Warmland Calligraphers Newsletter #60

Newsletter Team Editor Assistant Editors

Linda Yaychuk Ria Lewis, Alane Lalonde

Photo Editors

Jane Taylor, Alane Lalonde

Proof Readers

Barbara Qualley, Denise Rothney

Regular Contributors

Gwyneth Evans, Lucy Hylkema, Pat Wheatley, Charlotte Whiteley, Margaret Kells, Judi Hopewell

Newsletter Issue #60 February 2015

Distribution

Regular monthly meetings

Cover Artists

are held on the Second Tuesday of each month from 9am to 12:00pm (no meeting in July and August) Exhibition Grounds Duncan, BC (Exceptions are December and June)

Muriel Heggie Front - Barbara Qualley Back - Marilyn Boechler

Executive Meetings are held on the First Tuesday of each month At Linda Yaychuk’s home from 9am to noon All members are welcome!

Inside this issue:

Playtime is held on the Fourth Tuesday of each month from 9am to 12am Cowichan Exhibition Grounds Duncan, BC

Membership in Warmland Calligraphers includes three newsletters. Annual membership dues are C$30 Canadian residents and US $30 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. 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 Editor 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.

Contact us at: P.O. Box 2, Duncan, B C, V9L 3X1 Canada http://members.shaw.ca/warmlandcalligraphers

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2

General Guild Information

3

President’s Message / Front Cover Artist

4

November Program

5-7

November Galleria

8-10

Christmas Cards

11/12

Yukimi Annand Workshop

13

January Program

14-16

January Galleria

17

Upcoming Events

18

Exposé

19

February Program

20-22

February Galleria

23/24

Pointed Brush Workshop

25/26

Jottings from the Library

27

Judith Lovell Workshop/ Back Cover Artist

President’s Message Happy New Year! And for our Guild this is a special new year too, because we will be turning 20 in April this year! A few of us have been with Warmland Calligraphers from that very first meeting, but I think what makes our Guild so healthy is that we welcome new members every year, and these "newbies" help keep us young. As with any youngsters though, it is essential that there are some more experienced members around to keep things steady and provide some structure. Our Guild has plenty of both and that is something worth celebrating!

Speaking of structure, this would be a good time to mention our executive members. We are just getting ready for elections as I write this message, and I realize what a team our executive has become, with the membership acting like the "Pep Band". Admittedly I was never on a sports team, so my team analogy reflects my experience in the high school band program (as does my reference to Pep Band instead of cheerleaders!)

I think our 20th Anniversary is a good time to look back and reflect on how things have changed and grown in our

Guild. When we first started out, Betty Locke was pretty much ‘it’ for our calligraphy teachers! She encouraged us to go to conferences, share what we know, do our homework! We now have our very own "homegrown" teachers, Marilyn Lundstrom, Marilyn Boechler and Joyce Gammie. We also have an imported one from Vancouver (Carolynn Dallaire.) We do "borrow" some of the teachers from the Victoria Guild (Fairbank Calligraphy Society) too.

Part of celebrating 20 years involves taking stock of what is working for our Guild and acknowledging the people and the time that goes into these activities. We can take pride in our ability to offer a variety of courses from lettering to paste paper, with quite a bit in-between! And we have the hard working Workshop Coordinators, Betty Locke and Marilyn Boechler, to thank for that.

And our Newsletter now goes worldwide thanks to the efforts of the entire Newsletter team, headed up by our intrepid Linda Yaychuk and Barbara Qualley. Our meetings play a huge part in the success of our Guild, and the entire Executive is involved in making that happen. But special

thanks go to Denise Rothney, the Programme Coordinator (aka Second Vice-President) and the Galleria critics, Betty Locke, Judith Lovell, Marilyn Lundstrom and Marilyn Boechler.

Last, but not least, one of the biggest highlights in the last 20 years was our hosting Island Magic 2007, the 27th International Calligraphy Conference (when we were only 12 years old!) I was reminiscing with Eleanor Harris and Barbara Qualley, who co-chaired this huge event, and we realized that many of our members have heard us talk about Island Magic, but may not know what it’s was all about. So…the next President's Message is going to be all about it! Stay tuned!

Front Cover Artist – Barbara Qualley When granddaughter Taylor was visiting this summer, we did the trek to The Old Country Market in Coombs. Goats and ice cream — nothing better, except for the eclectic goodies in their store! Taylor chose a cat mask, and I stayed with the classic style. A blank canvas waiting for inspiration. When she was visiting after Christmas, we had a day in the Craft Room. I started getting ideas for my mask. I wanted quotes about masks... thanks Google!

Once lettered with a pointed pen, I needed to fill the background. Somewhere I had seen the little “peacock-esque” bird, and decided to use a lovely, sparkly Sakura Gel Pen to ‘doodle’ plumage in the background. Then a hint of colour was added using chalk pastel and glitter.

