This work was done by Joan Merrell.

“It Feels Like Christmas”

 This piece was homework for Reggie' Lettering From the St. John's Bible class on the Incipit hand. I liked the idea of working with the stretch/squeeze-ability and wanted to do something with a pretty even justified right margin if I could. I remembered this song that I had long wanted to work with. We watch at least one version of the Christmas Carol every year - I always liked how it describes the Christmas spirit and gets specific about just how one can keep Christmas all the year, as Scrooge promises to do. It was a bonus that it gave me a Christmas card created ahead of time for a change.

I ended up having three line lengths that I could fit everything into (since I needed to keep the poetic form for line breaks.) I decided to use color changes to break up the solid shape instead of having a space between stanzas,  and also used the color to emphasize the lines I thought had the most meaning (the gold). I didn’t want to keep repeating the chorus and thus ended up with a shape I didn't really like so the wreath idea was born.

The lettering was done with Mitchell #2 nib in gouache and FineTec Inka gold on Arches 90# hot press. I found it was very enjoyable to do the lettering as there is no one perfect letter shape in the Incipit style so I felt no pressure to have them just so, and quirks are part of the charm. The writing is roughly 10” square with the wreath’s outside measurement about 14”

The wreath is done with watercolor which I was nervous about doing but it seems the watercolor botanical book I worked through with a friend a year or two ago did teach me something and as long as I kept it slow and careful it went OK. I could have spent more time on it but was determined to finish the homework on time by calling it done.