
13
Submitted by Laura Griffin During the second half of our March general meeting, we were treated to a lesson in Chancery Italic script by Betty Locke whose philosophy is "every place is my desk". We might all aspire to emulate this philosophy.
The italic oval shape should be echoed in flourishes. Gadzooks! Thanks Betty. TIP: To flourish beautifully in any direction it may be necessary to rotate the page before completing the stroke.
With diligent practice we will flourish! She stresses that variety is important to keep the calligraphy interesting but that everything must relate.
Submitted by Muriel Heggie TOPIC: An alphabet which must be presented in the landscape (horizontal) format. Judith Lovell critiqued 16 pieces that were presented by members. She indicated she was looking for design elements together to make the piece interesting.
Pat Wheatley created an alphabet piece using various hands, a “Reflective� piece with gothic weighting. Judith liked the reflection and alphabet all around. As a formal presentation it required balancing.
Linda Yaychuk did her alphabet as colour in lines. Judith complimented the good play using size, colour and placement which draws the eye.
Denise Rothney created her ABC piece with formal lettering and an informal serpentine alphabet using embossing and debossing techniques.
14
Betty Locke's “Forest� piece was created using the ruling pen. She used the flexible pen (pointed pen) to do the lettering in the quote. She did the watercolour first and then the lettering. This was another piece Betty did for the many word challenge.
Marilyn Boechler told the group she was inspired while driving the Coquihalla highway. She assured us she was only thinking and not drawing. Each letter takes on the shape of the word that was inspired by the Alphabet and done in colourful drawings. It shows lots of fun, great colouring and the wave holds it all together. It was suggested that this piece would be great for a book as the design problem was quite well developed.
Marilyn Lundstrom did her alphabet in two lines. Good choice of paper and execution but the design needs some work. There was a question of ascenders and descenders and how they fitted in. Marilyn indicated she wanted to use the feature of colouring in the letters which made the piece very attractive. Judith suggested that our alphabet does not always have to be in order.
15
Marion Craig did 2 pieces – each the same using different backgrounds. One in “depressed” theme (shown), and one a “sunrise” theme. Judith suggested she let the alphabet (shapes of the letters) and the pastels do the work – perhaps drawing the letters using pastels.
Charlotte Whiteley lettered a musical-looking piece using the alphabet with pangrams lettered in the background. Using tracing paper to balance spacing would help to save time and effort.
Judith Lovell's piece was created by layering letters and colours with the alphabet drawn in red, blue and yellow lettering. Judith’s other Galleria piece was beautiful but Judith indicated that it will take a couple of months to complete the work. We look forward to seeing the final results.
Lenore Le May did a lovely piece using versals in an accordion book she titled Lombardic. The calligraphy moves gently throughout the piece using the hand-drawn ivy done in watercolours. She is working on other hands in a similar fashion.
16
Laura Griffin did a Chemainus village scene “Alphabetized” in black and white. A wonderful variety of shading which Laura had fun with.
Judy Dearman's "Unstrung Alphabet” was a delightful idea. She said it was lots of fun to do. Judith suggested tightening it up a bit but said it was a great use of beads in the piece.
Anne Atkinson, using recycled papers and a dry chisel point marker, gave us this interesting piece.
17
Submitted by Linda Yaychuk Betty Locke’s Italic Handwriting Workshop Italic handwriting is a form of the written word using Italic lettering. This writing does not use loops or require as much space as cursive. The bodies of the letters are high while the ascenders and descenders are shorter than formal Italics. Our workshop started with a quick review of standard Italic lettering. Betty then demonstrated how to make each letter in a handwritten format. Most of the letters are made with one stroke. At first it felt a bit uncomfortable moving from right to left with a C2 nib as we formed letters such as ‘a’ or ‘g’. Some letters like ‘d’, ‘e’ or ‘s’ still use two strokes. After mastering (yah, right!) the letter formations, we went on to discover how to join them. Letters ending with a serif (‘m’ ‘n’) naturally join onto the next. Letters such as ‘f’ and ‘t’ use their crossbars as a joiner. These should be crossed immediately in order to join properly to the next letter.