I'll let you know when Taylor creates her mask!

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November Program with Bill Herring Submitted by Linda Yaychuk For our November program we were very lucky to have a guest by the name of Bill Herring do a presentation on antique writing implements.

Throughout his lifetime, Bill has been involved in many activities. He attended Agricultural College and is an avid gardener, was a Green Grocer, an antique dealer and restorer, and owned an antique store specializing in

Bill’s collection of boxes.

inlay inside the lid.

This late Victorian Paper Mache desk is inlaid with mother of pearl and has a leather writing surface. There are places for holding pens and nibs. A

Collecting inkwells is another of Bill’s interests. It started with a blue glass one with a hinged lid. Bill acquired some of his inkwells while cleaning out houses, some of which were built in the 1920s. One of his favourites has a photograph of a church in Tavistock, Devon, in England. Bill stopped to rest inside the church during a visit. Some of his

Silversmith was able to replace the hinges which were badly damaged.

Bill is holding the porcupine quill box.

country furniture and silver.

Bill found this ladies’ art box in a shed at an estate sale. It dates from about 1880-1890. The box came with labelled paints. A pallet can be removed to reveal a storage area for brushes. There’s a little box of chalks and small pallets as well as goose quills and nibs. The box is made with gold-tooled leather and there is gold

pieces are hallmarked as English silver made in London, 1923.

He has many collections. The following are some of the objects he showed and described to us: This burr walnut box was given to Bill by his Great Aunt. It comes from the mid-Victorian times. The Victorians loved gadgets with secret hiding places. This box has a latch that releases the side panels to reveal three drawers. This gift was the start of

This beautiful piece is made from molded glass and pewter.

Needless to say, we were very impressed with the knowledge and background information in Bill’s presentation and thoroughly enjoyed seeing his interesting and beautiful pieces.

Jim Wisnia helps Bill uncover the secret drawers.

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November Galleria

Submitted by Alane Lalonde

The topic for this month’s Galleria was a challenge indeed. Not only did you have to write a Haiku in your own words, but it had to be written about a flower, the colours must reflect those of the flower and no black, including, ink, was to be used. Our members used many hands. Akim Cursive, Romans, Uncial, Italics, mixed monoline and interesting flourishing were just a few applied. Various mediums and tools from acrylics, brushes, pigma pen, china pencils, pastels, and a balsa wood stick were used. Rice glue was applied to Japanese rice paper with a pointed brush just around the edges and it produced flower like ruffles. Creativity abounded!

Ruth Rutledge

Margaret Kells

Marilyn Lundstrom

Judi Hopewell

Mieke van der Vliet

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Linda Yaychuk

Ida Marie Threadkell

Betty Locke

Judy Lowood

Marion Craig

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Ria Lewis

Pat Wheatley Gillian Mouat

Marilyn Boechler

Linda Lax

Anne Atkinson

Charlotte Whiteley

Joyce Gammie

Debbie Craig

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Christmas Card Exchange

by Alane Lalonde

Mieke van der Vliet Trish Peebles

Marilyn Boechler

Jane Taylor

Margaret Kells

Joyce Gammie

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Charlotte Whiteley

Judi Hopewell

Carolynn Dallaire

Anne Atkinson

Pauline Thompson Brenda Hicks June Maffin

Hans van der Werff

Marion Craig

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Debbie Craig

Linda Lax

Betty Locke

Linda Yaychuk Pat Wheatley

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Text and Texture with Yukimi Annand Submitted by Linda Yaychuk (Day One) and Charlotte Whiteley (Day Two) Day One In November we were very lucky to be part of a workshop presented by Yukimi Annand, a calligrapher from California. After years of studying Romans, Yukimi discovered the beauty and unique textures that result from writing them. Yukimi believes that your pen should be an extension of your hand. She wanted us to feel the strokes move from the top of our heads, through our bodies and out through our fingertips.

Our next activity was to lightly draw four boxes on a page. We wrote the quote in the first box. We then turned our paper 45° and wrote the quote again over the top of the previous writing. In the second box we repeated the quote, turned our paper a 45° angle and rewrote the quote. We again repeated steps one and two, turned the page and added another line. The final square was done the same way and then the lines were erased to create the final piece.

We made marks on larger pieces of paper by sliding, twisting and stroking down the paper with our craft stick.

chisel point pens, as well as balsa wood and flat brushes to create textures on a good piece of paper. We then applied matte medium and left the piece to dry overnight in preparation for further steps that would be done the next day.

Some of the comments that were made during the workshop were: “Oh look at that! Oh! Oh!” “This is the

One of Yukimi’s beautiful textured pieces.

best workshop I've ever been to.” “I'm having fun!”

Ida Marie Threadkell, Marion Craig, Charlotte Whiteley and Pat Wheatley look on as Yukimi demonstrates using the folded pen.

