Hymns That Last - Page 5

Hello! I hope this finds you well.  After a month of reruns/reposts, this is new material.  Pictured is the fifth page in my Hymns That Last journal:  Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken by John Newton (1779) 

5 down, 22 to go!

To see the first page, CLICK HERE.

To see the second page, CLICK HERE.

To see the third page, CLICK HERE.

To see the fourth page, CLICK HERE.

The full list can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Don't forget you are welcome to follow me on Instagram.  I have been regularly posting images of my calligraphy there.  My username is: carmelscribe

I'm so use to saying, "Enjoy your weekend!" but it's only Wednesday :) .....still.....

Go forth and flourish!

xo

Jane

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Changes

 The Times They Are a-Changin'...  I have been posting each Friday for over 4 years now, and it's time for a change.  This will be my last "new" Flourish Friday.  I will be selecting some of my favorite posts from the past 4 years, and if I can figure out how to do it, update and republish them for the next several Fridays. (I wouldn't make you go cold turkey.)

After that, I will continue to post but randomly so.  I intend to systematically go through the materials for all the different workshops I have taken over the years.  I want to spend time reading my notes, going over the instructors handouts, and then (surprise!) taking the time TO ACTUALLY CREATE SOMETHING based on what I've studied and learned!  I seem to come home from a workshop or class all fired-up, but then the next thing I know time has passed without me doing anything.  I know I won't be able to do it weekly, but I will post to my blog after each workshop I revisit - including the Reggie Ezell workshop I will be taking this weekend. :)

(The above says, "Choose Love")

Even though things will be changing a bit, I hope you'll continue to follow me here at A Place To Flourish.  In the meantime,  I will post images on my Instagram account. 

My username is: carmelscribe

You're welcome to follow me there if you'd like.

(The above says, "Choose Love, Take Joy, Be Content, Give Thanks, Forgive Quickly)

Above is a peek at four of the five pieces I have in the Calligraphy Guild of Indiana's exhibit at Sullivan Munce Cultural Center in Zionsville.  The opening reception is tonight from 5-8pm, and the exhibit will on display through November 9, 2013.  If you'll be in the Indianapolis area, then please check it out.  Julia Fish Thompson, a CGI member, is having an exhibit of her work just a few blocks away at Robert Goodman Jewelers.  Julia's opening reception is tonight also (5-8pm), and her exhibit runs through November.  Two calligraphic treats for the price of one trip to lovely Zionsville!

I have enjoyed preparing all 268 of my weekly posts.  Blogging has been such a terrific experience.  For me, it's not as noisy or time devouring as Facebook, and I've met so many wonderful people.  Thank you for joining me as I happily wander along on my calligraphic journey replete with bad poor grammar and misspellings.  I appreciate your company along the way!

Happy weekend, Friends.

Go forth and flourish!

xo

Jane

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Collage and Birds

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

When I am finished with a job and get toward the bottom of my inkwell, the ink gets gunky.  Although it's not good to use for my regular work,  I hate to let it go to waste.  I enjoy getting out my brushes and sponges to play.  Brushes and sponges work great to swab out the bottom of the inkwell.  I have no idea where I'm going with these pieces....Sometimes it's great just to work intuitively! :)

The above bird is part of a rough draft for a commission I did last week.  I don't usually like doing birds, but I was happy with how this one turned out.

I thought he needed a little something to carry. :)  I want to scan him into Photoshop Elements and play.  I am afraid I am going to forget all the things I learned from my PSE class earlier this year!

Happy Flourish Friday everyone - enjoy your weekend!

:) Jane

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Photoshop Elements

My heartfelt thanks to each of you for your prayers on Madiana's behalf.  My daughter has received updates from Compassion International, but unfortunately they still have not determined the status of this beautiful, little Haitian girl.  I will certainly post to my blog when we do hear, but I would appreciate your continued prayers for Madiana and her family.

Ruth Rowland, an amazing calligrapher and lettering artist from the UK, has been my personal Photoshop cheerleader this past year.  I've shared here before about my frustration with Photoshop Elements. My husband bought me PSE Version 4 for my birthday several years ago, and I just couldn't figure it out. With Ruth's encouragement, I decided to take a class at the Indianapolis Art Center.  My class started last week, and it has been wonderful!  I did the lettering in black sumi with a pointed nib.  "Thank you" and "Ruth" are separate pieces, but I successfully layered them in PSE. I added some color and a background.  There is hope for me yet!!!!!  Thank you Ruth for your encouragement. You can visit Ruth's blog here. 

A little cupcake to use for birthday cards.

The lettering was done with sumi and a broad edge nib.  My instructor helped me make it pop by adding a blur technique on a layer underneath the lettering.

