Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Photoshop Discovery

 This is one of the prints I made during my Gelli Arts Printing Plate bonanza a few weeks ago.  I liked it and decided to scan it, so I could print it on watercolor paper.

When I printed it on my Epson R2000, however, the colors were drab.  This is one of my frustrations with printers - the incessant fussing with printer settings. Media type. Print Mode. Color Mode. Color Profile. Paper selection. (Where's the "Make it look exactly like it is on the screen" button?) It reminds me of learning calligraphy and all the options between nibs, papers, holders, inks, and variations of alphabets.

I did some tweaking, and the second print (on far right) was much better.  I decided to go into Photoshop itself and change the hue. (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation)

While doing this, I discovered moving the "Hue" slider bar from left to right yielded all sorts of wonderful variations to my original print.  The colors changed, and even areas unseen on the original print became evident.

When I think of applying this technique to all the backgrounds I have saved over the years...

...well, this could be a full-time job! :)

The stencil I used in making the original print on my Gelli Arts Printing Plate was given to me by Bill Lilly.  You can see it on the right.  He cut it by hand (of course!).  In addition to his tremendous pen skills, he also sports amazing skills with a pair of scissors.

I traced on the print using a pencil and an envelope template.

Trimmed with an Exacto knife.

Used a stylus to score the inside edge of the template window.
(Sorry for the blurry image.)

Folded using a bone folder. Then I opened the envelope flat to do the addressing.

I wanted to try this new ink I received from Kuretake UK.

I love the bold colors.

Here is another print I made, after playing with the hue on Photoshop.  The colors on my original Gelli Arts print are quite different.  Using Photoshop, I added some of my lettering. Fun!

Want to learn Photoshop for calligraphers?  You're in luck!
Harvest Crittenden is now accepting registrations for her online course: Photoshop for Calligraphers
She is also offering a separate, online course: Copperplate Calligraphy for Beginners

To learn more or to register, visit the Online Classes page of Harvest's website by CLICKING HERE.
Harvest is an excellent teacher, and her online courses are well worth the time and financial investment.

It's hard to believe this is the last day of November.
Wishing you a great weekend.
Go forth and flourish!
xo

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Oblique Pen Holders

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

I am back! Here is a full body shot of the penholder pictured in this March 25th post.

A few readers asked about it, and Heather Held is correct! It is a Bill Lilly original.

It is one of my favorites. Not only is it beautiful but the neck is a little larger which I prefer.

It has a little chip in it, because I accidentally dropped it. 

(Shhh....Don't tell Bill, or I will be in the doghouse.)

Isn't the marbled, background paper gorgeous? 

I'll have to tell you more about it in a future post.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

 The top part of the pen is a cool looking, poly resin and the bottom is rosewood (I think).

It pulls apart.....

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

.....to reveal a hidden compartment for a spare nib.

Typical Bill Lilly cleverness!!! 

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

Here is my collection of oblique penholders to date.

I know some folks look down their pointed pen noses at the Speedball Oblique Pen Holders (the black, plastic ones), but I learned Copperplate with the Speedball and I have a soft spot in my heart for them. :)

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

Here are close-ups of my other, favorite Bill Lilly pens.

He calls them Natural Grip pens, and I love, love, LOVE them.

If you're interested in a Bill Lilly penholder. Just contact him via email. You can find his email address at his blog just beneath the photo here.  Kim over at The Constant Scribe has a post about her new, luscious Jake Weidmann penholder. Read about it here.

I have received another parcel of ZIG markers from Kuretake!  I asked the Kuretake representative if it would be okay to do a ZIG marker giveway, and I was given the go ahead. Please visit A Place To Flourish next Friday for a chance to win some of these terrific markers!

Tom and I are off to Chicago this morning. I am so excited to see the Chicago Calligraphy Collective's Exploration exhibit at the Newberry Library tomorrow!!!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Go forth and flourish!

xo

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Feathers

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

Here is a Flourish Friday Feather for you!

I used McCaffrey's Black ink and a vintage Hunt 22.

I made the trip over to Columbus, Ohio earlier this week to take a couple of days instruction from Bill Lilly.

 I was fortunate to sit in on his final class with a group of Japanese women.

They were such a lovely and fun bunch -very talented too!

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

Bill was giving instruction on bird flourishing - feathers too.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

 I'll try to get this bird turned around so you don't have to crane your neck. 

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

 There. ( I think the bird is happier now...)