Those letters that finish at the left such as ‘g’ or ‘j’ do not lend themselves to joining since we don’t use loops as we do in cursive writing. The next step was to use a 1mm Brause nib. Most of us have become comfortable using nibs about the size of C2 and seldom employ smaller ones. At first we found it quite difficult to achieve the thick and thin lines required in Italic lettering, especially when writing on lines only 3mm apart. With help and encouragement from Betty and remembering her motto “ Practice, Practice, Practice”, we began to produce some pretty good looking work. Now if only we could get rid of those loops we keep wanting to add. Italic handwriting uses very little interlinear space, therefore it can be quite attractive when used as a background in a calligraphic piece or card or to fill in areas such as large letters. This is evident in the piece done by Betty Locke. This was another very informative and enjoyable workshop. I’m sure we’ll see this technique popping up in future Galleria pieces.
Editors Note: There were close to 40 participants in the two short half day workshops. Students were divided into morning and afternoon classes. Thank you Betty for giving up your whole day to conduct the workshops over the morning and the afternoon. Betty said the afternoon class caught on faster and we got to address envelopes. We used pencil or ballpoint pen to practice joining the letters together. Letters like the “r” and “o” are joined from the top of the letter. Letters like “g” and “y” are left in the standard italic ascender position. Calligraphers Credit not available for this work – Editor apologizes.
Finally we used a small pen nib such as the 1 mm Brause nib. Betty had us copying some very strange words.
18
Linda Yaychuk seems to be getting the hand of it.
Envelope addressing by afternoon class student Charlotte Whiteley
Afternoon student’s work. Again the strange words.
Betty Locke brought this card in for “show and tell.” She created it for a gentleman who was being presented with an award. She used the written italics to create the background on the card
19
Brigitte French Submitted by Janet Peters
Born on July 4, in Lichterfelde, a suburb of Berlin, Brigitte French proudly shared with me the fact that “she has made it thus far”. Sifting through highlights of her life will be a challenge because I do not want to miss anything in this article. I have decided to write about the present and then step back and work forward from her childhood days. A member of our guild since 2001, calligraphy has opened up a vast field of interests and knowledge for Brigitte and has taught her to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. Her poetry in Galleria pieces and Christmas cards has delighted us on many occasions, and she credits calligraphy as the instrument in unveiling her ability to write poems. In 2007 at the Cowichan Exhibition she took second place for her poem/calligraphic piece based on The Year of the Rooster. In that same year her poem Getting Older was published in a national publication. Since 1980 Brigitte has danced with the Duncan and Victoria International Folk Dancing groups. Of late she travels to Victoria “only when it’s fine weather.” She told me it’s her passion, she lives to dance, that she comes alive with the music and dance steps – and that she’s better with her feet than with her hands! Further, she still teaches a few dances. Apart from dancing, her main interest has been in movement and posture. (In her late teens she had wanted to study therapeutic gymnastics, but the Second World War broke out. Within no time people’s lives had changed, and the institute where she would have pursued her studies was demolished during a bombing attack.) In 1972 she developed terrible leg pains and after six years of research, discovered it was nothing but a calcium deficiency. This made her realize that she was responsible for her own health, and she began to educate herself by taking classes and workshops, including yoga and spiritual meditation. Two years ago she took yet another set of classes with a personal trainer and continues to exercise at home using weights for strength training as well as following a regimen of floor exercises. She loves to swim in the outdoor pool at her complex during the summer, and in the wintertime you will find her in the indoor pool in Duncan. Her bicycle is gone and walking shoes have filled that void, taking her on short walks. I need to mention that she still maintains her own house and small front and back 20
Her daily diet is also of serious interest. Brigitte loves to cook and bake, and mills her own grains. She grows vegetables and fruits, forages for fresh herbs, plants, and other “green stuff” that we would not look at twice to make delicious teas and seasonings, and is big time on dehydrating and freezing fresh produce for the winter months. If we spent an hour or two with her in her veggie garden or on a walk through the woods, we would learn much because of her devotion to the outdoors since childhood, and I will come back to that. She strives to make a small footprint on this earth by producing very little garbage, and pointed out that if everything we threw away were to be disposed of in our own yard, we would be more aware of what we are doing to our surroundings. She switched from a PC to a Mac in 2006 and she has managed to conquer that too! There have been a few lessons and every now and then calls to her techie, but she is “computer savvy” and was able to flip through various files in search of some photographs she wanted to show me. She is an inspiration to us all of what can be achieved at any age when there is the will to learn. When taking advantage of “time out,” she reaches for her books or switches on a favourite TV programme or “puts things in order on the computer.” She likes to make greeting cards for her friends, and tries to make time to practice with watercolours and pencil. Brigitte is also working on her memoirs. She loves to sing and has been a member of several choirs over the years; she currently sings with the Community Threshold Choir in Duncan. Her daughter Susanne (Susi) and grandchildren Reuben and Dora reside in the Vancouver area. She has been widowed since 1985. Now, how did she grow to be this remarkable individual? Let us spin the clock backwards and go to her hometown of Lichterfelde, which was still rural in parts with riding paths in a lot of streets and open fields. Brigitte was born into an upper middle-class family; she has one older brother to whom she has always been close. She loved to climb trees, get dirty, and to explore either alone or with her friend, and undoubtedly this is where she developed her love of the outdoors. Note: Climbing trees has its advantages as it diminishes the fear of heights! (She became roof fixer
