Practice and Progress

Same words written in June 2016.

Washington, D.C. — I find it very instructive to browse through my old practice sheets to see where I was before and where I am now. It's important to keep critical eyes on our work; otherwise, we can never improve. Even though the difference between my lettering then and now is encouraging, I can see that there is a lot more work to do. We can never be perfect, but we can strive to do our best. But of course, it's always good to remember to laugh and have fun along the way.

Song lyrics are meant to be sung to the Thomas the Train theme song. My nephew played the song incessantly, so it always got stuck in my head. My husband and I turned what could've been a pesky thing into something useful—lyrics about our cat Frances. Regretfully, this description of her personality is very apt.

At Last Pen Friends Meet

Washington, D.C. — One of the greatest byproducts of my Letter a Day project was the many friendships that resulted from writing letters with other calligraphers. In the beginning, the letters started out with "shop talk"—sharing best practices and talking about favorite inks and nibs. Eventually, some letters would transcend those initial patterns of getting to know one another and deepen into sincere conversations about life. There was something comforting about being able to share intimate thoughts with someone far away without feeling judged.

I'm not one to attend many calligraphy conferences, so my chance to meet pen friends in real life is rare. Every once in a while, though, a good opportunity arises. I've been corresponding with Keysa Yanéz since we exchanged letters in the Flourish Forum Valentine exchange in February 2015. Since then, Keysa has proven to be one of my most loyal correspondents. And she's so thoughtful to include a little something from wherever she is—little river flowers from a kayaking trip or a postcard from her travels. I had a chance to meet Keysa a few weeks ago during her visit to the U.S. from Barcelona. It was so exciting to meet her. Indeed, it felt like meeting an old friend, the kind where distance and time bear no effect on a friendship. Again, her thoughtfulness and sincerity, as demonstrated in her gift to me above, really knows no bounds. I hope to return the favor someday and visit her on her own turf.

Sew Wonderful to Have You!

Birthday Sewing Party in Rye Brook, New York.

Rye Brook, New York — Last year I had a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with my sister Maria and our friend Mami, who hosted a sewing party for her daughter Hibiki. Not only is Mami an amazing and patient mother but she is an imaginative artist and seamstress. It was fitting that she should share her crafting talents with Hibiki's friends.

Mami, with Maria and I serving as assistants, set out to teach the girls how to sew a felt patch into a fashionable clutch/purse. Articulating how to do a loop stitch is not an easy thing, but the girls really took to the task and created really inventive and individual designs. It was nice to see the girls make something with their own hands. Hopefully, Mami planted a creative seedling in the young ladies to pursue handmade work into the future.

Calligraphy and lettering by Handmade Letters; food and prop styling by Maria Reyes; and floral arrangment and prop sourcing/styling by Mami Sato.

Recreating the Past

Washington, D.C. — A client reached out to see if I could mimic a Victorian-era love letter. Since I did not have vintage paper on hand, nor had the time to go look for some, I had to craft my own.

After doing some research on distressing paper and consulting with the ever-knowledgeable gang at the Flourish Forum, I was able to transform my Strathmore ivory stock into vintage-like paper, complete with faux deckle edges, smudges of "dirt", and a whole lot of wrinkles. To enhance the overall look, I mixed Higgins Eternal ink—which is fairly grey in color already—with walnut ink to achieve the faded aesthetic of the letter.

It turned out to be quite the labor of love, and I believe that the end result captured the heartfelt words that lay within.

Tea-Staining the Paper

I brushed on a weak brew of Earl Grey tea onto the paper. The scent was quite nice to work with.

Faux Deckle Edges

While the paper was still wet, I carefully ripped the edges. The erratic edge gave the paper a lot of character.

Painting the Edges

I added more stain by painting the edges with the Eternal-walnut ink mix.

More Staining

After evaluating the paper as it started to dry a bit, I decided to add another coat of stain.

Drying the Paper

I covered the paper in Saran Wrap and sandwiched it between the pages of a heavy art book. The plastic wrap helped protect the paper while drying, and also added little bumps and wrinkles to the paper's surface.

Preparing the Writing Surface

Since the paper was exhibiting "water damage", it was important to prepare the writing surface with gum sandarac, which helps correct any bleeding of the ink.

The Lettering

I chose a mix of cursive and Spencerian for the penmanship of the letter. I minimized the shading of the letterforms, so as not to compete with the words themselves. The result was a simple but romantic kind of lettering.

The Love Letter

Words from the heart.

The Colors of Vigée Le Brun

Washington, D.C. — It's been a while, so I'll just jump right in and share some inspiration. I had the fortune to catch the Metropolitan Museum of Art's retrospective exhibition of the French portraitist, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, before it closed. I took a women artists course in college, and along with Artemisia Gentileschi and Rachel Ruysch, Vigée Le Brun stood out as favorites. I always loved the subtle and muted tones of her color palette and the pleasing and empathetic approach she had to depicting her subjects.

Upon seeing the paintings first hand, I was struck by her use of bolder colors like vermillion, rust reds, and carmine as accents, something I did not remember from my college days. Overall, the color of her paintings was gorgeous and inspiring. It left such an impression on me that I unknowingly bought envelopes at the paper store in her palette.

The exhibition catalogue and two sets of envelopes.

Another postcard from the show of Vigée Le Brun's daughter posing as a bather. This birthday card to my sister is inspired by the colors of the painting.