THE BIRMINGHAM C ALLIGR APHY GUILD ’S NE WSLE T TER

April 2009Issue #4

UpcomingGuild

Meetings:

Mark Your Calendar:August 10October 12

Mountain Brook Board of Education

BuildingCommunity

Education Room32 Vine St.

Mtn Brook,AL

www.birminghamcalligraphy.org

Diane Maurer -Mathison Workshop March 18-22

Wow! The participants of Diane’s workshop had 5 days of fun, experimentation, and creativity. The class started with suminagashi marbling, which turned out to be a warm-up to the more difficult yet beautiful watercolor marbling. Everyone was able to experiment with dropping different colors into a size (the milk like substance in the tray made with carrageenan moss). Then using different rakes and combs in the watercolor, we made the most amazing marbled paper! There were plenty of Oooooo’s and Ahhhhhh’s as we hung the printed papers on a clothesline to dry. Making paste paper followed which is simply a grown-up’s version of finger paint! All sorts of gadgets and tools made designs on the colored paste. After the paste paper dried, participants used the paper to make a “Collage Canyon” tunnel book. A tunnel book is a series of pages attached to a concertina spine that decrease in size to give a telescopic or peep hole view of the entertaining back page. [Those of us in the workshop would like to thank George Dorsey for making each of us a “rake” to do watercolor marbling at home.You’re the best and we thank you! ]

Bettie Perkins and Mary Raines Harper are dropping paint to marbelize paper

Mark your Calendars

Meeting Notes: Ann Phillips presented an excellent class on Foundational Hand Basics. Thanks to you Ann! She is one of our founding members and travels to Birmingham from Arab, Alabama. Ann holds the offi ce of Program Chairman for the guild and is one of our loyal members. Louise brought in some of the Guild Archives and has a set of copies of random subjects from some of the writings and book illustration. She will bring the copies to the remaining meetings this year. Thanks to all the members who were there: Suzan Bishop, Eve London, Mary Ann Morrow, Betty Bland, Deb Warnat, Melinda Sapp, Marsha Lassiter, Ann Phillips, and Louise Meredith. We welcomed reunited member Kathy Leaver, new members Mary Raines Harper and Lynn Lloyd and prospective new member Susan Small. Other new members not present are Peggy Keller, Jamie Holley, Jean Masters, Betsy Brooks, Elizabeth Vander-camp, Deby Wright, Beth Walker, and Lera Jean Roddam all of Birmingham. Our new out of town members are: Dana Cochran from Asheville, NC, Moya Minns of Atlanta, Susan Mayo and Lynn Haven, Florida. The project for the April meeting was creating stationery with a decorated letter. We transferred an ornate letter onto card stock and penned in details and added color with gouache or colored watercolor pencils. By using copied sources of ornate letters, you can quickly make a set of handmade stationery- the folded cards make great gifts! Jim Davis brought four decorated envelopes to show us. His friends and family are blessed to receivee his artistic envelopes as birthday rememberances. Marsha Lassiter, Betty Perkins, Mary Raines Harper, Deb Warnat and Kathy Leaver were in attendance. Lou-ise Meredith presented the project.

Upcoming Workshops:July 11-12: Barbara Close “Holiday Cards” (6 places open)October 3-4: Michael Kesceg (Topic-TBA) (7 places open)November 13-14: Lisa Engelbrecht (Topic TBA) (now taking reservations)March, 2010: Jacqueline Sullivan

For more information:www.birminghamcalligraphy.org

l Who are these people and how do I sign up? The best place to start is the internet! Google these names and you will fi nd a wealth of information! To reserve a place in a workshop, send a check for $50.00 (your reservation) payable to Birmingham Calligraphy Guild to:

Suzan Bishop21 Glen Iris Park

Birmingham, AL 35205Suzan needs your check before she confi rms your place.

The offi cers for 2009-2011 will be con-fi rmed at the August meeting. We will discuss and note changes in the by-laws and workshop details. The August 10th meeting will be a business meet-ing and “show and tell”.We will also hear about both Calligraphy Convention and IAMPETH held previously during the summer.

Monday, August 10th. 6:30-8:30Mountain Brook Board of Education Building. 32 Vine Street 35213 (across from Crestline )

This will be the most important business meet-ing of the year. We must have numbers to vote in the new offi cers. Please Mark your calendar NOW!

Ann Phillips demonstrating the foundational hand.

Pictures (clockwise) :Louise Meredith and Marsha Lassiter examine certificates,

Ann Phillips pictured with her daughter and granddaughter, certificate presented to founding members, Betty Bland and her family, Janie Cravens speaks of her

appreciation to the guild.

Member’s Show December 7, 2008

Founding Members receiving certificates from left to right: Betty Bland, Janie Cravens, Ann Phillips, Jim Davis, Elizabeth Judd, Ann Erickson, Sharron

Adams, Winnie Cooper and Rosemary Kenney

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Tina Motoyama of Crest-view, Florida. Tina had been a member of our guild for several years. She attended many recent workshops and national conferences. She was devoted to the art of calligraphy and her entry in the Decem-ber show was an example of her skill. We honor the memory of her love of the let-terform. We will miss her wit and humor and loyality to this guild. She is survived by her husband, Bert.

