Lenore Lemay Marilyn Boechler Charlotte Whiteley
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P.O. Box 2, Duncan, B C, V9L 3X1 Canada http://members.shaw.ca/warmlandcalligraphers
NEWSLETTER ISSUE #48, OCTOBER 2010
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Copycat Printing & Design
Regular Contributors:
Lorraine Hoy, Janet Peters, Betty Locke and Linda Yaychuk Denise Rothney
Proof Reader:
Charlotte Whiteley (250-245-5960) e-mail: chaw@shaw.ca
Editor:
Copy deadline for next newsletter submissions is January 11, 2011 Regular monthly meetings 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
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General Guild Information
Executive Meetings
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are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Eleanor Harris’ home from 9am to noon All members are welcome!
President’s Message Front Cover Artist Back Cover Artist
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May program - Andrew Johnston
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May Program May Galleria
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Georgia Deaver
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June Potluck and Meeting
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Play Time and Tool Talk
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Exposé on Judy Lowwod
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Judy Dearman Loved and Remembered
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September Program September Galleria
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ABC Reports: Luscious Layered Letters and Gestural Writing
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Bulletin Board
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Editor’s Message
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Library News
Membership in the Warmland Calligraphers guild includes three newsletters published in February, May and October. Annual membership dues are C$20 for Canadian residents and US $20 for US/International
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. 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 deemed necessary to ensure correctness of grammar and spelling, clarification of obscurities, brevity and conformity to the newsletter style.
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CONTENTS
Our new season has started off sadly with the news of the death of our Vice President and friend Judy Dearman. She was involved in many important aspects of our guild. I was extremely gratified to see how everyone rallied around to fill the void she has left. Thank you June Maffin for stepping in to help Pat Wheatley with the library and for the beautiful card you made for the guild to send to Judy's family. Thank you to Joyce Gammie and
Marilyn Boechler for taking over the organization of our February Loft show and sale. Thank you to Leslie Healey for stepping in and taking on the raffle from Anne McDonald. We have a very busy and exciting year ahead of us starting with pointed brush this month. In November we have Debbie Thompson Wilson. As well, Betty's Black Letter course starts at the end of October and Joan Merrell will present paper casting in January.
And all the while we have the Loft to think of and our Gallerias to do. So, there shouldn't be any idle hands in this guild. Marilyn Lundstrom
“Talk to us about your piece,” Betty always asks at galleria. I find that calligraphy in black and white sometimes does not copy well. I wanted the piece to be in soft grays so I used Paynes’s Grey watercolour. I felt the Roman Capitals are strong and bold in and of themselves. I don’t speak in a bold or strong voice. I like things soft and gentle; go with the flow. I am speaking through my art. Knowing my work would be reproduced I tried photocopying it several times to see the affects. I made changes and reduced it to get the “look” I wanted as a copy. V. Lenore LeMay
When I knew I was going to The Red Deer Conference I hoped I'd come home with a piece for the cover of our newsletter. My class with Yves Laterme was my inspiration. Facing a blank page is always challenge. Who would have thought a scribble would result in a piece on flowers. By covering many of the confusing lines a shape appeared and an idea blossomed.
After enlarging the chosen area and adding colour there was a possibility. The words came after many attempts at bouncing ideas around with Betty and Duncan. It is so much easier creating with motivating friends rather than talking to oneself. I hope to use Yves' approach with future pieces to help me overcome the intimidating white page.
Mediums used were Higgins ink, watercolour and letters in pencil. Marilyn Boechler
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Submitted by Judy Dearman The insider's look at Edward Johnston's personality by his grandson was especially amusing. For example, he was amazed that New York had trams while London was still using horse drawn carriages. Andrew shared with us some of Edward’s notebooks, sketches and calligraphic works. These dated from both his time on Salt Spring Island and in later years when he returned to London. He continued teaching calligraphy and raising a family. Edward Johnston never crossed the Atlantic again, but many of his students and his students' students, Andrew Johnston, the grandson of the famous calligrapher Edward Johnston, was the guest speaker at the guild’s May meeting. Andrew was introduced by Gillian Mouat. Andrew opened with a Power point presentation. He explained that he and his wife Angela were tracing the path of his grandfather who had spent the summer months of 1898 on Salt Spring Island. It was established that Edward had travelled from New York, crossed the United States by train to Seattle, then up to Victoria and finally to Salt Spring Island, where he and his cousin set up camp, complete with a Klondike stove. Fondly remembering this as "the time I felt the most alive,” Edward bemoaned having to abandon said Klondike stove at the end of their stay. Andrew had hoped to find the rusted ruins, but alas, 110 odd years have brought changes to the landscape and even the exact site of the camp could not be established. The presentation, with historical pictures of New York and other cities and sites across America, gave a very interesting perspective of that time in history. It was a time of the Klondike Gold Rush and the Spanish American War was front page news.
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emigrated to North America and enriched our calligraphic experience on many levels. For a more detailed look at this man, you can purchase the book Edward Johnston by his daughter Priscilla Johnston and Edward Johnston, Lettering as Life published by the Ditchling Museum, 2007 ISBN 0-9516224-8-x. His own book, Writing, Illuminating and Lettering is in our library and is a great source of both technical information and a glimpse of the man himself and his extraordinary work ethic, his focus on the art and the craft of calligraphy.
And Then There Were Three, by Charlotte Whiteley and friends
Marilyn Lundstrom’s piece was 90 words. Her challenge was to make that many words look good and not have any spelling mistakes. Her favourite and the guild concurred, was the first piece shown on the left. Her second piece was the one using the “not one” statement to highlight the verses. The third uses the first three verses to create a border. Each piece is very interesting and unique.
Trudy Kungold Ammann shared with us that her favourite piece was the one on the far right. She already has plans to expand the piece to five feet wide. This one was produced on a practice paper. The message in the “graffiti Piece” is separated out into groupings rather than linear text. The guild also chose this piece as the first choice. Her other pieces were done in a Copperplate hand and an Italic hand.
Laura Griffin said she enjoyed the exercise. Her favourite was the centre piece where she centered the text in the middle third of the paper. The popular vote was for the first one shown on the left.
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Denise Rothney was a very busy girl. Her 50 word piece is a poem she wrote that depicts various ways we measure time passing. Her journey started with the coil piece-man’s cycle of life with the coil reflecting a clock’s coil. Each piece in this collection is very different. The consensus was the dark blue background with the word “tick, Tick, Tick” was the crowd favourite and Denise tells us it was the one she liked too!
Pat Wheatley wrote her poem as a tribute to a place in Northern Ontario where they liked to visit when they first arrived in Canada. The huge spaces of wilderness were like magic. Pat created the artwork in various ways. She favours the piece shown in the bottom left corner as she said it was less obtrusive and gave a feeling of space and limitless time. The guild voted and their favourite was the “Gwen Weaver” style hand shown above on the right. All pieces represent a lot of effort and time to produce.
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Judith Lovell dazzled us with three variations of the Aurora Borealis using chalk, pastels, watercolour and acrylics. She really enjoyed doing the backgrounds and found workable fixatives such as Krylon Matte™ were great. The guild enjoyed the piece to the left with the dancing text. Editors note again. The essence in the upper left layout is captured despite the poor quality of the photo. Apologies to Judith.
Ria Lewis used a Latin Curse that she had come across in an Uncial workshop a couple of years ago. The quote enjoys a little black humour. The consensus of the guild was the decorated capital on the right as their favourite. Ria agreed but she said she did enjoy creating the Raven piece.