extraordinaire during WW2 – it was nothing for her to climb on top of the two-storey house and do the repairs). Upon completing high school, her father arranged for her to work as an au pair to four children at a resort in Tirol, close to the German border, so she could be as far away from the bombings as possible. Due to a lack of patrons, the owner of the resort had to let Brigitte go, but helped in securing a job for her as a waitress. She laughed when she reminisced over carrying a huge tray holding 30 bowls of soup and having to kick the handle to open the restaurant door. At the end of the war she returned to Hamburg, and began working for her father as a typist. She was offered a promotion within the company but had to be trilingual. She signed up for French lessons, (as well as fencing), and later decided that the best way to improve her English was to obtain a visa and live in England. She found a job in a hostel in London and enrolled in English classes at Goldsmiths College in Central London. I like to include a little romance in my articles, and so bear with me while I tell you this story! Brig’s future husband was also attending the same college, and had followed her out onto the street. She had stopped to look at photographs being displayed in the foyer of a film theatre of a couple sword fencing. He politely asked her if she was interested in fencing, to which she replied, “I’m here to learn English” … and he said, “You need a boyfriend to learn English!” They were married in the mid-fifties and lived in London. She loved being a housewife, mother, and gardener, and had no desire to pursue a career. Her husband Vernon taught Math, Physics, and Biology at high-school level. Canada was recruiting immigrants towards the end of that decade, and they decided there would be a better life for them if they moved. Three locations were offered to them, and she chose Canal Flats in the East Kootenay Valley, inspired by her dream of being a “witch of the woods, where she could live in the forest, in a small house, with all the animals around her.” There were several moves to different schools in British Columbia, the final location being Coquitlam. During all of those years Brigitte developed gardens and enjoyed her life as a housewife and mother. “Brown Owl” was another hat she wore for three years while in Cranbrook. She wanted Susanne to join Brownies in order to learn new skills, and it proved fortuitous as she learned how to deal with more children than just one!
Vernon would take classes at UBC in the summers, and Brigitte would sign up for pottery classes; she was quite passionate about working with clay and had her own workshop, but eventually had to give it up. She also studied sewing and design, which led to fashion shows in West Vancouver, which she told me were very popular with the well-dressed crowd. To add to her achievements, she produced over 200 teddy bears after inheriting a barrel of fur remnants. By the way, she learned to knit when she was a young girl by being blackmailed (well, almost!) by her friend. Brigitte had to knit three rows, then the friend would let her ride her bicycle up and down the street. Those were the days when values were so very different. They attended the PNE in the early 1970s. An advertisement at a real estate booth promoting a time-share at the Shawnigan Lake Country Club caught their eye and they “bought in.” After several holidays on Vancouver Island they decided to make it their home. In 1976 they built a house in the Shawnigan Lake area, and once again Brigitte turned her mind and efforts to her garden and housewifery. She has always loved books, and undoubtedly it is because her parents’ home was filled to the rafters with reading material. This great interest drew her to the Shawnigan Volunteer Library where she worked for several years, two as president. She was also involved in the planning of the new Community Centre in Shawnigan, and later worked as a volunteer in the Baha'i School Library. Eventually it was prudent to move to Duncan, and I’m quite sure getting to guild meetings and classes with Betty on time was part of the equation too! I think we are just about at the point where I started this article—and still there are things I’d like to say about Brigitte. My admiration for her spunk and determination has never ceased since I asked her to do the back cover page of the Fall 2006 newsletter, and I would like to quote from page 26 of that issue: “Nothing was farther from my mind than doing the back page of our September Newsletter since I was just gearing up for my last trip to Berlin, where I was born, to see my brother once again. When Janet asked me, I refused, but she had already asked four people, and I felt if we all played dead the people who are doing all the work will get discouraged and where would we be then.” Thank you, Brigitte, for once again stepping up to the plate and agreeing to be a candidate for the newsletter’s 21
Submitted by Linda Yaychuk
NIBS Two popular names in nibs are Speedball and Brause. They come in two groups; POINTED which are flexible and EDGED which are rigid. SPEEDBALL NIBS Speedball edged nibs come in four groups labeled A-D. Within each group they are numbered 0-10 to distinguish the width of the nib. The smaller the number the wider or larger the nib. These nibs are held in a straight holder and have a fixed reservoir on the top of the nib. The reservoir can be lifted slightly to aid in cleaning. You can get a B nib that has an adjustable reservoir that flips up for cleaning. A Nibs have a square edge that is raised on an angle. It is used for creating block or Gothic letters and ornamental designs.
