pushing the envelopes

valentine from jeri

2012-02-14T01:00:00.001-06:00

here is my valentine from jeri. love the lavender and red combination. jeri is taking a broad nib class. so she pulled out her uncials. that is a good style for getting back in the broad edge groove.

i am keeping her in stitches with my suggestions of what to wear to an upcoming wedding. a fashion blog is not in my future. no cooking either. i am very one dimensional.

ccc elizabeth (brown)

2012-02-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

i was experimenting and did not have a stamp in mind. this one is OK. i would keep looking if it was actually going in the mail.
also, i did not have that much fireworks, but i put too many dots on the one in the lower left, so i had to add a bunch more to detract from that boo-boo. i do like metallic gel pens on dark papers.

ccc patti scribble

2012-02-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

ohhhhh, what a mess. it was at the end of a long day and i had some fun, then, this one was not working out, so i tried to follow my own advice, when in doubt scribble. i did manage to find some stamps that were perfect colors, but they were not square so the shape clashed. this one is almost OK. and i was very pleased with the placement of the address. the p.o. would not be pleased. you would probably want to put on a $1 stamp to make them tolerate this kind of a mess.

one of the few people who recognized mail art (and other ephemera) as worthy of collecting has passed away

steven leiber

nancy - hb - red

2012-02-11T01:00:00.001-06:00

happy birthday to nancy. i know someone whose birthday is jan 11th, nancy's is february 11. i hope someone will post a comment and tell me that their birthday is march 11.

this envelopes is a boo-boo from a recent job. i have never been hired to address valentines before. this person had a list of 145 addresses. i spelled a name wrong on the top line, so i scribbled through it. then i wrote nancy's name a bunch more. and the white gel pens were on the verge of running out. so, it is not a spectacular envelope, but it was fun to do. no, nancy did not move to eldon, iowa. that is the town where the house that is in the painting *american gothic* is still standing and there is someone living in it. you can visit it and take your picture out front with a pitchfork.

now, i must go check and see if nancy's last name has an s, or no s. my memory is foggy at best. happy birthday, nancy...:-)

lesson in multiples

2012-02-10T11:50:00.001-06:00

this might show why you need to do several versions. i knew the one i sent yesterday had a dreadful crossbar on the t. it was thin in the middle and it should have been thick. this morning i found the bottom envelope ont he right which had been a reject yesterday because the S is tilted back. i thought i would try that style S again and did the top one. i did not outline it, i just added the notch on the ends of the ribbons. on the one yesterday, the notches were too deep. i still don't like the top half of the S. that made me think the one that is tipped back is better. then i wondered what it would look like to fill up the space with ribbons, more like the stamp. so, thinking i would just throw it away, i tried it on the bottom one and i liked it enough to share it with you. but not enough to put a stamp on it. the top one, i will send. how funny would it be if i sent 20 envelopes to stacey. i would, except that i am engrossed in my ccc project. i am pretty much booked on the blog for the next three months. yikes.

anyhow, the point of this was that you should try writing the same name a few different ways. you can't count on your first attempt being the best one.

ccc marji

2012-02-10T01:00:00.000-06:00

~~this needs a box around it so you can see where the envelope ends~~. i was channeling betsy dunlap. her caps have very quirky bumps and flinging tails. i added some tiny details off the stamp. i like the pink writing outlined in red. and while there are all kinds of good shapes and ideas to pull out form the stamp, it is just as much fun to use just the colors for inspiration.

when i composed the post, i couldn't see any box around the envelope, but then when i checked the blog this morning, it seems as if blogger puts a line around it. so, thanks blogger, for being helpful.

bonus post

2012-02-09T13:47:00.003-06:00

stacey sent me the new love stamps
i had to write a thank you. i used a dry zig marker, then outlined it and added the little parallel lines on the ribbon. the actual forms of the letters are way off, but, i don't mind it as, it would be hard to make ribbons act like a line of ink. the flourish shapes are a little goofy, but, again, if you want it to look like ribbon, it can't follow all the rules of a line of ink. it would be better to be an illustrator. someone like jessica hische (not sure of that spelling) has some spectacular lettering that looks like ribbons. check out her website.

oh, duh. i just googled jessica hische to put in a link to her website and she designed this stamp.
so, here is her website:

http://jessicahische.is/awesome/

ccc lester

2012-02-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

i could have a lot of fun with this idea if i had more of those stamps. but, they are old and this one was done in a batch of about ten experiments. i do like the idea of a jumble of letters, and each name in a different color. i think i will assign homework on this one, too. if you are going to attend the workshop, play around with layering names and see what you can come up with.

ccc jill

2012-02-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

this name is a good example of looking at the letters and finding elements to repeat. it is a little bit symmetrical with one pair of l's in each name and also one descender in each name. i like these stamps with the name. although, the lettering is a little too wonky. i made this one in my very first batch of ccc envelopes and have been ambivalent about posting it. it needs work....but it is not a complete dud.

oh, i remember, the very first batch was done without any pencil lines at all and that is what bothers me about it. i'd be OK with the waves if the strokes started and stopped on straight lines.

hi, mimi. i saw your comment on an older post. glad you are thinking about some lettering :-)

and this just in....postage stamps in england that feature illustrations by quentin blake from roald dahl books.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/gallery/2012/jan/09/roald-dahl-stamps-in-pictures

ccc elizabeth (white)

2012-02-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

blogger won't let me write at the top. this was done while i was on a phone call. it was probably a 45 minute phone call. i always like my phone doodles and at the last lettering club meeting that i went to, susan and i talked about how some of our best drawings happen on the phone and if we try to redo them, they never turn out as well the next time. so, there must be some advantage to being slightly distracted. i wonder if the people i talk to are annoyed that i am slightly distracted. maybe they can't tell.

ccc christine

2012-02-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

i thought we needed some relief from the all white envelopes and i had some leftover squares. i doodled a christine that was similar to this. then was happy to see those shapes in these new stamps. they are the new rate for post cards. so, i have to think of some excuses to send post cards.

