Just Playin'....

My stash of arty 'stuff' has been pared to a minimum for a long time now.... caravan life means limited storage & being aware of the weight we carry. This way of life certainly teaches the lesson of non-attachment to material things. But jewel like colours caught my eye & I just 'had to have' a pack of fine liner pens that jumped off the shelf into my hand.... and then i just 'had' to test them before i put the rest of my shopping away, well, i did stick the milk in the fridge but that was about all :-)

And so this playful alphabet emerged... it's not a style of my invention, but the variations are endless. There's no right or wrong with these, but some of my letters do look better than others... as i doodled an  idea to use them started to grow, so a little refinement is needed if i carry it out. Not so much that they appear over worked, but straight away i could see lines that don't quite work for me and others that i love.

So... new pens, a morning scribbling and ideas a-forming....suzi's happy!!

OOps... a winner at last!

Errr... i know i said i'd do a draw in a couple of weeks but somehow time has rolled on and i'm not sure how it got to be this long! So sorry for the delay.... i've written names on paper & scrunched them up, given them a good shake around and picked.... Barry... so congratulations to you B, and thank you to the loyal crew that took part!

Some Sunday Sweetness...

... a handful of creative sweet treats i have found on my wanders

Just wanted to share...

Art du Jour

Ravenwood Forest

Healing Through Multiple Sclerosis

Gina Lee Kim

Lone Crow Photo.... & a Give-aways!

Well, I've continued to procrastinate on the calligraphy front... but I have been working on an etsy shop revolving around my photography... Lone Crow Photo.

The Lone Crow name has been kicking around in my head for ages but I'm beginning to think it wasn't the wisest choice... I already have various blogs on different themes and throwing another name into the mix doesn't exactly help people identify with me does it? Ah well...

The first few pictures I put up were of the moon, and they got such a good reaction being included in several treasuries that other 'etsians' put together, that I kept going along the moon theme. I already write my lunar musings at moondreamin'... I suppose that would have been a good shop name to keeep things tied together, but somehow it feels too personal over there, not commercial at all... besides, eventually there will be more than just moon stuff in there, at least that's the plan!

I've started adding some photographs with quotations & some of my own words. Eventually, I may try adding calligraphy, but its taken me long enough to work out how to add type!

She smiles... and I feel her light fill my soul

Would anyone like a copy of this print? Let's have a give-away to celebrate my shop opening!  You can have this, or choose another photo from my shop.... Just leave a comment & I'll do a draw in a couple of weeks.

I've also been putting together some images together on digital collage sheets, for people to print out for themselves & use in their crafting. I got my first sale with one of these & I'm hoping they will be popular once my shop gets known in the crafty community... fingers crossed (& toes & everything else!) Soon on the list is to do some with calligraphy, now that I'm getting the hang of how to do the editing... it's a steep learning curve, I tell ya!!

digital collage sheet - 2 x 2 inch squares - moon behind trees

Who would like one of these? Again... just leave a comment to be entered in the draw. I'll send a few out by email... all you have to do is print them & create something wonderful!! 

And I'd love a picture of what you make to post on here, or a link to your blog if you post pictures... but of course that's not obligatory!

'Til the end of March I'm offering anyone who passes this way, a 50% discount off anything purchased from Lone Crow Photo. All you have to do is enter the coupon code SCRIBBLES1 when you make a purchase... hopefully I can tempt you!!

A Blanket of Comfort for Japan

May we join together in our thoughts... sending healing, love & calm across the ethers...

May those threads of energy twist together, forming ever stronger strands... weaving together with the thoughts of others across the world and beyond...

forming a healing blanket... infused with love & calm & hope...

Let us spread that blanket over japan & the ocean where the effects of the earthquake are felt....

A blanket of comfort & calm... gently soothing the Earth... absorbing the anguish & pain... gently transmuting them into loving, peaceful energy... a blanket of calm gently soothing & settling the tremors... feel the earth's heart beating steadily once more... calmed by the blanket of love...

A blanket of comfort & calm... gently settling the ocean... absorbing the anger & fear... transmuting them into loving peaceful energy... quelling the tidal reactions.... feel the ocean breathing easy once more, soothed by the blanket of love...

A blanket of comfort & calm.... settling over the nuclear reactors.... gathering in the radiation... absorbing it into the strands.... gently soothing & transmuting.... settling unstable energy... converting it to loving, positive energy.... feel that power reigning in... calmed under a blanket of love...

A blanket of comfort & calm... surrounding the people... absorbing their shock & grief, their fears & uncertainties.... comforting & healing... scattered emotions & physical pain... all being absorbed... and transmuted through the strands of our blanket... into loving positive energy... see them renewed with love & hope & strength... comforted under a blanket of love...

See the blanket growing.... boosted by every thought... every energy transference... see it extending out around the world... tucking it in around everyone affected... around creatures of land & sea & air... a blanket that never wears thin... a blanket that renews & heals & grows...

settling itself over the world.... calming & loving... comforting & healing... people in every walk of life... gently reassuring & encouraging... helping more & more people to breathe easy & feel their connection....

