New Champion

Letterist to the rescue! Last December I was asked to put the TPC Sawgrass Golf Championship winners on the wall of the Men's Champion Locker room...an area of the locker room at the Sawgrass Country Club that is reserved for the people who play in this major golf event every year...this is after they got bids from sign shops and wood routing folks, they decided that a handlettered Bembo font (the font used throughout the country club) was what they wanted! And who was fool enough to take that on? Moi. The Letterist. I estimated it would take me two full working days, and it took me four. But they paid me what I asked for and it was the highest job I ever bid (I knew it would be hard, but not that hard!)
So recently, I added this year's champion, a Henrik Stenson...luckily, a guy whose name isn't too long (did I mention each name not only is hand drawn, but has to have about three layers of paint?) and who is at waist height, so I didn't have to lean out from a ladder and have lights hanging from scaffolding...that's for next year.
View slide show below to get the scope of this doozy of a job....

Just got back from teaching GRAPHITE TECHNIQUES in Phoenix....strictly black and white (and grey, and gray) but O! THE COLOR! at the Phoenix botanical gardens.....I was taken by Nancy Stutman to the Chihuly exhibit (installation) there, with blown glass set into the cactus beds...and many of the cactus are in bloom this time of year! WOW! (this is a slide show with music, click the start arrow to see more images, and turn up the volume to hear a little bill evans jazz) We also visited the butterfly gardens...what a treat!
...And continuing with color...one of my students, Nancy Pilgrim, is a glass bead maker...of course we had a trade for one of my giclee prints and I got some pictures of her beautiful, beautiful multi-layered beads....thank you, nancy, for sharing your talents!
Enjoy!
Also, here is some work be my diligent Phoenix Graphite students....

Paste Paper!

When I was putting up my brush tutorials on YouTube, I realized there were NONE on paste paper.....I already had one in the can from my Love Letters Power Point, so I added some additional demos, some still pics of example of how I've used paste paper, and a sound track of my son Robin's group: Fluid Thought... and posted it!
Happy Easter

Instructional Videos on YouTube
search Brush Lettering - the Letterist

This is a book that was purchased from last year's Newberry (Explorations)show: as an anonymous gift. Even though I'm very proud of the book, I miss having it: it was a wonderfully handy way to carry around samples of a fully rendered graphite text, for my graphite students, and a drawn Neuland text for my Neuland students. We are all cutting back on luggage, even traveling teachers! All I have left are the pictures....

Graphite Techniques

I will potentially be teaching this workshop twice this year...so I'm getting back to my graphite projects! I'm always excited about teaching calligraphers about drawn lettering, because it frees them up to explore so many new shapes, qualities and shades and shadows...exploring outside the realm of their calligraphic tools, pens, brushes, etc...In the class we review basic drawing skills and build confidence in our ability to see, then apply those techniques to letters. Then those calligraphers can truly call themselves "lettering artists"! The many shades of gray...

My co-worker Keli is getting married...I made her wedding sign-in book with the colors of her wedding:"ocean" blue, black & cream....the black came from some momi paper for endpapers and a pocket for stuff on the back inside cover...she is a crafty person, so I thought she would enjoy it...Thinking back on other sign in books I've made for friends and family...they are all so different...