My family & I have been in a season of rain for a while, with one storm after another slamming into us. I find myself wondering if there will be time to breathe before the next wave or if the next one will sweep me away instead. But I haven't been swept away; I've been pushed into the Rock.
Words of Good Cheer: 2015 Holiday Calligraphy Launch
For those of you that follow my "Daily Desk" project on Facebook, you will know that I have been working hard on two new bodies of work for the holidays: a calligraphy series and a relief print series. Well, I am very pleased to announce that the calligraphy pieces are complete and I am ready to share the fruits of my labor! Today I begin the process of launching 8x10in & 11x14in posters on Etsy, as well as poster and postcard packages on Etsy Wholesale. The Holiday Chalkboard Drawings will also be relisted as well. Not only will the series be for sale online, but I am also selling them at the many craft fairs MSP will be attending this fall/winter! The list of craft fairs is found HERE.
A lot of work went into making the "Words of Good Cheer" calligraphy series. First, I had lettered each phrase using a brush calligraphy technique (watercolor brush + Higgins Ink). After all the originals were made, I digitized each one by photographing and editing them. The editing process removed the paper texture, tweaked the contrast/brightness levels, and altered some of the colors. From the jpegs, I could then print the files in any size I wanted, turning them into posters and postcards! Once printed, each poster had to be trimmed down to the correct size. Finally, the last step was to style and photograph them so they look b-e-a-utiful online. I found all of my staging/styling materials at Michael's.
Take a look at everything on the MSP Etsy shop page, HERE! I will be adding listings all week. The full series can be found in the MSP Portfolio.
May your days be merry & bright!
"True Bravery," pg 24.
"Bravery." La Rochefoucauld. Five Thousand Quotations for all occasions. 1945. 24. Print.
The Hand-Letterer's Dream
Thrift stores are magical places, full of discarded wonders waiting to be rediscovered. One such find is this lovely dream: "Five Thousand Quotations for all occasions," edited by Lewis C. Henry, published in 1945. The cover alone alludes to the treasure trove inside. Since word art is so trendy right now, one of the most difficult parts of hand lettering for me is deciding which words to use. Some quotes, such as J.R.R Tolkien's, "All who wander are not lost," are all over the place and great sellers. I absolutely love that phrase, but I feel like it's popularity has made it a trite subject matter to use. As a result, the question I always find myself asking is how to balance originality and just the right amount of trendiness to sell work. It's a big issue that I am constantly working through and testing. With that in mind, imagine my joy in finding this book of old, awesome, weird quotes from a variety of well known and obscure sources! It is the perfect collection to use along side of my own words, if only for inspiration's sake. I'm not sure where it will go, but I can't wait to share some of the golden nuggets of wisdom living inside these pages!