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Logo designed by Judith Lovell
Newsletter Team Editor
Barbara Qualley
Proofreader
Eleanor Harris
Inside this issue Journal Issue #5 June 2021 Previous Newsletters ended at Issue #66
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic All 2021 meetings were held online via ZOOM
Regular monthly meetings are held on the Second Tuesday of each month from 8:30am to 12:00pm (no meeting in July and August) Pearmine Room, Exhibition Grounds (Exceptions are Pot Lucks in December and June)
Executive Meetings are held on the First Tuesday of each month at a member’s home from 9am to noon All members are welcome!
Playtime is held on the Fourth Tuesday of each month from 9am to 12pm Stratford Room, Exhibition Grounds Annual Membership in Warmland Calligraphers includes online and print copy of Journal. Dues are C$45 for Canadian residents and US$45 for US/Int’l. Warmland Calligraphers of the Cowichan Valley (the Guild) is a non-registered 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. Membership is open to calligraphers at all levels of expertise as well as those with a love of beautiful writing. Contents of this journal 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 Executive or members of the Guild. Members are invited to submit concise pieces for publication as well as to alert the Editorial Committee to conferences, papers, speeches and other matters of interest to our readers. The Editorial Committee 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 Reflections journal.
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Cover - Judi Hopewell 2021 PORTALS Exhibition Poster - Betty Locke Table of Contents President’s Message / Legacies III International Conference First Zoom Gathering - Book Recommendations September Galleria September Meeting Programme / Judy Matheson Tribute October Meeting Programme / November Meeting Programme Letter Crafting 2020 / December Meeting Programme October Galleria Covid 19 - It Has A Silver Lining Bensgothic with Violet Smythe November Galleria 2021/2022 WCCV Executive Christmas Cards January Meeting Programme / February Meeting Programme January Galleria February Galleria March Galleria Elegant Copperplate with Betty Locke and Marilyn Lundstrom
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Cascading Capitals with Suzi Beringer 2021 PORTALS Exhibition March Meeting Programme / April Meeting Programme April Galleria
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May Galleria Illustrating Calligraphy Simply with Judi Hopewell Back Cover - Judith Lovell
Contact us at: P.O. Box 2, Duncan, B C, V9L 3X1 Canada www.warmlandcalligraphers.ca
ON THE COVERS Front Cover - Judi Hopewell - Judi admires the work of Master Penman, artist and woodcarver, Jake Weidmann. This piece was inspired by his awe inspiring works. The design is done mostly in pencil crayon with the reflection in white ink. Back Cover - Judith Lovell - This is compiled from a piece I started some 10 years ago. The painted centre was going to be about diamonds but it got put on one side and forgotten. When asked to do something for the back cover I paid a visit to all my unfinished projects in the hope of inspiration. None came. Just about the time when panic begins to set in I read the quote on a BBC website. I love using coloured pencils particularly on black. That requires a white background for everything so the Fons And Porter white ceramic marker for fabric was used to work out the spacing and do the ground. Practicing the rainbow colours was fun but needed to be kept to as few pencils as possible and I ended up with 9. The lettering is made up of triangles, following the shapes of the centre. The word darkness was a problem as I wanted it to be black on black but that would not reproduce well so that was solved by making it different both in lettering style and background. The centre painting was of course on white so the black around it was cut from Canson. It is quite a while since I have done any calligraphy and it was good to have the challenge. 3
President’s Message - Ruth Rutledge The world continues to be in a pandemic challenged by the Covid-19 virus, yet our members have remained committed, flexible and willing to share knowledge.
Our Galleria may have been even better seeing the monthly challenge up close on our screens. We are so lucky to have Betty Locke to happily and gently critique our artwork.
To keep safe and socially distanced, our Executive and General meetings have been held via the Zoom app. With all the constraints, we remain a strong group of 76 members but are all in agreement that we miss being able to talk, meet and create together in person.
Workshops were offered by Judi Hopewell (Italic on our website), Violet Smythe (Bensgothic), Marilyn Lundstrom and Betty Locke (Elegant Copperplate), and Suzie Beringer (Captivating Capitals).
Members have stepped up every month to provide stimulating and interesting programmes at our general meetings. Zoom allows these to be recorded and our members appreciate being able view them at a later time. My job has been made easier with the talents of Diana Carwithen, Barbara Qualley and Debbie Craig. They were able to learn the mystery of online communication to enable all of us to participate!
The registration corral is now open for the 40th Lettering Arts Conference! This year, Legacies III is going live to your studio! It is an offering of entirely virtual workshops, lectures, demos, miniclasses! We have it all. Although it required a lot of quick thinking outside the box to reverse gears and turn a traditionally in-person conference into a fully virtual conference, we know you're gonna love it! 4
We enjoyed producing our Letter Crafting exhibition this year at Portals, the Cowichan Valley Arts Council venue, in April 2021. It too was socially distanced but it felt great to have the opportunity to show our calligraphy to the public. I thank our industrious and creative Executive who keep WCCV humming even though the year has been challenging. Too, I thank our members, new and old, who
enthusiastically embraced Zoom meetings and workshops and continue to offer their Galleria artwork.
This is Angie Vangalis' third rodeo as a conference director, and Sandy Schaadt has been her faculty side-kick since the Fall of 2019. A lot changed since then to convert it from the onlocation conference hotels we visited in Dallas that weekend to your own computer screen!
teach, but check back, because the list is growing daily!
