A Hand Lettered Mission Statement

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Holly

Above is the final scan of the Mission Statement for a private school, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mars Hill Christian Academy approached me in 2017 to create a document in which they could share the school’s mission. They chose to leave that title off because the words ‘exists to’ states that in a round about way. Below, I will share with you the steps that I took to create it…

As you might guess, I put pencil to paper and began sketching the words that my client, Lisa Cotterman and I felt were most important. As a calligrapher, I like to have what I call a ‘big read’. Something that a person could read from across the room. In this case, these larger words sum up the mission of the school. I used an HB pencil on heavy tracing paper.

It is typical for my initial sketches to need adjustments. When I looked at the letters on the final paper size they were tight and narrow. I felt that the large letters needed to be rounder and the lines of lettering wider. I scanned the original sketches into Photoshop and stretched the lines, then reprinting the lines, I cut them apart and retraced them onto the full size rough sketch. See below.

So as you can see, I created a pencil layout just the way I wanted the final lettering to be.

The Mars Hill Academy colors are blue, gold and white with touches of red. I decided to create a blue paste paper background on which to letter. The gold I brought in on a band across the top. Paste paper is a really fun way to introduce color into designs. I especially love the texture that it brings so that the final is not to sterile or stiff looking. In the pictures, you will see little jars of dye that I buy from Twinrocker paper. With paper mâché paste, I use a natural sponge to place this color on the Arches Text Wove paper. The first layer is usually light with subsequent layers darkening the color.

I took this picture at night, so it’s a little dark, but you can see the blue and gold have several layers to give them a rich look.

My studio sink displays the natural sponges, soap for clean up and the rubber gloves that I buy from Costco. My hands would be a real mess without them, as this dye wants to hang around under your nails, etc.

Mars Hill has a Bell Tower that is well known at the school. Lisa and I toyed with this as an icon instead of their crest logo. In the end, we stayed with the crest logo below.

Once I had the paste paper ready, I took my sketches and positioned them where I wanted them on the paper. With white Saral Paper I transferred my letters onto the paste paper.

You can see the tracing lines that the Saral Paper leaves. This gives me a great guide for the lettering. I was also feeling as though the piece needed a little more life. I planned to attach the gold band with the schools name, but it was boring alone. I pulled out some of my Twinrocker handmade paper and took a look at what it would look like as a small deckled border.

My next step was lettering the capitals. Dr. Martin’s Bleedproof White paint really helps your letters to ‘pop’ on paste paper as well and other dark fine art papers. I highly recommend it.

In the image above, you can see that I’ve now lettered the italic stylized script, the school name and painted the school logo. The logo took me quite a bit of time as I hand drew all of the little letters and had to paint around them in blue.

It was still lacking some depth and interest…..so…..Lisa suggested that I add the red. I cringed at first as I thought it would clash, but in the end, I think it brings a new dimension to the artwork. As I near the end of a design, I ask myself…what else does this need? I wanted even more on the piece, so I took pastel and shaded around the first letters of the key words in the Mission Statement. It helped to tie in the gold banner across the top as well as accentuating the meaning.

Here you can see the completed parts….the blue paste paper with white lettering and pastel. The gold band with school name and logo and the Twinrocker paper…..these are all photos taken with my digital camera. If you have another minute, scroll back up to the top and take another look at the final scan of my artwork. It will show you the lovely texture in the paper and all of the pieces flattened out. I shipped the art to my framer in Cincinnati (I’m currently living in Oregon). He dry mounted the calligraphy pieces and handmade paper together and saved the school a little money by framing it in their town.

CUSTOM WEDDING DOCUMENTS

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Holly

Weddings, weddings, weddings! This is the time of year when preparations are being made. I receive phone calls for numerous types of wedding documents. I will picture them below with brief explanations. Perhaps you’ll get a few ideas….

This first picture is a framed GUEST SIGNATURES gift. The brides father, my client, requested flowers indicative of Colorado in all 4 corners, their names and space for a certain number of signatures. He also specified the colors.

At first, he wanted people to randomly sign. He came back to me later and said that he wanted the doc to have a more organized feel and would like penciled lines. I gave him a Mars Staetler eraser so he could remove the lines later. (I will do that for you, but he was in a creative career, so he could handle this!) For those who want the lines inked in, that is definitely possible. I either place them with a ruling pen and ink OR a Zig or Pigma Micron Pen. These are fade proof, water resistant and archival so I recommend that guests sign with them.

