Art Blog - Calligraphy: A Scribe's Notes

The internet is quiet today and it is still warm in New England but today is dry and breezy. I am attending Odyssey, a Lettering Arts Conference at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. All the calligraphers are busy learning something wonderful in their multitudes of classes while I docent the Participants,Faculty and Nice Rendition Exhibit. … Continue reading… 6 comments

I made this short video for one of my on-line students and then thought others might fid it helpful also. I welcome any comments or suggestions. Continue reading… 5 comments

Being able to determine the grain direction of a piece of paper, board or book cloth is essential to a successful book binding project. If you have ever had trouble pasting or binding paper together only to have it warp or bow, here are a few pointers for determining paper grain, what it is, and why it is, you need to know. Continue reading… 2 comments

Cutting a piece of glass to fit a frame isn't difficult. You don't have to go to the harware store and have them cut it for you, you can do it at home. Just a few tools and some practice will help you succeed. There are all types of glass for different purposes. The process is the same for cutting any kind of glass, but window glass is too heavy and has too much color to be used in framing. You will want to use framing glass which is much thinner and has no discernable color. Picture frame glass can be bought from frame suppliers, a glass shop or you can ask your local framer. You will need a sturdy metal ruler with a non slip back and a raised edge, a measuring tape, a glass cutter, available at the hardware store, safety glasses and a bath towel or other fabric surface cover… Continue reading… 2 comments

Eco Friendly Acrylic Gouache Acrylic gouache may not be new but this product is new. Manufactured in the US by Earth Safe Finishes . This non toxic, low VOC acrylic gouache comes in a jar as a white base that dries clear with a matte finish. Color is then added to the base in the form of highly pigmented dyes. I really like the delivery method of a colorless base that can be tinted and all the colorants can be cross-used with all the other mediums.… Continue reading… 8 comments

Mostly sold in tubes, gouache (rhymes with squash) is an opaque form of watercolor known for its brilliance and even matte finish. With the addition of more water it can be used like watercolor for transparent effects or with less water for more opaque applications. There are many manufacturers of gouache, Winsor&Newton being the most popular, Schmincke, Holbein, Talens, all of which are of good grade. Student grade gouache is available too but I have found them not well suited for calligraphy. . Gouache is powdered pigment with Gum Arabic as the binder. Unlike watercolor, gouache has fewer fugitive colors making it more suitable for broadsides… Continue reading… 5 comments

Paste Paper is a wonderful way to decorate paper surfaces for many uses. Originally developed by bookbinders for finished end sheets, and soft covers, paste paper is also used in artists books, calligraphy, paper weaving, paper quilting and a host of other paper arts. I was fortunate enough to spend a day making Paste Paper with five other paper artists. We found a great workspace that was big enough for all of us to have elbow room and set the papers aside to dry. Since the process is material intensive it's easier for us to pool our resources, make one big batch of paste and work together. It's so much more inspiring as well to work with other artists, each of whom had a completely different approach and end use… Continue reading… 4 comments

Since the changeover to the new ArtId format, I have noticed that the thumbnails of some work are getting cropped in an unflattering way. The thumbnail is taken from the center of the main image so if the focal point of your work is in a lower or higher quadrant it will get cropped off. This applies especially to objects versus 2-D works. If you are experiencing this problem with your work, consider re-cropping your pictures and re-uploading them. This will serve two purposes, your work will be considered by browsers faster and if you are a Gold or Silver member, your work will appear on the home page recent upload scroll… Continue reading… 3 comments

At the risk of stating the obvious, technology has irrevocably changed the landscape of most, if not all, media. Diplomas, awards and certificates are no exception. Once painstakingly crafted by scribes and illuminators, Awards, Certificates of Appreciation and Diploma blanks can be bought online at sites like paperdirect.com , southworth.com and my expression.com . Just fill in the name, the date and viola! Does anyone even do Resolutions anymore? Those whereas, whereas, whereas things? Maybe it's just as well.… Continue reading… 2 comments