ccc alyce

2012-02-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

i like the idea of the name spelled out on the coins, but i need to figure out a better way to do it. alyce, fur shur you get another envelope....

ccc judy

2012-02-04T01:00:00.000-06:00

the details in this stamp are wonderful. it took a lot of self control to not redraw the fruit. i put just a touch of the vine on either side of the zip. but, i could easily do several more variations on this one. i like ribbon writing. hopefully the c.c.calligraphers will enjoy ribbon writing, too.

ccc faith

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-06:00

i did this writing before i had a stamp. so, the little detail lines reminded me of some of the parallel lines in the stamp. you do not need to be literal with design elements. and if anyone is noticing that there are a lot of green and purple envelopes, it is because i only had two markers at my desk and was too lazy to get up and get some more. we will be through this phase and on to some other colors pretty soon.

ccc barb

2012-02-02T01:00:00.000-06:00

oops. i forgot to finish this one. that flower on the left side of the B needs one more tendril, and the whole thing is a little wonky. maybe it looks better as a *primitive* piece. decisions, decisions. if i have time to redo it, the whole envelope will get a border.

ccc barbara

2012-02-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

the top two were warm ups. i like this style better when it is done a little fast and jerky.

ccc yvonn

2012-01-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

i like the name Yvonn and started the purple one. not sure if i like it that much. started the other one and like it better. but it will need a lot more work to be finished. neither of these stamps really work. i hope to have time to make something better for yvonn.

ccc lois

2012-01-30T01:00:00.000-06:00

good for me, i made it through both names without a spelling problem. then i messed up the address. it looks terrible centered. i like the colors. goofy combo to do such a traditional stamp with such a wacky lettering style. maybe the address should have been wacky, too.

ccc linda

2012-01-29T01:00:00.006-06:00

turning letters into people is fun. this is a nice break from straight lines. i like the way the address line goes a little longer than the people, but not too far. as i got to the state, i knew it was time to end that line, so i used the abbreviation for the state.

ccc diane (not diana)

2012-01-28T01:00:00.007-06:00

i went ahead and finished this one to see how i liked it. the red should be a better match with the stamp. i like to do scribbley versions of the old engraved styles. i will do a different one for diane and spell her name correctly if she comes to the workshop.

hi barabara, i just saw your comment on a past post. i am looking forward to seeing you in march. your envelope is coming up on feb 1 st. :-)

ccc sheryl

2012-01-27T01:00:00.000-06:00

for the ccc members who will be at the workshop, your homework is to print out a copy of this envelope and decide where to add a design element. i will finish this and bring it along and we will see if we all came up with the same idea or maybe there will be numerous ideas.

does that l in sheryl look like an afterthought? yes it was. what percent of these ccc envelopes will have spelling errors? door prize to the person who guesses closest percentage without going over.

ccc mellisa or melissa

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

i bet that is supposed to be melissa. i will have an improved one if she signs up for the workshop. and that S in street is dreadful. i will fix that, too. this is a new alphabet that i have never tried before. we might spend a few minutes discussing (or debating) the quirky styles that are so popular these days.

or we can start the debate right now.
comments, anyone?

post xmas wrap up

2012-01-25T01:00:00.000-06:00

from my montana penpal wilma

from my canadian penpal ann

from my iowa city penpal jeri

oh dear, i do not know how to rearrange these. sorry. these are things that arrived in the mail that i want to share. however, i am in the midst of my milwaukee workshop envelopes and i promised them i would have a ccc member featured every day. tomorrow we will be back to ccc members, unless i get way ahead of myself...and post an extra one today.

the navy envelope from jeri was not a holiday card. jeri...there are little dots of navy peeking through on the lettering. do you think some of the ink lifted or did you do built up letters and leave spaces?

ccc tricia

2012-01-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

as i have mentioned, this is one of my all-time favorite stamps. leaving the whole thing white appeals to me, and yet, it might look better with the letters in tricia's name colored in to match the colors in the stamp. this is a really tough decision. tricia might get two envelopes.

trish's new envelope blog

2012-01-23T08:02:00.001-06:00

trish taylor has a new blog, just for envelopes.
http://www.envelopecreations.blogspot.com/

s-o-m-e-d-a-y- i will figure out how to move elements around in a blog post.
or maybe not

ccc phyllis

2012-01-23T01:00:00.000-06:00

if phyllis is attending the workshop, i will redo this one. i like that kind of lettering and i like the placement of the stamp. the last name is OK. but there is something wrong with the overall design. if anyone wants to make a suggestion for an improvement, i would be happy to try something else. maybe the phyllis just needs to be larger.

ccc laura

2012-01-22T01:00:00.000-06:00

that shape in the lower left corner of the stamp inspired the elongated, pointy oval shapes in the lettering. pointed ellipse? and then it needed dots. and then i stayed with the pointy lettering for the address. sometimes you can just choose a shape form the stamp and use it two or three different ways. and monochrome is always pleasing. unless you don't care for monochrome.

ccc karen k

2012-01-21T01:00:00.000-06:00

this one needs some more black. i started about 40 envelopes all at once. i keep flipping through and adding here and there. it's hard to know with some of these abstract ones when enough is enough. if i do more, i will repost. i started with the pale pink and this is a loose neuland style. i should have chosen a different zip code. it would have looked better to put the red letters in the 3rd and 4th position in the zip.

ccc- karen g

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

this might be the decisions-decisions series. i can't decide if it will look better to put a hat on each of the little head shapes with the eyeballs.

i do like the set of ten colors of G-Tec pens that i bought from john neal. many of the colors coordinate perfectly with stamps. that little touch of blue is really nice.

ccc - betsy

2012-01-19T01:00:00.000-06:00

in march, i am going to travel to milwaukee to teach a 2 day workshop on fun lettering. the local guild (cream city calligraphers) invited me and i thought it would be fun to address one envelope to each member of the guild. there are about 100 members. so, betsy is first. i am putting all fake addresses on the envelopes.