This next piece is a the WEDDING WISDOM that the pastor shared with the couple at their wedding…..flourished and simple. Italic lettering.

The picture below is a Quaker Marriage Contract.

It includes the bride and grooms name and other important information. This one more traditional in feel with the flourishing, Old English and Engrosser’s Script. (Older technology leaves me with a less vibrant copy….sorry about that!) I could email you a close up of the script, if you’re interested. Bound & Lettered, Volume 10, Number 4 has an article about creating these documents.

Wedding Vows

couple wanted the Three Sister’s Mountains with a border of Juniper and another of Sage which was reminiscent of their outdoor wedding. The borders divided their vows in three sections. A lovely burled frame finished the look for their home. They had sweet words, but didn’t want the world to see! I wanted you to see the layout and the borders. The elements were in the setting where the wedding was held.

And then there was this little piece. Silver and black on handmade paper.

A sweet little gift from groom to his bride….

So many options for calligraphy related to weddings. You are only limited by your imagination! Calligraphy expresses your favorite words to your ‘most cherished’ and creates an heirloom of your love for the next generation.

Best of Show, Oregon State Fair

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Holly

What a nice surprise! Last Friday night I was awarded Best of Show at the Oregon State Fair 2017, Calligraphy Division. The cash award made it an even sweeter win.

To submit an entry to the Oregon State Fair, the calligraphy has to be created within the last 2 years. That is always a challenge for me, since so much of my work goes directly to my clients. My assistant, Heather Barton (who is also a calligrapher and prize winner), remembered that I had the ‘Achiever’ original remaining…..scroll down….

Reproductions are available!

‘Achiever’ was a piece that I completed for Mason, Ohio, client Dawn Shiver this past winter. She and her husband own Shiver Security Systems, Inc. in Mason and were looking for some special awards for their top salesmen. Dawn commissioned me to rework the wording and create the artwork, which was later scanned, retouched, color altered and finally high end reproductions were printed one at a time from my Epson R3000 printer on Entrada digital paper. The original was created on D’Arches black 140# paper, with tinted Dr. Martin’s bleed proof white to help the capitals pop. Brown gouache was added to my gold Winsor New metallic gouache to give the script more of a bronzed look. Fabulous Frames in Cincinnati, enhanced the awards with beautiful frames. DesignSource in Oregon, framed the winning original.

Achiever – Best of Show, Oregon State Fair 2017, Calligraphy Division

Bible Journaling

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Holly

Cover of Bible Journaling Book Joanne Fink

Have you ever kept a diary or a journal? You write your thoughts and experiences in a notebook in an effort to keep a record of your life…often to look back and marvel at the journey God has taken you on, or to pass down to the next generation. Bible Journaling is similar, only, as you read Scripture you pull out the phrases that are most meaningful to you, creatively illustrating and lettering them on pages of your Bible. The emphasis is definitely a memorable way to accent what God is impressing on your heart through His Word. (You can even purchase a new Bible that actually leaves space for your creations…if you don’t want to mark up your current Bible.)

Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder have kindly included some of my work in their new Bible Journaling paperback book, Fox Chapel Publishing, $19.99. Click link to order. Read on…..

Their new book offers ‘how to’ instructions for design, illustration and lettering a Bible verse. They take you step by step, so whether you are a beginner or advanced, you have tips for making your pages meaningful, as well as attractive. Included are sample pages from over 40 dedicated journalers, showing the diversity of artwork styles while offering inspiration for your pages. Below, see one spread from Karla Dornacher’s lovely section.

Friend and colleague, Joanne Fink decided to include some images from my collection, which expands the books’ focus from within the Bible pages, to lettering Scripture verses ‘Outside the Bible.’ In the section below, Joanne takes Proverbs 3:5-6 and compares the way that numerous artists, calligraphers or journaler’s have designed the same verse. See the book for the variety!

As you can guess, verses can be designed for greeting cards, framed art, books, walls of churches, businesses, homes, etc. You can choose where you want your art to appear – personally (in your Bible) or publicly. My focus has always been a more public application, since I have been active in business since around 1980. Below, you will see Bible Journaling’s two page spread of some of my work. On the left, it features my church wall work at Evangelical Community Church and Northminster Presbyterian Church, both in Cincinnati, OH and on the right page, 3 commissions in my collection. You will find larger pics and others in my www.HollyMonroe.com > SHOP+ > Prints > Scripture section of my website. Love and Serve, Know the Plans and Lord Provider, Jehovah Jirah.

