Invitation to the Governor in Copperplate

        

What a delight to write in the centuries old Copperplate hand!  It speaks such elegance and beauty, don’t you think?  It is my favorite hand because it feels like dancing across the paper………pressure on the down stroke, pause, …lift slightly,… no pressure at all on the upstroke.  Pause at the top, …begin downward movement with gradually increasing pressure.  Stop if a straight tip is needed, or lighten up and round the descender tail as the stroke flows effortlessly upward.  Continue, adding flourishes as they fit the spaces, ….Dance, Pen, dance!CopperplateGovernor

Washington, District of Columbia

Be kind to your calligrapher:

Select your stationery with pen and ink in mind if you are hiring a calligrapher.  Some paper surfaces do not enable certain pen nibs and inks.  If there is a certain script you desire, take a sample to your calligrapher to verify that it matches the tools required to write that “hand.”  And plan on choosing a w-i-d-e envelope for your invitations if you are inviting many people who live in locations with l-o-n-g names, such as Washington, D.C.  Formal addresses necessitate additional space to spell out everything.

Springing into Summer!

Copperplate on Invitation Envelopes

Envelopes arrived from Washington D.C. /Virginia area today for addressing in Copperplate.  Big 🙂 on my face!  I love to write in Copperplate, at any angle.

Clay House Number

Generally when I teach a class it is all about the students, and any demonstrations of technique are merely sample pieces.

By adding time after class I was able to construct items for my home.

This leaf plaque has my house number deeply engraved.   How funny that a slight change to a single digit matches our Tennessee apartment number!

I am very eager to glaze a large hand-built flower-pot because my coleus plant has sprawled into a candelabrum shape and await its new pot.

Finding a Calligrapher – not the easiest task

Today a woman brought me a small certificate that had been presented without the name and date being filled in.  She had purchased a lovely silver frame, and wanted the name written artistically.  Cindy had shopped at Michael’s for a calligraphy pen, only to realize that there is more to hand lettering than just having a certain tool.   Then she contacted the Yellow pages listings, but each of these brought only frustration.  She reported wasting her time talking to businesses that handle commercial accounts, require a minimum of $30, or provide machine fonts, not hand written words. 

Her hunt continued for a reasonably priced calligrapher.  When a paper goods store provided my name from their file, Cindy got her happy ending.  She exchanged a five dollar bill for the result she envisioned.  Cindy left my studio pleased with a framable award.

This award is entirely hand lettered.

Halloween Pumpkin

Pumpkin in a new light

We have several skilled carvers in our family who have brought a variety of designs to life.

Jeanne’s carving was the most scary.