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Betty’s choice
Guild’s choice
Betty Locke produced a different layout using her chosen quote for every galleria proposed this year. (not all have been shown) Betty had a soft spot for the daisy chain border piece. The guild voted and were equally impressed with the embossed piece with the tree as the focal point. All of her pieces used different papers, various tools to produce, different strengths and mediums in their development and production. Well Done Betty!
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Marion Craig showcased her pieces as part of the April Galleria. She was partial to the piece to the left but the guild really enjoyed the lamb piece.
to circulate around the room and put happy face stickers beside the artwork that spoke to them. So what did you think? Our May galleria featured a display of three or more calligraphic pieces that used the same quote of approximately 50 words and was done in the style set out for the gallerias throughout the year. Most of these pieces have been showcased in earlier newsletters. Guild members were given some time
The calligraphers/artists were then asked to speak about their pieces, say which one they liked best, a bit about the process and if they enjoyed the exercise. This was a very interesting Galleria. It represented a lot of hard work and the creative juices were flowing. There were 9 participants. These pages are
meant to show the layout and essence of each piece by comparing them to the others in the series. The details may not be as crisp as we would like to have here but if you look beyond the details and see the pieces in comparison, I think you will agree the effect is well represented. Most of the calligraphers said they enjoyed the exercise and they would do it again. Thank you Betty Locke for your fine critique on this galleria. It was a pretty intense meeting.
A marble-cutter, inscribing the words,– ’Lord, she was thine’ upon a tombstone, found that he had not figured his spaces correctly and he reached the end of the stone one letter short. The epitaph therefore read:
‘Lord, she was thin.’ – Frederic William Unger, Epitaphs, Thank you goes out to Anne Atkinson for this little beauty.
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joyful
Day 1 May 18 2010 Submitted By Pat Wheatley Twenty enthusiastic calligraphers assembled for the first day of Georgia Deaver’s Design Workshop which began with a film. Principles such as The Golden Triangle, the Rule of Thirds, the Nautilus Shell, harmony and contrast, balance, and proportion were demonstrated in the calligraphic work shown on screen. Much of the art was created by names we recognized. Design rules and options were discussed: do more with less; use of negative space; colour for purpose; movement; and “using the eye.” Before any brush work began there was a brief talk on buying and the care of brushes. Always test a brush before buying, no two are alike, and brushes should be of animal hair. Winsor and Newton Series 7 was deemed “best buy.” When cleaning, use natural oil base soap. A hand-out on the subject was later distributed. Design can be learned! Using four different shapes of black
frenzy energetic
paper we took a specified number of each and on a layout pad created moods by just placing the black on the white background. The words calm, lonely, joyful, energetic, frenzy, and frustration were given for us to work with. As each mood was portrayed the class circulated and discussed
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Lonely
What do you think?
which had worked well and why. As the session progressed people became more creative, manipulating the black paper for greater effect. It was emphasized that there was no correct design, but some may be more evocative than others. Interpretation can be very personal. The class then proceeded to cover sheets of newspaper with random brush strokes of any colour, making material to work with later in the workshop. After using newspaper, the same was done with layout and better quality paper. At this point, time had run out on us and we had to lay down our brushes. Georgia is great to take a class from being unhurried and clearly loving passing on her expertise. It was great to be able to leave our supplies and art work overnight, especially as there were some large pieces of paper that were very "splodgy.”
Day 2 May 19 2010 Submitted By June Maffin The magic and fun continued on Day Two of Georgia Deaver’s Design Workshop. The watercolour paint, gouache, pen and ink markings we’d splashed, dabbed, dotted, dribbled and gently laid on watercolour paper the day before, were now dry and about to become “art!” Working in groups of 3-4, workshop participants put one of their creations on the wall and one at a time, framed portions of their work moving vertically, horizontally, diagonally, selecting snippets, narrow or large pieces within the work. Turning the piece in each of the four directions, the ‘new work’ began to evolve as group members gave feedback on what would work well with calligraphic renderings. Suggestions about text, calligraphic hand, text placement, mat colour and embellishment possibilities came forward from group members when tracing paper was placed over the selected framed area. Georgia’s reminders that “other people’s ideas are valuable” and “every mark changes the space” were reinforced by the results. Ooohs and aaahs of delight filled the room as we walked around and looked at the original markings we’d done on day one which
Same art piece Allthree threeways. are matted from the same piece, just framed different
were now covered with tracing paper and notations about calligraphy location. Magic – simply magic! Art – innovative, creative, unique beginnings! Next - change of focus and on to the next task. Working in small groups again, the task was either to design a cover for a particular book or to create a broadside for one of two quotes Georgia provided. As we brainstormed ideas for a wine label for a winery called Devil’s Canyon, images and evocative emotions became
important elements in creating thumbnail sketches of possible lay-outs. And “art” resulted – again! Final project of the workshop highlighted the importance of using both harmony and contrast in completed projects. A folded piece of lay-out paper became our canvas. One half was to be covered completely using watercolours, paint, ink, pastels, newspaper articles:ads, words, phrases. The other side was to be harmonized thematically using colours, cont’d
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proportion. This side was represented using minimal content. It’s clear that for Warmland Guild members, if a great workshop is offered, “they will come!” Thanks, Betty Locke and Marilyn Boechler for organizing this workshop and inviting Georgia. And thanks to Georgia Deaver, it was a fun-filled two days packed with much learning for all levels of designers! Indeed, this was another great workshop by yet another skilled, creative and excellent teacher. May our workshop coordinators continue to offer such great workshops … for if they offer it … “we will come!” In this photo the group is working together using the concepts given to us by Georgia to apply the elements and principals of design.
This group used the tissue paper over the provided photo and added the text to create a book cover.
This group created a water mark with ink on watercolour paper and placed the tissue paper over top. They then played with the placement of the poem
Here tissue paper is added and the essence of text written to test placement for overall composition.
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These are examples of our final project. Pretty impressive for old newsprint with watercolour and ink “splotches” and some text added!
Barbara Qualley adds: “After a frustrating 40 minutes, we got the projector and laptop working in harmony and I was then able to relax and view Georgia’s presentation. In one segment she talked about the Golden Mean, also known as the Fibonacci Number and Golden Ratio. I wrote about it briefly in our February 2009 newsletter, page 10.” Learn more at: http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/goldenRatio.html It is indeed the basis of good lettering and photography. It explains why we “like” certain things visually.
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Luncheon Meeting Submitted By Linda Yaychuk
purchased, picked up and distributed the Arches Text Wove paper which was no small job. The meeting was attended by about thirty-five members so you can imagine the selection of fabulous food. Of course it could not have been so successful without the many hours of work Barbara spent preparing for the occasion. Three cheers for you Barb. Thank you.
As usual the sun shone brightly on Barbara Qualley’s home in Maple Bay to create the perfect setting for our end of the year meeting and luncheon. During the meeting we discussed possible programs for the upcoming year. These included Black Letter taught by Betty Locke, Layout and Design and a repeat of Marilyn Silver and Trish Peeble’s popular card making workshop. Studies of various hands such as Uncial and Foundation have also been considered and may be presented through kitchen or tabletop workshops.
Marilyn distributed copies of the subjects for upcoming Gallerias which were applauded. It was suggested that we have a lesson on the pointed brush in preparation for January’s topic.
Charlotte made a presentation of a card and candled cupcake to Brigitte French in celebration of her 85th birthday on July 1st.
Our thanks go to Eleanor Harris, Janet Peters and Betty Locke who
Happy Birthday Girl! Now you know when Brigitte was born. Editors Note: Be sure to check out the Warmland Calligraphers website for recipes.