Our first exercise was to take a piece of balsa wood or a tongue depressor and using Sumi Ink, we inked the edge and used it to make a number of marks in different directions on a page. We then did the letters of the alphabet with the same method. Each of us was asked to bring a quote, which we wrote out in the same way keeping the letters close together. We also wrote the quote in vertical lines.

Leslie Healy and Marilyn Lundstrom use balsa wood pieces to create various marks.

Marilyn Boechler and Ruth Rutledge use various materials to create texture.

We also wrote out the alphabet using the thick side for down strokes and the thin side for the up strokes. Then we rewrote the alphabet using the reverse order of sides.

The class used different flat tools, such as folded pens, Parallel Pens,

This is a layout done by Yukimi to demonstrate the use of various materials including china markers.

Yukimi also demonstrated various ways to display our work.

More of Yukimi’s exemplars.

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Day Two Who can resist another day of spatter painting play for adults?

Yukimi shared her journey using a slide show, starting as a young girl in Japan, leading up to her work today.

She grew up on her parents’ chrysanthemum farm in southern China (a peninsula facing the Pacific Ocean near Tokyo.) She was always interested in art and became a graphic designer studying typography and working for Takenobu Igarashi. Her observations of the world around her greatly influenced her craft. In 1990 she left Japan and came to the USA. This gave her the opportunity to go from a very structured environment to one that was much freer. There she met her husband and the rest, they say, is history.

Yukimi decided to take a drawing class in botanical drawing but not enough people signed up for it. The lady who was teaching this class also did calligraphy so the botany class became a calligraphy class. Yukimi did three years of Italics! Her first workshop was with Timothy Botts and she continued to study through his correspondence classes.

In Japan, Yukimi observed the pollution stemming from the industrial revolution in the 1970’s and found the textures fascinating. She started to incorporate them in her artwork, as well as the textures she was so passionate about what she found in nature. She went on to integrate her emotions into her pieces.

Now she thinks about everything before starting her work – the words, the emotions, the colours, the textures, what tools would work, et cetera. Just Google Yukimi. It is fascinating!

So…... day two was exploring the tools, the textures and the emotions.

“You will never draw the sense of a thing unless you are feeling it at the time you work.”- Robert Henri. We took some of the preliminary pieces we created yesterday and cut them into panels. Yukimi combined American and Japanese techniques by layering Japanese rice paper with mat medium and setting it over one of the panels. Then she took a fine tipped squeeze bottle filled with white and black acrylic paint and set about

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making marks to create interesting textures. This day was so full of exploring that it would take pages and pages to just touch on the basics. We

played with the alphabet we developed on day one, using a folded pen. We played with objects from nature such as stones, shells, bark and pods (list is endless) to draw letters and lines. We tried to make random lines that represented various emotions to us, such as anger and joy.

Try to write with a rag tied to a long stick! We brought in pictures of nature and tried to imitate the item with letters creating texture.

Then it was time for another demonstration. Yukimi showed us how to use the black marks we did yesterday. Adding a simple splash of colour using Payne’s Gray and Burnt Umber, she created a stunning image.

She wet a 3” brush and dipped each side into the colours. Then she just swept it over the black splotches. She

showed us how you could use that piece when it's dried to cut out

interesting portions for window cards, triptychs or accordion cards. She

demonstrated lettering on tracing paper or rice paper with white acrylic ink and layered this over the coloured base piece. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We created covers for our books. The binding would have to be done on our own.

The winds got pretty bad outside and the lights were flickering. We had heard that they had lost power in Duncan but we managed to hang in until around 1:30-ish. We finished up by sharing our booklets in the failing natural light and talked about a couple of pieces that we greatly enjoyed. It was really good to see others’ work. It made us want their pieces instead of ours! Thank you Yukimi for a wonderful workshop.

January Program The topic of the January program at the monthly Guild meeting was Framing Your Work.

Several presenters walked us through the process of framing our work to show it to its best advantage when putting pieces on display. It was an extremely enlightening topic, presenting us with different options in framing a piece.

Lucy Hylkema focussed on where to purchase glass, where to get it cut, and the price of the glass. She stated that one great place to have pieces framed, to purchase frames or to have mats and glass cut is at Just Framing. She also talked about Station Street Framing (slightly more expensive!)

Other industrial glass cutting businesses in town are more expensive again. Mats are available at various sources in town for as little as $7.00 and up to $14.00, and can be obtained in a variety of sizes and window shapes. Ruth Rutledge mentioned Heritage House as another framing resource.

Linda Yaychuk discussed how to finish the back of the frame, once the piece is in situ. The first consideration is to ensure that the glass is clean on both sides. The piece to be displayed, if it is quite wavy, should be secured to the back of the mat with tape on all sides to prevent buckling. If the piece is quite smooth, it only needs to be secured along the top of the picture.