...& feel free to share this...

Pencil Warm-up

I have work to be done. Lettering for a couple of people & projects for myself... stuff to list on etsy (i've a stash of handmade paper cut, packed & photographed ready to go)... but i keep putting it off. Adamant that 'today was the day' (that was on tuesday) I dug out my calligraphy gear & set things up. But... no black gouache, which meant another root around. So, with the excuse that I needed to warm-up (after all i've done no real lettering for a few months... doesn't normally bother me, but...) I rummaged through my pencils...

I just picked one up & started to write the first thing that came to mind... i'd just posted about 'grey days' at spirit whispers, and the silhouettes of branches reminded me of pencil lettering. So I just continued the theme... picking up one pencil or the other with varying hardness... 2B, charcoal, 6B, 2H etc... more an exercise in procrastination to get my hand in than anything else...

I soon realised that my application of pressure was a bit haphazard and really could have done with my glasses on and the pencils really, really needed sharpening.... but i was enjoying the movement of pencil over paper, the forming of words, the build up of texture... just 'doing'.

Hmmm... what did I say to my students when i was teaching? "Always warm up, even if only for a few minutes, before you start writing". And so I did... next!

The idea of the "pressure & release" technique is to apply more pressure to the ends of straight strokes & the sides of curves. That's the simple explanation 'cos there are exceptions & variations etc etc. And it's supposed to be a gradual transition between hard & light pressure. It really does add another dimension to lettering.

One of the best ways to practice is to begin with lines(no pressure to get the right letterforms to begin with).... vertical... horizontal... diagonal... then curves... then move on to words when you're relaxed and more consistent. Also, a tip is to gradually increase the length of lines or size of letters.... going back to 'normal' size then seems much easier! (the last couple of words shown were a couple of inches or so).

So.... now, in theory at least, I am ready to get started.... just gotta go & find that box with my paint in!

Crafty Individuals Blog

Yaaay... Jean at Crafty Individuals has started a blog

http://craftyindividualsblog.blogspot.com/

I'm long overdue to get some more calligraphy to her for rubber stamp designs, but it has been on my mind to get started. We've moved with work several times since autumn & I just haven't done any calligraphy or arty stuff at all. I always tend to work best when I have something on the go rather than starting from scratch and my gear was packed away for moving.... and stayed there. Honestly, it doesn't take long to unpack, but it's been a case of out of sight out of mind. Tut-tut suz.

She's not the only one a-waiting either... i started preparing calligraphy reversed ready to use for transfer techniques, and was really enthused til we started moving about... think the time has come to get re-motivated. I know once I start I won't want to stop.... mmmm, the time has come to stop thinking & start doing!

Calligraphy Exhibition at Ripon Cathedral

North Yorkshire Calligraphers are holding an exhibition in Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire, UK. It runs until 31st October... so if you are nearby or can make the trip you have time to catch it. Going by the standard of previous exhibitions it will be well worth seeing....  the Cathedral is a stunning setting & Ripon is a lovely little town to wander with plenty of places of interest in the vicinity.

This was the group I started off with way back... err, a few(?!) years ago (1992 ish). Some of those people are still involved and some are calligraphers I have taught... the group is thriving and talented.... and I really wish them well with this exhibition x

Christmas Rubber Stamps

The season is fast approaching....

and Crafty Individuals have produced some rubber stamps with 

my calligraphy on here....

and also a selection of background papers to use in your crafting...

If you are interested, you can find them at craftyindividuals.co.uk

and various stockists around the world. There is a list on their site.

Silver Strands...2

Another re-working.... here is what i wrote last time I can't really add anything about the words that mel wrote... they still move me....

This time though, they were for the gallery and the visual impact of the words was more important. When creating any piece of work, some of the questions to consider are "who is it for" "where is it to go?" "who will read it?" Calligraphy in a general art gallery is still relatively uncommon, and unless people are familiar with modern calligraphy, they do like to be able to read it... just capturing the sense of the words is not always enough.

I loved the pencil texture of last time, but silver gouache on canvas was my choice this time around. I kept the plaster 'rocks' as before, and splattered silver paint & powder to emulate the 'strands of light'.

The first and last phrases were with a draughtsman's ruling pen... the centre part was with a Mitchells broad edged steel nib. The brighter, silver lettering created a much stronger effect, which I softened with the lighter italic in the middle to balance with the silver & grey in the background. Some glossy black added to the shimmering reflection of light.

Silver strands thread light downwards...

Into the heart of darkness...

Winds with the ebb and flow of time...

To send our hearts and minds

once more into these weavings...

Of magic and the old ways to bind and connect

our hearts once more with She who knows

Melanie Leavey

Cheers mel x

Silver Strands

24 x 36 inches

mixed media on canvas

£175 plus postage