April 2009
Issue #4
THE B I RM ING HAM C ALLI G R A P HY G U I LD ’S N E WS LE T TE R www.birminghamcalligraphy.org
Upcoming Guild Meetings: Mark Your Calendar: August 10 October 12
Bettie Perkins and Mary Raines Harper are dropping paint to marbelize paper
Mountain Brook Board of Education Building Community Education Room
32 Vine St. Mtn Brook,AL
Diane Maurer -Mathison Workshop March 18-22
Wow! The participants of Diane’s workshop had 5 days of fun, experimentation, and creativity. The class started with suminagashi marbling, which turned out to be a warm-up to the more difficult yet beautiful watercolor marbling. Everyone was able to experiment with dropping different colors into a size (the milk like substance in the tray made with carrageenan moss). Then using different rakes and combs in the watercolor, we made the most amazing marbled paper! There were plenty of Oooooo’s and Ahhhhhh’s as we hung the printed papers on a clothesline to dry. Making paste paper followed which is simply a grown-up’s version of finger paint! All sorts of gadgets and tools made designs on the colored paste. After the paste paper dried, participants used the paper to make a “Collage Canyon” tunnel book. A tunnel book is a series of pages attached to a concertina spine that decrease in size to give a telescopic or peep hole view of the entertaining back page. [Those of us in the workshop would like to thank George Dorsey for making each of us a “rake” to do watercolor marbling at home. You’re the best and we thank you! ]
Mark your Calendars Upcoming Workshops: July 11-12: Barbara Close “Holiday Cards” (6 places open) October 3-4: Michael Kesceg (Topic-TBA) (7 places open) November 13-14: Lisa Engelbrecht (Topic TBA) (now taking reservations) March, 2010: Jacqueline Sullivan For more information: www.birminghamcalligraphy.org
l Who are these people and how do I sign up? The best place to start is the internet! Google these names and you will find a wealth of information! To reserve a place in a workshop, send a check for $50.00 (your reservation) payable to Birmingham Calligraphy Guild to: Suzan Bishop 21 Glen Iris Park Birmingham, AL 35205 Suzan needs your check before she confirms your place.
Meeting Notes:
Ann Phillips presented an excellent class on Foundational Hand Basics. Thanks to you Ann! She is one of our founding members and travels to Birmingham from Arab, Alabama. Ann holds the office of Program Chairman for the guild and is one of our loyal members. Louise brought in some of the Guild Archives and has a set of copies of random subjects from some of the writings and book illustration. She will bring the copies to the remaining meetings this year. Thanks to all the members who were there: Suzan Bishop, Eve London, Mary Ann Morrow, Betty Bland, Deb Warnat, Melinda Sapp, Marsha Lassiter, Ann Phillips, and Louise Meredith. We welcomed reunited member Kathy Leaver, new members Mary Raines Harper and Lynn Lloyd and prospective new member Susan Small. Other new members not present are Peggy Keller, Jamie Holley, Jean Masters, Betsy Brooks, Elizabeth Vandercamp, Deby Wright, Beth Walker, and Lera Jean Roddam all of Birmingham. Our new out of town members are: Dana Cochran from Asheville, NC, Moya Minns of Atlanta, Susan Mayo and Lynn Haven, Florida. The project for the April meeting was creating stationery with a decorated letter. We transferred an ornate letter onto card stock and penned in details and added color with gouache or colored watercolor pencils. By using copied sources of ornate letters, you can quickly make a set of handmade stationery- the folded cards make great gifts! Jim Davis brought four decorated envelopes to show us. His friends and family are blessed to receivee his artistic envelopes as birthday rememberances. Marsha Lassiter, Betty Perkins, Mary Raines Harper, Deb Warnat and Kathy Leaver were in attendance. Louise Meredith presented the project.
Ann Phillips demonstrating the foundational hand.
The officers for 2009-2011 will be confirmed at the August meeting. We will discuss and note changes in the by-laws and workshop details. The August 10th meeting will be a business meeting and “show and tell”.We will also hear about both Calligraphy Convention and IAMPETH held previously during the summer. Monday, August 10th. 6:30-8:30 Mountain Brook Board of Education Building. 32 Vine Street 35213 (across from Crestline ) This will be the most important business meeting of the year. We must have numbers to vote in the new officers. Please Mark your calendar NOW!
Member’s Show December 7, 2008
Founding Members receiving certificates from left to right: Betty Bland, Janie Cravens, Ann Phillips, Jim Davis, Elizabeth Judd, Ann Erickson, Sharron Adams, Winnie Cooper and Rosemary Kenney
Pictures (clockwise) :Louise Meredith and Marsha Lassiter examine certificates, Ann Phillips pictured with her daughter and granddaughter, certificate presented to founding members, Betty Bland and her family, Janie Cravens speaks of her appreciation to the guild.
