Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Calligraphy commission complete

I was pleased to be able to send this wee piece out into the world on Sunday. I had been battling with the dampness in the air with all the rain and mist we have been experiencing; but with the help of a dehumidifier, candles and the odd fire the air in the studio was  dry enough to start writing.


The author of the quote in unknown, but it was a blessing read at a recent wedding and the piece is going to be framed as a gift to the bride and groom.

I mucked about with plenty of different layouts, nib sizes and possible designs before committing good pen and gouache to paper so to speak. You can see how the ink was bleeding with the moisture here.


So many design decisions!

Almost there...

In the end I was lucky with this one - I just sat down and wrote it and painted in the design and lo and behold it worked, and there weren't even any spelling errors - Barry came over and did a double check just to be sure.



It's always nice to finish a piece with a good feeling - and this one had that for sure.

10 comments:

  1. I always enjoy looking at 'in-progress' pics --- its such a treat to see how another person goes about their design process - tarrrrr fiona x

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    1. Hi ronnie - you can imagine how many pages of notes and trials there were! I nearly always write myself questions as I go along - leaving a conversation with myself behind

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  2. Beautiful Fiona. Is that gold ink or gold leaf? It all works so well and like Ronnie I enjoy seeing how you tackled the layout etc. Makes you realise how many design considerations there are before we ever get to view things.

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    1. I used a really good gold gouache Lesley and it worked like a dream. Calligraphy has so many moments of preparation before finally getting to write properly! Go well.

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  3. so precious - well done in the humidity!!

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    1. Thanks N - yes indeed the humidity and rain and mist were a real challenge for the paper, but it worked!

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  4. Beautiful, Fiona. We, too, are having rain and mists today - on top of all the snow!

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    1. Wow, rain and mist and snow! When our rain and mist clear momentarily our sun is still quite hot!

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  5. Beautiful, Fiona, elegant and gentle. What a lovely commission!

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  6. Thank you Carol - it is both elegant and gentle. Go well.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.