This is a butterfly I posted for Flourish Friday some time ago.  I am trying to add color to him, but he is a work in progress. (More questions to ask my instructor in next week's class!)  Oops. I see I've clipped the little guy's wings. If you happen to know of a good, reasonably priced source for having rubber stamps made, would you please share with me?  I am also going to check around locally. Thanks!!

Go forth and Flourish!

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Hodgepodge

This is a journal entry I did a few months back. It's a nod to www.snopes.com. A site I've used over the years to determine if something on the internet is legitimate or not. The site staged its own little hoax about the children's nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence. You can read about it here. I find it extremely difficult and frustrating to verify and make proper attributions for quotes on the internet.

This is a new entry in my Moleskine journal. I have been trying to get my studio organized. I have different jobs and projects going on, and I feel as though my studio is the inside of a pinball machine. (and I'm the ball!)

A menu card I did this week.

This week's flourish was inspired by this post at The Calligraphy Pen Blog. I love A. Lucas and Wolfgangcat's tutorials. After creating a border following the wonderful step-by-step instructions, I wanted to try a variation with a pointed pen. I hope you like it.

Go Forth and Flourish! :)

Flourish Friday - Calligraphy Christmas Tree

For today's Flourish Friday, I wanted to do something festive!

I saw this beautiful, calligraphic Christmas tree on page 105 of Bill Hildebrandt's book Calligraphic Flourishing: A New Approach to an Ancient Art. Isn't it a beautiful design? I used my graph paper transparency to assist in the layout. I then put my layout rough onto my light table, placed my good paper over the rough and did the flourishing.

I added some touches of color to give it a more festive feel.

After 25 years, I got hair cut short! I didn't realize how long my hair had grown until my stylist said, "I think you have enough for Locks of Love." Actually, at 9" it was an inch short for LOL, but my stylist knew of a place in Mississippi that takes any ponytails over 6". So, I pray my hair is being used by Pink Heart Funds to brighten some one's life. To learn more about Pink Heart Funds, or how to "Share Your Hair" click here.

Put some Flourish in your Friday - have a great weekend everyone!

Flourish Friday - November 20th

After 4 straight days of cold, rainy and just plain GLOOMY weather, I am already dreamy of Spring, sunshine and butterflies! This little guy was fun to do. This was done on Canson Pro White Layout paper, but I think I'd like to do another on watercolor paper and then jazz it up with some color.

I did this flourish to go on the flap of an envelope, but turned on its side like this, it makes for a nice corner flourish.

©Jane Farr Calligraphy & Design LLC

You cannot tell very well from this image, but "CREATE" is embossed. I used sumi for the outline and a Sakura Micron Pigma pen for the background design. I am doing a program on Zentangles for my calligraphy guild tomorrow. I want to show everyone there are many ways they can incorporate Zentangles with their calligraphy.

Do something to put a little Flourish into your Friday. Have a great weekend everyone!

Flourish Friday October 9 - Calligraphy Cake

Fill in the blank, sing, make a wish, blow out the candles, cut and eat!

Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday - September 25

I love doing white calligraphy on black paper! I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I will try to do a real post next week. :-)

Flourish Friday September 11

Thanks everyone for your kind comments yesterday about the Trust In the Lord piece. I updated the post for those interested in the embossing. Proverbs 3:5-6 is a treasured promise! It's one of many promises I hope to letter. Yesterday, I played and flourished around a bit in my Moleskine journal - The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday - Wedding Calligraphy

Now that all my niece's wedding invitations have been mailed, I can show you! I apologize for the glare on some of these photos, but that's what gold does best - sparkle and shine.

I used my B6 Print Gocco. As you can see, wedding calligraphy can quickly overtake my studio. I love it!

I ran out of drying racks, but had to keep printing while the ink was wet. I had to arrange the envelopes so they could dry but not smear.

This is the finished invitation suite.

This is our invitation after we received it in the mail. The ribbon my niece found matches perfectly. Her fiancee found a post office (finally!) that would let him hand cancel all the invitations. They used vintage postage stamps. Do you see that our envelope has "Letters Mingle Souls" as one of the stamps? I love those little, extra, custom details!

Now, my only question is....where did the time go? I know she's 23, but when I look at her, this is what I see! Love you Taylor!!

Happy Flourish Friday everyone - enjoy your weekend. (Holiday weekend in the States!)

Flourish Friday - August 28

As promised, for today's Flourish Friday I'm showing you a few things I learned in Linda Schneider's "Faces, Figures and Florals" class at the IAMPETH convention. Linda encouraged us to bring ornate pictorial flourishing into modern times. Most people think of birds and quills when they think of ornamental penmanship. Although I can appreciate the skill required for ornamental birds, I don't find myself eager to make them. Linda challenged us to create contemporary, ornate, pictorial flourishing. By sketching any image (I got the bright idea of sketching a light bulb), you can then use the sketch as a template to fill in with flourishes. Then erase your pencil lines. This light bulb is very basic, but I have a long list of images I want to try.... crosses, hearts, stars, peace sign, birthday cupcake, baby rattle, etc.

