#1 & 2 Lisa Devlin
As a graphic designer, I
use a variety of tools (including the computer) and
appreciate many periods of art and design. I also enjoy
generating ideas for make-believe products, creating ads
and labels for them and putting them on greeting cards.
So it seemed natural to turn Reggie’s letter-spacing
exercise into ads. I thought that bubble bath and a wine
vineyard would be great for expressing the word
“LANGUIDLY,” followed by the registered trademark symbol
for that touch of authenticity. Both ads were intended
to amuse the viewer while expressing my enjoyment and
exhaustion after a full day learning calligraphy.
I began by using the waxed
grid paper and letters Reggie supplied, manually spacing
the letters on the paper and then photocopying the
finished work. Although the letters seemed spaced
adequately well on the grid, the photocopied versions
showed me this wasn’t entirely the case. So when I
brought the letters into Adobe InDesign, I kerned them
slightly. Concerned that reliance on a computer might
not be within the exercise’s scope, I confess that I
held back and didn’t do a complete job. I then copied
the text and pasted them into the Adobe Illustrator
files where the illustrations were created. The final
piece was printed on my desktop printer.
This was a helpful
exercise. Because of the deadline realities of my work
and the frequent last-minute changes that typically
arise, I’d developed some bad habits and rusty
letter-spacing skills. So this exercise reminded me of
the need to apply more care in that area.
#3 Patti Adams
This spacing exercise took
a lot longer than I imagined! As Reggie suggested, after
I laid out the word calligraphy on my waxed grid, I left
it on a stand in my studio so I could casually glance at
it as I worked on other things.
After a few days, I
finally decided that there was obviously a Roman
Rebellion taking place while I slept; letters were
surreptitiously huddling up in my studio overnight! |
I finally arrived at the version you see here. I printed
it onto a sepia-toned 11x17" copy of a very large piece
I did in graphite several years ago as part of an
exhibition at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. It
is a drawing of one of our oldest and grandest live oak
trees in Audubon Park, aptly named "The Tree of Life”.
Displaying some of the most splendid examples of
nature's calligraphy, these majestic trees are for me a
constant source of inspiration!
#4 Carmel Cucinotta-Harmon
I chose this 'ghost' picture from a Time-Life Book
Series I have on the "Enchanted World'. Since all of us
were so fearful of diving into the ROMANS, I thought
this picture of "fear" was very appropriate. Class mates
exchanged many emails saying how frustrated and fearful
they were to attempt this very important exercise;
myself included.
I used the Palatino Type Face that Reggie gave out in
class. I took my picture and my layout to Kinkos (now
Fed Ex) and had a transparency made of my spacing. It
took some time for the sales person to figure out how to
apply the letters to the photo. I was a bit worried
because the black letters were so close to the darkest
part of the photo. But, I liked the picture and decided
to go for it.
I have since learned, through trial and error, that "I
can do the transparency and photocopy" at home.
My little ghost still says it all about those lovely
ROMANS |
Video Here