Here is the link: Legacies III | Legacies III (calligraphyconference.org) You can go there now to view the list of instructors we have contracted to
- Ruth Rutledge
The arrangement of the conference is explained, along with the fee and the amenities. And the first 300 Early Bird registrations get a rootin-tootin deluxe Swag Box. Delivered right to their front door step! We can’t wait to welcome you to Legacies III!
Reading Recommendations
via
ZOOM - June 9, 2020
Anne Seymour - We Were The Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter Anne Atkinson - Ru - Kim Thuy The year 2020 brought the COVID-19 pandemic into our Pat Wheatley – Road Ends – Mary Lawson lives. It has been quite an adjustCathie Harrower – Just Mercy – Brian Stevenson ment. Understatement! Judy Lowood – Austin Downs Station - Jo Jackson Diana Carwithen - Rosie Project – Graham Simsion We all missed the comraderie of the June Pot Luck gathering and Marilyn Lundstrom – Common Ground - Janice Marriot decided that we were savvy Caroline Morrison – Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman enough to learn a new trick. Denise Rothney – Death in Brittany – Jean Luc Bannelec Enter ZOOM Meetings. Simone Lavoie – Serpent on the Crown – Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody series) It was decided that we should Jeanette Rawek - The Beekeepers Apprentice – Laurie R King have a focus for our first get toDebbie Craig - Lands of Lost Borders – Kate Harris gether. Book recommendations! Judy Hopewell – Becoming – Michelle Obama With self-isolation we all found Chris Vanier – The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown we had been reading more that usual. Betty Locke – Past Imperfect - Julian Fellowes A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles Enjoy ! Cdn Author Donald Cameron – Order of Canada – Betty’s cousin Bridget Bruneski - Just Mercy - Brian Stevenson Know My Name - Chanel Miller Violet Smythe – The Paris Seamstress – Natasha Lester Secret Daughter – S. Gowda. The Lost Girls of Paris - P. Jenefs …anything by Louise Penny Barbara Qualley – Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens The Great Alone - Kristen Hannah Ruth Rutledge – The Orenda -Joseph Boyden Catherine Coulis – Author Henry David Thoreau Marion Craig – Holiday with Violence - Ellis Peters Ria Lewis – The Way the Crow Flies – Ann Marie McDonald Carolynn Dallaire – Ink – Ted Bishop. Y is for Yesterday – Sue Grafton All the Devils are Here - Louise Penny Leslie Healy – Author Mary Higgins Clark and Harry Potter series Marilyn Boechler – Becoming – Michelle Obama Joyce Gammie - Lost Roses – Martha H. Kelly Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel Carroll McLaurin – The Third Juror – James Patterson Paullette McLaren – Author John Vaillant The Break - Katherena Vermette A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki Washington Black / Half-Blood Blues - Esi Edugen Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese. Trisha Field – The Elliott Trilogy by Elizabeth Goudge The Maisie Dobbs series by N Y Times bestselling author, Jacqueline Winspear A mystery series by a new B.C. Author, Iona Whishaw - The Lane Winslow series Christine Hill - Anything by Tracy Chevalier, Ann Patchett, Ian McEwan, Alan Bennett and Sally Vickers. Three favourites are: ‘All the Light We Couldn’t See’ by Anthony Doerr, ‘Goodbye Sarajevo’ by Atka Reid, and ‘Alice in Exile’ by Piers Paul Read.
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September 2020 Galleria Goudy quotation: “The G is a mere twiddle of the pen at best but a delightful twiddle nevertheless.” Pen this quotation in whatever way you wish. (Goudy is associated with the development of early type styles) .
Caroline Morrison
Marion Craig
Anne Atkinson Marilyn Lundstrom
Margaret Kells
Carolynn Dallaire Marilyn Boechler 6
Judi Hopewell
Jeanette Rawek Ria Lewis Betty Locke
Paullette McLaren
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Denise Rothney
Joyce Gammie
Judy Lowood
Ruth Rutledge
September Meeting Programme - Zoom Overview Due to the Covid-19 pandemic our meeting was held through our computers. The program was to educate us on the use of Zoom. It was presented by Diana Carwithen and Debbie Craig to the 31 participating members.
By clicking on the 'Participant' button you can indicate a 'yes' or 'no' vote and to raise your hand if you have a question.
the pieces very clearly and could make comments without interrupting Betty.
The 'Reaction” button allows you to give a 'thumbs up' reaction to something positive during the meeting.
Debbie shared her screen so we could see the icons as she discussed their purposes. To the far left is the 'Mute' button. By clicking on it you can turn your microphone on or off. The 'mute' can also be controlled from the computer of the Zoom host. Everyone was muted during the meeting to prevent background noises from interfering.
Using the 'Chat' icon allows a member to write a comment to an individual or everyone to see on their screen. This is particularly useful during the critique for Galleria pieces.
Our first program and meeting proved to be a positive experience thanks to the hard work and organizing done by Diana Carwithen, Debbie Craig and Barbara Qualley. It's members like these that make our Guild strong. Thank you for making our first Zoom meeting such a success. - Linda Yaychuk
Debbie did an excellent job of explaining how to communicate using the Zoom program. It proved to be easier than some of us expected it to be. We also enjoyed how the Galleria critique was handled. We could see
Life Member Judy Matheson July 4, 1934 - May 4, 2021 Judy left an indelible mark on our Guild during her short 10 year membership. She was the Journal Editor and Treasurer for many years. She loved her craft and was an excellent instructor. Judy was particularly gifted at creating original Celtic knotwork pieces. But Oh! the precise lettering and wonderful quotes were pure Judy. Please visit Issuu to see more of Judy’s work -
https://issuu.com/bqualley/docs/judy_matheson 9
October Meeting Programme - Pastel Effects
At the October Zoom meeting of our Guild, members were introduced to the activity “Pastel Effects.”
suitable. It was suggested that school chalks and oil-based pastels did not work well.
