Calligrapher for Team USA - 2016 Rio Olympics
Houston calligrapher and wine bottle engraver
It's no secret that my work has made a deviation away from paper over the last year. Obviously, I still work with paper, but it has definitely taken a backseat to glass, mirrors, wood, metal, acrylic etc. I just ADORE these laser cut names that are often used as place cards. This is my hand calligraphy taken to a larger size. Next medium that I plan to work in....FABRICS. Why not?! Cheers!
It's no secret that I like placing calligraphy on mirrors. This baby welcome sign is for a Houston mother-to-be that likes just a touch of sparkle. Hope that she likes it!
I actually calligraphed this as my client waited. That NEVER happens as I like to have time to myself to work unless I am doing on-site events (engraving, on-site corporate event work). However, it strangely worked out better for both of us for timing etc. as my calendar was crazy with engraving events that month for various wine & spirit companies & scheduling it later was an impossibility. So here's to calligraphy on the fly! Cheers!
Houston Mirror Calligraphy
The only way I send out my correspondence....blind embossing the return address. This is actually the formal etiquette for return addressing a wedding invitation & has been my preference for my correspondence for years along with wax seals. I began offering this to my clients this year & it has been well received. It's clean, classic and is offered in various styles.
Portions of the address below have been digitally removed for client privacy.
If you follow my work at all, you know that my studio is very 1800's for the majority of my work. Meaning, that I take the vintage approach to most of the work that I execute. I have found that hanging my envelope jobs to dry on what is similar to a clothesline allows for 1. easy comparison from one envelope to the other, 2. places them high above my 3 year old, Lola and obviously 3. by the time I complete the line, the earlier ones placed are dry.
This bride opted for Ornate Roundhand in black ink. It's funny because I don't use black extensively for wedding projects except for pieces that are going for reproduction (menus, invitation/save the date designs etc). However as I was working on this job, I was reminded of how simply classic black ink is. Simplicity is absolutely beautiful and should not be overlooked. Peace & Love!
Ornamental penmanship is the art form that sprang from Spencerian writing in the late 1800s to early 1900s. This was where we began to see phenomenal penmanship trumping each other in their correspondence with seeing who could be the most extravagant in their writing.
You can take lessons in ornamental penmanship and learn the art of how to script these letters in different fonts. You can even make a business out of it. It's my favorite writing form. Here's a quick example by yours truly and a practice sheet. The "O" was my favorite part.
I'm loving the juxtaposition of block lettering with Spencerian/Ornamental Penmanship right now.
I am a firm believer of the Latin phrase that means 'in wine, there is truth'. Glad that this client feels the same way. Cheers!
No reindeer games today... A full calendar demands that I work on the weekends. All is well. This isn't work. It's my joy!