it is less than 100 days until the workshop, so i might have to feature more than one envelope per day. or, i might save some and post them later. decisions decisions.

collaboration fish

2012-01-18T01:00:00.000-06:00

you really need to see this one in person to appreciate how nice it is.

rather than fit the address in a box, i liked drawing a line straight down from the left edge of the stamp and doing a flush left address.

if i had put the stamp on, i would have lined up the left edge of the stamp with the left edge of the N. the space between the stamp and the name is good. but, i am of the grid-school of design, so i always line things up. it probably isn't necessary, but, it works for me. if kathy had done the address, she might have done it in a way that her stamp placement would have been perfect for her. remember, this was not an intended collaboration, it was an after the fact collaboration. goodness, i wish i could video tape myself during collaborations. it is fascinating how people negotiate spacing, etc when they are working together on a project.

i wonder if kathy remembers the medium on this one? it's so pretty... looks like something other than markers.

stamps

2012-01-17T08:59:00.001-06:00

http://riowang.blogspot.com/2011/12/language-of-stamps.html

i recall hearing that (in olden days) if you put a stamp on upside-down, it meant you did not want the person to write back. little did i know, there were numerous stamp positions that meant a variety of things. thanks to chuck for finding this link.

collaboration - acorns

2012-01-17T01:00:00.000-06:00

there are about 8 in this series and the way i added the address on this one is my least favorite. i probably choked because i like the acorns and needed something small, so i just stuffed it in the corner. stuffing things in corners is usually not a good design solution. if anyone has a better idea, let me know and i will redo this one.

collaboration - civil rights

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

i really like the JEAN on this one. if you only saw this one and not the other 50, you might not see the JEAN, but it really works within the group.

i drew left and right margins, straight down from the stamp. then i made the middle line rather tall to mimic that lower part of the stamp.

i like fitting addressed into blocks that reflect the shape of the stamp. it usually works unless you have some crazy long address. suburbs are using such crazy long names for their streets. somebody should have passed a federal law limiting the length of names of streets.

collaboration - airplane

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

it was difficult deciding where to put the address because there is a soft pencil shade behind the name and while it was not hard to decide to add to kathy's artwork, i could not bring myself to write over the top of any of her work. so, i'm not sure this is the best place for an address. fur shur, if you are mailing an envelope, do not put the address in the upper right corner. it could go through the machines and be obliterated.

so, there is nothing to learn about design from this one. the lesson to be learned on this one is to be inspired by the details on the stamp but not be a slave to them. the little lines on the letters are inspired by the detail on the airplane, but, she did not try to make each letter into a section of the wing. that would have been fine. but, it would have been a lot more work. sometimes you need to just take the easy route. remember she made over 50 envelopes when she was working on these and that is a lot of ideas to conjure up.

collaboration - constellation

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

there is overlap on the strokes in the name and then there are some cool little dots that look like they might be diamond glaze or one of those super glues that dry really shiny. it is a nice touch that might not show up on the scan.

i used the width of the stamp to give the address a framework and put just the zip code below the name. if i knew what kind of marker this was and had one, i would do the zip code in the same color, a little bolder, but not too bold.

no, i guess i wouldn't. i wrote the pp above yesterday and had to switch some of these posts around. so i am looking at this on a different computer and i would not like the zip to be bold at all. or maybe i would. it should be helpful to know that it can be hard to make decisions and sometimes there is no right or wrong. so don't give yourself a headache over decisions.

collaboration - cassatt

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

i found several envelopes from kathy that she made for me and mailed over 50 at once, in a box, so she did not think she needed the street address. but, they seemed so naked, so i added the addresses in pencil and i will use these as tips in how to decide where to put addresses.

this one was fun to do because the lettering on the stamp had a lot of space between the letters. so that inspired the spaced-out lettering in the address. the lettering on the stamp is also positioned away from the image, so i dropped the address down on the envelope. if i had done the address in ink, i would have written IOWA, in red ink to mimic the red USA on the stamp.

the best part of this envelope is on the flap. kathy mentioned the first time she attended one of our guild programs and credits me with giving her the love of letters. i would be happy to have that much power over kathy. however, i suspect she was always interested in art and had been absorbing all kinds of aesthetic images over the years and all i really did was point to something that we see every day that we tend to ignore. but, once it is pointed out that the letters are beautiful malleable symbols and they can be used for artistic expression, a person can suddenly fall in love with the alphabet.

back to the envelope, i should have spaced the address a little better. i should have done it once in pencil along the edge of a different piece of paper and then held that up to the envelope as a straight edge and adjusted it so that the spacing was even. it should have stretched further to the right so that it was the same length as wilson. when i have time, i will correct that.

loopy

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

this was a series of experiments. first, i was just doing mindless doodles on spare envelopes to use up some gouache before i washed the brush. then, i needed to send some quick notes to several people and the first stamps i came across were the garden of love leftovers. the blues were close enough. so i added some of that sage-y green and of course the little red hearts are a perfect pop of color. i had not been thinking of the vines in that stamp when i did the blue loopies. now, i feel like going back and doing more loops. luckily valentines day is coming up.

kathy floral

2012-01-11T01:00:00.002-06:00

these floral letters were inspired by the LOVE stamp that was made out of flowers. these are a nice variation because they have lots more flowers. it made sense to make the letters fuller as it goes with the more compacted design of the stamp.

i also like the way she lined up the horizon line on the moon stamp with the edge of the botanical stamp.

from ann

2012-01-10T15:10:00.001-06:00

here is a bonus envelope for today. it arrived several days ago and is from my penpal in canada. this is a fun variation of a cursive style where you build up the thick with additional strokes rather than using a dip pen and ink and applying pressure to make the thick stroke with one pass of the pen.

i see that i have 99 people in the list of followers. it has been fun meeting new people through the blog.