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Your own little pocket envelope Play Time By Lorraine Hoy (with thanks to C. Moote) 1. Cut a paper 6" square and fold in half to form a triangular shape. 2. Fold the triangle in half by bringing the top tip to the bottom edge. Leave the back half of the triangle untouched. 3. Divide the bottom of the triangle into thirds (using your eye) and then fold the right corner over by 1/3. 4. Fold the left corner to the right.
5. Pull the tip on the bottom left up to the centre and flatten it to form a small pocket in the middle. 6. Score a line through all the layers just above the triangle of the wrong side paper. 7. Fold on the line, placing the envelope point into the little pocket in the front.
There, you’ve done it, hopefully. By using the sample as a guide the instructions will be easier to understand. A little calligraphic note inserted into the envelope has a satisfying effect. Use any paper; magazines, wrapping paper, maps and make any size….. it’s just a fun little thing to do.
fed to the nib from a cartridge eliminating the need for repeated dipping or loading with a brush.
refill them with ink using a syringe. Also, they work best on high brightness paper such as ink jet which I believe is cheaper than cold or hot press paper. Check out more on line.
By using two pens you can use one to make your ink flow from one colour to another. This is done using a different coloured cartridge in each pen. Hold one pen upright and the other one down touching the tips. Hold for a few seconds to transfer colour and then write with the upright pen. Repeat as needed. Watercolour paint can be brushed on to the nib to create the same effect.
Tool Talk with Linda Yaychuk Pilot Parallel Pens are used in the same way we use our calligraphy pens with a Speedball “C” nib. They require a light touch and grip and are easy to swivel into the corners for fine lines and flourishes. The nibs of Parallel Pens consist of two parallel plates with indentations across the ends. The ink is
Book reference: Parallel Pen Wizardry by Brenda Broadbent.
The pens come in four sizes: 1.5 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.8 mm and 6.0 mm with corresponding cap colours for easy identification. Each pen comes in a kit with two cartridges, a converter, a plastic piece for cleaning between the plates and a detailed set of illustrated instructions. Cartridges come in boxes of six of the same colour and a variety colour pack of twelve. Here’s the cruncher. The pens can be purchased for the low, low price of $16.98 each at Island Blue. There are a couple advantages to the Parallel Pen besides its convenience. Once the cartridges are empty you can
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order that he could continue to be his own boss. Their only means of access to Maple Bay was by boat, and her father secured permission from a local landowner to build a garage for their vehicle close to the marina.
How many of our guild members can brag about being born at Victoria’s Jubilee Hospital and living their life to this point as an Islander? There will be other titbits in this piece about Judy, Warmland’s membership person, and by the end of this article you will be well acquainted with her. I could write in chronological order, but the “romance” bit keeps surfacing and obviously is important; namely, Judy married her yacht club sweetheart eight days after graduating Cowichan High School. She told me her poor mom had to make not only a grad dress but also a wedding gown and on July 8, 2011 they will celebrate their 50th! Their son Dean was born the following year, and daughter Kim three years later. Her father was a designer, cabinetmaker, boat builder. She said he could build anything. Her mother had worked for the Singer Sewing Machine Company prior to her marriage, but in the early ‘40s it was a given you had to quit your job once married. There were two children of the marriage, a younger sister to Judy. They resided in Victoria and Judy attended Craigflower School for Grade 1. In 1948-’49 they moved on to 23 acres in the Maple Bay area, across and slightly down the bay from Cove Yachts. If you Google this business you will get a sense of the area during that time, in that there were no roads and no electricity. Her father built their house, a cabin, and then a large workshop in
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Grades 2 and 3 were by correspondence because of the logistics of travelling at such an early age, but by Grade 4 Judy attended Duncan Elementary School. She would be ferried across the bay, walk a mile to Maple Bay to catch the bus into Duncan; for the return trip her father would be there to ferry her home. Maple Bay in the early '50s was a holiday resort area and folk would rent cabins for their summer vacations from as near as Duncan. Wintertime was a different story, and the two girls had their time filled with school and homework – and chores! Judy told me how she’d cry all the way up the hill to the workshop where she and her sister would have to load up wood from the woodpile, and then haul it downhill to a chute on the side of their house, but they had to do it. Their living situation was akin to pioneer times with no electricity, but they survived, and survived well. In 1954/’55 they moved to a home in Maple Bay for the winters and then back to Hidden Cove for the summers. Living close to the water, it’s only natural that Judy became a member of the Maple Bay Yacht Club in her early teens, and she would love to crew when the opportunity presented itself at the races on a Sunday. There were many regattas and people from all over would attend. It was not unusual to see 200 boats in the waters around Maple Bay. She worked a summer job in the store at the marina for two or three years, and other than that she said, “I just had a good time,” which included camping, swimming, boating, fishing, playing on the beach, and enjoying the company of friends at their home in Hidden Cove.
In 1978 Judy and her family moved from their home on Gibbins Road to a house her father had built in Maple Bay when she was in her mid-teens. She reminisced that at one point they had known everybody in the area, but not anymore! Recently, after 32 years, they decided to downsize and move into a home with no stairs, and are now comfortably settled in a lovely rancher in Chemainus.
Marigolds with Granny, Judy Rodd 1950
After her children were in school, she worked a part-time job at Woolworths in the “Smoke Shop,” but not for long. An acquaintance from the yacht club, who was the head nurse at Public Health in Duncan, happened to see Judy behind the counter (selling smokes), and was surprised to learn she wanted to work. She asked Judy if she would be interested in working at the Health Unit (obviously a healthier workplace), and it wasn’t long before Judy was in charge of looking after supplies for the nurses, ordering vaccines for immunizations, setting up adult and baby clinics, making posters, and a host of other responsibilities at the Margaret Moss Clinic in Duncan. Approximately a year later, in 1975, Judy worked two part-time jobs: one for Public Health,
and one for Home Nursing Care. Once again she was responsible for ensuring that the necessary supplies were on hand as well as sterilization of equipment, making up dressing trays, and setting up their nursing bags. After a few years the Public Health nurses needed a full-time nursing aid, so Judy gave up Home Nursing Care and continued with Public Health. After training in vision and hearing screening technology, she became responsible for screening children who were four years old, and in Kindergarten and Grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. The school screening was done at the beginning of each school year in conjunction with the regular duties of her job. It was a very busy time of year, but she loved it. In 2002, after 28 years of service, she decided to retire.
oil painting-with granny’s help, of course.) Her mother and aunt also gave encouragement and guidance to Judy all through the years. Following the Art 101 class, she joined the Chemainus Sketch Group: her first class was with Cim Macdonald, and also the Cherry Point Artists group. For a number of years she practiced her drawing skills most every day, knowing it was the pre-requisite to being able to paint. Armed with her camera, she captured her subjects, then sketched before considering colour and composition. Sometimes it would take four attempts before she was satisfied with her finished piece. Her pictures mostly depicted seascapes and marine scenes; one would not expect anything else considering her love of the ocean and beach life that surrounded her almost from the day she was born.