This activity was formulated and presented by Guild member Charlotte Whitely. The presentation format consisted of three videos with members following along with the instructions on the videos.
In the second video Charlotte gave advice on the application of pastels using stencils, and how to blend colours. A variety of other materials such as leaves can be used, as well as traditional stencils available from Dollar stores, or art shops. Members were cautioned to minimize dust by not blowing on their work, but to use a damp cloth for clean-up and to wash one’s hands frequently. Application of pastels using a stencil and a brush were shown to give cleaner edges. Charlotte further advised on the purchase of pastels with non-toxic ingredients, and if the pastels are not working satisfactorily to shave them with a knife or similar blade.
The first video addressed colour and shading techniques for the addition of detail in order to enhance calligraphy pieces. The use of various applicators, such as makeup removal pads, a selection of brushes or paper towels were some of the tools highlighted. Advice was given on the type of pastels to use for best effect, with soft pastels from art stores being most
Video number three was the handson activity for members, who had been given a list of required tools prior to the meeting. Charlotte demonstrated how to use roughly torn cardstock to make interesting designs, using pastels and the ragged edge of the cardstock. Different colours were used with the cardstock, layering the colours one above the other with a slight gap in between. A beautiful soft effect was achieved, which could be used as a border or around calligraphy to decorate or enhance text. The whole presentation was succinct, very interesting and educational for those of us to whom pastel art is a new technique. - Margaret Kells
November Meeting Programme - Funky Letters The November program called ‘Funky Letters’ was presented by Marilyn Lundstrom. To create the letter we first drew a ‘J’ onto a piece of white paper. Then we used a soft pencil to cover the back of the letter with graphite allowing us to then trace the J o n to b l ac k p ap er leaving only a faint outline. Using a white Gelly Roll pen we created shapes within the letter leaving small spaces of black along the outline of the J. This method is like doing Zentangles. Using coloured
pencils we then coloured in the shapes. Marilyn r eco m me n d ed using Prismacolor pencil crayons as they have a waxy lead which creates more vivid colours.
Paullette McLaren
When we finished we had a beautifully decorated letter. This art form lends itself well to making decorated envelopes or cards. Diana Carwithen Linda Yaychuk
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Thank you Marilyn. That was a lot of fun. - Linda Yaychuk
Letter Crafting 3: Covid-19 Update Letter Crafting 3 got off to a great start on March 3, 2020. However, on March 13th we were advised by the Cowichan Valley Arts Council administrator that they would be closing the doors of the Portals gallery until further notice. We were given the option to take down our show immediately and get a refund, or let it hang until decisions were made as to when they could safely re-open with Covid-19 concerns. We conferred and decided to leave the show hanging. They added the lost time to the end of the show and re-opened their doors on September 8th. Before Covid-19 forced the closure, we saw 637 people come through to see the show. After the re-opening on September 8th we had 99 people view our show. We had one day of demonstrations with Ruth Rutledge and it was slow and subdued. On September 19th we took the show down. Dianna Carwithen, Ruth
Rutledge and Judy Lowood arrived early to pack up all of the artwork in the original packaging. Within fifteen
Three art pieces were sold. Members Linda Lax and Barbara Qualley were happy to see their works go to new homes. We look forward to having another show in the future at Portals but we won’t be doing that until we know that the Covid-19 crisis is under control.
Betty Locke
minutes, everything was ready to go and mask-wearing members arrived to pick up their artwork. Portals was only allowing one person at a time to enter
December Meeting Programme Violet Smythe, an international instructor, water colourist, calligrapher and Guild member, presented a work-along demonstration on Wreaths and Pine Boughs. Her 1/2” flat brush techniques produced simple but beautiful effects. Examples of her work on both envelopes and cards inspired us. Members received an exemplar of the brush techniques prior to the meeting. Violet Smythe
Our December meetings have previously occurred as Potluck Luncheons. This year, because of Covid-19 restrictions, we had a Zoom Christmas Pyjama Party. There was much jollity as members signed in. Linda Yaychuk had the best turkey hat as well as a colourful headdress with twinkle lights.
so the gals had a great idea and took the artwork outside into the parking lot to return it to the artists: A lovely distancing reunion for those waiting. This inspired Betty Locke to make a little cute calligraphy piece to commemorate.
The second part of the meeting consisted of a Trivia Quiz. The list of questions were presented and members had 10 to 15 seconds to answer each. Many of the questions were quite challenging, and produced laughter (or groans!) as each answer was read out. For the third part, members had submitted photos of themselves as young children. We then matched up the Mini Me photo to the list of
Thanks again to the great group of members who helped and exhibited. It wouldn’t be possible without your cooperation and patience too! - Charlotte Whiteley
Wreaths & Pine Boughs contributor’s names. The consensus was that some members were still easily identifiable, while others were not recognizable as we know them today. The meeting concluded with a slideshow of Christmas cards created by members, once again showcasing the many talents of members of this Guild. - Margaret Kells
Diana Carwithen
Judy Lowood
Violet Smythe
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October 2020 Galleria Create a piece in black and white only. Piece must also include a silhouette.
