Through Rose Coloured Glasses

The January journal prompt for Westcoast Calligraphy Society was "through rose coloured glasses".

Weathergrams

Weathergrams made at the Westcoast Calligraphy Society Meeting

Weathergrams were developed by Pacific Northwest calligrapher Lloyd J. Reynolds in the early 1970's.  They are written on kraft paper strips and are hung on tree branches.  The subject matter is usually seasonal, and they are left out "to weather" between solstice and equinox or between equinox and solstice.  They are short poems of about ten words or less; Reynolds doubted that anyone would stop to read any lengthy statement while standing in the wind or rain.

Weathergrams are meant to be informal, rather than formal calligraphy works, so I used Weaver Writing.  The initial letter of a weathergram is done in vermillion and the remainder in black sumi, so that the writing will last as long as the paper does. 

A View Out the Window

In the foreground is a windchime of cows, hanging from the porch.

Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners--Create with Paints, Inks, Markers, Glitter, and More!

Creative Watercolor takes a modern, illustrative approach to an old medium, and adds crafty projects to explore the beauty of watercolor.  I read an electronic version from NetGalley, so I can't comment on the production values, but I did see a review on Amazon indicating that the paper quality is good and that it opens nice and flat, a necessity with a book like this.

After a discussion of supplies and color mixing, Calderon provides some good watercolor warm-ups.  This technique chapter also demonstrates how to scan and replicate your paintings using Photoshop.  This allows you to turn simple paintings into graphic art.

The next three chapters delve into flowers and foliage, butterflies and critters, and fruits, veggies and nuts. As well as step by step painting instructions and photos, each chapter includes fun projects like place cards and recipe gift cards.

The final chapter is a good introduction to lettering, a perfect way to round out this book.  All in all, this book will give the beginner a complete introduction to watercolor, lettering, and the type of illustration projects that combine these elements.

More Chatting than Drawing

The Same Subject, Different Approaches

The left-hand drawing is a continuous line drawing.  On the right side, I painted the shapes first and added the ink lines later.

In the News

I've been following the Brexit news with great interest, so on this day it made it into my journal.

The sketch and writing on the right hand page were done with a brand new pen with a Sailor fude nib.  It is bent, allowing for lines of different widths.  Obviously I will need a lot of practice with it!