In the period when Judy was working for Public Health, her children had graduated from school and had left home for greener pastures. So, in 1984, she decided to take a drawing class and enrolled in a day class, Art 101, at Malaspina College now VIU. This was not her first exposure to art. In fact, during her childhood years both she and her sister were coached by their paternal grandmother May Lyster Rodd, an accomplished artist not only in oils but also in fine intricate needlework. Her grandmother (a neighbour of Emily Carr), would visit during the summer months and conduct “classes,” teaching her two pupils to pay attention to minute artistic detail. Shown is a picture of Granny giving art classes at the home in Maple Bay; Judy is on the right. (The piece on the previous page is Judy’s first completed
In 1991 she was commissioned to paint the Maple Bay Yacht Club, and in June of that year 250 limited edition copies and cards were printed. Another commission was undertaken in 1992 for Fletcher Challenge, now Catalyst Pulp Mill, this piece entitled “The Gulf Islander.” The following is an excerpt of an introduction to Judy’s work that was on display during an exhibition of her work in October 1993 at the Theatre Gallery of the Cowichan Community Centre: “ ... Her love of life on and near the sea is often reflected in her paintings. Judy has had 2 successful shows and has done 2 commissioned limited edition lithography prints. Her paintings have been accepted in juried shows and she has won several
awards. She has received Fine Arts credits in Advanced Watercolour and Drawing courses at Malaspina College. Some of the artists she has studied under are Gordon Smith of the Emily Carr School of Art, Frank Webb of Trillium Workshops, Harry and Carin Heine, Nancy O’Toole and Cim Macdonald.”
She also had a successful exhibition with Ivan Fraser at the Auld Kirk Gallery in Shawnigan Lake. In 1993, Shaw Cable interviewed Judy for a TV short-segment show documenting her work as an artist where she demonstrated her techniques of layering water-colours to build depth to her pieces. I was honoured to be shown this video – and very impressed! Judy’s hobbies include sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery and last, but not least, the art of calligraphy. She joined the guild in 2006 and has been a very active member, taking as many classes as she possibly can. Her art and sewing room in her new home is well organized, as are the guild membership records. Thank you, Judy, for sharing.
(Permission kindly granted by Cowichan News-Leader Pictorial to reproduce photograph by Peter Rusland.)
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Members of the guild share their memories….
deliver) art work and materials for me. I shall miss her very much. Lucy Hylkema
Judy joined Warmland Calligraphers of the Cowichan Valley in November, 2004 and in that short period touched many lives. Judy has been in so many of my classes, I can hardly remember one she missed. I will miss her diligence, her imagination, her humour, her ability to see the good in the work of others and her presence. She was quiet, thoughtful and thorough. For several years she looked after the housing and sale of calligraphy pads for the guild. As librarian she enjoyed her access to the books and used them well. I remember with delight her huge smile when I handed her the pile of new books acquired at ABC Alberta from John Neal. I can just picture her devouring them, her mind racing with inspirations from them. What saddens me most is we will not have her in the role she of teacher in Elder College. Her first class in Italic went very well and through her efforts, the guild acquired members. I remember that six week period vividly when Judy would come to my house to discuss her preparations before class. We would talk about what was expected and how to manage it, sometimes doing lettering. She was innovative and most open to suggestion to make the class her own. I was proud of her and what she had accomplished and for the fact that she had the "teaching bug" and wanted to continue to do it. Her enthusiasm was what is needed for good learning to occur. How thankful I am for those hours of one on one and for knowing this wonderful person. Betty Locke
I will always remember Judy for her warm smile, infectious laugh, and willingness to help others. She was a beautiful calligrapher and a beautiful person. Judy was that special person who could light up your day, by the sparkle in her eyes and generous attitude to life that she generated She will always be remembered and be with us always. Bernice Sutton
Anne Atkinson
Judy was a great asset at Island Magic. She was in charge of Transportation and coordinated buses to pick up registrants at either the Victoria Airport or the Swartz Bay Ferry, and at the end of the week, made sure that every one was on an appropriate return bus to make their flight time homeward. Judy didn’t have a computer, but had no difficulty working the ‘old-fashioned’ way with pencil and paper. Judy (and John) did a great job! I only met Judy a few times but I will always remember how nice it was to be with Judy, full of fun and laughter. Lorraine Douglas
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Calligraphy. It seemed she wasn't afraid to tackle anything. She tried so many different techniques and ways of putting a piece together and they were always amazing. I learned a lot from her and will miss her very much. Judy Lowood This is one of those instances when I wish that Lucy's Expose article had been a full two pages. Judy led such an interesting life. I am still in shock that she is not with us. One of my memories is when she brought a dozen or so Brugmansia or Angel Trumpets plants to one of the guild meetings several years ago. Mine grew so big, bold and beautiful Judy wrote out the care and instructions for everyone in her own handwriting. My sympathy goes to Judy's husband John and family.
Barbara Qualley
Judy was always generous with her time, and her enthusiasm was contagious. I was lucky to attend some calligraphy classes and conferences with her. She could always make me laugh while at the same time creating some incredible work of art. There are more times than I can count where she 'had my back' and would collect (and
AND REMEMB
Marilyn Silver
In Judy I found a soul mate. So many of the things we loved doing we did together and I will miss her more than I can say. Pat Wheatley
I will always cherish Judy's wonderful sense of humour and her gutsy approach to
and I remember her work reflecting her sunny disposition. I will miss her. Ria Lewis
Judy played a big part in making me feel welcome as a new member to the Guild. I was also fortunate to be able to attend her spring class where she shared her talents.
BERED 1941-2010
Marg Marshall
Judy was a gifted calligrapher and, without realizing it, a good teacher. I took her Beginners’ course last year, and perceived her as being intuitive and encouraging. Gaye Toews
Although I have only been a member of the guild for a couple of years, I really enjoyed getting to know Judy. She always was so upbeat and had a smile for everyone. I appreciated her artistry
Judy was so enthusiastic about everything calligraphic and was someone on whom I could always call if help was needed including being our vice-president. Very bright, very learned and will be very much missed. Marilyn Lundstrom
I got to know Judy last winter when I took a course in Italic from her. It was a first for both of us. She was a very positive and encouraging teacher who made everyone feel good about their progress. She was a gentle critic! She will be truly missed. Jane Taylor
Judy always had a warm smile and encouraging words for my efforts. I will miss that. Pauline Thompson I had only known Judy for several years but in that time I grew to love her exceptional talents, her gentle caring and her friendly manner. Her teaching was inspirational. I am honoured to have some of her calligraphy grace my front hall. Good-bye for now Judy. Judy Miller Unfortunately, I didn’t know Judy, but certainly wish that I had had the opportunity to know her! Eloise Kirchgatter
True to her name she truly was a "dear.” Liz MacDonald
Judy so inspired and impressed me with her vast range of creative calligraphic interpretations, her artistic intuition, her productivity, her candour in critiquing her work, her enthusiasm for sharing resources with others, and her playful attitude, and I will remember and miss her warm greetings whenever we met. Jim Wisnia
Judy was one of the people who always encouraged me when I was having doubt and gave me positive feedback when I had written an article. When she asked for hens and chicks for her "artsy" garden project I scrounged a bagful and she invited me for tea to see what she had done. Her garden is simply awe inspiring with a variety of plants - all well cared for, and the sheer work of creating the right site on a sloping lot. She and John were extremely hard workers with wonderful ideas. She came to swim in our pool. She told me that she had done synchronized swimming once and showed me and how to swim backwards. I was so happy to get to know her better and to find we had so much to talk about, and I feel that I have lost a real friend. Brigitte French
Judy was one of the friendliest people I have met. When you entered a room of busy people, Judy was always the first one to recognize and acknowledge your arrival, therefore making you immediately feel welcome and included. Her sense of humour and her optimistic outlook cheered us all whenever we were near her. Sitting beside her at a workshop was always fun as Judy did not take herself or her talent too seriously, and there were many laughs as we struggled to learn something new. Judy’s talent as an artist and a calligrapher was exceptional. I so looked forward to seeing her interpretation of a galleria idea, always original, always thought-provoking, always beautiful. Judy was consistently one of the first to volunteer for a job that needed to be done, giving her time and her expertise generously where it was needed. I will miss her positive influence and her ready smile. I am fortunate to have known her. Denise Rothney
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Her willing and generous spirit ensured that we all got to know her. Even out of town people like myself who didn't get one of her practice pads? Or borrow books from the library? And then by golly, as I'm washing out my paint pot after one of Betty's Elder College classes, who's teaching a class through the open door, with great examples of calligraphy on the wall? Judy, modestly expressing as much amazement as myself that she's teaching and judging by the comments of her students, doing a very good job! [sic] So though my contact with her was of the 'seen in passing' variety, oh how I was assuming I was going to get to know her better - CARPE DIEM has been poignantly and clearly received. Liz Moss
gardens. She was so looking forward to doing something special in her garden next spring that she artistically created into a unique shape. Laughter and smiles are always around the TAG table and Judy was a big reason for all the TAG fun. June Maffin
I joined the Guild 6 years ago and first met Judy when we took an Italic class given by Betty. I was so impressed by Judy's increasing involvement in the Guild, and her many contributions to the gallerias. I'm lucky enough to have one of her pieces about music on our wall; it was originally on display at the Loft Gallery one year.