B Nibs have an angled round end and are used in monoline script, Gothic letters, borders and drawings. This pen nib works well when creating humorous or child-oriented pieces.
C Nibs have a straight flat edge which can be used at various angles to create a variety of thin and thick strokes. Hands such as Uncial, Italic and Rotunda use these nibs. They are also available for lefthanders and are labeled LC.
D Nibs have an angled oval end and are used like the B Nib. The oval creates a flat or rounded beginning and end to each stroke. The lines are of even thickness and are ideal for Roman or Italic shaped lettering or creating bold lines for Posters, etc.
BRAUSE NIBS Brause nibs are flat edged nibs which are identified by their widths. Ex. 3mm-3/4mm. Unlike Speedball, the smaller the number the smaller the size of the nib. The reservoirs on these nibs are adjustable so it is important to check your nib before using it to be sure the point of the reservoir is resting just below the end of the nib.
22
POINTED NIBS
TIPS
Pointed nibs come in a variety of sizes and degrees of flexibility. The reservoir is an opening near the end of the nib. Because of its small size it is necessary to refill more often than with flat nibs. Fine and heavy lines are achieved by applying pressure to the nib which separates at the end when pressed to allow more ink to flow through the nib. These nibs wear out faster than flat nibs because of metal fatigue so it is a good idea to keep a number on hand.
New pens come with a coating that needs to be removed before using. This can be done by washing it in baking soda and water or simply holding it in your mouth. Test to see if the ink adheres to the nib. Nibs and reservoirs need to be cleaned after each use. This can be done with water though a more thorough cleaning can be achieved using baking soda and water. Ask a calligrapher for other methods. Place a piece of sponge in an empty pill bottle and fill with cleaning fluid then dip your pen into it to clean. This is a convenient way to clean nibs if you’re not at home. Use a small soft brush to clean under the reservoir. Over time edged nibs may become dull making it difficult to achieve thin lines. Your nib can be sharpened by drawing it over fine sandpaper on a vertical angle.
These nibs are used in the Copperplate hand as well as for making ornamental designs and other fine work. A special nib holder is used to hold the Copperplate nib. It has a straight handle with an attached angled nib holder. There is also an elbowed nib that can be used with a regular nib holder. The nibs discussed above are only a few of the many used in calligraphic art. The folded pen, Parallel Pen and Qualley Quill are a few examples.
Nibs should be stored in a way that prevents damage. Large weekly pill dispensers or other containers with compartments are ideal. Place paper towel under the nibs to absorb the moisture from cleaning and label each compartment to better identify nibs. Nibs usually cost about $2.45 and can be found at art stores such as Island Blue or Monks in Victoria and the V.I.U. (Vancouver Island University) bookstore in Duncan. F.Y.I. There is a series of excellent short videos demonstrating the proper use of nibs when using hands such as Uncial or Italic on the Speedball website.
Submitted by Lorraine Hoy Metallic Leaf and Glue This is a remarkably simple exercise with more than satisfying results. You will need two things, a glue gun and metallic leaf. Your newsletter sample is a dot of glue on cardstock. Metallic leaf was pressed on just as the glue hardened. Rubbing the dot with silk and brushing the edges with a brush finished the piece. It’s that simple. From this experiment you can now develop all sorts of shapes and different sizes for cards or embellishments on journals or books that you have made. If you have never used metallic leaf before you will find it is like fairy wings, ready to fly off at any moment, but don’t despair, be patient and the results will be lovely.