also, back on dec 27th, i posted an envelope that had fake children's writing. cathy left a comment on that envelope that she used the child-like cursive when she penned thank you notes from her dog for the gifts they received. comments like that are so much fun to read. thanks :-)

jeri neg space

2012-01-10T01:00:00.000-06:00

this one has been buried in a box for a while...i think...now i don't remember. anyhow, it is going in the jeri file. was there any one who didn't say *jeri* when the screen popped open this morning?

maybe jeri will tell us if she remembers what she used on this one. it looks like she penciled in the letters and then used watercolor in the negative spaces. so pretty...and two stamps look so nice together. especially when they are not exactly the same, but from a set.

http://beyondtheperf.com/stamp-releases/2012/page/1

big day...all the new stamps for 2012 have been released.. mostly gorgeous

kathy scribble

2012-01-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

channeling the abstract expressionists and remembering jean's admonition:
when in doubt - scribble
kathy turns out another fun envelope.

although, she did ignore me when i said to leave the zip code on the line with the address, if it will fit. she's a bit of a rebel which is why we get along. i love to toss out *rules* but there are very few that i actually enforce. which makes me wonder, which rules do i consider commandments. yikes. that is a good question and not a single commandment comes to mind.

i guess i do have one, but the last time i uttered it aloud in class, one student said, "i know you said to never do this, so, i just had to try it to see if you were right." and that made me vow to never utter it again. i have to think of some subtle way to keep people from doing it. are you dying of curiosity? i will let my students speak up. i am sure there are some people who know what it is and will post it in the comment section.

kathy ram horn

2012-01-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

another one from kathy. i forgot to post comments on all of these. and just discovered they are ready to post and no words...and...it's late at night (7:35 pm) seriously, i don't chit chat at night. maybe i'll have more to day when these pop up in the morning.

please note that the stamp on jan 6th featured a salamander. i called it a lizard. then i spent an hour reading about salamanders and lizards (both herpetiles) for those of you who didn't even notice....

Salamanders and lizards often look similar, but in fact salamanders are amphibians and lizards are reptiles. A few traits should help you distinguish between these two groups of herpetiles.

now, i must research the ram on this stamp, as it may be a goat.

kathy postal slash

2012-01-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

here's another example of what happens when you don't put the stamp in the upper right corner. some postal worker drew that diagonal line across the stamp. the buffalo didn't get a mark. not sure why. good use of dry markers kathy.

kathy lizard (salamander)

2012-01-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

once again...
i love dots.
dots will carry an envelope.
the lettering is kathy's invention
inspired by the shapes in the ~~lizard.~~
thank you to my brother for pointing out that the creature featured on the stamp is clearly labeled salamander.

mail to myself

2012-01-05T01:00:00.002-06:00

once in a while i have an opportunity to make an envelope for myself. this time, i had a lovely client who had me address her holiday envelopes and i enclosed this SASE with the bill. it is nothing new or different, but, i have a ton of new work coming up and thought you wouldn't mind a bit of a repeat.

seriously, if you think you are getting gypped, please leave a whiny comment. i don't have teenagers any more and i feel like it might be fun to hear a complaint, just for old times sake.

e&c

2012-01-05T01:00:00.001-06:00

these two were in the stack of unfinished. i was playing with the glaze pens, which i love. and then, before i finished them, ellen and colin decided to move to a different hemisphere and live in smaller quarters, so, now, instead of sending them real mail, i think i might set up a new blog so they can open mail from me every day.

if they tell me that they like receiving actual mail, i might mail them actual mail, but not the artsy kind that is hard to throw away.
i like that loopy script with the butterfly.

i like the vine on the bottom envelope and it had no name for a while. i added the colin's wife to make it a set with the other one, but, i don't think it is entirely successful. maybe i would like it better with a stamp.

ooops. i am lining up a bunch of posts for the entire month of january and just noticed that the ellen envelope was already on the blog, nov 27th, but i am going to leave these up for now and add a second post for today.

kathy's button alphabet

2012-01-04T01:00:00.000-06:00

you should see this one in person to appreciate the subtle details. the alphabet is called button alphabet. according to the legend, peter thornton invented it. later, louie lemoine spent time with it and asked peter if he minded if louie taught it. peter said it was fine with him. kathy suggested we have louie come teach a workshop. it is a very fun alphabet. and the way peter has gifted it to the calligraphic community is a happy reminder of how much we all benefit from the generosity of the masters.

www.louislemoine.com/ to see more of his work, also some student work if you click on workshops

j&j at iampeth

2012-01-03T01:00:00.000-06:00

for those of you who do not know, iampeth is the organization for people who love penmanship. it is the international association of master penman, engrossers and teachers of handwriting. jeri, whose work you have seen on the blog and i met 10 years ago and someone kindly took a picture of us. and then jeri found the picture recently and made this cute card. note the tiny little border around the photo.

her envelope is another one from her signature style of - line things up and balance them, only without being compulsive. clearly, jeri is very well balanced and we all wish she would start a blog about how to be more balanced. step one is probably - move to iowa city.

two today

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-06:00

i still can't figure out how to add photos and be in control of whether they show up on the top of the bottom.

i added the top envelope because the bottom envelope was too similar to many of the others i have already posted. it would have been fun to plaster a bunch of ornaments all over an envelope and if i have an opportunity to do another envelope requiring a bunch of stamps, i will do it, with the ornaments hanging at different heights.

the other envelope is just an example of mixing cute little styles for baby announcements. after 10-15 years of doing weddings, i am getting more requests for baby announcement addressing and i am a bit stumped on baby ideas. all i can think of are tiny little letters, script or printing.

i guess i can think of some other ideas. hopefully, i'll get some ready to post one of these days.

and the math gods must like me. yesterday, on the fist day of the year, i noticed that it was my 900th blog post of all time. also, my penpal from pencilvania dropped in. so she beats out the cheeseheads who dropped in that one time. hey, canandians.....would you like to break the record? i better get a map and start putting pins it.