When I joined the guild Judy was very welcoming and encouraging and fun. I was impressed with her calligraphy and her enthusiasm and my liking for her only grew as time went by. Laura Griffin
My last memory of Judy was only about a week before she left us to go on to a different plain. She kindly gave me some of the plants from her garden. I had almost forgotten that we had talked about her doing that earlier in the spring. Judy had divided and potted three different annuals
Martha Fraser
that I was interested in having. I was surprised and pleased that she took the time and effort to do this for me. The plants are doing well. One of them is almost out in bloom. Whenever I look at them I will think of Judy and her wonderful friendly, smiling disposition. She was so generous too. Love Lenore LeMay
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Judy was one of the original members of TAG (Tuesday Art Group) that meets in the Soulistry Studio once a month. Each member takes a turn facilitating. Judy was "on deck" for our November meeting and we were all looking forward to it. She was our "plant gal" 'cause every meeting, she brought something from her garden for our
I have not known Judy long but had the opportunity to be on the Executive when she was on although I am only there part of the year. She was enthusiastic. Judy took her time to think through and respond to suggestions as they were discussed at our meetings. But most of all I always found that Judy had a special sparkle in her eyes, a winning smile, and was always positive. Trish Peebles
My memory of Judy is, especially, her warmth and good humour, and the kindly twinkle so often in her eyes. Gwyneth Evans
Judy’s joie de vivre is what will always stay with me as I remember her or come across a piece of her artwork. It seemed no matter what was asked of her, she gladly gave it her full attention, including that of proofreading our newsletters during the two years Denise and I acted as editors. Janet Peters
When I recall Judy at executive meetings she was someone who readily volunteered for leadership jobs and executive positions. Her more recent role as teacher for Elder College was a big step. Sharing one's knowledge with others made her a valuable guild member. Marilyn Boechler
Dear Judy, go with your Great Force and Spirit to your Place of Peace. Anne McDonald
Judy Dearman always had a laugh and smile for me whenever I saw her, be it at guild meetings, workshops, or in the library. I will sorely miss her spirit and smile. Marybeth Nelson
Dear Judy, It has been such an honour working with you, albeit way too short a period of time. It is my great privilege to be able to share your wonderful calligraphy that reflects your love of nature, style, talents and great sense of humour shown on these pages, with such wonderful members who wanted to tell you that you are truly loved and fondly remembered. Charlotte Whiteley, Editor
Judy was so much fun even while being efficient, hard working and incredibly creative. She really challenged me to try harder and I will miss her encouragement and joie de vivre. Ida Marie Threadkell
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Red Deer ABC 2010 Submitted By Barbara Qualley
On arrival in Red Deer, signage led us to the Red Deer College campus where we found the Registration building in full swing. It was a warm day and the lemonade and Red Deer Cookies being served were welcome. Inside, the team was efficiently handing out keys to dorm rooms. Charlotte Whiteley (my chauffeur) and I shared accommodation with Ros Schell and Lil Waters from Edmonton. Straight away, I must comment on the ABC 2010 logo designed by Martin Jackson. ABC 2010 had theme colours – teal and brown. The combination of logo and theme colours was used everywhere: from the first promotional materials to the cover of the Catalogue of classes, goccoed serviettes, centerpieces and Conference Team clothing! What really wowed me was that the logo had been turned into a Canada Post stamp and used on the beautifully lettered envelope informing us of our class selections. The Goody Bags! What a treat they were. The lime
1990 – 2000 – 2010. Every ten years. This is the unique formula for the conference hosted by the Lettering Arts Guild in Red Deer, Alberta. Fortunately, they have had a young membership and a few members have been around to participate in the planning of all three conferences! This year, there were 139 registrants plus ten faculty members. It made for a more intimate gathering than the international conferences which typically see a registration of 350.
Marilyn and Charlotte sit in the garden first night
green totes had a zipper closure and a small front pocket. In that pocket…a brown cotton apron complete with teal logo. Many individuals and guilds contributed to the contents of these bags. Graph paper pads in two sizes, nibs, walnut ink, pencil case with automatic lead pencil and gel pen, personalized Starbucks travel mug, artwork samples, and bookmarks were included.
Dressed for the Great White North evening, is L to RCharlotte, Marilyn B, Barbara Q, Betty L, Joyce G and Judith L missing from Photo is Marilyn Lundstrom
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friends and new. A slide presentation followed and we headed home to get ready for our first 2 ½ day class. First up: Mike Kecseg - Copperplate A to Z. While I have had instruction in copperplate before and enjoy using the hand, I was delighted to learn more from the master. Mike has an easy manner and gave good corrections and tips as he toured to each student in the classroom.
Example of copperplate done with a straight pen and the paper turned to line the pen with the slant lines set at a 55°
Second up: Sheila Waters and Carolingian. My two reasons for taking this class were: a) because the instructor is Sheila Waters! Sheila is now 81 years old, and has been studying calligraphy since she was 18 years old. She is a truly skilled master. Her work can be intricate or simple, but it is always perfect! b) because I have never learned this hand before. In this class Sheila did not want us to copy her exemplar, but to study the early manuscripts and follow their design. After getting a feeling for the old, we were allowed to update and style and peek at her exemplar.
Our first meal was an outdoor barbeque. It was a great way to get out first greetings to old Amazing overhead projection system.
Editors note: Barbara gave a Power Point slide presentation to the guild along with a running commentary by the other participants, Marilyn Boechler, Joyce Gammie, Charlotte Whiteley, Betty Locke and Marilyn Lundstrom.
Piece by Betty Locke in Yves Laterme’s Experimental Layout class.
Two evening presenters were Carl Rohrs and Yves Leterme. Their selection of slides was inspirational. One evening was devoted to a marketplace where registrants could sell their crafts. My dorm mate Ros makes the most beautiful marbled paper! Red Deer College was a perfect venue for the Conference. The classrooms were of generous size and each student had their own large table. Some rooms had tilting drafting tables and art rooms allowed for splashing of paint on the floors without a worry. However, the BEST thing was that all classrooms were equipped with start-of-the-art document cameras. These allowed the instructors to demonstrate their wisdom without the whole class crowding around them. The camera was positioned over their pen and paper and then projected onto a wall-hung screen. With the twist of a dial, zoom! How close an image did we want? Truly amazing. We could see every nuance of the creation of the letterform from the comfort of our desks. The Lettering Arts Guild members were great hosts, and I heartily recommend that we support Red Deer in 2020!
