ccc elizabeth (brown)

i was experimenting and did not have a stamp in mind. this one is OK. i would keep looking if it was actually going int he mail.
also, i did not have that much fireworks, but i put too many dots on the one in the lower left, so i had to add a bunch more to detract from that boo-boo. i do like metallic gel pens on dark papers.

ccc patti scribble

ohhhhh, what a mess. it was at the end of a long day and i had some fun, then, this one was not working out, so i tried to follow my own advice, when in doubt scribble. i did manage to find some stamps that were perfect colors, but they were not square so the shape clashed. this one is almost OK. and i was very pleased with the placement of the address. the p.o. would not be pleased. you would probably want to put on a $1 stamp to make them tolerate this kind of a mess.

one of the few people who recognized mail art (and other ephemera) as worthy of collecting has passed away

steven leiber

nancy - hb - red

happy birthday to nancy. i know someone whose birthday is jan 11th, nancy's is february 11. i hope someone will post a comment and tell me that their birthday is march 11.

this envelopes is a boo-boo from a recent job. i have never been hired to address valentines before. this person had a list of 145 addresses. i spelled a name wrong on the top line, so i scribbled through it. then i wrote nancy's name a bunch more. and the white gel pens were on the verge of running out. so, it is not a spectacular envelope, but it was fun to do. no, nancy did not move to eldon, iowa. that is the town where the house that is in the painting *american gothic* is still standing and there is someone living in it. you can visit it and take your picture out front with a pitchfork.

now, i must go check and see if nancy's last name has an s, or no s. my memory is foggy at best. happy birthday, nancy...:-)

lesson in multiples

this might show why you need to do several versions. i knew the one i sent yesterday had a dreadful crossbar on the t. it was thin in the middle and it should have been thick. this morning i found the bottom envelope ont he right which had been a reject yesterday because the S is tilted back. i thought i would try that style S again and did the top one. i did not outline it, i just added the notch on the ends of the ribbons. on the one yesterday, the notches were too deep. i still don't like the top half of the S. that made me think the one that is tipped back is better. then i wondered what it would look like to fill up the space with ribbons, more like the stamp. so, thinking i would just throw it away, i tried it on the bottom one and i liked it enough to share it with you. but not enough to put a stamp on it. the top one, i will send. how funny would it be if i sent 20 envelopes to stacey. i would, except that i am engrossed in my ccc project. i am pretty much booked on the blog for the next three months. yikes.

anyhow, the point of this was that you should try writing the same name a few different ways. you can't count on your first attempt being the best one.

ccc marji

this needs a box around it so you can see where the envelope ends. i was channeling betsy dunlap. her caps have very quirky bumps and flinging tails. i added some tiny details off the stamp. i like the pink writing outlined in red. and while there are all kinds of good shapes and ideas to pull out form the stamp, it is just as much fun to use just the colors for inspiration.

when i composed the post, i couldn't see any box around the envelope, but then when i checked the blog this morning, it seems as if blogger puts a line around it. so, thanks blogger, for being helpful.

bonus post

stacey sent me the new love stamps
i had to write a thank you. i used a dry zig marker, then outlined it and added the little parallel lines on the ribbon. the actual forms of the letters are way off, but, i don't mind it as, it would be hard to make ribbons act like a line of ink. the flourish shapes are a little goofy, but, again, if you want it to look like ribbon, it can't follow all the rules of a line of ink. it would be better to be an illustrator. someone like jessica hische (not sure of that spelling) has some spectacular lettering that looks like ribbons. check out her website.

oh, duh.  i just googled jessica hische to put in a link to her website and she designed this stamp.
so, here is her website:

http://jessicahische.is/awesome/

ccc lester

i could have a lot of fun with this idea if i had more of those stamps. but, they are old and this one was done in a batch of about ten experiments. i do like the idea of a jumble of letters, and each name in a different color. i think i will assign homework on this one, too. if you are going to attend the workshop, play around with layering names and see what you can come up with.