You need to be careful that the piece

Submitted by Margaret Kells

is the right side up, both on the mat and in the frame. Secure the picture with a cardboard backing. If acidic cardboard is used then the piece should be protected with acid free paper between the piece and the cardboard backing. The whole is then held in place with clips, glazing points or small nails, which are available at hardware stores. Wire and eyelet screws are fastened to the frame to facilitate hanging the piece. The wire should be as tight as possible and not show above the top of the frame.

When the wire has been installed, the ends should be wrapped with masking tape to enclose any sharp ends which may cause damage to either the wall or personnel handling the piece. The back of the frame should be finished off by gluing newsprint or felt on it, which gives a more professional look to the framed piece.

marred in some way, Gesso can be used to give texture to the mat and hide the flaw. Paint or fabric can also be used to cover the mat.

Eleanor Harris stressed the importance of correctly filling in the contract for the upcoming Loft Show, and the necessity of completing the Guild paper work, along with the small identification form to be attached to the back of pieces for the show.

Betty Locke amused us all by making

it clear she does not like all the work involved with framing a piece, and produced a frame purchased from Art World, already complete with hanging wire and clips, so all a person has to do is place their piece in the frame, and the framing is done. That idea appealed to many of us!

Linda also gave the useful information that a stapler and framing clips can be obtained from Lee Valley Tools. She also demonstrated how a diamond tip engraver can be used for putting holes in plastic frames for eyelet screws.

Frames can be purchased at Home Sense, Wal-mart, thrift stores, et cetera. Linda also suggested that glue dots are useful on the bottom corners of the frame to prevent the frame from sliding sideways on the wall.

Marilyn Boechler then went on to mention that framed pieces do not necessarily have to have glass in them and that shadow boxes can be used for 3D pieces. If a mat is marked or

Finally, information was given on pricing, as pieces in the Loft Show have to be for sale. The price should reflect the true value of the piece. To price the piece you should take into account the cost of the mat, the frame, the tools, and your time, and double the amount as a minimum. 25% of the sale of a piece goes to the Loft, and 5% goes to the Guild to cover expenses.

Many thanks go to all the presenters of this session for all the very useful information imparted, both to those showing pieces for the first time, and as a refresher for those who are experienced in showing their work.

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January Galleria

Submitted by Alane Lalonde

This month’s topic had our members thinking outside the box and they surely didn’t disappoint. For this galleria piece you could use any medium of your choosing, something a little or a lot ‘off the wall’ and anything but flat. Our members being so creative produced their calligraphy on many items including a ukulele, wooden plate, gold lettering on the leaves of a fresh flower in a vase, calligraphic letters stitched on fabric, a cookie jar, an egg, a shadow box, apron, rolled paper, crumpled paper, copper sheeting and an iPad cover just to name a few. Everything unique and different!

Marion Craig

David Carter

Lucy Hylkema

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Marilyn Boechler

Margaret Kells

Charlotte Whiteley

Christine Mitchell

Linda Lax

Judy Lowood Betty Locke

Ruth Rutledge

Joyce Gammie

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Linda Yaychuk

Ida Marie Threadkell

Pat Wheatley

Judi Hopewell

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Mieke van der Vliet

Upcoming Workshops Submitted by Judi Hopewell Timothy Botts – “Colour” is filling up fast (16). Classes will be at the Exhibition Ground’s Scout Hall/Pancake House (our Playtime location) on 25th and 26th March (Weds/Thurs.). More details later - $160

Connie Furgason – “Versals” (drawn letters) will be in the Mesachie Room at the Island Savings Centre. A full day on Wednesday March 11th. More details later - $55

Renate Worthington – “Eraser Stamp Making” in the Scout Hall/Pancake House on Tues. March 31st $15. Watch for more information later.

Lorraine Douglas “David Jones Capitals” Whimsical Romans and more on Thursday mornings on April 30, May 7, 14 and 21 in our Mellor Hall Meeting Room at the Exhibition Grounds. More details to follow.

Amity Parks “Graphite Art and Drawing” This course is only in the planning stages so no details just yet but the dates are set for 18th / 19th November.

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Exposé– Barbara Qualley Submitted by Judi Hopewell Barbara plays down her efforts and attention to detail in putting this site together, and maintaining it. She is, just like the beloved “Q” of 007 fame, always striving for excellence and innovation and sharing it most efficiently, which is greatly appreciated. Websites don’t maintain themselves; they need constant attention, and tweaking and refreshing and ensuring that they are working.

It’s like Princess Diana said famously that one never realizes that the toilet is being cleaned and sweet smelling until it isn’t! . is a beautiful letter form – it is elegant and stylish and really adds something to a line of calligraphy, especially in its tall, majuscule form.

