A few years ago I worked with local poet Robyn Nugent on some books about the moon. Robyn writes stunning poetry - personal, insightful, observant and at time astringent, but always true and beautiful.
I gave her the wee book I made of her poem Artemis, but recently I thought I'd like to re-make it.
Lucky for me I had kept a page of notes, and I even knew where to find it!
I also found some photographs and a trial run of the embossed cover I made.
Then the process that is well known to calligraphers world-wide - drawing up the lines - began. I know some folk use light boxes for this, others use pin pricks, other score lines lightly. It all depends on the work you are doing and a bit of a preference I guess. But I sat there measuring and marking lines.
And I really enjoyed it. I played with weight variations of Foundational hand, and some spacing for emphasis here and there.
I stitched it with a crochet cotton thread and about six strands of another sparkly thread.
And now I have my very own Artemis!
I gave her the wee book I made of her poem Artemis, but recently I thought I'd like to re-make it.
Lucky for me I had kept a page of notes, and I even knew where to find it!
I also found some photographs and a trial run of the embossed cover I made.
Then the process that is well known to calligraphers world-wide - drawing up the lines - began. I know some folk use light boxes for this, others use pin pricks, other score lines lightly. It all depends on the work you are doing and a bit of a preference I guess. But I sat there measuring and marking lines.
And I really enjoyed it. I played with weight variations of Foundational hand, and some spacing for emphasis here and there.
I soaked some paper, blotted it and then ran the embossing through the press.
I stitched it with a crochet cotton thread and about six strands of another sparkly thread.
And now I have my very own Artemis!
You make it seem so incredibly simple. Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteFiona, the book is beautiful! Even your notes are rich and interesting, a piece of art in their own right.
ReplyDeleteFiona....what a lovely little book! Thank you also for sharing the entire process....so methodical, yet so joyful! Wonderful!
ReplyDeletevirginal and quiet
ReplyDeletelike a first snow
"not an inch outside its ellipse"
lovely...
xox - eb.
Painstaking, Fiona. You have the patience of Job. An absolutely beautiful result.
ReplyDeleteF-love the clarity of the script and the contrasting bold- and love the white on white of the cover. B
ReplyDeleteLike jgr, I love the page with the notes. Amazing how much work goes into calligraphy. I'm wondering .... When you rub out the lines does it not effect the ink at all?(I tried writing on white boxes and when I rubbed out the lines a day later the black ink smudged slightly)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer - I guess like most things we have done for a while they happen more easily than things we are unfamiliar with, but it still takes a lot of time!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane - I agree it all looks so lovely together doesn't it? So glad I kept it!
Hello Caterina and thanks!
Hi Patti - yes it's a sweet thing and I liked that a book could be so short and small, and still bookish.
Thank eb - so true; soft, virginal
Thank you Jo - I often surprise myself with my patience for these sorts of things, I'm usually in such a rush!
B - many thanks; it works well doesn't it? and who can't love white on white!
Thanks Robyn - I think the artist's eye is often attracted to images like that one. Rubbing out nearly always depends on the rubber, the ink and the paper. if the ink is dry and has happily gone into the paper and you have a good clean rubber no worries. If the ink sits up on the paper or isn't totally dry, or you have a rubbish rubber, smudges happen and make us sad (or curse!).