ccc jill

this name is a good example of looking at the letters and finding elements to repeat. it is a little bit symmetrical with one pair of l's in each name and also one descender in each name. i like these stamps with the name. although, the lettering is a little too wonky. i made this one in my very first batch of ccc envelopes and have been ambivalent about posting it. it needs work....but it is not a complete dud.

oh, i remember, the very first batch was done without any pencil lines at all and that is what bothers me about it. i'd be OK with the waves if the strokes started and stopped on straight lines.

hi, mimi. i saw your comment on an older post. glad you are thinking about some lettering :-)

and this just in....postage stamps in england that feature illustrations by quentin blake from roald dahl books.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/gallery/2012/jan/09/roald-dahl-stamps-in-pictures

ccc elizabeth (white)

blogger won't let me write at the top. this was done while i was on a phone call. it was probably a 45 minute phone call. i always like my phone doodles and at the last lettering club meeting that i went to, susan and i talked about how some of our best drawings happen on the phone and if we try to redo them, they never turn out as well the next time. so, there must be some advantage to being slightly distracted. i wonder if the people i talk to are annoyed that i am slightly distracted. maybe they can't tell.

ccc christine

i thought we needed some relief from the all white envelopes and i had some leftover squares. i doodled a christine that was similar to this. then was happy to see those shapes in these new stamps. they are the new rate for post cards. so, i have to think of some excuses to send post cards.

ccc alyce

i like the idea of the name spelled out on the coins, but i need to figure out a better way to do it. alyce, fur shur you get another envelope....

ccc judy

the details in this stamp are wonderful. it took a lot of self control to not redraw the fruit. i put just a touch of the vine on either side of the zip. but, i could easily do several more variations on this one. i like ribbon writing. hopefully the c.c.calligraphers will enjoy ribbon writing, too.

ccc faith

i did this writing before i had a stamp. so, the little detail lines reminded me of some of the parallel lines in the stamp. you do not need to be literal with design elements.  and if anyone is noticing that there are a lot of green and purple envelopes, it is because i only had two markers at my desk and was too lazy to get up and get some more. we will be through this phase and on to some other colors pretty soon.

ccc barb

oops. i forgot to finish this one. that flower on the left side of the B needs one more tendril, and the whole thing is a little wonky. maybe it looks better as a *primitive* piece. decisions, decisions. if i have time to redo it, the whole envelope will get a  border.

ccc barbara

the top two were warm ups. i like this style better when it is done a little fast and jerky.

ccc yvonn

i like the name Yvonn and started the purple one. not sure if i like it that much. started the other one and like it better. but it will need a lot more work to be finished. neither of these stamps really work. i hope to have time to make something better for yvonn.

ccc lois

good for me, i made it through both names without a spelling problem. then i messed up the address. it looks terrible centered. i like the colors. goofy combo to do such a traditional stamp with such a wacky lettering style. maybe the address should have been wacky, too.

ccc linda

turning letters into people is fun. this is a nice break from straight lines. i like the way the address line goes a little longer than the people, but not too far. as i got to the state, i knew it was time to end that line, so i used the abbreviation for the state.

ccc diane (not diana)

i went ahead and finished this one to see how i liked it. the red should be a better match with the stamp. i like to do scribbley versions of the old engraved styles. i will do a different one for diane and spell her name correctly if she comes to the workshop.

hi barabara, i just saw your comment on a past post. i am looking forward to seeing you in march. your envelope is coming up on feb 1 st. :-)

ccc sheryl

for the ccc members who will be at the workshop, your homework is to print out a copy of this envelope and decide where to add a design element. i will finish this and bring it along and we will see if we all came up with the same idea or maybe there will be numerous ideas.

does that l in sheryl look like an afterthought? yes it was. what percent of these ccc envelopes will have spelling errors? door prize to the person who guesses closest percentage without going over.