Margaret Kells
Marilyn Boechler
Joyce Gammie
Ria Lewis
Anne Atkinson Ruth Rutledge 12
Catherine Coulis
Jeanette Rawek
Charlotte Whiteley
Judy Lowood
Violet Smythe
Betty Locke
Caroline Morrison
Linda Yaychuk
Diana Carwithen 13
Judi Hopewell
Carolynn Dallaire 14
Marion Craig
Denise Rothney
Covid-19: It has a Silver Lining! Once I got over the initial shock of cancelling all our travel plans for 2020, I realized that I now had an opportunity to spend more time in my studio, learning online and teaching. Being a member of a number of guilds (Canada and USA) it meant that I could participate in a number of wonderful classes, demos through the guilds as well as signing up for classes directly with instructors I might otherwise not have the chance to study with. So far, I have taken classes with Cherryl Moote, Yvonne
Westover and Romi Banks, Reggie Ezell, Shari Blaukopf, my friend Ruth Korch, Amity Parks and Carol DuBosch. I have, via Calgary and Edmonton Guilds, taken mini classes with Cora Pearl, Julie Wildman and David Gasser and look forward to the host of other instructors that they have lined up. I am going to sign up for Randall Hasson’s Vintage Lettering Styles (bent nib) in November and work my way through those classes (5)!
Covid has also allowed me to be more proactive in developing online content and I have taught and am teaching (October) my interpretation of Ben Shahn’s lettering, Bensgothic; I have done a number of demos (calligraphy and painting) online and so far all have been very well received. It is a challenge but one that is welcome. I have a new document camera on order as I write this.
I also joined Bluprint (now Craftsy) and Skillshare as they had great pricing at the beginning of Covid and note they are still offering some special rates. This is also a great time to take on some of the online challenges. Some have prompts issued monthly, bi-monthly, weekly, and daily! It’s a great way to complete small projects and still keep up your skill sets. It is also very inspirational. The prompts are left up to your interpretation and it is amazing to see what others do to meet the brief.
I feel that we will be dealing with Covid for some time to come and offering classes online is a viable option and is here to stay. I like not having to schlep supplies to a workshop! I do miss the personal connection, but I also get a front row seat with online classes. There are lots of pros and cons and you will have to weigh these out for yourselves but if you see a class you are just dying to take – do not hesitate – just go for it! You just might be surprised how much you enjoy it. - Violet Smythe IG @v.smythe 15
Bensgothic with Violet Smythe October brought the Guild’s first Zoom workshop. We twenty participants were privileged to have Violet Smythe share her expertise in her Bensgothic lettering style. One morning a week for three weeks Violet led us from an understanding of who Ben Shahn was and the basics of his hand to newer, more decorative variations. To start, Violet explained how she became inspired by Lithuanian-born Ben Shahn (1898 -1968) after seeing the work done by a friend who was enrolled in a year long calligraphy workshop taught by Carol DuBosch which also included this hand. Investigation led her to realize Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn
was a notable artist who had studied at New York’s National Academy of Design. She showed us samples of his work that exemplified how Shahn blended his artwork with calligraphy, such as his beautifully designed and illustrated book Partridge in a Pear Tree. Following our session, Violet emailed us her demo sheets so that we could study them more carefully. Along with the samples of Ben Shahn’s work images she included in our exemplar, Violet sent a sample of the carved letters from the 8th & 9th century as well as a sample of letters by David Jones for comparison. This drawn lettering offers great opportunity for differing forms and having given us this background, Violet then moved on to teaching us her own interpretation. 16
As with any creative venture, having the right equipment is the first step. One method of doing Bensgothic is to draw the letters. This can be done with a stiff pointed nib, a Brause 3/4 mm nib or a B5 or B6 nib followed by flooding and filling in the letter. A gel pen is also a useful tool as is a multicoloured pencil or even a plain pencil (Violet uses a mechanical pencil that has a flat lead, like a carpenter’s pencil). However, Violet usually works with a folded pen. She suggested that the Luthis Libelula (Dragonfly) pen from John Neal Books is a good choice, but her favourite is the New Horizon nib from Paper & Ink Arts. Equally as important as the pens and pencils used are the papers, inks and paints. Violet’s paper suggestions were Hot or Cold Press Watercolour paper, Arches Text Wove, Bordens & Riley Layout Paper, Neutech or Genoa bond or Strathmore 400 series sketchbook or any paper that works with our ink. As well as using ink, watercolour paint, liquid watercolour like Pebeo Colorex or Ecoline and gouache were mentioned as good choices for the letters. With so many options to choose from, many hours of experimentation lie ahead. This discussion of equipment led into Violet demonstrating the hand. Working with her folded pen, Violet showed each step from the strokes achievable with the pen, to specific letterforms, and on to words. The letters were introduced in family groups: ILEFTH, OQGCSU, DPBR, MNZ, and lastly AVWXYKJ. This allowed us to see similarities of
Carolynn Dallaire
shape. There was plenty of opportunity to practice what we had been taught, referencing the handouts Violet had previously emailed. The last step was to put it all together using a pangram (a sentence using all the letters of the alphabet). Violet had provided us a list of pangrams, my favourite being “The dark risqué gown makes a very brazen exposure of juicy flesh.”
Denise Rothney
With the close of our first class it was time to assign homework. Violet asked that we do a pangram and create a postcard to send to a partner she had chosen for us. The card was to have the name and address lettered on one side and a design on the other side. Before mailing it, we each photographed our work and emailed it to Violet so she could discuss them the following week. Our next session began with a social time as, one by one, we joined our Zoom classroom. When we had all gathered, Violet showed an example from a previous class to illustrate how Bensgothic can be varied and then she moved on to our homework.