23
Submitted by Anne McDonald How many times have we written a piece of wisdom only to think it was good but needed something more? Perhaps we could do some of the words in Gold or Art Work to embellish it? Well today’s program by Judith Lovell gave us the answer - FLOURISH! Judith showed how at the end of a word, a simple flourish on letters that meet the line, t, n, a , u etc., can give an elegant finish to a word . She reminded us to use our whole arm and be well above our work to give flow to the flourish, to vary the angle of
the pen and move the paper around. She suggested the use of a smaller size pen nib to flourish. For example when using a C2 nib to write, use a C3 nib to flourish. By using tracing paper on top of the work it allows us to judge if the flourish will enhance the letter. Judith showed how horizontal and diagonal flourishes gave importance and elegance to a capital letter and how vertical flourishes could be used to elongate a piece of work, if the white space allowed. She reminded us that less is more and to Practice, Practice, Practice.
Submitted by Lenore Le May
Laura Griffin: Silvery, flowing foundational. Laura got inspiration from Edward Johnston, as well. Betty said, "When we are Edward we are less free than when we are Judith Lovell: Her small framed Lombardic versal is beautifully done. Lovely fine brush work.
24
Editors Note: This Galleria was well represented. I think the membership really enjoyed doing the Versals. Many Calligraphers did more than one piece. Unfortunately we only have room to put one piece per member into the newsletter. I also want to add that Lenore Le May created 5 pieces and wrote this article just having got out of the hospital for emergency surgery. Well done! Maybe this is a new way of seeing Calligraphy - as therapy.
Judy Dearman: "Forms are luscious." Great job.
Ida Marie Threadkell: Betty was so glad that Ida Marie had dealt with the letter ‘I’ because it was is difficult letter. It turned out to be a T. (I think that T might have some of the same difficulties.) The design was very well done. The background was very appealing being a complimentary colour to the rest of the piece.
Marion Craig: Beautiful work. Marion gave the illusion of a frame around her piece with very gentle strokes of vertical and horizontal lines because she felt it seemed to be floating. A suggestion was made to use a Softer colour of pink.
25
Denise Rothney: Enjoyed the combo of shades of red & green, being complimentary colours. The vines and flowers were well done twining through the letter "A". A suggestion was made to make the word "Astonishing" taller. Betty Locke: Taken from Edward Johnston. Betty said that she tried to feel like this gentleman when doing her piece to change the style of her work. Betty used modernized drawn uncials. In one of Betty's pieces she drew the letters and then used a watercolour wash and painted up to and around the letters leaving them white.
Marilyn Boechler: Classic versals. Marilyn solved the problem of having the three letter ‘A’s in a row by having the vines going through the piece. Adding the tiniest bit of the colour yellow would bring sunshine into the piece. Betty commented that she was glad that Marilyn is willing to try new things.
26
Linda Yaychuk: "The whole piece is a great poster�. Linda used a template that she made and chalk for the background.
Trudy Kungold Ammann: Funky versals. Trudy went to Lisa Engelbrecht's "Modern Mark Making" for ideas. Betty mentioned that it is good to go to source material for inspiration. Nice use of small splashes of yellow. Very good design.
Pat Wheatley: Good graphics captured what was important in the piece.
Lenore Le May: In my capital "B" I used the book "The Illuminated Alphabet" by Timothy Noad and Patricia Seligman.
27
Janet Peters has just started to get her feet wet with Library duties so we gave her a break this month. I just want to mention a couple of things. There are always great reads and ‘how-to’ books in the Warmland Calligraphers Library. Check out the newsletters from other guilds and periodicals from art review magazines. Don’t forget to take some time after the meeting if time allows to check out a good book.
This brings me to another point of interest. We are currently looking for writers to submit book reviews from books they have recently read or borrowed from our Library. Maybe you have read a fascinating book recently and want to tell others about it. If you would like to become involved in this newsletter feature, please contact the librarian or the editor with your selections or if you want to find out more. We look forward to checking out new reviews and finding out what you recommend.