Work by student in Judy Melvin’s class Neuland with Attitude. This was created on black paper with space coloured with pastels and other mediums.
Piece of cut work done by a student in Carl Rohrs’ class
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September Galleria 2010 Submitted by Denise Rothney The galleria topic was flowers. The piece had to be done in the Italic hand, using only black and white. Betty Locke stepped in at the last moment to give us the critique, for which we were very grateful, as we always get so much information and positive suggestions for improvement from Betty!
Linda Yaychuk has beautifully decorated her piece with a black silhouette of flowers and leaves which she cut out with an exacto knife and fashioned with the quilling technique. Although she was concerned about some areas of her piece, Betty reassured her that she had done a very good job!
Gillian Mouat liked the simplicity of working with black and white. Betty enjoyed the contrast of Gillian’s beautiful “W” and the other letters in her title with the script in the rest of her piece.
Marion Craig loved doing the illustrations for her very amusing piece. Betty did suggest one less “dead squirrel” might set off her lovely italic hand more clearly!
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Anne Atkinson sent us this one. I think we all agree that calligraphy is a great diversion through the dull winter months.
Marilyn Lundstrom’s piece on “hope” contrasted a more formal script with an informal lettering of the word hope, for which she used a folded pen. Barbara Qualley has done a beautiful verse which Betty enjoyed for its simplicity. Barb said she had struggled with the paper surface as she tried to write her piece.
Joyce Gammie has placed her Gothicized Italic lettering, learned at the Red Deer Conference this summer, on top of a beautiful black and white photo of a flower arrangement. The contrasts are striking.
Betty Locke used a Brause nib to create her “lazy Italic” (her words!) She used ink rather than paint to create her flowers, and I loved the softness created as a background under her illustrations.
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Pat Wheatley has written her words as the stems of flowers, and has used ink and a straw to create her special effects. Betty commented on the joy of movement in her lines.
Trudy Kungold Ammann has done two beautiful watercolour flowers using a big brush. She liked the second one best (shown) as did Betty, who thought her calligraphy showed more clearly on the second one.
Marilyn Boechler (below) also used her newly acquired Gothicized Italic hand to pen two pictures. The first was an interesting experimental piece using gesso, black gouache and Dr. Martin’s white which she had scrubbed to give a translucent effect. Her second piece, simply white on black, Betty felt was perhaps more powerful. (shown here)
Judy Dearman’s draft showed how committed she was to exploring and trying different techniques to achieve her goal. We will miss her many excellent contributions to our gallerias.
Susan Miller’s original presentation was penned on an envelope. Susan confessed to having a battle with the Italic hand, something to which we can all relate!
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Ida Marie Threadkell also chose to write the words to her piece on the stems of her flowers, but in Latin, an intellectually interesting challenge, she said! Betty asked several members to give Ida Marie feedback, a learning experience we all enjoyed.
Denise Rothney’s piece above included a wide variety of textures and colours of black and white papers, and needed a steady cutting hand and a lot of patience to put together!
Judy Lowood has placed the names of flowers on the petals of a large and beautiful pansy. Betty liked her spacing, as she has chosen to put the pansy slightly off centre.
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Luscious Layered Letters With Kristen Doty Submitted by Charlotte Whiteley Techniques and Processes Day One: Washes Kristen demonstrated to the class four washes: a flat wash, the graduated wash, wet on wet, wet into dry, and glazing. The process for a flat wash was to prepare your colour by taking a small amount of colour and mixing it with a small amount of water until you have the strength and colour you desire. Starting at the top of the page you create a small bead of paint that you will use to pull down to the bottom of the page by loading the brush with the mixed colour for each sweep across the page. The excess is then removed with a thirsty brush (a brush that has very little moisture in it.) Graduated washes are done the same way except instead of loading the
brush with colour, you load with water. Wet on wet is just that. Do the type of wash you like, graduated or flat, and then charge in (drop) colour on the wet surface. It will spread and create interesting patterns.
Kristen’s usual work area. As you can see very congested
Glazing is done in a similar fashion. Think plaid! By doing this exercise you will see how different colours appear under and over other colours. Textural Effects We explored various methods of adding texture to our pieces. The paper on left is hot pressed. See how some colours pooled more that others. The right is a very nice paper called Fabriano soft pressed.
Wet into dry requires patience or a blow-dryer. You must wait for the paint of the first wash to dry, and then add other colours. It’s all an experiment Kristen tells us! In her studio she works with the blow-dryer on her lap.
You can lift colour from paper while still wet by lightly dabbing over the wash with paper towel. You get texture that is cloud-like. Plastic wrap was scrunched up and applied to a generous wet wash. This will give a marbled and interesting effect. Takes time to dry. Salt and rubbing alcohol are sprinkled on the wet washes. By using different types of salt you get varying results. Rubbing alcohol dropped on the paper gives interesting rings with the pigments separating slightly. It is all about timing. If it is too wet or too dry the effects are minimal or non existent. Use the edge of a brush or stick or any tool for that matter to bruise the paper while the wash was still wet. The colour pools to the bruising and the colour intensifies. Scraping and sanding were done both before a wash and after the wash had dried. By lightly rubbing sandpaper over the work you either remove pigment or remove the sizing and the
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paint adheres differently. Experiment with sponges, stamps, splattering or sprays. Objects such as rice, lentils, dental floss placed on a wet wash create interesting patterns. The pigments migrate into the path of the object. Try other things you might have on hand. Try using a dry brush with very little paint on it. Use fan brushes and hard bristle brushes such as oil paint brushes. EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, etc. and then record your results.
When thinking grey tones, consider combining complimentary colours. Try other paper, other triads of red, blue and yellow and any combination. Record your results for future applications.
Using water to lift out the colour of the walnut ink letters and recharging them with additional colour and effects
Using the principals taught in washes we explored values first by creating a grey scale. Combing the right amounts of the triad of colours we hoped to get a black. A strip was drawn on the same paper as our colour wheel and was sectioned into ten equal spaces. A grey wash was glazed one rectangle at a time (leaving the first one white) until the value was close to black. Walnut ink creates some very interesting effects. The top shows the feathering when walnut ink was dropped into a gouache wash. The bottom shows the effect of water dropped into a walnut ink wash at two different intervals. The one on the left was after 10 minutes and the right side was immediately
Day Two: Colour Theory We started out by creating a colour wheel. Using gouache the primary colours were Winsor and Newton Primary Red, Primary Blue and Primary Yellow. The challenge was to use similar strengths to create your wheel. There are 12 small circles on the wheel. Three are primary, three are secondary and 6 are tertiary. The next challenge is to get colours that fall half way in between the red and blue as an example and then when creating the tertiary colours to apply the same principals. Colours falling opposite on the wheel are complimentary and the colours adjacent to each other are analogous.
Next we experimented with the pigments to see which were transparent and opaque. Watercolours are more transparent than gouache and certain pigments are more transparent than others. The staining values are another consideration. With a wet brush go over dried paint and see what colours that lift from the paper when dabbed with paper towel. Some pigments are granulating which means that pigments separate out, an effect you may want or want to avoid depending on the situation.
from your tools right after applying. Try on different grades of paper. Remove by rubbing with your finger, eraser or commercial products. Kitchen products such as freezer paper that has plastic on one size can be used for masking by creating designs, punching shapes or tearing and then ironing, plastic side down, on to watercolour paper. Remove after applying your desired washes. A white permanent gouache the consistency of cream was applied with brushes or pens. When dry a wash can be painted over the letters. When this is dry a clean brush is dipped in clean water and will soften the effect and lift the wash from the letters. Use paper towel to blot as you go along. Try mixing techniques. There are endless possibilities and results vary depending on humidity, papers, pigments, transparency values, manufacturers, and the list goes on.