Bible Journaling Joanne Fink Holly Monroe pages.

Two page spread of Holly Monroe’s calligraphy in new Bible Journaling book.

Lastly, I’m showing you the back cover of Joanne and Regina’s book, showing not only hand-created Bible pages from other artists, but also a list of the multitude of items included in their generous book. I believe this book will be an inspiration to adults and children, to artists/calligraphers/journal keepers who care about their walk with God, through His Word.

Bible Journaling Back Cover

Journaling has always been around, but artistic Bible Journaling is a new emphasis. I first encountered a similar type of this activity with friend and colleague Tim Botts, who would calligraphically illustrate a section of Scripture each morning, as he read his Bible. His sketches turned into his 20+ books, starting with “Doorposts” through Tyndale Book Publishers. Tim has certainly been an inspiration to me in my calligraphy career. Take a look at his work, if you haven’t discovered him yet!

The Modern Book of Hours Continues – pages 90 and 91

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Holly

To my calligraphy friends near and far! Here is a little update on the Modern Book of Hours that I am working on. It is a book about the Passing of Time, Seasons, Seasons of Life on into Eternity. The pages shown below are pages 90 and 91. In this blog post, I will give you a little glimpse of the process. More in future blogs. As some of you might know, my client commissioned a 144-page book project, that has taken me quite some time. Each facing page is to match and be as intricate as possible. It is a picture book, where each design can stand alone. (Reproductions are available). I will be making a Collection category of The Book of Hours images on my website in the near future. A few are posted in my SHOP now.

Now for the process…

The first image is the completed page. Calfskin with tiny strokes of watercolor and 23k gold powder applied and burnished.

My client typed the wording that he desired and indicated whether it would go on the right or the left page. It was my job to imagine the creative layout for the illustration and calligraphy.

A pencil rough was the first step of the process. It took 2-3 years to conceive of all of the designs. In their intricacy, I would email them to my out-of-town client and he would ask for adjustments, I would rescan and when we settled on the design, I would file it away in my computer for future reference….it would then be transferred onto calfskin for the final gold and color work. On the right, below, is a sample of the pencil sketch with it’s final on the left.

Below is what the calfskin looks like when I purchase it from Pergamena. It’s manuscript vellum, which I prefer for book projects. It is much finer than what I call Parchment (which I use for Broadsides or work that will be framed).

Full skin which is cut down to page size

Once the skin is prepared, I attach it to a board so it will lie flat while I paint it. By the way, the tape on the upper page/board, is typically not there. The skin had pulled away from the staples, so I taped it with Artists Tape. One mistake on my part was to have the pages cut down too small. As you can see, there is only about 1/8″ margin where the staples sit. I would have liked to have 1/2″ or more margin, which would later be trimmed off of the page. I thought I could get away without hydrating and mounting the skins, but after painting page 3, I realized that stretching the skins would give me a much better result in the end.

Initially, I made a little paint chart, which helped me to stay on track with my colors. I’m not using all of them on the chart, but these little floret porcelain pallets will show you how I can go back and repeat similar colors on subsequent pages in the book. Using the same blues and greens, etc. gives some continuity, to a unique book.

Below is page 91 in progress. Lettering still to be lettered. The 24k gold powder, which was burnished to give it some shine, was also debossed to create shiny little dots on the gold. The more detail the better!

The little container with the lid, on the right, is the liquified 24k gold powder. I add distilled water and then a tiny drop of clear Elmer’s glue to help it adhere to the page. Pictured is one of my miniature Kolinsky hair brushes. This one is a 4/0. Very tiny. There is a line of ‘miniature’ brushes in the Series 7 line, which I found to be extremely helpful in getting the detail. (Many other pages have raised gold on a gesso base).

And here you can see the agate burnishers. I use any of the 4 on various projects, but on this small page, I used the curved burnisher that is the second one down and the pointed one on the bottom for debossing the dots.

And once again, below, is the final page. You have to angle the light just right to catch the glint of the gold. The pages will be removed from the boards and I will flip them over for pages on the opposite side. On to the next pages, which will have lettering to resemble Hebrew, wording from the Song of Solomon and the bust of a man and woman facing each other in ornate cloaks. Stay tuned!