A project completed

As mentioned previously, a few weeks ago I attended a weekend workshop by Olive Bull with the Buderim Calligraphy Group.  Olive taught us so much and gave us so much to do we didn't get to finish our books in class, but I was keen to make sure that I did, not long after it finished, and here it is.

The workshop was "One alphabet - 26 techniques" and it was really about using a different technique, material or tool for each letter of the alphabet, creating a sampler book that we can refer back to.

I love sampler books - they are such great reminders and sources of inspiration. I used some of my rusty chain paper for the covers...

I really liked how my 'C' worked out - although I learnt a lot about applying watercolour pencil as I did it (thank you Helen!) and I updated my technique later in the alphabet. The 'C' has lots of life and movement and I can see myself using this approach again.

I quite liked how the 'E" worked out - accidentally I got a shadow letter.  Because I held my ruling pen in a less than perfect manner, the screw that tightens the blades was also in touch with the paper. I like mistakes like this one, wet into wet.

I also love the notion of multiple embossings (F). Simple, elegant and giving a sense of movement

This 'P" I love. This is real gold (23K), and Olive taught us the best size to use to adhere real gold which was very helpful. At times I have really struggled to get real gold to lay down properly.  This is also where we used French chalk powder - a light dusting in the area/shape where you want to write , followed by black gouache. It wrote like a dream, and then I made marks into the gold using an embossing tool. All of which has been stored in the memory bank for later recall and use.

The Q is OK, but I really liked the R - the cutting out of the paper to create the letter form. I have seen others do this but never tried it myself, and I love what it does. So once again I expect I will be doing this somewhere, somehow, sometime. Soon.

This is where I got the hang of watercolour pencils a bit better - the subtleties I achieved with the 'U' are just what I was aiming for. I have now bought myself a set of Derwent Graphitint pencils to play with further. And with the'V' we blind embossed through imitation gold - a great effect.

Oh, and a final peek for those who wondered what on earth we did with the egg shells...

The letter 'T' was written with a paddle-pop stick, using a combination of crushed egg shells (really tiny), PVA glue and a few drops of ink. It created an amazing texture...