This shows the enhancing of the larger letters to give a shadow effect on a finished “layered” piece.
Masking and Resist Layering We experimented by applying waxy products such as crayon, candle or pencil crayon. They are used to create a resistance to staining. The results vary with the different mediums and paper. Cut out stencils or use torn tape. Use drawing gum or frisket such as “Pebeo™” applied with brushes or pens. This product must be removed
The rest of day two was spent playing by combining the techniques learned above to lift colours, explore the properties of different kinds inks, watercolours, gouaches and adding some effects to letters. Walnut ink was mixed with a bit of water. Add the water and let sit for a bit and then
stir. From there mix small amounts with water to create soft washes. Walnut can be lifted easily using the brush with water to areas you want to make lighter and blotting up the excess moisture until you have a desired value. Options to add effects to the letter were made by adding in colour pencil, pastels and water colours or gouache. Walnut ink has a unique property that tends to feather out in interesting patterns. Shadows can be added to letters using graphite pencil. Letters can be enhanced by touching up parts of the letter with pencil crayon. Use different nibs dipped in water and write your text, blot and add touches of gold. Play and experiment. Kristen had prepared folders for the class and demonstrated how she layered gold gouache washes and lettering. She likes to mix Winsor Newton™ and Schmincke™ golds for her letter. The washes are applied after the gold letter has had a good drying time and done in three or so quick brush strokes. Additional colour is charged in and the final lettering is done using gouache black (inks will bleed.) A fixative may need to be applied before proceeding with the lettering.
also used to make colours more transparent so don’t use with gouache. Metal nibs on watercolour paper can scratch and bleeding can occur. Acrylics have plastic binders. Caution should be exercised using pastels and paint pigments. There are toxic elements than can even be absorbed through the skin. Sandarac works as a fixative. Spray fixatives are available but look for workable types if you still are adding layers. Zinc white gouache is for tinting in colours. Permanent white is for lettering in white. Permanent white is not really permanent. Information about products can be obtained by contacting technical support. Glycerine and Ox gels™ are agents that delay drying time. These can be added to mixed colours or to the tops of tubes of paint to prevent drying out and sticking of lids. Be sure to clean off excess before starting new projects. If your sumi ink has “KY” in the description it means there are no additives such as shellac. Pan pastels can be brushed in to add effects using a makeup brush. Experiment with liquid water colours such as Ecoline™ by Talons and others. These are just a few tips Kristen shared with us. Go on line or to your library for more.
To use tracing paper to trace a design, scribble with graphic pencil over the traced object and then to put the graphite side down and retrace the design to transfer the design to our paper. Care should be exercised not to bruise the watercolour paper. Light tables and windows can be used to transfer design onto paper. The method you use depends a lot on the paper you will be drawing and painting on. Roll some sticky tack product to remove excess graphite before starting to paint. Some pencil marks may not be removable after. Our portfolios contained a kit to paint a flower and after Kristen demonstrated, only a few attempted the exercise. Time was running out but the two and half days were jam packed full of information, ideas, demonstrations, and sharing. Thanks to Kristen for a great workshop and for providing happy pills (candy) especially on Friday. I look forward to sharing these ideas with some of you in the new year at a guild meeting or at some “kitchen table” sessions.
Layout and Design
Day Three:
Handouts were included showing how the washes and lettering with different combinations of Artistic values will draw your eye to the piece. It was Kristen’s suggestion to experiment on your own and record results. Use your 90° elbows and tracing paper to test out compositions and placements of text. Unity occurs when the principals of design and elements of design are combined to create a cohesive whole.
Properties and Products
Illustration Technique
Gum Arabic is a binder that helps watercolours to resist lifting when erasing. Test on different colours. It is
We were introduced to transfer paper and how to use graphite side down to transfer a design:
This was my attempt. Fixative needed!
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When finished work will possibly be 2010 Christmas
I decided to attempt the headings for the newsletter. I considered it one of the contractual obligations, and it took me days to find letter forms that I liked. I would really like the first word and mess it up on the second. It is a process and a discipline. I used the variations we learned including words in a box for “Tool Talk” and dancing letters as shown for “Playtime.” I need to be better and I will continue to improve.
This was done by Yves and believe it or not it is the word “composition” written from left to right , turned 180° and written again and turned 90° and repeated. The effect is very interesting..
Gestural Writing With Yves Laterme Submitted by Charlotte Whiteley Let’s see! I joined Warmland Calligraphers in 2008. I decided to try to get involved and learn something about Calligraphy. I did manage to take in a couple of classes in Neuland and Italics and some tutorials with Uncial and Copperplate. But my journey has just begun. I was very excited when Betty told us a conference was going take place in Red Deer, Alberta in August 2010. I sent in my application to attend ABC 2010 with my 8 selections rated 1-4 for the two sessions that I would attend. I waited with bated breath and soon received confirmation that I would be in the Gestural Writing class with Yves Laterme for the first session. I asked myself “what is gestural writing?” After all I had signed up for the course and they said some gestural writing experience would be helpful. I checked out the internet and couldn’t find a clear definition. I decided to just go and enjoy the experience. After all, I thought “I’m a fast learner!” Well two practice pads later I am hardly qualified to give a definition. I did learn that it is loosely based on the formal italics. This is understated to say the least. I learned there were no rules but there were definitely ugly
letters. I told Yves they were all at my desk. The class laughed because most of us were thinking the same thing. I learned the style is to appear to be written quickly but the formation of the letters and words are deliberate and the process is slow and calculated. In gestural writing the calligrapher is always thinking about the next letter but that is not to be confused with writing the next letter. I learned that in gestural writing you should try not to repeat the letter style in the same word. It is control. It is about tension in the letter forms. It is mixing styles. It is about connecting, transitioning, fluidity, liveliness and personal character in expressing ideas and above all there is NO, I repeat no alphabet in gestural writing. The class instruction and exercises were intense and rapid. Learning to write in a gestural way takes a lot of practice to reach a decent level. But I loved the freedom and the fluidity. The letters came alive. The key is to practice and practice until your arm falls off.
Yves suggests: “As you journey along in a gestural way eventually your letter forms will appear as though drawn with confidence and swiftness, with a keen eye for detail. Letter will appear to have interesting joins, letterforms, character, rhythm, and compositions. If you are really lucky this might come to you fairly quickly in say perhaps three or four years. For others it may take a lifetime.” Check out his amazing work on his website: www.ylaterme.be That said I would do it all over again.
An Yves Laterme demonstration
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Upcoming International Calligraphy conference will be held in Portland Oregon in 2012. Go on this website to sign up for information that will be released soon regarding registration and details. http://2010calligraphyconference.com/
One of the goody bag items from the Red Deer ABC 2010 conference was this mug, from Starbucks™. The lettering for the names was done by Christine Ahmad from the Red Deer guild. She utilized a website that will turn your lettering or character designs into a computer font. Scanahand can be accessed by going to: www.high-logic.com/scanahand
The inaugural year of the new Duncan Fair Grounds garnered work in various categories from several of our Warmland members. Congratulations to: Trudy Kungold Ammann, June Maffin, Hans van der Werff, Marilyn Boechler, Joyce Gammie, Lenore Lemay, Donna Cameron, Denise Rothney, Betty Locke and Robbin Olive for exhibiting their various craft and taking part in the annual fair.