Linda also had us try some faces. This is just the basic face. She wanted us to extend the hair by adding lots of flourishes. I liked what I had and didn't want to ruin it, so I stopped. I think I'll make copies of this face and then play with the flourishes.

She had us try figures too, which were fun. We also did a pot of flowers, but I cannot find mine. I really enjoyed the class and wish it could have been longer. Visit Linda's website here to see her lovely ornate pictorial flourishing.

Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday - August 21

This flourish is patterned after one I saw on page 4 of The Universal Penman. Today, we take our daughter back to Purdue University to begin her sophomore year. She is excited to return to campus. It's been wonderful having her home this summer. August is a bittersweet month for me....

Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday - August 14

While at a bookstore last year, I stumbled onto a wedding issue of Somerset Studio magazine. As I was flipping through it, I saw beautiful illustrations done with a pointed pen by Linda Schneider. I couldn't get to the checkout fast enough! I was so eager to read the instructions and give it a try. Linda is extremely talented. You can visit her website here. She does work for Papyrus and you can see some of her designs for them here. I love doing these pointed pen brides. Everyone loved these bridal shower invitations. When I saw Linda was going to be one of the instructors at IAMPETH, I couldn't believe my luck. I'll have to save what I learned in her class at IAMPETH for another post, but it was pure joy!

Happy Flourish Friday everyone!

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 - July 24

I'd like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts for my son, Matt. He safely arrived home from his mission trip to Panama. He said it was the best experience he ever had with his youth group. I am still unpacking from the IAMPETH convention. It was truly a wonderful week, and I want to blog more about it in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, I am preparing to host a bridal shower for my niece this Saturday. Pictured are two photos of Taylor and her fiancee, Matt. I learned this technique from Barbara Calzolari during the Round Robin night at IAMPETH. You glue a black and white photo to some nice paper and then rough it over with a fine sandpaper or emery board. This will pull the blue ink off the photo and give it a vintage or shabby chic look. Then using white ink (I used Dr. Martin's Bleedproof White), you letter over the photo and extend the lettering onto the paper. You can stress the paper further once the lettering is dry, by crumpling the paper or rubbing in a little grime. I then sprayed it with fixative. You can see Barbara demonstrating her technique on my Flickr account here. Thanks to Barbara for teaching a very, cool technique! Check out Barbara's incredible work for the Pope and the G8 Summit here.

The 2010 IAMPETH Convention will be at the Hilton Walt Disney World the week of August 9th. If you enjoy pointed pen work, or want to learn pointed pen, I highly recommend attending. Happy Flourish Friday!

Flourish Friday - July 10

These are some envelopes I did for an IAMPETH exchange. I like adding the watercolor here and there. I think it makes the flourishes pop. I am getting very excited for IAMPETH! I don't have a laptop, so no Flourish Friday next week. Hopefully, I will have all sorts of good stuff to show once I return. I'd appreciate prayers for my son as he travels to Panama with his high school youth group today. They are going with a terrific, medical evangelism group. You can check out FAME here.

Flourish Friday July 3

I am getting excited to attend my first IAMPETH convention. I normally just keep my nibs in the little bags and envelopes they arrive in from Paper and Ink Arts and John Neal Bookseller, but I thought I better get a little more organized for the convention.

I had read about using Altoids' tins for nib storage, and since I can never seem to throw away an Altoids' tin, I thought I should give it a try. As suggested at Cyberscribes, I lined the inside top and bottom of the tin with those thin, little business card magnets that people and businesses use for advertising. Then, using the metal embossing tools I bought from Magdalena at MercArt, I debossed and embossed the name of the nib manufacturer on metal tape from the hardware store. Then I trimmed the tape and stuck it to the top of the tin. Easy, peasy.

I added little labels to help keep the nibs organized.

There's a tin for Brause, Hunt, Hiro, Gillott, Esterbrook and a catchall.

I'll have to go through a lot more Altoids before I can do my broad edge nibs!

Happy Flourish Friday *and* Happy Birthday to me! :-)

Fleurish Friday

Today's fleurish was inspired by my clematis vine. It definitely could use some color!

Our sideyard arbor is pushing 20 years old. At this point, the ivy is holding the arbor up, rather than the other way around. The poor, old thing should probably be taken down for safety's sake, but I just can't bear to dismantle it.

Especially when the clematis is so beautiful!

Happy Fleurish Friday!