janet and mimi

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

thank you janet for the very fun envelope. great idea to make a pinecone in the shape of an ornament.

also, your loose script is very nice. i like no-caps.
and your address is tucked neatly underneath.

i found a stack of brainstorming half done envelopes with the ornament stamps. all to mimi, all at fake addresses.

this is done with red and blue galaxy markers. they are nicely opaque. think we are all ready to move on from the ornament stamps, but i feel compelled to post everything that the scanner has agreed to scan. we are trying to get along....aren't we?

mimi's moose & patti's korrection

2011-12-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

i posted the red envelope to patti a couple weeks go. she politely reminded me that her name is spelled kommer and not comer. as usual, when i have to fix an error, i find an opportunity to improve the overall design. i like stacking double letters and this gave me a nice M for the city. i can't wait to write in the street address. it will be stacked in the space between the r and the zip code.

although, i might have to post it one more time, since i think those black snow flake/asterisk things on the stamp need to be repeated on the envelope.

sorry about the clashing colors. this was from the ornament series. i took off the ornament stamp and added a moose. that green clashed with the ornament stamp, too.
i was playing with the galaxy markers. they are very good for scribbling.
and the combination of metallics with regular colors is really fun.

bouncy

2011-12-30T01:00:00.000-06:00

i was mindlessly scribbling before i washed out the gouache brushes. i did not have a stamp or person in mind, just doing some backgrounds. i am not a big *background* person, but, once in a while i will do a stack of backgrounds just to have on hand.

chuck is a sports writer, and has covered the olympics several times. as i look at this on the screen... i would not put this one in my all time favorite category. but, it's OK.

note to ann: i just saw your comment that you received the envelope i sent. for the readers who do not recall, ann was the one who inspired me to do some designs to go with the canadian stamps. and she kindly sent me an envelope and i returned one. or, i guess it was two. i never know what to put in an envelope. sometimes it is just easier to do two envelopes. so far, nobody has ever complained.

if anyone else has posted a comment and i have not responded. repost, as i will probably not be digging back into the files for a few weeks. i have a couple big projects going on and have lined up envelopes from now until jan 19th. then on jan 19th, i will be featuring a series that will go to my friends at the cream city calligraphy guild in milwaukee. i am going to attempt to do 1 envelope for each member and i think they have about 100 members, so, that series should take us into april. yikes, time really flies when you have a daily blog.

my mail

2011-12-29T01:00:00.001-06:00

below the envelope is a detail of the card that arrived from nan. she's slings a mean pointed nib, eh?
the scanner let me scan about 20 envelopes this morning, but, now blogger is not letting me arrange things on the page. so, this one will just have to look unbalanced. sorry nan, you deserve a better post. maybe i will try to repost it...

kathy 31

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-06:00

i have lost track of which kathy envelopes i have posted....so, i'll check back on the blog and see if this is a repeat. if it is, i'll post something different later today.

the sentence above was written on oct 4, 2010. so, even if this appeared before, i like the idea of writing a thank you on an envelope....or a postcard. i imagine the postal workers would be entertained by having more things to read.

(yes, this is another one in the pile of 31 drafts in the draft folder)

keith 17/50

2011-12-27T01:00:00.000-06:00

i was trying to make this look child-like. i used my non-dominant hand.

another one from my stack of scheduled posts, that were in the draft file. i don't think it was ever posted.

mimi

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

this might be the last of the ornament envelopes. i really like the quirky script that looks like the ribbon. this is gold galaxy marker and blue galaxy.

leftovers

2011-12-25T01:05:00.000-06:00

these two are experiments from when i was struggling with the ornament stamps. the top one is a *hot mess.* i don't like to throw anything away...so, i'll just drop it in the mail. i cut off the bottom of the scan which had plenty of space for her address.

the second one is not pleasing, but at least i stopped. the white background on the stamps just didn't go with the black envelope. so i added those white rectangles. that didn't solve anything. so, i just mailed it
to jeri.

the number of page views is way down, so, i can tell everyone is preoccupied with something....

an old holiday card

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-06:00

this one is pretty old. i have no idea if i ever posted this one. it's been lost in a stack of unfinished blog posts. i think i will put it in the line up and have it pop on the 25th. and maybe i can find an envelope that complements it.

my mail

2011-12-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

another very pretty card and envelope from one of my penpals. i didn't ask permission to post this, so i hope it is OK. there are only a couple of you who have posted anything about not sending me anything for fear i would post it on the blog. so, i will assume that anyone who sends me mail is OK with me sharing it.

trust me, the people who read the blog like to see anything and everything. there is no *judging* here. except for patti. remember, she;s the one who said she is going to send the worst envelope ever....we are all eagerly awaiting its arrival.

my mail

2011-12-23T01:00:00.001-06:00

the top envelope is another one i received from a student in my fall class. again, i am so impressed with the details and the time she spent on this envelope. i only wish she had been a mouse in the corner when patti comer stopped over with a quick job for me. as i was lettering some photo captions for her, i commented, "gee patti, you should take one of my classes. you would enjoy learning how to do some fun lettering." then i pulled out this envelope and said... "see what you could do after just one class?" she was very impressed and as i said, i just wish the person who sent the envelope could have heard all the glowing comments. i included the card in the scan because i LOVE edward gorey.

then i told patti about my blog and she said...oh, boy, i am going to send you the worst envelope ever, and then you'll have to post it on your blog. so, i'm eagerly awaiting patti's idea of the worst envelope ever.

then, i tried to convince patti that she could easily cut sticker paper and make fun letters and she bolted. so, i took the sticker paper and made an envelope for her. then, i found some of those reinforcement circles and added those. i think i am going to add a bunch more. i don't have her address, so i have to find it before i finish this. i think i will look for some other vintage xmas stamps. i think an assortment will look better. anyhow, we are all looking forward to patti's mail. she has grandkids, so she should start sending them more mail. sorry about the big space between the copy and the scan. i can't quite figure out how to move elements around on the blog page.