In James Bond fiction, “Q” is a key agent on whom everyone relies, (actually it’s short for a Quartermaster, and is someone who arranges key supplies and equipment for everyone).

Barbara was born in Oshawa, Ontario and moved out to Toronto with her sister in 1967 and out to the Coast to Burnaby in 1969. She tried Mackenzie for 7 months and Vancouver’s West End for 4 years until she married her husband, Stew.

They ended up in Port Coquitlam for 20 years and had two children. (David and Jennifer).

Well in case you didn’t already know it, we have our very own “Q” in Warmland Calligraphers, someone who we could definitely not do without. I am referring to our very own Barbara Qualley. She is the goto person for so many things in our Guild but the thing I value so much is her work on our terrific website. I am sure I am not alone on that topic. It is a wonderful site and has so much there for us. Even if we are unable to come to a meeting we could always find something to work on and a reference to guide us there on the site.

If you’re bored with what is on TV one night, try browsing the whole website and you will be astonished just how far-reaching it all is, and how you can link to so many other wonderful calligraphy related sites. I think it is something to be proud of.

Barbara has been a working woman all her life, mostly in administration, so you can see where that came in handy with structuring our website and contributing to our organizational challenges. She dreamed of being Della Street as a young woman and worked as a Legal Secretary for lawyers for many years as well as some highly classified work for Public Works Canada including discoveries for BC First Nations land claims work.

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As you know Barb has just graciously agreed to take on the Warmland Newsletter again, which is quite an undertaking but again she plays that down as no big deal, but for some of us it certainly would be. She already has ideas for streamlining and improving things and I can’t wait to see what innovations she brings to the table along with her extensive

computer savvy, which benefits us all.

Her hardworking newsletter team will find her a joy to work with, being organized and reliable and skillful. So, a big thank you from us all for taking that on.

From our discussions over lunch, it sounds like she has a great husband in Stew, and a lovely family that is a source of joy to her; especially granddaughter, Taylor, born in 2004.

Stew seems so supportive in making and inventing things for her many sorties into the world of crafting and calligraphy. The list is long: straw weaving, Swedish huck weaving, stained glass, quilling, fabric painting, quilting and particularly English Smocking which is exacting work.

She has passed along heritage smocked items made by her for her daughter, to her grand daughter which I am sure are treasured.

Remember those Qualley Quills?

Well, that was accomplished with Stew’s handiwork. She says, more or less, you name it and she has tried it in the crafting world. So that is another resource for us. Her calligraphy studies started in the Place des Arts in Coquitlam over 20 years ago. They retired to the Island in 1995 and Barb joined our Guild in 1996. She thinks like a librarian and is always on the prowl for ideas and aids for our Guild.

Barbara is also quite the cook and taught cooking through Continuing Ed in Port Coquitlam, hence the delicious things we taste at our parties and events. She is quite the foodie and has published two cookbooks of old and new family recipes. If you would like one let her know. As you know, the Qualley’s also host our summer meeting and that is always a highlight for the members.

February Program The February meeting was a hive of activity during the program section.

Several experienced calligraphers gave of their time to demonstrate a multitude of different nibs. This exercise was very much appreciated by those of us who are new (or nearly new) calligraphers. Comments were heard such as “I have nibs like this at home, but didn't know what to do with them!”, and "I have never seen nibs like this, but what an interesting effect they have!"

Marilyn Boechler demonstrated the use of the automatic pen, the parallel pen, the ruling pen, and Qualley Quill pens - tools which are very new to some of us. She also showed participants how to fill a parallel pen using a syringe and ink.

Marilyn Lundstrum demonstrated the use of the B-0 to B-6 nibs, which she described as wonderful Monoline tools. She showed how the nib on paper, using pause-pull-pause-lift technique, should produce a neat round circle on each end of the stroke.

Marilyn showed how these nibs can produce a fun alphabet using lots of

Submitted by Margaret Kells

ink. There is no pen angle to consider and no guide lines are necessary when using these nibs. Roman letters can be formed very effectively using the B series nibs, and the letters should be short and black. The letters can be drawn for emphasis.

Carolynn Dallaire demonstrated the use of the broad pen, automatic pen, and Qualley Quills. We were introduced to the Barb Cowan alphabet which is written with the vertical strokes as a fine straight line with the tip of the nib, and the horizontal parts of the letters are formed using the full width of the broad nib at 90° to the down stroke.

Thai is a fun alphabet which lends itself to the option of having serifs added, and the addition of lots of colour.

Charlotte Whiteley demonstrated the use of drawing nibs - the A series Speedball nib with a rectangular end, and the D series with an oval end. She also had a selection of straight nibs, some mapping nibs, and a dual/split nib pen from England, of perhaps 50 or 60 years old. This pen, because it created a double line, stirred up a lot of interest, and the desire of some members to own such a pen. Charlotte also gave out samples of vellum and mylar so that the difference between the two could be noted.