Joyce Gammie
She showed work from each of us, the pangrams and the postcards. It was particularly fun to see the postcards with their colourful designs and
unique ways of using Bensgothic to do the name and address. Having taught us the basic Bensgothic alphabet, Violet began to teach variations. She went over each letter and showed alternate forms, encouraging us to experiment and find our own variations. Next she showed us ligatures, a way of joining letters. When there is a strong diagonal or
Violet Smythe
vertical stroke, a letter can be joined to its preceding or following letter, for example, A, N, and D can all be joined together.
Our homework assignment was to create a piece using ligatures as well as stacking and nesting words, writing sentences of different sizes and writing them on curved lines.
go, using masking fluid for the letter and then painting over it, and even spritzing or pouring splashes of bleach on black paper to bring out an under colour.
To begin our last class, Violet demonstrated by creating a birthday card for Judy Lowood. Then she went over our homework, using it as a means to point out ways to refine our work. One suggestion was to use only enough ligatures to add interest, as too many would create monotony and distraction. Other tips were to bounce our letters or use lines of different heights to add emphasis. She also pointed out, though, that a balance should be found between variety and readability.
Despite the social limitations of learning on Zoom, such as no opportunity to chat with a table partner, it was a very enjoyable workshop. There were many handouts giving us the history and development of Bensgothic as well as exemplars with the letters. All of Violet’s demonstration pages were emailed to us and by emailing her our homework we were able to see what others had done and learn from the comments she made. Violet’s organization and friendly demeanour made it a very successful workshop.
For the remainder of the class Violet showed various ways to work creatively such as changing colour as you
- Kathy Bedard
Ria Lewis
Violet Smythe
Violet Smythe
Ben Shahn
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November 2020 Galleria Compose YOUR OWN words and do a piece on the subject of FOOD. No recipes allowed.
Jeanette Rawek
Ruth Rutledge
Charlotte Whiteley
Ria Lewis
Joyce Gammie
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Betty Locke
Jeanne Ralston
Caroline Morrison Margaret Kells
Marion Craig
Diana Carwithen
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Violet Smythe
Denise Rothney
Carolynn Dallaire
Judy Lowood
Executive Members 2021-2022 President Past President Vice President Meeting Programmes Secretary Treasurer Journal Editor Librarian Workshops Membership Webmaster 20
Ruth Rutledge Denise Rothney Diana Carwithen Debbie Craig Paullette McLaren Carolynn Dallaire Barbara Qualley Tricia Field/Cathie Harrower Marilyn Boechler/Betty Locke Judy Lowood Diana Carwithen
Christmas Cards 2020
Marion Craig
Marilyn Boechler
Carolynn Dallaire
Trisha Klus
Anne Atkinson
Ruth Rutledge
Joyce Gammie
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Judy Lowood
Tricia Field
Susan Miller
Denise Rothney
Barbara Qualley
Betty Locke
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Carroll McLaurin
Charlotte Whiteley
Geri Arkell
Debbie Craig
Jeanette Rawek
Pat Wheatley
Ria Lewis
Trish Peebles
Valerie Lynn Hodgins and Al Annett
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Linda Yaychuk
Caroline Morrison
Diana Carwithen Judi Hopewell
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Violet Smythe
January Meeting Programme - Art Deco Roses
There are three methods of construction. The first is a continuous line that goes to the centre of the circumferences or sides getting smaller as you progress to the centre of the shape. The second method Violet calls the Iris Rose as it looks like the result of Iris Folded Paper or the iris of a camera lens. This method is like the continuous line except you start each new stroke slightly before the end of
the previous line so that it appears the stroke is starting underneath the line. The third method was a series of triangles drawn upright and inverted one within the other and getting smaller as you progressed toward the centre.
with our results and plan to use this lovely rose in future projects. Thank you Violet. - Linda Yaychuk
After we each created a rose using one of the methods Violet had demonstrated, she showed us how to paint each section without touching the pencil lines which would be erased after the paint had dried. We also drew and painted veined leaves using the same methods. When Violet draws a group of flowers she uses a different method and shape for each rose thus creating variety in the composition. This was a very enjoyable program and I'm sure each of us was pleased
Both images - Caroline Morrison
Violet Smythe, who has a fondness for Art Deco, showed us some examples, including illustrations of stained glass windows, which use the Deco Roses. She then directed us to the exemplar that she provided, showing three shapes within which to create the roses - circle, triangle, and square
February Meeting Programme - Banding resolved, allowing participating members to become involved with the process of banding, by following Betty’s instructions.
Christine Ahmad
The February meeting via Zoom was highlighted by Betty Locke explaining and demonstrating the activity known as “Banding”. The presentation began with Betty giving an explanation of what banding consisted of, and described the steps she went through to find an official explanation of the process. Some initial technical difficulties with the presentation were encountered, but were speedily
Instructions were as follows: lines were to be formed in straight, curved or undulating shapes, and the letters between the lines varied in shape from traditional to less conservative forms, thereby resulting in a more dynamic appearance. It was suggested that colours could be added between letters leaving a white moat around those letters, while leaving other letter spaces plain white. Betty also suggested that various decorative marks could be added to provide further interest. Betty wound up the presentation by showing examples of her own work. An instruction sheet and other examples of banding were mentioned by participating members and these were sent out by e-mail to the membership. - Margaret Kells
Betty Locke
Carolynn Dallaire
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January 2021 Galleria Traditional Fairy Tales. Render words from an actual fairy tale using the B style nib only. Piece MUST include a graphic.
