New Calligraphy Courses

I so enjoy the first few weeks of a new year. It often rains in Johannesburg with spectacular lightening skies and rain storms which seem to clear the air and certainly clear the mind!

This is when I start re-planning notes, writing new courses and continue to work on my creative pieces.

New classes begin at the end of January 2011. If you are interested please contact Anne-Marie at dmoore@iafrica.com. Booking is essential as classes fill up quickly and there is limited studio space.

Monday afternoon: 16h00 - 18h00
Begins 24 January 2011
Beginners: Explore the History of Letterform from Hieroglyphics to Foundational
Create several finished pieces including cards and concertina books
Course: 4 Months, cost R500 for 4 lessons. Notes and equipment extra
Minimum of 4 students

Thursday morning: 09h30 - 12h00
Begins 20 January 2011
Ongoing Group: Thursday morning classes will focus on environmental calligraphy, creativity and projects.
With Foundational as the working hand, students will hone their knowledge of this, the most inspirational hand, using it as the basis for further study and development.
In a year long programme, students will explore the history of Foundational and its development. Calligraphers continue with creative letter form using photographic images, audiovisual presentations and poetry as reference. With nature as inspiration students will complete several books, wall hangings and paper banners.
The year's work will culminate in an exhibition in November 2011.
Cost of class: R500 for four weeks.

Saturday classes for a minimum of four people by arrangement only. 

A reminder that booking is essential.  Contact: Anne-Marie dmoore@iafrica.com

More Creativity

The students have been working hard on the end of year project. 

Various paints, nibs and water colour paints were used.

 

Use a larger nib and write the name of a flower. Add a drop of colour and design the page.

Draw or paint a flower and add some writing around the edge of the design.

Choose a capital letter. Draw some flowers through and around it. Write out a suitable quotation. 

Be creative and enjoy yourself.

Great ABC pop-up Book

I came across this today and thought you may be inspired!

ABC3D
www.youtube.com
http://www.abc3dbook.com/ Preorders available! ONE OF THE MOST DELIGHTFUL AND INNOVATIVE POP-UP BOOKS I HAVE EVER SEEN.—Robert Sabuda From the lenticular cover that changes with the angle of your hands, all the way to the Z, ABC3D is as much a work of art as it is a pop-up book.

November Notes

We are back in the studio in the last few weeks of creativity for 2010. Here is the set project. Perhaps you would like to try a few creative pages.

Take two sheets of paper in spring/summer colours. Canson works well.
Divide each sheet into 4.
Choose 8 quotations: summer, floral, joyful
Do thumbnail sketches and think collage, numerous nib sizes, different hands: Uncial, Foundational, Italic.

Quotations:Nothing is so beautiful as spring, Hopkins. Spring is sooner recognised by plants than by man, Chinese Proverb. A life without love is like a year without summer. Swedish Proverb

Suggestions: Write in a circle. Write in a square. Write using pale colours. Write using strong colours.Write in a design- the shape of a flower or bug.
Write the name of a flower in more than one colour more than once in different tones of the same colour.

Take a deep breath and smile!

When 8 pages are completed make into a small booklet.
Bind with ring binders or punch holes and tie with ribbon.

Back Home

After a remarkable time at the first Penfriends Calligraphy Retreat in Scarborough and presenting workshops in Knysna and Cape Town I am sitting quietly writing thank you notes and adding pictures to websites and FB.

The workshops on Colour and Creativity were full of fun in Cape Town. The group was small and enthusiastic and we covered aspects of colour wheel, colour matching as well as mxing and adding calligraphy. As you will see from the photographs we all had a good time and were extremely productive and creative.

Thank you Cape Town - see you again soon.

Penfriends' Scarborough Retreat 2010

I sit now now in Belleville [or really Eversdal] in the 'north' of Cape Town after a wonderful week at Scarborough where the first ever Penfriends Studio retreat was held.

Six students and I settled into the beautiful surroundings of our Scarborough retreat home - which is really Felicity's home - and which overlooks the ocean and beach of Scarborough - or Misty Cliffs as it is now called. Lyn and Karin had their 'home' in Muizenburg and commuted every day, Jill and Ghita shared accommodation, I had my own space.

Our daily routine was simple, up for breakfast, look for whales, breakfast, look for whales and then on with the daily programme - and look for whales.

Much laughter and enjoyment was shared. Exercises were set and completed - creative colour work, design and letterform as well as creative art on black ink with touches of colour. {I shall add the instructions on my return].

The whales eventually displayed themselves on our last day which was filled with sunlight and little wind. All of us were delighted with the sightings of these remarkable creatures.

Each of us left with six completed creative pieces and we all left planning our next retreat in the Lydenburg district in November 2011. Book your place NOW!

Time Flies - of travel, calligraphy and retreats

I cannot believe that it is August since I last posted comments. Well since then we have been to the Masai Mara, crossed the Equator, posed at the tip of Africa and traveled from Johannesburg to Kruger and back, flown to Cape Town, driven to Knysna for a class reunion [and I presented a workshop there to an enthusiastic group of calligraphers] and now David has returned home and I sit overlooking the ocean after a successful day and a half of the Penfriends first annual calligraphy retreat at Misty Cliffs - Scarborough. If you feel dizzy reading this, just imagine how great it is to spend creative quiet time in the Cape.

I thought it would be a great opportunity for some creative time when a student of mine mentioned she had a home on the rocks overlooking the ocean in Cape Town and it could happily house at least six students.

As all good ideas they are left to mull around and then suddenly we find ourselves together in the Cape and having a remarkably creative time with a beautiful view and good friends.

But before that the I presented a morning workshop to an enthusiastic group of calligraphers in Knysna. I presented a workshop: 'Take an Apple and a Pear'. Here are a few notes about it:

Take and Apple and a Pear

It is always exciting visiting calligraphers around the country and I have been privileged visit Cape Town once in February and then again in October. My husband David had a veterinary reunion in Knysna and I was fortunate to meet up with a group of calligraphers on a Friday morning to present a workshop on creativity.
The workshop incorporated watercolours, painting and very ‘loose letterform’.
I find that many ‘new’ calligraphers are anxious about trying new techniques and loosening up their work – mostly due to lack of confidence.

The ‘Knysna Group’ was enthusiastic and brave enough to try out the exercises presented to them.

First exercise was to use a fruit as the basic design for a piece of calligraphy. Using the colours of the fruit the first step is to due a few colour ‘swatches’ down the side of the page. Then over the wet patches ‘writing’ was placed over the area. The next step was to allow the paint to dry and from there a graphic image of the chosen fruit was drawn. Paint was the applied and the fruit was completed. After the final touches a specific word was written using black or a darker colour.

The finished pieces were delightful and as always we all realised that creativity is simply a line away.