Janet Peters demonstrated the use of angled pen holders, and angled nibs for use in copperplate writing. She showed Nikko G nibs which are Japanese nibs for very fine writing,

Hunt 101 nibs which are very flexible and very good for copperplate, as well as Leonardt nibs and Gillot nibs which are suitable for drawing, mapping and calligraphy. These pens are held at 55° and used with a guide sheet on a spongy surface. Janet also gave advice on having a wet sponge available to keep the nib moist when using Sumi ink which dries very quickly. She also reinforced the importance of washing the pen, and washing and drying the nib after each use, as Sumi ink will corrode the nib over time. If the nib is too small for the holder a piece of artists tape wrapped around the shaft of the nib will secure the nib in the holder.

Betty Locke had a selection of homemade tools to demonstrate how these can be used to great artistic effect in a calligraphic piece. There were reeds from musical instruments, bamboo mat boards, coffee stirrers, popsicle sticks, a quill, and a plastic pen. It was a very interesting and enlightening experience seeing the effects which can be achieved using tools made from household items. As Betty said, these can be made, used and then thrown away when finished.

It was my observation that members appeared to enjoy this session very much, and appreciated being introduced to new calligraphic tools and ideas. A big thank you to the above-named calligraphers for sharing their ideas and expertise with the rest of us.

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February Galleria

Submitted by Charlotte Whiteley

The topic for this month’s Galleria was to explore negative space. The calligrapher was to use only one letter. As you can see some used a letter, some numbers and others went with words to show examples of negative space. The variations and techniques are numerous and all are interesting and different, just like the members of our Guild.

Betty Locke

Marilyn Boechler

Judi Hopewell

Judy Lowood Mieke van der Vliet

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Ida Marie Threadkell

Gillian Mouat Anne Atkinson

Trish Peebles

Laureen Woodruff

Marion Craig

Joanne Yearsley

Charlotte Whiteley

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Denise Rothney Irene McGeary

David Carter

Ruth Rutledge

Linda Lax

Pat Wheatley

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Margaret Kells

Pointed Brush Lettering As usual, Carolynn Dallaire was well-prepared for our class. Each student received a folio of exemplars and guidelines. Although we all know each other in this particular class, Carolynn had lettered place cards.

These keepsakes are handy to pull out when we have visiting instructors! Thanks for that Carolynn.

Obviously for Pointed Brush lettering we require a round brush with a lovely point. The point of a wet brush should snap back into place when shaken. Care for your brush. Do not let it stand in water as this will ruin the point. Swish the ink or watercolour out, carefully re-form the point and lay it down to dry. I started with a Gold Sable 700 Series #6 and moved to a #3 to produce smaller letters. Apparently $charff makes an extraordinary brush.

Warm-up exercises were really a preliminary to stroke making. Plant your brush on the paper - about a third of the brush should lay down, then pull it down to your guideline, stop - and while releasing pressure, flick up inside that stroke. Don’t go too fast, but hey! don’t go too slow. You can build a rhythm, slow and precise.

Haven’t we heard THAT before! The top and bottom edge of the stroke should be parallel.

Submitted by Barbara Qualley We moved quite rapidly through the alphabet and, as in other classes, were encouraged to write words not just letters. Our homework assignment was to write a word of some length.

We were then introduced to variations of some of the letters. Following that, we wrote light, medium and heavy using the same brush. Also, backslope, horizontal and straight. Amazing to see the differences.

To give us a bit of fun at the end of the day, we added a stroke of colour at the top of our letters and outlined them with a very fine pen. Love the effect.

Our second homework assignment was to write a quote.

We are using watercolour for this class. Very lively.

To maintain your brush’s point, it is imperative to twirl it between your fingers on the palette when loading.

Strokes can be joined with a rounded hairline, or an edgier up-stroke. These nuances make striking differences to the tone of the lettering. It is worth learning both. Your own style will evolve.

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Pointed Brush Lettering Submitted by Mary Nelson Pointed Brush: Lesson 3 After a review of letterforms, we practiced with some words, and then Carolynn demonstrated while we followed doing Capital Letters (1 3/4 lines or 2 lines height). A swash letter

Holliday, Marilyn Reaves (who offers lessons on-line); Carl Rohrs - well worth a visit and Pamela Paulsrud.

various tools that can also be used for Pointed Brush work. These included, Pental colors, Pental Colors Brush (Suzanne at Quiet Fire) and Pental Brush without color, Pental Pocket Pen, black only (Opus), Tombow, Copic Sketch, (Island Blue), Faber Castelle, Bienfang (which is a set of watercolor brush pens) and Wink of Stella Brush which is an acrylic brush from Iron Oxide in Nanaimo.

Carolynn also mentioned that Curry’s in Toronto carry a variety of brush pens on-line.

may be used as the capital and the rest of the letters could go to regular size.