A card may be sent to him at:2423 Wildwood Court

Crestview, Florida 32536

RememberingTina

RR

Reggie Tip:

When making a layout, it is good to defi ne a border- then “BREAK” out of it. Look at the word GOD and see how it draws your eye to the word? The layout is more interesting and less predictible!

The Reggie Year Long Class is in full motion! Twenty-two people arrive bleary-eyed to class on one Saturday morning a month for 14 hours of intense instruction from master calligrapher and teacher, Reggie Ezell. The students travel from Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Participants who arrive in time gather for dinner on Friday night with Reggie. This is a nice “downtime” before the marathon teaching day on Saturday. The amount of knowledge that is learned in a day is remarkable! Most recently, students have progressed to Pressurized Romans with Serifs. (see above)The day does

not consist of just practicing letters...There is a wonderful mix of instruction in guilding, embossing, sign painting, watercolor techniques, acetone transfer and color theory. During lunch and dinner, students watch slides shows or short videos pertaining to the lesson of the day. (Suzan Bishop provides the most delicious meals for these events!) Upcoming topics include foundational and italic hands, different kinds of gilding, bookbinding and grinding stick inks. Are you interested in seeing the calligraphy and art coming out of this year long class? It is my understanding that there will be a “show” of classwork in January. More information will follow later. In February, several students took a fi eld trip to Mobile with Reggie in tow. They visited The St. James Bible Exhibit and received insider knowledge from Reggie about the techniques and materials used in making and gilding the pages. What a “golden” opportunity!

The Reggie

Report(For those not familiar with pressurized

Romans with serifs, look at the font Trajan Pro on the left. It is a close relative!)

Cat WhiskersNeeded!

If your cat has lost a whisker, let us know!

They are used for marbling

Melinda Sapp has signed the Birmingham

Calligraphy Guild up for IAMPETH’s

“All Things Lettered”- a tabletop competition

in Nashville during the convention.You do not need to be going to help with ideas and implemen-tation. Call Melinda for more

information. 205-824-4447

Graceful Envelope Contest 2009This year’s theme is “Address the Environment”

Think green with all the colors of the rainbow! Focus on fl ora or fauna, accentuate the air, highlight H2O--or give a big hug to Mother Earth herself. Design an envelope that promotes the preservation of our natural world and address it artistically to:

The Graceful Envelope Contest Washington Calligrapher’s Guild P.O. Box 3688 Merrifi eld, VA 22116

There is no entry fee. Envelopes must be postmarked by Thursday, April 30. For more information and guidelines:

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/Graceful/Grace-ful-2009.pdf

Nibbler Bits:TIP:

Always wipe down your metal pen nibs with gum arabic

before letter-ing with ink or gouache. The nib will hold more ink!

60th Annual IAMPETH Convention

will be heldJuly 13-19, 2009in Nashville, TN

For more information:www.IAMPETH.com

Lots of people are going be-cause of the easy drive and

location- Check it out!

Officers of Birmingham Calligraphy Guild(Les Elumineurs)*

Pres. - Louise MeredithVP - Dana Jacobson

Treasurer - Melinda SappSecretary -Bettie PerkinsNewsletter -Eve LondonWebsite - Deb Warnat

Membership - Mary Ann MorrowWorkshop - Suzan Bishop & Deb Warnat

*founded 1987

The Birmingham Calligraphy Guild welcomes both amateurs and advanced calligraphers.All you need is an interest in hand lettering.

If you would like to join:Contact Mary Ann Morrow mamorrow@bellsouth.net

Dues: $25.00 to Birmingham Calligraphy Guild.(September 1-August 31)

Mail your dues to: Mary Ann Morrow

320 Stonebridge RoadBirmingham, AL 35210

Being a member keeps you up to date with events and workshops!

Graham Cracker Bars(These have appeared twice at Reggie workshops and

disappeared just as fast) Needed: 2 sticks of butter 1 cup of sugar box of graham crackers 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 bag Hershey’s Heath Bits O’Brickle Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two jelly roll pans with aluminum foil and lay the graham crackers on foil in a single layer. (A box will fill the two pans with a few extra to nibble on!) Next melt the butter and cup of sugar in a small saucepan just until hot and the sugar melts. Pour or spoon but-ter mixture over the graham crackers trying to coat all of the crackers. Put in the pre-heated oven and bake 10-12 minutes. Next sprinkle the choc-olate chips over the crackers splitting the bag between the two pans. Let them melt in the oven (a minute is fine). Pull the pan of graham crackers out and spread the chocolate chips to cover the crackers and immedi-ately sprinkle the Bits O’Brickle over the chocolate hoping they stick! Put in the freezer for 20 minutes, pull out and break the crackers into irregular shapes. Refrigerate until eaten.

Nibbles