my mail

2011-12-22T01:00:00.001-06:00

this came in the mail from one of my fall semester students. this was her very first calligraphy class and she was very drawn to the envelopes and cards. the stocking is cut out and i put it on a piece of red paper to scan it. i am so impressed with her attention to detail. i did not ask her permission to post this and i hope that some of you take time to post some comments so she knows how much you all enjoy seeing examples besides mine.

then...the envelope is also delightful. she came up with the JEAN on her own. i like the way she used the shape of the stocking for the J, but did not worry about making every letter into an object. the candy cane, snowman and hat are all perfect little details that illustrate the season.

thank you so much :-)

more moose

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-06:00

susan's improved and mailed envelope is the one on the right. i never did figure out antlers that i liked. i liked the arrangement of the stamps and ended up putting her street address above her name.

then i realized i only needed to use three stamps and wanted to drop another envelope in the mail to susie. i like those antlers ok. the problem is that the animal is not green, so, it gets confusing. i just wish i had all day every day to work out these animalized alphabets.

the susie address will be tiny under her name.

my mail

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

you should see this one in person to appreciate how pretty it is. susan creates original art and then has it printed in thermography so it has a nice raised and shiny surface.

the inside has more holly and says
& merry new year

i shall be appropriating that idea some year (mixing the merry and happy) i'll probably appropriate the holly, too.

and check out the address. three swoops makes for a very festive envelope if you want to dress up the address, but don't want to spend 5 or 10 or 20 minutes on each one.

my mail

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-06:00

here is my holiday envelope from jeri. i love it. also, i am curious why the a and n and o have some white lines added to them? every letter has a dot, but why only three with lines. just curious. jeri does not make comments, so she will email me and i will relay the answer in the comment section.

bernard maisner video

2011-12-18T20:02:00.004-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD5IRWYy1yU&feature=share
i don't remember if i posted this yet.
just found it in a stack of emails.

moose stamps

2011-12-18T01:00:00.000-06:00

i bought a whole page of moose stamps to send some moose mail to stacey. then ann-margret, my first blog-based-penpal sent me an envelope from canada. i told her i would send her an envelope. now, she will see it before it arrives. i thought the moose, or elk or whatever that antlered animal is would be welcome in canada.

then, i needed to send a holiday mailing to susan and i thought some antlers would be fun. but, they looked goofy, so you will see an improved susan envelope in a day or two.

rob roy kelly

2011-12-17T01:00:00.000-06:00

this is the original logo for the guthrie theatre in minneapolis. when i was a kid, i remember loving the logo. they have a new one now. but, something about the ribbons on the ornament stamps made me think about this logo. i love the internet because it only took a few clicks to find the logo and learn all kinds of interesting things about the designer, rob roy kelly. he made an enormous contribution to design, design schools and students. i did not see any envelopes. but, there was one nice section on obsessions. he collected wood type and old kitchen ware. he also had 4 favorite recipes listed.

so here is my guthrie inspired envelope.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150533269315289&set=pu.177034565288&type=1&theater

the link above will take you to John Neal's Facebook page, where you will see a row of envelopes at the top. Click on the first envelope and you can flip through many beautiful envelopes and also some pages from books and a few book covers. When you get to the pages and covers, keep flipping. More envelopes show up later.

main p.o. in des moines

2011-12-16T16:55:00.001-06:00

i was at the main post office today and they have an adorable little mailbox set up. i took a photo with my phone so it is just low-res. above the word LETTERS, it says North Pole. so, i guess kids can mail their letters to santa. it is an actual mailbox. one of the old ones that looks like it is made out of cast iron. very cute. i need to hijack some cute little kid and get a photo of a kid mailing their letter to santa.

sadly, the evergreen stamps are sold out and they said there would be no more.

my mailbox

2011-12-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

a pretty envelope from one fine calligrapher. i love the way she made all the add on stamps fit in with the 37-cent stamp. i met her in a class. i was the teacher, but i probably have learned more from her than she ever learned from me....note to self, refund her tuition.

another blog post that was hiding. i'm pretty sure i have not already posted this envelope. if it has already been on the blog, let me know and i'll put up something new for today

canada with gold

2011-12-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

i have several holiday envelopes started. they were is a stack that was buried. when i pulled this out, i thought of the canadian stamp and figured it would be pretty with gold ink on black. it is probably too late for this to be a usable idea. but, i thought it was worth posting for future reference.

if i move to canada, i will put the address in one line across the envelope, under the name.

as i am typing this, it is dec 5th and i have posts ready to go until the 15th. i think i should stop with the holiday posts and save them for next year. but does anyone want to see valentines in december?

maybe some of my scribe friends have been sending me envelopes to post???

john's holiday

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

here is the ribbon writing in gold galaxy markers on red. white dots and white writing are also galaxy markers.

i am beginning to think the solution to these stamps is to not pay to much attention to them.

the ribbon writing is enough to coordinate with the stamp. of course, these envelopes are pretty dreamy.

nan kitten tangle

2011-12-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

how fun is this? nan turns out heaps of serious envelopes for hire. she says in the note that it is not her forte...but, i appreciate that she took a moment to do something playful and drop it in the mail.

amy's holiday

2011-12-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

i really enjoy ribbon writing, but i am finding these colors very non-holiday. i usually like alternatives to the old red green. and i like this shade of green for the holidays, and i like the green with the blue...so maybe it is the gold that is throwing me off.

many problems with the green markers. too many layers, but, i'll let this one go. it might be one that looks fine once i see it on my home computer. this one doesn't seem to give me a really clear image.

xmas lights

2011-12-11T01:00:00.001-06:00

a variation on the air hose writing. i added holiday lights. i think i need to do a little research into the shape of lights. for some reason those are looking more like leaves.

after i did this scan, i took a white gel pen and added a highlight to each light bulb and i think that helped a lot. however, i did not have time to rescan. i hope to just do another light bulb envelope.