Many caps are similar to lower case forms.

Lesson 4: We reviewed using letterforms in words, paying attention to the

Many thanks, Carolynn, for a stimulating class and an introduction to the variety of styles and forms using a Pointed Brush.

Abecedarian sentences (those with every letter of the alphabet) provided more practice while Carolynn gave personal guidance. Web-sites to check out as suggested by Carolynn: Eliza S.

variation of some forms such as f, s, g, m, d, to list a few. Double letters were demonstrated and tried and spacing discussed. Time was given to start laying out the quote we had brought to work on. We laid it out in different ways and finally embellished the letterforms with pencil crayon, ink and pigma pen. After a celebration of our work, Carolynn demonstrated

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Final piece by David Carter

Jottings from the Library

Submitted by Pat Wheatley

letterforms. He says, “Perhaps the finest and most beautiful work which the penman can produce is a book written entirely in gold capitals on purple vellum.” The resulting document would have “incomparable simplicity and grandeur.” He believed the essential virtues of good lettering are “readableness, beauty and character.” The chapter on lettering is particularly relevant. Read this if nothing else. The diagrams are plentiful and explicit – even if it is all in black and white!

Life, Paint and Passion, Michele Cassou & Stewart Cubley

Uniquely Ours from Write-On Calligraphers in Edmonds, WA, includes a workshop on Brush Lettering and a report on Legacies11 conference, 2014.

I chose two books from our library that rather tend to sit on the shelf. The reason – probably because there is little colour illustration in either, but both are worthy of time and attention.

More than Just Letters comes from the Royal City Calligraphy Guild in Guelph. Why pursue calligraphy – some little gems on why we do it!

Also, a page full of colour symbolism gleaned from www.incredibleart.org.

Maybe this is something we need to think about more?

Writing & Illuminating & Lettering, Edward Johnston.

This book is pocket-sized and small print, no pictures and no colour. There are wonderful diagrams and it contains more information than many a larger volume. Johnston, by nature, was meticulous, scrupulous and mostly self-educated. Whatever his interest of the time- physics, mathematics, literature- he pursued it relentlessly and got to know his subject intimately. That is why he is so important to calligraphy. He rediscovered the art form from its beginnings and reintroduced it to the Western world. For most of his life he used round, or slightly compressed, hands. He believed in perfection; he was deeply religious and spiritual and he believed art and science are connected. He did not write draft documents; his preparation was so meticulous that when he wrote he did it “straight off and with speed.” He would expect the same of his students.

This book is a craftsman’s book.

Johnston talks about preparing quills, ink and vellum, describes the necessary tools and the care of them and then goes on to the creation of

Fairbank Calligraphy Society in Victoria continues with notes by six people on a pilgrimage to a Ewan Clayton workshop in Ditchling, UK. The instruction in the workshop was centred on the work of David Jones (we hope to have a workshop of this nature within our Guild.) This edition also reviewed Clayton’s book, The Golden Thread, which has been described as a history of Western Civilization traced through lettering, so it is much more than just a history of writing. The Guild has purchased a copy!

This book is not about calligraphy. It is about painting, which is so tied up with what we do. It is about “unlearning”, and “opening a space to paint in.” It encourages spontaneityjust use colour, don’t worry about end results! The author is very passionate about colour and the freedom that painting brings to any individual. The book is very easy to read, maybe a bit repetitive, but it has wonderful enthusiasm. And I love the quotes at the beginning and end of each chapter! It is very much a contrast to the Edward Johnston book.

Here are some reviews of newsletters from our fellow Calligraphy Guilds.

Langley, The Broad Edge, includes an account of an on-line Spencerian course and a piece on discovering old manuscripts in an English church.

Illuminations from the West Coast Calligraphy Society is one that Carolynn Dallaire has been involved with since 1997. Having moved and become very busy with our Guild, Carolynn has now resigned from this labour of love. The colour and layout of this issue are stunning.

The Kelowna Calligraphic Guild reports on an Italic workshop, a Fraktur workshop with Thomas Hoyer and a Blackletter Majuscules workshop.

The Bow Valley Calligraphy Guild gives an account of two great workshops with Ewan Clayton – “Joy about Letters” and “The Spirit of Invention”. Also detailed is a calligraphic visit to Bruges, Belgium, giving lots of websites to visit from home. This issue has a wonderful cover.

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Do feel free to take these newsletters home with you; even the back issues always have hidden gems and tips that one can pick up. I cannot report everything that is printed within their pages!

Bound & Lettered Vol. 12 No. 1, first issue of 2015 is an outstanding edition for bookmakers.

1. Preserving memories and creating a book for containing them.

2. Nine women in Philadelphia get together to learn more about bookbinding.

3. Combining calligraphy and paper casting – a method refined and expanded over twenty years. This is a very detailed account of the process, beautifully illustrated.