RR
ie (For those not familiar with pressurized g g with serifs, look at the font Re t RomansTrajan e Pro on the left. Th epor It is a close relative!) R
The Reggie Year Long Class is in full motion! Twenty-two people arrive bleary-eyed to class on one Saturday morning a month for 14 hours of intense instruction from master calligrapher and teacher, Reggie Ezell. The students travel from Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Participants who arrive in time gather for dinner on Friday night with Reggie. This is a nice “downtime” before the marathon teaching day on Saturday. The amount of knowledge that is learned in a day is remarkable! Most recently, students have progressed to Pressurized Romans with Serifs. (see above)The day does not consist of just practicing letters...There is a wonderful mix of instruction in guilding, embossing, sign painting, watercolor techniques, acetone transfer and color theory. During lunch and dinner, students watch slides shows or short videos pertaining to the lesson of the day. (Suzan Bishop provides the most delicious meals for these events!) Upcoming topics include foundational and italic hands, different kinds of gilding, bookbinding and grinding stick inks. Are you interested in seeing the calligraphy and art coming out of this year long class? It is my understanding that there will be a “show” of classwork in January. More information will follow later. In February, several students took a field trip to Mobile with Reggie in tow. They visited The St. James Bible Exhibit and received insider knowledge from Reggie about the techniques and materials used in making and gilding the pages. What a “golden” opportunity!
Remembering Tina It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Tina Motoyama of Crestview, Florida. Tina had been a member of our guild for several years. She attended many recent workshops and national conferences. She was devoted to the art of calligraphy and her entry in the December show was an example of her skill. We honor the memory of her love of the letterform. We will miss her wit and humor and loyality to this guild. She is survived by her husband, Bert. A card may be sent to him at: 2423 Wildwood Court Crestview, Florida 32536
Reggie Tip:
When making a layout, it is good to define a border- then “BREAK” out of it. Look at the word GOD and see how it draws your eye to the word? The layout is more interesting and less predictible!
Nibbler Bits: TIP: Always wipe down your metal pen nibs with gum arabic before lettering with ink or gouache. The nib will hold more ink!
Cat Whiskers Needed! If your cat has lost a whisker, let us know! They are used for marbling
Melinda Sapp has signed the Birmingham Calligraphy Guild up for IAMPETH’s “All Things Lettered”a tabletop competition in Nashville during the convention. You do not need to be going to help with ideas and implementation. Call Melinda for more information. 205-824-4447
Graceful Envelope Contest 2009 This year’s theme is “Address the Environment” Think green with all the colors of the rainbow! Focus on flora or fauna, accentuate the air, highlight H2O--or give a big hug to Mother Earth herself. Design an envelope that promotes the preservation of our natural world and address it artistically to: The Graceful Envelope Contest Washington Calligrapher’s Guild P.O. Box 3688 Merrifield, VA 22116 There is no entry fee. Envelopes must be postmarked by Thursday, April 30. For more information and guidelines: http://www.calligraphersguild.org/Graceful/Graceful-2009.pdf
60th Annual
IAMPETH Convention will be held July 13-19, 2009 in Nashville, TN For more information: www.IAMPETH.com Lots of people are going because of the easy drive and location- Check it out!
Nibbles
Graham Cracker Bars
(These have appeared twice at Reggie workshops and disappeared just as fast)
Needed: 2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
box of graham crackers
1 bag Hershey’s Heath Bits O’Brickle Toffee Bits
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two jelly roll pans with aluminum foil and lay the graham crackers on foil in a single layer. (A box will fill the two
pans with a few extra to nibble on!) Next melt the butter and cup of sugar
in a small saucepan just until hot and the sugar melts. Pour or spoon butter mixture over the graham crackers trying to coat all of the crackers.
Put in the pre-heated oven and bake 10-12 minutes. Next sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crackers splitting the bag between the two pans. Let them melt in the oven (a minute is fine). Pull the pan of graham crackers out and spread the chocolate chips to cover the crackers and immedi-
ately sprinkle the Bits O’Brickle over the chocolate hoping they stick! Put in the freezer for 20 minutes, pull out and break the crackers into irregular shapes. Refrigerate until eaten.
Officers of Birmingham Calligraphy Guild (Les Elumineurs)* Pres. - Louise Meredith VP - Dana Jacobson Treasurer - Melinda Sapp Secretary -Bettie Perkins Newsletter -Eve London Website - Deb Warnat Membership - Mary Ann Morrow Workshop - Suzan Bishop & Deb Warnat *founded 1987
The Birmingham Calligraphy Guild welcomes both amateurs and advanced calligraphers.All you need is an interest in hand lettering. If you would like to join: Contact Mary Ann Morrow mamorrow@bellsouth.net Dues: $25.00 to Birmingham Calligraphy Guild. (September 1-August 31) Mail your dues to: Mary Ann Morrow 320 Stonebridge Road Birmingham, AL 35210 Being a member keeps you up to date with events and workshops!