Also pictured with Bill and his Japanese students, is Sandy Mundy. She was instrumental in getting Bill's "The Art of Beautiful Script" book published.  She is a sweetheart!

I learned so much during my time with Bill. (Thank you Bill!)

I think the key word in this certificate is "satisfactory."  :)

The key now is to practice, practice, practice. 

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

It is such a sunny, beautiful, fall day here in Indiana. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Flourish Friday - Engrosser's Script

I have been practicing Engrosser's Script from Bill Lilly's book. (Update: If you would like to purchase Bill's book, please visit Paper & Ink Arts.  Bill no longer has any of his books. Brenda Broadbent of P&I has the last 50 remaining books for sale.  You can visit P&I Arts, search and shop online by clicking here.) Here I am trying my hand at flourished majuscules (capital letters). Obviously, I have much room for improvement!   Also, I see a giant river of space between the H & I down through the L & M. Blah! Back to the drawing board....maybe this time with a more flexible nib. These forms seem rather anemic.

Put a little flourish in your Friday. Have a great weekend!

Flourish Friday with Bill Lilly

I have been doing wedding work all week and haven't played with any new flourishes. Instead of my work, today's Flourish Friday features the amazing work of Master Penman William Lilly. How about this gorgeous envie he sent me this week?! His Old English and Engrosser's Script are stunning. These next three photos show you why Bill is famous for his Engrosser's Script.

My family had the pleasure of visiting Bill and his wife, Sandy, at their home this past summer. We had a great time. Bill treated us to demonstrations of his script writing as well as his paper cutting. He can cut the most intricate and amazing shapes out of paper - all freeform, no guide lines. Tom, Rachel, Matt and I were amazed. The walls of Bill's studio are filled with examples of his work as well as the work of others from around the world. Bill has inspired and instructed many people over the years.

This is a peek at a copy of Bill's Flourished Capitals Exemplar. This photo doesn't do it justice. It is full of beautiful and elaborate details. Bill is selling color copies of this exemplar on his blog. Order yours today by clicking here. To visit the main page of Bill Lilly's blog, click here.

Here I am with the incredible Mr. Lilly. In good weather he bikes up to 25 miles per day. He also loves to rollerblade. He's a woodworker and makes beautiful oblique pens. I really look up to Bill. He's a great encourager and friend. Wishing you all a Flourished Friday!

Flourish Friday - July 31

For today's Flourish Friday, I thought I'd show you a few of my treasures. Most are from the IAMPETH convention. One evening during the convention, there was a Round Robin where any member could host a show-and-tell station. Last week's Flourish Friday post showed you a technique that Barbara Calzolari demonstrated during Round Robin night. There were probably 20 or more stations to visit, and I know I didn't get to all of them before the night was over.
This was what Maria Thomas of Pendragon did at her station. She had designed and created these beautiful cards with the Tennessee state flower - the Purple Iris - and then left a blank area to fill in names during the Round Robin. Isn't it beautiful? Maria and her husband, Rick, are the creators of Zentangle. You can see a photo of me with Maria during the Round Robin here.

On another night, several IAMPETH instructors and Master Penmen were penning names for IAMPETH members and for anyone from the Nashville community. White House calligrapher, Rick Muffler, penned the above for me. You can see a photo of Rick here. Directly behind him in the photo is his sweet and kind mother, Marie. Marie was a real trooper. Next to Marie is Rick's wife, Jenny - a wonderful and friendly person and a terrific calligrapher. You can visit Jenny's website here.

The above was done by John DeCollibus. He makes working large look sooo easy. You can see a photo of John at the Round Robin here.

And this is an envelope and signature from the great Master Penman Bill Lilly. Even though Bill wasn't at the convention, I could definitely feel his presence there. All of these scribes have been so generous with their time and talent. IAMPETH is a special group of people.

Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday June 12

This is the front of a little card I sent to Master Penman Bill Lilly. The paper was a bit too textured for my liking. My thoughtful husband had contacted Mr. Lilly about purchasing his book and DVD on Engrosser's Script in order to give them to me as a surprise. Mr. Lilly is a graduate of the Zanerian College of Penmanship where he studied under E.A. Lupfer. My husband very much enjoyed his conversations with Bill, and he'd like to meet Bill (me too!) the next time we go to visit family in Ohio. You can visit Bill Lilly's blog here.

Wishing everyone a happy Flourish Friday!