Betty Locke will be facilitating a Black Letter workshop starting October 28th and it will run for 6 sessions. Nov. 11 class will be deferred by one week.
Thank you goes to Betty Locke for the calligraphy on the Bulletin Board
Christmas Cards for service men and women should have been brought to the September meeting. Ria Lewis was collecting these. Wonder how many our guild did? Stayed tuned for a report. Just in -107 as of September 21, 2010
Christmas plans are already underway. A meeting and Christmas luncheon will take place Tuesday December 14, 2010, 10:30 am at Stew and Barbara Qualley’s home in Maple Bay. Mark your calendars so as not to overbook yourself Judy Dearman’s cards done in Old English spelling. during the holidays.
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In an e-mail Janet Peters wrote to me: Read the Letter Arts Review yesterday after receiving it at the meeting, and I think congratulations should go to Lorraine Douglas as her piece “Daedalus and Icarus“ It was one of the juried pieces for 2010. It is a panel, 15 x 11 inches, pigments, sumi ink, and pencil lettering. The text is from Bulfinch’s Mythology. Perhaps she would consent to it being reproduced in our newsletter? Her blog is amazing. www.wordmarksajournal.blogspot.com This is the Letter Arts Review where Lorraine’s piece is featured: (Currently in our library) LR24-2. Letter Arts Review Vol 24, No 2 Annual Issue The latest Annual Review issue with work by 61 lettering artists from North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Every piece is shown in full color. Over 50 pages filled with best of the calligraphic art. Lorraine Douglas replies to me in an e-mail and says this: My title is actually “Daedalus” but LAR called it Daedalus and Icarus. I have a full sheet and detail shot in the jpgs. If you want to know anything else let me know. I got it framed and submitted it on Sunday for the Sidney Fine Arts Show which I think will be interesting to see if they accept it or not.... Lorraine
By your Editor
We say: Job well done. Congratulations Lorraine and good luck in the Sidney Fine Arts show. See you for the pointed brush workshop. We’re looking forward to hearing more.
Farewell Dear Judy Sunday September 20, 2010 Today we came together at beautiful St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Duncan and celebrated the life and mourned the death of Judy Dearman. We were witness to the impact she had on those around her. We knew her as our Calligraphy friend. Others attending were relatives, athletes and more, but the common bond was we all needed to pay our respects. A peaceful and reflective service was given in her honour where family and friends spoke of their memories. Her beautiful daughter gathered strength and sang Amazing Grace. Her nephew joked about some of the mischief he got up to while staying with Judy and her family when he was attending BCIT. Pat Wheatley shared their special bond as kindred spirits. Her younger sister talked about growing up in Judy’s shadow and how she looked up to her so much. There was laughter. There were tears. But the one important thing was we
all came away knowing Judy a little better. Afterwards, we gathered in the church hall and shared stories, thumbed through photo albums, enjoyed beverages and snacks and reflected some more. We enjoyed seeing her Calligraphy displayed so prominently. It was time for us to return to our own lives but before we did we had an opportunity to wish her family well and to tell them that we are there for them if need be. May the memories of their times together sustain them while they grieve and heal. June Maffin co-officiated the service and told us “Judy loved her garden and when she looked at a caterpillar, I’m sure she did so with a sense of awe… knowing that one day, it would be transformed into a beautiful butterfly.” It is a comforting image with which to leave us.
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Trudy Kungold Ammann
Betty Locke
2010 Cowichan Exhibition Submitted by Donna Cameron Wow! What a great year this was at the Ex; brand new venue, with scenic mountain views, green fields, all new barns and other buildings, and plenty of space for parking. Well, maybe too much space for parking as it was a long walk from there to the hall where the exhibits were. Victoria Bellefeuille again helped me set up the display as people brought in their artwork. The most popular class was the Pencil or Pen and Ink, which had 14 entries, including the People’s Choice drawing by Mayumi Ogihara. There were six Calligraphy entries with 1st place going to Betty Locke, 2nd to Marilyn Boechler and 3rd to Trudi Kungold Ammann. Trudi and Betty also took 1st and 2nd place in the Theme class, “Hats Off”. Although the total number of hall entries was down this year, there
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were many wonderful items to see throughout the different divisions. Many people, including Marilyn Marilyn Boechler Boechler and Mary Oscar, had multiple entries in diverse categories. Where do they find the time? I was thoroughly impressed! Thanks to Betty Locke for the pencil drawing that my Fine Arts volunteers coloured over the weekend. A lively clown, doffing his hat. And thanks to the volunteers who kept an eye on the art exhibits. Please consider entering something next year: art, jam, flowers, garden produce, baking, needlework- so many different categories.
To My Warmland Friends Thank you for your kind expressions of condolence, sympathy and love, shown to me upon the death of my Beloved Son Colin . Your support gave me such comfort in my darkest hours. Thank you, Thank you. Anne McDonald
Library and Newsletter Exchange…… Coming soon from a member near you. We are hoping to continue the excellent work of reporting new books and highlights from the Newsletter exchange that Judy Dearman and Janet Peters did so well. Members have indicated this is something they look forward to and use for future references. Janet Peters has had to resign from library duties but will continue her interviewing and preparation of articles for the Warmland members Exposé.
Whew! That’s all I say about my summer. It was a whirlwind of activity. We sailed most of June and July. August 5 Barbara Qualley and I headed out for Red Deer, Alberta. I commented to Barb it’s like they closed the road at both ends and just let us through. The traffic was very light. The conference was non-stop activity from morning until bedtime. But thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to sharing what I learned at the conference with the Guild. From there I drove to Acme Alberta for baby watch and grandson Jackson arrived August 22. We returned to the Island September 4. The business of calligraphy was never far away as I attended a planning meeting for the Slide presentation the following day.
Betty Locke bought four new books for the library from the ABC 2010 Conference. Numerous newsletters have arrived and they will be added to the library mix.
the next guild meeting. We hope she will write a small report with highlights to be included in this library column and we hope it becomes a regular event. Even if you are unable to attend meetings, you could still choose a book and write a report for the guild to be read by the librarian or a friend. A complete list of our books is on the website: (all one word) http://members.shaw.ca/ warmlandcalligraphers/
June Maffin volunteered to read one of the new books and report the details at
So do for your newsletter as you would have it do for you.
Pat Wheatley graciously stepped in as Librarian and will manage the monthly operation as well as cataloguing new books. Pat will continue to wear her Liaison Hat for CVAC.
Barbara did all the work and we just added our mere suggestions. The two Red Deer articles were done while I was in Alberta so I thought I had the newsletter in the bag. Then when I started the May galleria I decided all three pieces needed to be shown together ensuring a comparison could be done. Now I had to go look for older pieces that Barb had and find what I had in my files. Finally it started to come together and I have to say I am glad that I did it this way. Our hearts are heavy as we come to terms with the great loss of guild member Judy Dearman. We will be reminded often of her many contributions and skill sets as the year proceeds and probably years to come. She certainly encouraged me.
You may have noticed there are three columns in this newsletter. What do you think? This is the Warmland Calligraphers newsletter so I am asking you to comment if there is anything you want to see added, done better or not at all. Please e-mail me your suggestions. Thank you to all members with suggestion and submissions for this edition of the newsletter. While you are reading this newsletter, I’ll possibly be sampling scotch on the Whiskey Trail in Scotland or sunbathing topless in the south of France (I lie) (and just to see who actually read the Newsletter). I will see you all again in November. Until then have some fun! Get out your stuff and play! Charlotte
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