Marilyn Boechler
Diana Carwithen
Paullette McLaren
Betty Locke
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Anne Atkinson
Debbie Craig
Marilyn Boechler
Joyce Gammie
Judi Hopewell
Ria Lewis
27
Jeanette Rawek
Violet Smythe
Judy Lowood
Caroline Morrison
28
Linda Lax
Marion Craig
Charlotte Whiteley
Margaret Kells
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February 2021 Galleria Celebrate the Chinese year of the OX with a suitable piece.
Violet Smythe
Diana Carwithen
Judi Hopewell
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Judy Lowood
Ruth Rutledge
Betty Locke
Caroline Morrison
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Marion Craig
Linda Lax
Jeanette Rawek
Carolynn Dallaire
Marilyn Boechler
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March 2021 Galleria Celebrate mothers with a piece.
Betty Locke
Linda Lax
Ruth Rutledge
Judi Hopewell Margaret Kells
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Charlotte Whiteley Marion Craig
Judy Lowood
Caroline Morrison
Joyce Gammie
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Diana Carwithen
Barbara Qualley
Anne Atkinson
Ria Lewis
Debbie Craig
Jeanette Rawek
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Elegant Copperplate - Betty Locke & Marilyn Lundstrom From February 15 to March 22, 2021 twenty-six students met via Zoom to be instructed in the beguiling Copperplate hand. Marilyn Lundstrom very patiently and professionally taught her eager students the basic strokes for the first three sessions. Betty Locke worked her magic for the final three sessions, taking pen and ink work to the next level: turning a letter into a show piece, a word into an adventure, a pen stroke into a piece of art. But - don’t you dare forget the foundational basics! Yes, that is all it is, pen and ink work. But the amount of skill needed to create a letter, a word, a sentence, a paragraph, is overwhelming. We learned that the characteristics of the Copperplate hand, or Engrossers Script, are created by the basic form of an oval and a slant of 55°. The calligrapher uses a pointed pen to create letters of any size and weight and the pressure used is what makes the contrast of thick and thin strokes. Light pressure reduces the flow of ink through the nib producing a delicate thin stroke and heavier pressure opens the nib to let more ink through and to create a thicker line. Pressure is applied only on the downstrokes. There are many different pointed pen nibs, however our Guild has chosen to favour the Brause EF66 [EF standing for extra fine]. For beginners, the nib takes a bit of getting used to, especially when taking the stroke to the left. Without skill the nib catches and ink spatters. Most students used an oblique pen, and some struggled with fitting the nib into the popular Speedball oblique. It took a little nail filing before the nib could be inserted. The students took an opportunity to discuss what paper they were using and how easy or difficult it was for use with the Brause. Some of the recommendations were: Guild practice pad; Canson Pro Layout Marker Pad, Borden and Riley translucent paper; Hammermill 28 lb laser paper {from Staples}. Marilyn created a guideline sheet for circulation which was crucial to determining the size of each letter. With Copperplate there is a baseline, where the letter sits, a header, which is similar to and called ‘x height’, two 36
heights of ascenders and two lengths of descenders.
Marilyn couldn’t impress upon her students enough that Copperplate is a very, very, very slow hand, stopping and starting after each basic stroke. Without the stopping and lifting of the pen, the hand will quickly turn to everyday cursive handwriting. Not that that isn’t lovely in itself, but it’s not Copperplate. Her knowledge and experience of the letters inspired confidence that with practice there was the possibility of seeing progress. Following are Marilyn’s Commandments of Copperplate lettering.
All letters have entrance and exit strokes Letters are drawn at a 55° angle To aid with smooth lettering and proper slant, place paper with slant lines pointing into the middle of your belly Must stop and start with each stroke - Lift pen off paper Squared tops on down strokes No circles. Only ovals Universal line of beauty Terminal dot Work slowly
Betty made flourishing look easy, like an Olympic class ice skater in her gold medal performance. Following are Betty’s Commandments for Flourishing.
Be BOLD, not ‘puncey’ You want a GUFFAW, not a titter Flourishes are extensions of letter strokes Don’t choke a flourish Bring it back to mother OVAL not round Best place for flourishes, top and bottom of the line VARY the style of Flourish Don’t repeat Keep the viewer ALERT AVOID mannerisms Try not to flourish a capital Flourishes can be used to close space between words
Flourishes need to look like the word Light over light or dark but not dark over dark Be afraid and LOVE being afraid
The Zoom Experience was new for many of us and what a good experience. Once some of the bugs were dealt with and the stress dissipated for the instructors and IT folks, it was a relaxed and easy way to be in your own space and yet part of the group. Both presenters gave plenty of opportunity for questions, concerns and feedback. And the fact that the sessions can be recorded and sent out to the participants for future viewing is a major extra bonus. We are so fortunate in the Valley to have the talent and generosity of remarkable calligraphy instructors. Challenging for experienced members and inspiring for newer learners. There is much to be proud of. In closing, Judi Hopewell created the following poem regarding our workshop and has given permission for its publication here. Judi had a little nib, an EF 66 So she joined a penman’s class, To learn a few new tricks. One has to go quite slowly, With pressure very light, And one has to practice, Morning noon and night. The oval form is central, When learning Copperplate And lovely loops essential, That we must emulate. Swells and hairlines matter, So learn to do them well. And squaring off will make your work shine, More than you can tell. Consistent slope and spacing, We need on every line And using decent paper, Will add to your design. Beware of Titivillus, Fiendish little imp. Whose joy in our scriptoria, Is making us blob ink. If stars align and we work hard, Our work will turn out well But if that pesky elf is about, Our piece will look like _____!