also, if you want to watch yves leterme (belgian scribe) in action, this is a nice 7.5 minute video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1-HiTqTWFM&feature=share

mimi's birthday

2011-12-10T01:00:00.001-06:00

happy birthday mimi. i love the snowmen stamps. this is done with galaxy markers. john neal sells them and they are really fun on waste not paper, which is the brand of paper you get at paper source. the address will go in the white box. i found some stickers at office max that are non-see-through. i guess that would be opaque. but, i can't remember what the word is on the label. this needs snow flakes. not sure i will have time to rescan.

yup. had time. i cropped off her address.
i decided to take the sticker off and address it with a white gel pen.

from jeri

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

how cool is this? wilma is my mom and she lives in the other side of the duplex where i have my studio. i can't get her into penmanship, so jeri sent her a pattern to try to get her into quilting. clearly jeri's quilting skills have her programed to line things up in rows. now i need to go make a quilted envelope for her. too many ideas...too little time...

ribbon writing

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

i found these two as i was organizing my big boxes of envelopes. the big ribbon names were not done by me. they were done by someone who came to our card party to address about 100 envelopes. this is a good example of how nice it is for people to copy something they see but not be a slave to the original. this is much different from mine, but, i really like the quality of the line and the way they have fewer twists to the ribbon.

these two would look great with the holiday ornament stamps. the outlining was done with a black pigma micron (probably)
and the color looks like colored pencil to me.

grease pencil removal

2011-12-07T07:47:00.001-06:00

this is a second post today. don't miss the one right below.

when elizabeth saw her envelope with the nasty grease pencil scribble, she went into *jean-mode* and scoured the internet looking for methods to remove grease pencil... and sent them to me. one suggestion was to use a DRY Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. she had not heard of them. i have been a big fan since they came out a couple years ago. they are AMAZING at removing all kinds of things. it never occurred to me to use it dry...and it was truly MAGICAL...but only on the stamps. the stamps are coated paper and the Mr. Clean removed every speck of grease pencil.

the uncoated envelope only smeared. so, i went to my favorite cleaner... Bestine. it is a very bad chemical and is the solvent for rubber cement, but, it really cleans off sticky residue and all kinds of things. so, i keep it on hand for emergencies only. it took off about half the grease pencil. but there was still some serious smudging. so, i went over it with a white gel pen. next, i will mix up some gouache to match the off-white envelope and go over the too-white gel pen. i probably will not scan this one again. but, i did want you all to know about the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

note to ann-margret, your envelope arrived :-)
thanks, i will send one to you within a week.
is it OK to post your envelope on the blog?

anyone else who would like an envelope from me may send me a request and i will send an envelope. but your request must arrive in a decorated envelope. i will only post the ones that people agree to have posted.. i won't post your envelope on the blog if you prefer to not have it posted.

monsters

2011-12-07T01:00:00.002-06:00

i created monsters in my last class. i know this because they made this card for me. i invite people to visit my studio after the last class. these two students were really fun and they caught the bug to make fun envelopes and cards, too.

computer smudging

2011-12-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

i'm so excited. i figured out how to smudge again.
twelve years old. yikes. i remember how much i enjoyed this style. lots of layers. i like the wonky-ness of the p.o. cancellation at the top.

maybe i should do some more happy new year envelopes. i am writing this on nov 21, so, it is before t-day and i am pondering how many days i should devote to xmas envelopes. and should i observe all the other holidays. and i need to put in some canadian stamp ideas. i'm almost in the mood for valentines....

nan red madonna

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

another sample from nan. white ink is dreamy. i'm not sure what kind nan likes. ziller is acrylic so it makes a nice waterproof ink. i like Ziller and i also like McCaffrey's. Both are available from John Neal.

i like how i have no repeat colors form nan. i wonder if she keeps a chart of what colors she has sent me....

john neal big blue

2011-12-04T01:00:00.000-06:00

i ordered some supplies from john and sent him a check. this is a lesson in layering. i wrote the name once with a bullet marker (fat round tip) it was blah, so i went over it with a wider blue marker, either brush or chisel, making the strokes rather squared at the ends. then i added shades. then i looked for stamps and used the red and black on the stamp to direct the address. it is not an award winner, but, it is pleasant. also, a lesson in scale. make the name as big as possible and the address as small as possible. going to extremes is a quick and easy way to punch up an envelope.

more canadian stamp ideas

2011-12-03T01:00:00.001-06:00

here is a non-slanty version of the one that appeared about a week ago. also a green version. i did these two before i knew that ann-margret's name only has one -a- margret not margaret.

i've mentioned using the minor color in the stamp for the main color in the name. in this case, i think i like the bottom one better, where the main color in the stamp is the same as the main color in the address.

the success of many envelopes is getting the colors right. this stamp looks like there is a lot of blue in the green. i tried a marker called sagebrush and it looks pretty good. Lime green would be icky, IMHO.

the shapes of the letters in the lower sample are spiked, like the holly. these are just quick ideas.

postal grinch

2011-12-02T10:01:00.001-06:00

so it looks like the grinch took a job at the post office and brought his icky black grease pencil and is scribbling all over my mail. what a shame. does anyone know if bestine will take the grease pencil off?

this is from my penpal elizabeth. thank you so much :-) i love that pop of red. i always love monochromatic, but when i see a pop of color, i see the value of some bright spots.

compare this to the one below and you will probably agree that the one with the pop of color is a little more interesting. but, i do like the softness of the one below. it goes with the softness of the teddy bear. and the softness of some of those wispy weeds that beth and i like.

brush lettering with weeds

2011-12-02T01:00:00.001-06:00

an oldy. beth dropped off a few of the envelopes that i sent to her over the years. i remember someone gave me about six tan colored brush markers. they were not zigs, but i do not recall what brand. this lettering is not the best, but, the idea of writing tall and skinny with a pale color and then outlining is not a bad idea.

the little dotty things are weeds. beth and i both like weeds and all kinds of plant materials. she's learned to enjoy drawing by drawing seeds and pods and very small things.

fred's halloween

2011-12-01T01:00:00.001-06:00

i had not done the F or the R or the Y or the X. so, here they are. i do not know if there is any person named fred yax. i will google and find out....i did not put an actual stamp on this, but was happy to see that the garden of love stamps aren't too bad with the halloween letters.

