Time to send some modern calligraphy birthday cards
This year, I'm sending modern calligraphy birthday cards to as many friends and loved ones as possible. They're so much nicer to receive than bills! Hand designed and calligraphed, I'll be mixing up the designs and card stock each month to keep it interesting. January features white ink calligraphy on 'cognac' pearlescent cards that read "Have a magical birthday". Full disclosure: I did attempt so send hand written birthday cards last year, but my organisation let me down and it all petered out around May. And this was using printed birthday cards I'd designed, not individually written modern calligraphy birthday cards! So, to try and do better, this year, I plan to calligraph all of the cards for the upcoming month (and beyond -- as many as I can manage at a time), and then write and address the next month's cards by mid month. I do need to make sure I remember to actually post them, so I might need to stick some kind of list to the wall so I can be cross checking daily.
If you'd like to receive a birthday card from me, please email me your date of birth and address, and I'll do my very best to get one to you.
January modern birthday cards
My January babies received golden sparkly cards with white ink modern calligraphy, wax sealed in smoke grey envelopes with a gold seal.
February modern birthday cards
Not that I want to spoil their surprise, but I have a bunch of Aquarians and Pisceans to send birthday cards to this year. Ryan, Leigh, Ruth, Caroline, Christina, Verity, and Fiona are all in line for a little letterbox love in February. There’s just one glitch. About a third of these birthday babes live in Australia, where, I’ve only just found out, that my envelopes don’t meet the minimum size requirement. At 81mm x 114mm, these pocket size parcels of love don’t quite hit the 88mm minimum width specified by Australia Post (PDF).
What’s a girl to do. Well, I’m a plough-ahead-and-hope-for-the-best-kind of optimist. Of my January birthday babes, I sent only one tiny envelope to Australia and they received it, so, I’m pinning 100% of my hopes on the fact that these modern calligraphy birthday cards for February hit their mark, too.
Buy these modern calligraphy birthday cards
If you'd like to order your own modern calligraphy birthday cards to send, please email me to discuss what you'd like.
London hand lettered stage props
As my first foray into hand lettered stage props, I was given the fantastic opportunity of helping Sing in French with some signage for the musical theatre production of Pinot the Musical. I slipped in to see the final summer showing for 2016. Although I don't speak French and was way above the demographic age, I had the best time watching Pinot the Musical. In an intimate South West London venue at the Merton Abbey Mills (a most perfectly quaint piece of British history) and it was just so much fun! A ridiculously awesome plot, and epically charming cast, my cheeks were sore from smiling so much.
About Pinot the Musical
{taken from Get Surrey}
Pinot The Musical is a fun, family singalong-in-French show suitable for all ages and especially effective with 8 – 14 year olds (Key Stages 2 and 3) A young Russian cyclist, Petrov Popov, has a dream to win the Tour de France in memory of his champion-cyclist great-grandfather. So he and his Cossack-dancing friends escape from Russia and enter France illegally. Aided by a wily beggar and two rival gangs, Petrov gets a job, changes his name to ‘Pinot Blanc’, acquires a brand new racing bike and does his training in secret between police chases. After a spell in jail and a dramatic escape, he achieves victory as the winner of the Tour de France and the police give him and his friends their freedom. Kids absolutely love it. The show is an audience participation event. Sing along with 18 educational songs specially written for this show. Dance styles include Cossack dancing, Rock n Roll, Jazz, Ragtime, Waltz, Bluegrass, Charlston, the Twist, Tap and more! Pinot The Musical will leave you and your kids buzzing – in French!’
See the hand lettered stage props
Free hand lettering gear: Ian Barnard Serifs
UK hand lettering artist, Ian Barnard is generously offering free hand lettering worksheets and accompanying videos. His creative journey began with calligraphy and he now offers both exceptional works of hand lettered art, as well as insight to fellow artists.
Serif capitals lettering worksheet
This free hand lettering worksheet —serif capitals, based on his recent workshops, is available to view via Ian's YouTube channel, and download via his website.
Serif lowercase lettering worksheet
This free hand lettering worksheet — serif lowercase is available to view via Ian's YouTube channel, and download via his website.
Find out more about Ian Barnard
If you ask me, Ian's a champ and you might like to see some more of his stuff. So, go on. Do yourself a favour!
- Ian Barnard's website
- YouTube channel
- Freebies!
- Social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest
Hand lettering workshop with sign painter Mike Meyer
It’s the end of two long days of intense, but satisfying, lettering learning put on by Better Letters at Trackside London. Led by Mike Meyer, travelling sign painter extraordinaire from Minnesota, US, and supported by local awesome sign painter, Mark Josling of Spectrum Signs, about 20 predominantly amateur students took to the easels, newsprint, enamel paint and palettes with certain trepidation and gusto.
Focusing on three lettering styles over the weekend: Gothic, Casual, and Script, we had Mike and Mark on hand to first show us their exemplar stylings, which we would then attempt to replicate as they moved around and guided us on any specifics we were having trouble with. I had to often remind myself, in fits of frustration, and as they made it look so easy, that this was my first ever attempt at this style or format of lettering.
After solidly practising one script for a block of hours, quite unperfected, it was nice to move on to another only to come back again and see that the muscle memory was forming and the progress was happening.
The workshop format was relaxed and informative, albeit a little overwhelming on the enamel fumes at day’s end, and really allowed for pretty significant progress over two days. All materials were included in the cost of the workshop, as was lunch — locally made artisan bread much like my favourite Swiss style that I can find nowhere outside of Switzerland — and refreshments (mmm, so many McVities Digestives and Celebrations). It was excellent to meet other students, particularly my lettering partners, Annabel, and Suzy from Muddy Creek Sign Painting.
Hand lettering workshops in the UK and Europe
I love the internet. Oh, the places we go. You know where I mean, don't you? Sometimes, you're off on a Sunday stroll for hours of fun to see the stupidly addictive Bored Shorts TV, and other times, you're whipped out of your reverie and on the most wonderful wild hunt with your goals and aspirations in tow. I can't even tell you the intricacies of my online journey to where we are now, but here we are.
Better Letters: fun, creative hand lettering workshops
Sign writing? Hand lettering? Yes, please. Better Letters has confirmed workshops (selling out quick) throughout Europe and UK that are designed to inspire and shake the intimidation of creating something as glorious as what seems like the lost art of hand lettering.
We show you the benefit of what we've wrestled with for in some cases up to 20 – 30 years. And hopefully that little bit of advice will help you overcome the problems and hurdles we've had a little bit quicker.
Quote via Hand Lettering Workshop London February 2014 (YouTube). See how I fared learning lettering with Mike Meyer at this year's April 2015 workshop.
I had a quick chat via email with Better Letters founder, Sam Roberts, and my typographical journey took a swift jaunt down a side street.
Ghostsigns: Tours of London's best ghostsigns
Sam started Ghostsigns to promote the art of hand lettering, especially sign writing. So, in addition to a suddenly, wonderfully accessible world of hand crafted lettering learning available on my doorstep via Better Letters, I now see that I can go wandering about this awesome city of London looking at painted signs, fading on walls: ghostsigns. Sign me up!
If like me, you're feeling a little intimidated by all this big school, old school stuff, then just listen to Sam:
What I have learned is that everyone is a teacher, and always willing to share knowledge. I've never met such a group of people more welcoming and keen to pass on their skills and passion. Embrace it!
So, that's what I'm going to do. Time to start this hand lettering journey. Who's with me? Book your local workshop, or a London ghostsigns tour!
Photo — Norman Hayes, Waste Studio in Nottingham