- Catherine Coulis
Jane Sheers
Diana Carwithen
Marilyn Lundstrom
Jane Sheers
Paul Watkins Lucy Hylkema
Barbara Qualley
Marilyn Boechler
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Cascading CapitalS - Suzie Beringer April 7, 8, 14 & 15, 2021 As I sit here in my studio with soulful jazz tunes playing lightly in the background, I am practicing my cascading capitals. I am trying to be mindful of the many snippets of wisdom imparted to us from our teacher. I am thinking how incredibly lucky a group of Warmland Calligraphers were to have the good fortune to take a class with Suzie Beringer called Cascading Capitals. Suzie hails from Bellingham, Washington and is a graphic designer. This was her very first ZOOM class and how privileged are we to be able to use technology that brings talented people and their expertise into our homes and studios? Many thanks to Dianna Carwithen for her assistance during and around the class days and to Barbara Qualley for recording and sending information to us for review after the class. Many people find Roman capitals to be quite intimidating, but Suzie took us on this journey that broke it down into simple forms. Roman caps are still not easy but now you can practice with intent. We can find ourselves
repeating in our heads the guidelines she shared with us as we practice. Suzie’s method showed us how you can draw any height of letter and still produce good letter forms. Suzie gave us many little gems of wisdom throughout the classes. She told us whatever stage you were at in this moment is where you should be. If you need to use graph paper, then it’s OK. If you need to stay with your pencil longer that is OK. It’s all OK! Suzie has this creative relaxing approach to her artwork and to her teaching. Those crazy tumbling letters are purposefully and carefully placed. It is about being aware of the axis of the letter juxtaposed to the surrounding letters. It is not necessarily about being legible. It is about creating the emotion and a feeling. Letter placements can even portray a sense of what the words themselves are saying. Her tips using various imagery such as falling, spinning, piling up and more answered so many questions. She walked us through the parent box, the lettering families and the spacing. She gave us tips on curves and weight placement on the letters to create pleasing images. She walked us through the tools and the sharpening
of the lead. She shared her preferences of why she prefers “A” to “B”! DO YOU, she tells us! Day three was a big challenge for me. We graduated to ink and gouache and my nibs and gouache were not my friend. But again, Suzie explained nibs and demonstrated mixing mediums to get better results. I certainly appreciated the wisdom of her experience. At the end of the classes I had 20 pages of notes and 10 more pages in the booklet that we made. Suzie’s attention to detail and her unique thinking process was lauded numerous times by many participants. I loved how she introduced us to her no ruler guidelines, the use of her not-a-math-person math and the great examples of using tracing paper to plan and check your work. We also appreciated the time she took to review and make suggestions to our homework. We all decided we would love to have another class with Suzie, preferably in person. It was such a positive, informative, learning experience. Thank you Suzie. - Charlotte Whiteley
Betty Locke
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Judy Lowood
Suzi Beringer
Kathy Bedard Lettering area
2 3/4”x 3”
Charlotte Whiteley
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Letter Crafting Exhibition - April 12 - 26, 2021 Another Warmland Calligrapher’s Art exhibition at PORTALS (a Cowichan Valley Arts Council exhibition space) went off without a hitch. This is the first time we were forced to coordinate all the details without meeting in person. Word was sent out via email to the membership by Diana Carwithen to submit artwork for the exhibition. Soon the requested material arrived, details were collected, and inventory recorded. Betty Locke created a beautiful poster for the show. Many fabulous pieces
that had been created for monthly Gallerias, the Scriptors group as well as other original pieces were submitted. For the first time we also set up a display of original and print art cards for sale. Diana led the charge, meeting with and being a liaison with PORTALS Charlotte Whiteley collected the data and details. Ruth Rutledge and Diana collected the artwork. Charlotte and Judy Lowood did the layout for the show to scale in preparation for hanging the show quickly and safely.
Barbara Qualley coordinated the advertising. On April 11, 2021 Debbie Craig, Diana, Ruth, Judy and Charlotte plus 3 members from PORTALS hung the show in record time. In total we hung 37 pieces of art from 15 different participants and displayed 40 cards. Seven greeting cards and four pieces of art were sold. - Charlotte Whiteley
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March Meeting Programme - Design Layout Tips The words “design” and 'layout” often leave me feeling like a deer in the headlights - in other words lost and confused. What a wonderful surprise we got from Caroline Morrison's presentation for the March program. She laid out the methods so clearly that the light went on for many of us. Caroline used a calligraphic piece that had been done by one of our members. She printed out the four parts of the piece (ox, title, chop and symbol) and made them different sizes. Caroline explained that design details should be grouped into large (60%), medium (30%) and small (10%) groupings. She decided the ox and title would make up the large group while the symbol, because it was important to the piece, would be medium and the chop small. As an aside Caroline explained that making the symbol for Year of the Ox with a brush and ink could be quite difficult and she felt that it was perfectly acceptable to trace a symbol and fill it in with ink giving a sharper appearance. Caroline changed the
sizes of the pieces and moved them into different positions until she had achieved a properly balanced and proportioned piece.
