5 calligraphy classes, 4 long days, 3 pen holders, 2 dozen nibs...and a flourished bird on a quill

Hi all! Two weeks ago I was in Tennessee, attending IAMPETH's calligraphy convention. I think it's taken me about a week to recover! I had such a good time, met a ton of very talented, friendly calligraphers, and learned a LOT! Oh, and bought MANY supplies back home with me!

I learned Spencerian and Italian scripts, the basics of flourishing (which I SO needed), arm movement writing (take some of that pressure off my wrist!!), and brush lettering (portable calligraphy! what!). I bought three pen holders and lots of nibs and inks- which I have been so excited to use the moment I got back home!

In my flourishing basics class, we drew this flourished bird on a quill (hence the title of this post!):

I also promised that I would share my pangram that we exchanged at the convention- so hereit is. Note that this was before my flourishing class!! For those who don't know, a pangram is a sentence that uses up all the letters of the alphabet ("the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is the most common one).

Honestly, I'm so grateful that I gathered the courage to put myself out there and go to this convention. I thought I would feel left out, or too amateur- but the incredible hospitality of this organization and the attendees made me feel welcome and involved right away.

So now that I'm back and somewhat settled in, I've been working on a couple of invitation designs. Also, I've got Christmas on the brain (title says it all, doesn't it?)- I have to get started on new batches of cards- all occassion ones and Christmas. I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by...not enough hours in the day!

For the rest of the week, I've got some calligraphy projects to work on, cards to start sketching out, business card designs to finalize (omg, still!!), and a print day for my linocut, which has been sitting around for months! phewww Oh, and we're off camping on the weekend- 2 day portage trip! Eek!

Have a happy week,

xo

Pri

ps. Can't remember if I've posted this previously, but here's the link to the IAMPETH website, which has amazing free tutorials, notes, and tips for a beginner in calligraphy! It's one of the ways I got started- give it a try!

Finding and breaking routine

Hope you are all having a good week!

I spent the early part of this week in Deep River, ON, a wonderfully idyllic town where the air is fresh and the mosquitos are plenty. It was the first time that I tried to work 'remotely' (when I wasn't able to close my studio door and block out the outside world for hours at a time).  It was semi-successful, but as much as I hate to admit it, a part of me longed for the daily routine I have at home, especially when I have a lot of work to get done.

I have a love-hate relationship with 'Routine'. The word itself sounds so boring, like you're going through the mundane motions of the day without thought or appreciation of life. But I have also realized the importance of establishing a routine for a small creative business, and how it can free your mind to think about less mundane things. It's funny though, how exhilarating and tempting it is to just break from routine, to go to the beach instead of sit in front of the computer, or for lunch instead of sorting your workspace. Getting into a routine seems like it would lead to substantial fulfillment in the long run, while running away from it fulfills in a shorter, more intense way (and maybe not as lasting?)

My routine typically changes everyday, and I think I may need to find a better one in the coming months, when I plan to create create create! I have a lot of plans right now, and have to see them to fruition. The task will be trying to not let the beach trips, vacations and catch-up lunches get in the way!!

I found this awesome article with routines of famous writers, and think this is so inspiring! I wonder how successful they were at sticking to it...

Do you have a routine? What's it like and do you feel that it liberates you or ties you down?

I'll be finishing up some work on my website this week, and preparing for my upcoming trip to the IAMPETH convention in Tennessee (which I'm SOEXCITED and SONERVOUS about!). We were given the chance to participate in an envelope exchange with other members (and bring to the conference, I guess as a sort of icebreaker). Here are some pictures from that exchange.

I also received some BEAUTIFUL envelopes in the mail from this exchange- it's such a treat to get a hand written envelope and note among all those flyers and bills!

Have a happy Friday and wonderful summer weekend!

xo

Priyanka

Practicing Calligraphy

I've spent the past week trying to buckle down and just create. It started with the best intentions and lots of determination. But then I realized that I should probably first organize my studio and supplies better, and I bought a bookshelf and tidied all of Sunday. And then, I thought that C & I should build a fort in our living room (oh, yes, this happened, and it was glorious). And THEN, I thought I should get in touch with everyone I know for a catch up. Phew. It's been a busy week.

Hard to believe, but I actually also ended up doing a lot of carving for a linocut I'm working on, some custom orders for calligraphy, and a lot of calligraphy practising and learning. I've been hooked on Eleanor Winters' 'Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy' ever since I got it for Christmas. Every time I pick up the book, I'm itching to get my nibs and inks out to try all her amazing suggestions! She makes it all look so darn easy!

If you're thinking of starting up a new hobby (once you've got the basics covered, calligraphy can be incredibly meditative and relaxing! really!), this book is a great starter with lots of helpful tips.

I had previously mostly relied on free online tutorials on the IAMPETH website (explained more below), which are also amazing! There's tons of great stuff - practice sheets, lesson plans, tips. I also stumbled upon Skillshare, which was a godsend! It's an membership site with online classes that you can take at your own pace. The site covers so many different topics (design, photography, calligraphy, entrepreneaurship....)- I learned all my basic knowledge of photoshop, illustrator, and lightroom from here. I also took some calligraphy classes on there, which was great! I need to treat myself to a class on there soon.....

As with every hobby/new obsession, I wondered how many other calligraphers were out there and if there was some sort of 'group' I could join (this might have been another attempt at procrastination...yes, likely). There aren't a lot of resources in Toronto. So I had to dig a little deeper- and found a lot of international organizations based out of the US. IAMPETH ("The international association of master penmen, engrossers, and teachers of handwriting"...that's a mouthful!) feels to me like the harvard of calligraphy associations, but hey, there's no prereq to join! They have an annual convention with calligraphy classes and talks (which feels like summer camp to me!!)- I hope I make it this year! I also started following a bunch of calligraphers on instagram, which then led me to a forum for calligraphers. It's called 'Flourish Forum', and it's seriously amazing, filled with really really talented folks who share ideas, tips and encouragement.

I wasn't sure where my creative journey over the past two years would lead me, but I'm pretty happy that it includes a lot of calligraphy. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that it worked out this way since I've been dabbling at it and lettering (like an amateur, now I know) for years. Still, it's a nice feeling to be able to finally produce work that I've only previously dreamed about. :)

Peek at two custom works I did this month:

Happy Thursday!

-Priyanka