Flourish Friday - Mail Art Across the World 2011

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

I have finished and mailed my envelopes for the 2011 edition of Mail Art Across the World (MAAW).

I encourage everyone to participate!! Although I did an envelope for each of the four addresses, you don't have to do it that way.  You can make and send just one or as many as you choose.  The above envelope was done with a 3.8mm Pilot Parallel Pen filled with Higgins Eternal for the broad pen work and a Zebra G comic nib with Moon Palace Sumi for the pointed pen.  Bill Lilly showed me the beauty of going back in broad letters with a pointed pen.  I used a Brause 515 and Dr. Martin's Bleedproof White to do that on the capitals. I love the look of it and want to do the alphabet from A to Z.  Fiona's A Letter A Week group is inspiring me!

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

I used both manufactured and handmade envelopes. Above is a page I did at Victoria Pittman's Tortured Metals workshop. (More about that workshop here.)

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

This page is from a previous Flourish Friday post. (See it here.)

I like using an envelope template.  I bought these inexpensive templates years ago from www.greensneakers.com.  (I think the company has since gone out-of-business, but they may be available elsewhere.) Of course, you can easily make your own template by deconstructing and flattening an existing envelope. I like a template with a window, because it helps me identify areas that would be good for addressing.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

This is an old practice page. I washed over it with water to move the existing lettering to the background. I didn't want the background to overpower the address.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

For this envelope, I did the address on a sheet of translucent paper using Moon Palace Sumi and a Hiro 700 nib. I had to add a second, plain piece of the translucent paper underneath, because the background lettering was competing with the address. This stitching technique was inspired by a card Barbara Calzolari sent to me. 

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC
I used a ruling pen and FW Acrylic Artist's ink for this envelope. I went back in with gel pens and a hot foil pen on the capitals. I like using postage stamps from my old collection. 

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

For this envelope, I used a combination of Neuland and Gwen Weaver's Romancing the Roman.

I used the same FW acrylic and a Speedball C-0 for the Neuland and a Hunt 22 for the pointed lettering.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

The Mail Art Across the World deadline is April 1st.

Join the fun! For details click the link below:

Mail Art Across the World

If you decide to participate, I'd love to hear from and see your submission!

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful words and prayers, both here and privately, this past week.

Tom,  his family, and I took great comfort knowing you were lifting us up.

(((Big Hugs!)))

Wishing you a flourishy weekend - even if that means ice skating in your front yard!