Plume - Houston Calligraphy

During a quick break from my wedding work I made a calligraphic plume...  Must find a way to incorporate one of these into a future project :)

New York City Calligraphy

CNN (via IBN Live) recently posted an article about how a calligrapher recreated well-known logos.  One thing that I love about this article is how it highlights how many logos that we see everyday were actually created by hand as opposed to a computer program.  Click the image for the entire article.

Courtesy of CNN: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/buzz/calligraphy-artist-recreates-famous-logos-with-amazing-precision-977846.html

Houston Calligrapher - Embossing

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. 

Master Penman Michael Sull

So with whatever profession you are in, if you love it, there is an artist's work that struck a chord with you and changed the trajectory of your focus.  For me, that was Michael Sull, Master Penman & Chief White House calligrapher for Ronald Reagan.  The man is my modern day rock star for penmanship.  I met him and studied under him along with a few other master penman this week.  I stood in line today and asked that he write my best friend's name.  Here it is... Gorgeous!

Best Houston Engraver Award for 2015

What a treat it was to wake up this morning to learn that I have received the Houston Best Engraver Award for the 3rd year in a row!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Here's the press release:  http://houstontx.houstontx.awardcontact.org/PressReleaseub.aspx?cc=DEV7-RBCB-G7FF

Styled Feature - Houston Calligrapher

I had the pleasure of having my calligraphy featured in a styled shoot in Colorado.   I am so honored to see the post featured today on Style Me Pretty! Check out more photos from the shoot on the Style Me Pretty blog,

Credits: Photography: mustard Seed Photography & Alicia Pyne | Wedding Dress: Dreamers & Lovers | Cake: Buttercup Bakery | Hair and Make Up: Sunkissed & Made Up | Calligraphy: Bella Grafia | Floral Crown: Olive & Bloom | Private Residence: Estes Park, CO   

Houston calligrapher - new york wedding

Alright, let's get these babies ready for the mail... 

Houston Engraver - Engraving Metal

Haven't engraved metal in about a year.  Quick warm-up on a knife as I promised to engrave for a friend today.  Forgot how cool metals were to engrave.... 

Wedding Vows - Houston Calligrapher

It's not often that I do wedding vows or song lyrics, but I am weak for contrast that's not the garden variety.  So when a previous client asked me to calligraph their vows from their wedding for their 1st anniversary in white ink....Done!  Yep, i wrote it out in graphite first, then followed up in ink and erased after it dried.  Cheers!

Engraving Event - Houston Engraving & Calligraphy

When you are engraving scotch bottles for a spirit company at an event and the outlet for your air compressor gives out & you can't take the table to a different outlet because you'd block the aisle... along with the fact that you have a line of people waiting for their engraved bottles, what do you do? While the store figures out where to shift your electrical power, You find the closest outlet (that works), take the necessities to engrave a scotch bottle and something high enough to engrave on. Go!

 ‪#‎MakeItWork‬ ‪#‎IPimpMyPen‬ ‪#‎houstoncalligraphy‬ #houstoncalligrapher #bottleengraving #slingingink
‪#‎SlingingInk‬

Grand Marnier - Houston Bottle Engraving

So remember that Grand Marnier Event that I did calligraphy for?  They asked if I would engrave some of the bottles that were purchased by clients.  I was happy to oblige.  One of these was hand painted....No pressure.  Keep a steady hand :)

Seating Chart - New York by way of Houston Calligraphy

This Long Island, NY client wanted to have a seating chart created for a birthday celebration.  The request was for gold ink on black paper with script headers.  I don't play golf but I totally dig the theme!  I think that it came out nicely.  Now off to the post office this will go.  Cheers!

Houston Calligraphy - Wedding Mail Art

This bride from Atlanta had a preference for the "Elis" style.  This is my favorite this year as it shows a contrast of 2 hands and can be made informal with dropping the titles from the guest names and shifting the lines etc, if desired.  We executed it in gold ink on beautiful off-white heavy cotton paper.  Love it!

Grand Marnier Dinner - Houston Calligraphy

So this was my office yesterday afternoon.  Grand Marnier hosted a dinner and requested that I provide the on-site calligraphy for the event.  It was my pleasure to oblige.  Adrenaline was high as my work began amidst the event planning & restaurant staff prep, but it was fun and they liked my work.  So sorry, but of course this was a quick iPhone pic as I was leaving before guests arrived.  Not quite photography competition material, but I got a picture.

I'm really trying to get better about consistently posting my work.  Work gets so crazy that a lot of times it doesn't happen.  Must get better about that.  Cheers!

Houston Calligraphy - Key Place Cards

These are a great idea for place cards as they are different from the norm and they provide a wonderful keepsake for your guests.  Now to add the ties to finish it off  :)

Houston Calligraphy - Tattoo Design

During my typography class today, my instructor began to talk about serifs which encouraged me to doodle in pencil.  Must stop doing that!  Pay attention, Janet!  I digress.  

During my doodle session, I thought about a potential tattoo for myself since I have been designing tattoos for so many clients lately.  Maybe for my 40th birthday.....or never.  Probably never, but who knows......

VIDEO: Houston Calligraphy - The Laser

How do I calligraph my work if I don't want to deal with erasing graphite lines you ask?  I just pull out my Austin Powers "Laser" :) Sorry that I couldn't figure out how to enlarge the screen.  This is what happens when you are holding the camera in one hand and writing with the other....

Houston Calligrapher - Hunt for the perfect bronze Ink

I've been pretty swamped and haven't posted the last few jobs....must get better about that.   This project is for a wedding in NYC.  This couple opted for bronze ink in Ornate Roundhand on Crane lettra paper.  I love bronze.  Who doesn't love bronze?  I'm still on the hunt for the best bronze ink that has a minimal hassle factor, flows well and looks beautiful.  Today, I'm using Fine-Tec pearl color disks. They are beautiful once you dilute the disk down, but the hassle factor is a little high for me especially when you consider that you still have to mix after each envelope/line as with most metallics (that's why so many calligraphers charge extra for metallics).  I may have to return to "creating" my bronze (secret recipe).  We'll see.  These are beautiful though, aren't they?

Table Numbers & Wood Reception Signs - Houston Calligrapher

This NYC bride opted for wood reception signs (which I adore) and hand calligraphed table numbers in Ornate Roundhand.  I love it.  Really sets the tone for the wedding!

Calligraphy pieces for a styled shoot - Houston Calligrapher

Here's a sneak peek into a styled shoot that will be taking place in New York next week.  I was honored to have been asked to participate and look forward to seeing the end result along with the laser cut wood pieces that I created design work for as well....  The calligraphy is in a "modern" style to suit the mood of the photo shoot.