4. Spirit books, using natural objects from beach and countryside.

A cradle is made to contain a small book for

5.

meditation and spiritual purposes. It is made in three parts – the cradle, the book and the base.

Each creation has a theme and a name.

And there is instruction on how to make an origami folding book – it looks a bit simpler than some of the others!

Also in this edition is an interview with young dynamic calligrapher Loredana Zega from Slovenia. She creates big, bold, hugely energetic works, indoors and outdoors, using any large surface and any big tool.

She herself is a larger than life personality.

Letter Arts Review, Vol. 28, No 4 (2014) just arrived. There is some really interesting stuff on copyright.

Sometimes the work of a long dead poet is still within copyright – for example, Emily Dickinson. If a work has been recently edited or if the work is published posthumously it may still be under restriction. It is amazingly complicated: the Lindisfarne Gospels

Letter from the Editor As most of you know, this is my last issue of the newsletter as editor.

Thank you Barbara for taking over the reins of responsibilities.

become my friends. In the last issue I described their jobs and the amount of work they do. Without them there would be no newsletter.

This has been a great learning experience for me. When I first started to work as editor, the only thing I knew was how to access my email and Google. Now I can put pictures and words together to create pages. I can create folders, store information and move things to different places. These are only a few of the facts I've learned.

I also think the word newsletter has become redundant over the years because we no longer publish a “letter”; we publish a beautiful “magazine” to demonstrate the learning processes we go through with our workshops and programs to become better calligraphers and to show off the incredible talent that makes up the Warmland Calligraphers. I have always felt proud and honoured to be part of such a wonderful group of people.

I have also been able to work with some pretty nice people who have

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may have been re-photographed; the popular Desiderata’s actual author died in 1945 bequeathing his rights to his heirs.

Using input from renowned calligraphers in the Western world, there is an article initiated by Christopher Calderwood discussing the pros and cons of exemplars for teaching. It is a very thoughtprovoking topic.

Also in this edition, the allure of using the postal service for delivering poetry! Laura Capp calls it an experiment in literature and life. I love this magazine!

TIPS THAT MAY, OR MAY NOT, WORK If you drop your crayons, leave them in the sun to warm and re-seal the centre. My thought is that maybe a low oven would do the same thing. It is so annoying when crayons are sharpened and they keep breaking!

Always work at a slope. This enables you to sit comfortably and the resulting position of the pen means ink flow is better controlled. Also, stooping and back strain is prevented.

Never grip a pen; the edge of the nib cannot be felt on the paper.

Good luck.

Judith Lovell’s Layout and Design Workshop Submitted by Ruth Rutledge Six lucky Calligraphers met for five classes of three hours each day at Judith’s home in November and December of 2014, and January 2015.

We were introduced to the elements of art: colour, shape and texture, and the principles of art: balance, pattern and unity.

As well as having homework, we brought our finished and unfinished calligraphy pieces to be critiqued.

This was so valuable, to learn from our own pieces and from the pieces of other calligraphers as well. Using the elements and principles, we learned what worked and what didn’t. We were always challenged by Judith who asked, “Why? Why not? What is your plan? What is your goal here? Where

are your thumbnails?” She is a wonderful teacher; forthright and honest yet encouraging and patient!

Here is one of our homework assignments you might like to try: -Choose three short quotes that go together in some way (unity is Key!), and a title.

-Design a piece, roughly finished, in black and white only. Remember to have a focal point.

-Plan in pencil using many thumbnails about 2”x2”, to test your design.

-Make a plan and write it down: size, paper, tools, ink, watercolor, and answer the questions below in your plan.

-Enlarge the most promising and try two or three different hands with each.

-Choose one you like and expand it to full size, still only in black and white at this point. This gives you a very

clear picture of the design, and flaws will be apparent!

Here is a sample of a few of the “Questions to Consider” before you even start working on your piece: 1) What do the words say to you?

2) Who will read it?

3) What format- square, rectangle, round?

4) How many elements are involved?

5) What type of information is most/ least important? How will you place it?

6) Colour?

This is a very brief outline of the course and if you ever get the chance to take this Design for Calligraphy course, you will not be disappointed. I have included a “before” photo of a piece and how it looks after critique, planning and auditioning hands.

Tree piece after working on it.

Tree piece before working on it.

Back Cover Artist — Marilyn Boechler Lisa Englebrecht's workshop on “Hand Lettered Art Quilt” immediately appealed to me as it combined calligraphy with fabrics. I felt very fortunate to have experienced the inspiring instructions from Lisa which resulted in stretching my skills in a different direction.

This piece is a great memento combining the memories of a trip to Bruge and learning from a very talented international instructor. My memory of Lisa , who passed away last year, will live on with this piece and I'm sure, in that of many other calligraphers.

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