Caroline Morrison’s re-design of Ruth Rutledges’s layout. Please see February Galleria for original layout
Various layouts were discussed and demonstrated. The first was the “thumbnail sketch” where you create small sketches changing the size and positions of the components until you achieve balance and unity. Another method was “cut and paste”. This method allows quick and easy
changes in the components using your printer. After printing and resizing you can cut out the parts and move them around until you have a balanced piece (remember the 60, 30, 10 ratio). Caroline then demonstrated some methods of bringing pieces together through colour. Her favourite “go to” tool is Distressed Ink Pads. She first deposited some ink from the pad onto a sheet of glass and using a make-up sponge spread colour onto watercolour paper, spritzed it with water and then lifted the water off with a paper towel. The result was a lovely surface on which to place a piece of calligraphy. Other methods using the ink pads included smudging around the edges of a piece and also smudging ink over a stencil as you moved it around the page closing off the corners. Caroline provided an excellent handout before the meeting which we can review before creating a new piece. An excellent and enjoyable experience. Thank you! - Linda Yaychuk
April Meeting Programme - So So TIGHT LETTERS “So So Tight” was the title of the April meeting activity presented by Guild member Carolynn Dallaire. Carolynn used exemplars from the book by Lynn Slevinsky “Marker Lettering Volume III”, and examples of her own work as resources for the presentation.
Carolynn described this form of lettering as easy and quick, consisting of densely packed letter shapes encompassing mostly white space. The letters are drawn in blocks, between straight or undulating lines, with no space between the letters. She demonstrated how to form the letters in a manner which allowed members to follow along and develop their own lettering. Carolynn recommended forming the letters in pencil before going over the lines with waterproof pen, thus allowing the application of
watercolour paint as a decorative feature. Zentangle or other forms of decoration could also be used to enhance each letter.
It was agreed that these letters are not always easy to read initially, but are a very interesting exercise in form and texture.
Carolynn described her own history with this form of lettering, and it was clear that she enjoys this style of calligraphy very much. We watched a slide show of these letter forms in use, one of which showed a decorated word in this form with the rest of the quote in a different calligraphic form.
Lynn Slevinsky’s four books on marker lettering are in our Guild library. - Margaret Kells All images by Carolynn Dallaire 41
April 2021 Galleria Using the “banding” technique, create a piece which has a minimum of three lines. Use a quotation or merely the alphabet.
Judi Hopewell Diana Carwithen
Charlotte Whiteley
Carroll McLaurin
Caroline Morrison Joyce Gammie
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Anne Atkinson
Judy Lowood
Violet Smythe
Ruth Rutledge
Ria Lewis
Marilyn Boechler
Marilyn Lundstrom
Jeanette Rawek
Carolynn Dallaire
Denise Rothney
Marg Kells
Marion Craig Betty Locke
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May 2021 Galleria Render a spiritual or biblical quotation in your very best lettering. This piece may NOT have a graphic but a decorated letter may be used if desired.
Judi Hopewell
Diana Carwithen
Violet Smythe
Cathie Harrower Caroline Morrison
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Judy Lowood
Ria Lewis
Marilyn Boechler
Jeanette Rawek
Ruth Rutledge Charlotte Whiteley
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Carolynn Dallaire
April Obersteiner
Betty Locke
Denise Rothney
Marion Craig
Paul Watkins
MAY Meeting Programme - Weathergrams
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Weathergrams are short messages, inspired by an insight or feeling, written on strips of kraft paper with indelible ink. The Weathergram is then hung outdoors in the elements and allowed to biodegrade.
Lloyd J. Reynolds (1902–1978) was an American calligrapher and professor at Reed College (1929–1969) who taught classes on creative writing, art, and calligraphy. He was also the founder of The Portland Society for Calligraphy. Reynolds developed the Weathergram in 1926 as a way for students to make beautiful things in a simple way and share their calligraphy with others.
The Japanese have a similar tradition of tanzaku where their wishes are tied on trees or exchanged as notes with friends.
Today we hang Weathergrams outside for many reasons. Recently, during the COVID pandemic, the Edmonton Calligraphic Society made hundreds of them with words of appreciation for the workers at a local hospital.
Thanks to Debbie Craig for a very interesting program. - Linda Yaychuk
Illustrating Calligraphy Simply - Judi Hopewell Lesson #1 - Leaves Study a fresh leaf and notice all the colour shades. When ready to draw pay attention to the light source and shade appropriately (from the right for all class illustrations). Practice with pencil first. Smudge with finger for shadows.
Lesson #3 - Trees, Branches & Birds There are no straight lines in nature. Taper branches and shade only one side for dimension.
Lesson #2 - Flowers Steps to create a Rose
Barbara Qualley
Barbara Qualley
Judi Hopewell
Judi Hopewell
Lesson #4 - Flourishes - Ribbons ‘Ribbonaci’ Steps to drawing a bird: Sideways swoopy u-shape for head add beak - eye - tail - 2 toes forward/ one toe back Create a banner header
Add copperplate swash flourishes
Barbara Qualley
Lesson #5 - Review - Tools - Books
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS TOOL RECOMMENDATIONS
The Hunt EF66 nib is the absolute best for copperplate lettering and flourishes.
Maggie Enterrios Nature Observer Flowerscape https://www.littlepatterns.com/
Moon Palace Sumi Ink Zircon Stud Finder for envelope lettering Suzanne Cunningham video on wedding invites
Tombow Mono Zero Eraser very fine tip Tombow Sand Eraser for pencil crayon and ink
Judi Hopewell
Use 3 shades of colours of TomBow or similar brush marker for lettering and a very light grey for drop shadow.
Foundations of Calligraphy - Sheila Waters Any book by Timothy Botts - great use of colour Copperplate Script - Paul Antonio
Pentel Click Hyper Eraser Teflon Bone Folder Slice brand ceramic blade cutter C&T Publishing Colour Wheel
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