From Sketch to Chalkboard

Annapolis, MD — Last June, Tina Byland of What's Up? publications in Annapolis contacted me to do onsite calligraphy at historic St. John's College. The campus was chosen as the site for their Fall weddings issue. Playing with the classroom theme, Tina requested a few romantic literary quotes to be lettered on the chalkboard. I hadn't touched a chalkboard since 8th grade math, but I figured with a sketch in hand, how different could chalk be from a calligraphy pen or marker.

Indeed it's very different. New chalk pieces come in cylindrical shapes and are more challenging to produce the fine lines and dramatic shades associated with script calligraphy. After doing a little research, I set out to sharpen new chalk pieces with an X-acto knife and a pencil sharpener, while watching The Flight of the Conchords. I worked out a few different sketches and felt ready to wing it.

The next day I met Tina, her adorable son Max, and her photographer Tony Lewis. We walked over to the historic McDowell Hall to see the classroom and my chalkboard. The building itself was beautiful, lots of natural wood, large windows, and brass classroom numbers on the doors. We discussed the game plan and Tina and Tony left me to do my thing. 

Overall, I had a lot of fun doing the chalkboard. I saw it as being very similar to the envelopes that I do where I fill in all the negative space of the paper surface. In fact, it was the perfect training. Doing all those envelopes helped me strike the right balance between the words (which among themselves required equal visual weight) and the leftover space for flourishing. I was well aware that the flourishes should enhance, and not dominate the overall piece. After a while, I got the hang of drawing in the letters to achieve those thicks that the chalk couldn't create in one stroke. Adding highlights of color also helped to flesh out the letters and give them dimension. After doing the big guy, the little chalkboards seemed like no big deal.

Special thanks go to Tina, Tony, and especially Gregory Shook from St. John's College, who referred me to Tina. I look forward to seeing the final photos of the shoot.

A Little Walter White for Your School's Auction

Washington, D.C. — Over the spring, I was approached to participate as a donor to the Haycock Elementary School's annual auction fundraiser. It was a good opportunity to promote Handmade Letters' services to a wider community in Falls Church, Virginia, but more importantly, to contribute my time for a good cause.

The auction item included a service package of five letters to be calligraphed on behalf of the auction winner. With the help of my infallible sister Maria Reyes, three color sets were chosen for the winner to select.

The classic, pastel, and vibrant letter sets, deftly chosen by my sister Maria Reyes.

Along with the envelope and letter sets, I made two sample letters for display at the auction event. I wanted bidders to have a sense of how striking calligraphy can be in person and to understand how sending handmade letters can really make an impression.

Sample letter #1: Congratulations!

A simple, handwritten note of congratulations is much more special than an e-mail or text can ever be. The thought and effort behind it are easy to see.

Sample letter #2: Thank you!

Sample letter #2: From the desk of Marie Schrader.

As a fan of Breaking Bad, I thought it would be fun to include an inside joke for the auction participants. This sample is an imaginary note of thanks from Marie Schrader to Walter and Skyler White for their "support" during her husband Hank's recovery. Participants who were fans of the show would be able to discern the bit of dramatic irony (and Marie's usual obliviousness) in the letter's message.

N.B. The addresses on the Breaking Bad letters are the actual, fictionalized homes of the characters.

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to participate in this auction fundraiser, and my thanks go to Kristen Chandler and the school's auction panel for making the process very easy. I look forward to calligraphing letters for the winner.

Creeping Evening Light

After I turned my lamp off.

Washington, D.C. — While working at my desk, I noticed soft evening sunlight creep into the room, illuminating my inspiration wall. I turned the lamp off, stopped working, and enjoyed the moment of unexpected light. When the evening light passed, I turned the lamp back on and got back to work.

N.B. One of the things on my wall is a tearsheet of a Spanish coal miner from a beautiful photo essay in the New York Times T Magazine. His features, especially the eyes, struck me as very Boticcellian.

Minding My Envelope Colors

Washington, D.C. — I've been diversifying my envelope colors and working a lot more with envelope patterns and illustrations. Seeing them together in batches makes for a cool effect.

The Cinematic Language of Miyazaki

Celles et Ceux des Cimes et Cieux is an exquisite film by French animation student Gwenn Germain for his final art project. Created as an homage to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the short animation expertly captures the lyrical tone and sensibility of what makes a Miyazaki a Miyazaki. (Even one of the characters bears a striking resemblance to the man himself.)

Celle et Ceux des Cimes et Cieux by Gwenn Germain