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“You are My Sun, My Moon, and All My Stars” by E. E. Cummings
New work in portfolio inspired by E. E. Cummings' poem “...You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
“Silently if, out of not knowable
night’s utmost nothing, wanders a little guess
(only which is this world) more of my life does
not leap than with the mystery your smile
sings or if (spiraling as luminous
they climb oblivion) voices who are dreams,
less into heaven certainly earth swims
than each my deeper death becomes your kiss
losing through you what seemed myself, I find
selves unimaginably mine; beyond
sorrow’s own joys and hoping’s very fears
yours is the light by which my spirit’s born:
yours is the darkness of my soul’s return
–you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars”
E. E. Cummings
I also did another little piece with my favorite part of this poem:
Spencerian Workshop with Michael Sull + Penmanship Specimens
Last December I was lucky enough to attend a four-day Spencerian workshop with Michael Sull in Saint-Petersburg. Michael is a great Master Penman, author of several books and a wonderful teacher. It was such an invaluable experience for me to watch Michael's demonstrations and his writing process. Moreover, Michael brought some old calligraphy specimens and let students take pictures of them. With his kind permission, I'm happy to share with you some of the fascinating examples of penmanship.
Calligraphy by Michael Sull
Last December I was lucky enough to attend a four-day Spencerian workshop with Michael Sull in Saint-Petersburg. Michael is a great Master Penman, author of several books and a wonderful teacher. It was such an invaluable experience for me to watch Michael's demonstrations and his writing process. Moreover, Michael brought some old calligraphy specimens and let students take pictures of them. With his kind permission, I'm happy to share with you some of the fascinating examples of penmanship.
Drills
Envelopes and Correspondence
Letterforms
Signatures
New in Portfolio: Calligraphy Work
Since the end of the year is approaching I decided to revive my portfolio and share with you some diverse calligraphy projects that I did this fall. Below you can find a map of France, a personalized notebook, some quotes, and a bunch of envelopes that I've sent to my pen pals. Enjoy!
Since the end of the year is approaching I decided to revive my portfolio and share with you some diverse calligraphy projects that I did this fall. Below you can find a map of France, a personalized notebook, some quotes, and a bunch of envelopes that I've sent to my pen pals. Enjoy!
New in Portfolio: Calligraphy over Photos
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Calligraphy by Type and Graphics Lab typeandgraphicslab.com | Photo by Averie Woodard | Source unsplash.com
For the last couple of weeks, I've been interested in writing calligraphy over photos and creating some kind of background texture with letters. A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson was an experiment in modern calligraphy with bouncing expressive letters. The next one was a little phrase from a wedding vow, which I wrote in a more traditional way. And the last quote about ballet by Peter Martins was even more experimental (and challenging!) since I tried to incorporate a lot of flamboyant decorative elements. Looking at these three pieces together, I realized that in terms of letterforms I prefer more traditional styles of calligraphy not only for legibility reasons, but also for their timeless elegance.
“To have and to hold, to love and to cherish”
Calligraphy by Type and Graphics Lab typeandgraphicslab.com | Photo by Chiến Phạm | Source: unsplash.com
“Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It requires discipline, taking care of yourself, taking care of your own body first. Then it allows you to give of that beauty, the beauty that you acquire by sculpting your own body all your life.” Peter Martins
Calligraphy by Type and Graphics Lab typeandgraphicslab.com | Photo by Ron Sartini | Source: unsplash.com
One Paper. Two Wedding Collections
It all happened about a month ago: I found a strange dark emerald paper in a small stationary shop. I just was not able to go back home without a piece of it.
It all happened about a month ago: I found a strange dark emerald paper in a small stationary shop. I just was not able to go back home without a piece of it. Fascinated by the color and the texture, I suppressed my doubts about how I could actually write on such a textured surface. Somehow I'd figure it out later… Well, what I found is that this paper was not suitable for writing: it doesn’t hold the ink. I’ve spent many hours in attempts to find the perfect mixture, only to realize that nothing works and I have only half of that precious material left. Then I made my last attempt and wiped it with a wet dishcloth. And it did the trick! After this little cleaning procedure, I was finally able to write on this paper (it was still quite challenging due to the textured surface). Anyway, I’ve made a whole wedding invitation suite inspired by the Spencerian Script. Then I decided to create another one with a more expressive freestyle writing to match the whimsical character of the paper. Usually, I prefer not to go so wild with my calligraphy, but this time I just allowed myself to forget about the rules and find the flow. The end result may be quite hard to read. Still, it’s always worth trying!
Anniversary Love Letter
There is one thing I am really bad at, and it’s keeping gifts a surprise. At the end of December, my husband and I are going to celebrate our anniversary, so I decided to write him a love letter. I started to prepare it quite in advance, and I knew that it would be hard to keep it a secret. By the time the ink dried, my excitement was already unmanageable. I know, I know, there is something wrong with me, but I can’t wait until the official day to give my gifts. Why wait? The celebrations are usually fun anyway. Receiving a gift unexpectedly (not because it’s time to) makes the whole moment more joyful and exciting. Moreover, similar to that idea of life being short as the reason to start your meal with a dessert, I believe that we don't have to wait for some special day to show our love and appreciation (and to give gifts). Any day is good enough for that.