(an hour later) i did google fred yax and found that there is a fred yax in joliet illinois, i even found his address. but, i am not going to post it here. now i am wondering if i should mail this to him....a random act of mail art.

this one was bumped after i received the halloween envelope from elizabeth. again, apologies for the disorganization...if i were more organized, i would pull out one of my pithy quotes on the boredom of being too organized or the creativity of being disorganized... or the balance of having some things organized, but not others.

another update...just bumped this one again...and, after i scanned it, i colored it in with colored pencils and it looked so much better. sorry...no time to rescan. you'll just have to buy the CD when i rescan everything and offer it in a CD.

bumped again.... it will be halloween 2012 by the time this one appears...maybe

no...i see it is scheduled to appear on dec 1st and that seems like a good date for the last halloween envelope. i went back and put a halloween *label* on every envelope with the halloween alphabet. so, now you can click on that label and see the entire alphabet.

and i started an xmas alphabet, but, decided to save it for 2012.

more scribbles

2011-11-30T01:00:00.002-06:00

again, this is just a scribbly layout. i used that border across the top of the stamp and did it all the way around. this would be fun to do if i had hours and hours and hours. again, i hope chuck wants to do an example of the right way to do borders.

scribbly upside-down

2011-11-29T11:26:00.001-06:00

or maybe it looks better with the scrolly-doodle on the bottom. probably not. but, i have the scanner working....so, i am not going to offend it by deleting anything.

scribbly layout

2011-11-29T10:55:00.001-06:00

ann..this is one idea for the stained glass. i scribbled the general shape from the inside of the round window. at the bottom, i started doing a fine line. i;m not sure if i will do more on this, as it is just a layout. but, if you liked this idea, you could draw the idea once and then scan it and print it onto a bunch of envelopes. you would not have to redraw it each time.

now, if we can get chuck excited about drawing stained glass patterns, we'll have some spectacular examples of how this idea could be refined.

from chuck

2011-11-29T01:00:00.000-06:00

my first holiday envelope. chuck has been making his own envelopes out of card stock. this is the alphabet we worked on at the last lettering get together that we have monthly at a shop in west des moines. any locals who do not know about may contact me and i'll put you on the list to get reminders about what, when, where. in my dreams, we film ourselves and do a webinar so you can all join us. we are very entertaining. (maybe not..but, we are if you like lettering)

scanner woes

2011-11-28T16:46:00.001-06:00

i did 5 envelopes for ann. the scanner scanned one, then it did this wacky tilt.
then it refused to read the colors.
honestly, i have no idea what i did to offend my scanner. i try so hard to be friends with it. anyhow, if i lived in canada, i might do envelopes like these.

the canadian stained glass window stamps are pretty, and i tried a few ideas. maybe tomorrow the scanner will want to scan.

beth's ribbon

2011-11-28T01:00:00.000-06:00

another example of ribbon writing and i still can't find the blurring tool. i know i am at the right computer. i think this style appeared earlier.

yesterday i did 3 or 4 envelopes to go with the canadian holiday stamps. i will post them later today if my scanner is in the mood to make some scans today.

ellen's husband

2011-11-27T01:00:00.000-06:00

this was done with a glaze pen. john neal sells them. they are a lot of fun. i'll write the address on in one line under the diamonds. i was just playing around. the big loops reminded me of the butterfly wings.

dry markers

2011-11-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

really dry marker. so dry, the layering didn't even make the presents green enough. the blue is blue G-Tec. gold dots are the Galaxy Markers.

nan - olive holiday

2011-11-25T01:00:00.000-06:00

i do not do a lot of work with nibs and ink, but, i did have a job recently doing 245 sets of double envelopes. i used iron gall ink and ended up enjoying the job so much that i am pulling out all my envelopes from nan to try to inspire myself to improve my pointed pen work.

jeri's ornament

2011-11-24T01:00:00.001-06:00

this is the galaxy marker again, for the red. the green is zig or maybe even sharpie. looks layered. and the ribbon is gold gel pen. that is a pencil fake address. i'll fix it when i drop it in the mail. i'm getting to like the wavy lines more and more.

catherine

2011-11-23T01:00:00.001-06:00

catherine is a new penpal who i met through this blog. she does not live in burlington, vermont. i put in a fake address in pencil and will correct this before i mail it. i just wanted to show some ideas for the holiday stamps. i used a gold from john neal. then i scribbled over it with a gold gel pen. the red is a Galaxy Markers from John Neal. i highly recommend these markers. they are more like paint, but not like paint pens.

the lime green highlight on the zip code is a zig marker, kiwi color. you could get away with crayola for the green highlight. the galaxy colors are limited to 8 or 10 colors....not enough to match every stamp. but they are great for the basic colors.

i hope this link takes you to the markers. if not, go to johnnealbookseller and put markers in the search box.

http://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/s/2

anyone wondering about what size i used....you really need to buy all the sizes. what works for one name or number might not work for another....

from nan

2011-11-22T01:00:00.001-06:00

this is from nan, president of my fan club. nan is the person who deserves all the credit for my 15 minutes of fame that has been extended for a decade now. she launched my career as a traveling teacher and while i enjoy my local teaching, it is lots of fun to travel to far away, exotic places :-)

from jeri

2011-11-21T01:00:00.001-06:00

jeri knows this is one of my favorite stamps. i think there is a post where i comment that jeri's envelopes are usually horizontal lines. so, i see she is busting out of the horizontal and doing some verticals, too. thanks jeri. and everyone should note the smeared lettering. i mentioned some nice un-intentional smearing on an earlier envelope from jeri, so she must have agreed. maybe march can be smudge month. too many good ideas.