Welcome!

I grew up in Raleigh at a time when the nuns taught at Our Lady Of Lourdes. They lived out back of the school and wore those imposing yet Holy Habits that commanded your adoration, attention, and, quite frankly, your fear. So, when they asked you to "sit up straight" with your "feet flat on the floor" and compose your letters properly according to the Palmer Method of Handwriting, you did just that! I believe it was at that impressionable age that I became infatuated with the formation of letters. When I was introduced to calligraphy in 1978, it was no wonder I fell in love with this beautiful art form. My first taste of the calligraphic world lasted no longer than one hour. The instructor turned a piece of chalk on its edge to form calligraphic works of art from A to Z on the chalkboard. That was that! But it was all I needed to fire the embers that had been sparked in elementary school. Watching the slow, rhythmical shaping of those letters was like listening to classical music. It was not until 1997 that I enrolled in my first formal calligraphy class. Boy, were my eyes opened! I knew I had a lifelong road of learning ahead of me. It's been 38 years since that white piece of chalk was laid on its side. I am still learning. Come learn with me!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Formal Italic Capitals - The Rest of the Story



Well, I promised I'd get this posted yesterday, but I got sidetracked on my Z!

Again, this exemplar is just the bare bones of the letterforms. You can fancy them up, if you like. There's lots of ways to make them. In the Speedball Textbook alone there are 3 different styles, starting at the bare minimum to more elaborate.

You have to start somewhere, and it's always best to start at the beginning. Then you can travel down the unknown path and embellish or flourish as you see fit. Make lettering your own. It's a journey well worth starting and well worth venturing out on your own.

Come take that journey with me!
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)