Submitted By June Maffin Greetings British Columbia Calligraphers in the Okanagan, Mainland and Vancouver Island. This is your invitation to join the online group called CBCO (Calligraphers of British Columbia Online). It started out as CVIO (Calligraphers of Vancouver Island Online) but interest from the two calligraphy groups on the Mainland (Alphabeas and West Coast) and learning about the Kelowna Calligraphy Guild resulted in a name change from (from CVIO to CBCO). CBCO is a cyberspace community for those interested in calligraphy and related arts. Whether you consider yourself to be a beginner, an elder, a professional, in-between calligrapher or involved/interested in the related calligraphic arts, this is the place to: • ask those calligraphy and calligraphic-related questions • share tips and resources • chat about tools and techniques • recommend/comment on calligraphy-related books • discuss calligraphic applications • publicize workshops/meetings/practice groups • post photos of your calligraphy pieces chat about "all things calligraphic" and more There are so many wonderful things happening in Alphabeas, Fairbank, Warmland, West Coast and the Kelowna Calligraphy Guild and CBCO is a fun way for us here in various parts of our beautiful British Columbia to 28
stay connected and ask/share/recommend/chat as above. Once you subscribe to CBCO, you'll receive copies of all posts that are sent to the group from that point forward. Anything that was posted before you subscribed, won't be sent to your inbox - and yes, there are a couple already there (including Sheila Waters and Gemma Black). To read those posts, go to the CBCO home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cbco/ FYI, you can read CBCO posts there instead of having them come into your inbox. Or, you can receive posts via Daily Digest. Subscription directions: 1. Send an email to: cbco-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (if you have a Yahoo Profile/ID) 2. If you don't have a Yahoo Profile/ID, go to Yahoo, create a profile (it's free) and then send an email to the above address. Sounds complicated - it's not. ;-) Hope to see you on CBCO! June Maffin
Executive of the Warmland Calligraphers of The Cowichan Valley, 2010-2011
Pictured left to right: Pat Wheatley, Charlotte Whiteley, Judy Dearman, Marilyn Boechler, Denise Rothney (standing), Marilyn Lundstrom (seated), Betty Locke, Eleanor Harris (seated), Barbara Qualley, Marilyn Silver, Janet Peters Missing from the photo are:Trish Peebles, Judy Lowood, and Gwyneth Evans
29
Submitted by Lorraine Hoy It’s all finished! It feels like I am on holidays now! Many thanks must go to my computer literate husband...otherwise I would be mailing the editor all the copies. There is nothing more satisfying than a warm homemade muffin, a cup of organic coffee and a friend to enjoy it with-in the welcoming Spring sun. Our newly hatched chicks are peeping in their living room box and the outside weeds spread rampantly as I copy and recopy my recipe. It is never quite good enough but an end to it must finally be made. Here is a delicious and healthy recipe, so have a friend over for coffee and a muffin to warm your day. P.S. I used an oblique pen holder and my nib is a Hunt, round pointed nib.
Down to the wire with deadlines and I am trying to summarize how it is going with the second newsletter of 2010 and the second solo performance for me. I learn something new about this program every time I sit down to the computer to work on the newsletter. Linda is doing a fabulous job coordinating writers for the articles and workshops as well as the tool time feature. Janet continues to conduct and write wonderful exposé articles of your fellow guild members. Lorraine has prepared and written the playtime article and made all the inserts. Well done! We are asking if you have a great little idea for this page to please be in contact with Lorraine Hoy. We are going to make this a regular feature. We are into the new year with a new executive at the helm. It looks like things are shaping up to be a busy and exciting year with in-house instructions at our meetings, upcoming workshops and reports from the members attending the Red Deer ABC conference. We will be expecting some displays and “show and tells”, that’s for sure. I feel very blessed to be part of the Warmland guild. The gift from the Island Magic mentoring fund is so appreciated and I will try to do you proud. 30
Remember to check your e-mail in-boxes for details on the June Potluck for the guild. Details are sure to follow soon. Please forward any ideas for articles and if you happen to have a great calligraphic experiences this summer and want to submit details to the newsletter, please do so before September 14, 2010. Last but not least, I would like to thank Lenore Le May for doing the headings for this edition of the newsletter. Lenore used a pointed pen variation. I appreciate her patience as I kept adding new headings as we went along. Hope everyone has a fun, joy filled, kind of summer. AND PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.
Logo designed by Judith Lovell
NEWSLETTER ISSUE #47, MAY 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
General Guild Information
3
President’s Message On Our Cover
4
Creative Cards
6
February Program and Galleria
10
Loft Show
11
Greek Panels
12
Bound Book Workshop
14
March Program and Galleria
18
Italic Handwriting
20
Exposé on Brigitte French
22
Tool Talk with Linda
23
Playtime with Lorraine
24
April Program and Galleria
28
From the Library Shelf News Bulletin
30
Back Cover Artist Editor’s Message
31
32