guest artist jeri - sickle cell

very pretty work by jeri. i'm guessing this is gouache. i wonder about that blob at the top. was it intentional or an accident and then she figured that it tied in with the stamp, in that sickle cell anemia is a blood dis-order? i'm trying to decide what style this is. it has some italic to it and also a little uncial. i enjoy cross-breeding styles. and once again, jeri is good at centering. or maybe she wrote it once on something else, to see how long it would be.

foreign guest artist - tony ross

tony ross

another in the series of putting the name inside a mouth.
stealworthy.
i want to do an entire alphabet book with 26 items inside the mouths of 26 creatures...
s-o-m-e-d-a-y

memory lane

here is another re-run. this one is super-easy. you do not need to know anything about lettering or caligraphy to write like this. you just need a lot of markers. and a fun colorful stamps. there is a new kaleidoscope stamp coming out in 2013 that will be perfect for this kind of writing.

[time passes - jean continues to review posts she wrote in december and scheduled to appear daily thru the month of jan and half of feb]

ellen - apt building

i did this one very quickly...wanted to show *from my house to yours* she lives in an apartment building in sydney, so i put her on the balcony. would have loved to have had time to do cuter stick figures...note to self, google *stick figures* - i bet there are a ton of good ideas.

[time passes - jean reviews her prewritten posts - she has time to google *stick figures* and is pleased to announce that yes, indeed, there are a multitude of swipe-worthy stick figures.]

memory lane

this is the very first envelope i posted on the blog. i was thinking of going back and editing the blog and reconfiguring it so that it is easier to search for specific examples.

i think i have to label this one, not-easy. i have a lot of styles that i love that are very easy. this one, i have no idea how i would teach someone to write this way. it is my best example of what you can do if you write one name 50 or 60 times.

guest artist - carol dubosch

carol and i are kindred spirits when it comes to using up paper. this is the third envelope from her that embraces recycling. i love brown paper bags and cardboard. i even like the small bags that are used when you buy greeting cards. yes, i still buy some of my greeting cards....and i like those little bags. they make nice envelopes. some day i will post a tutorial on making them in to envelopes....

carol said:
1999 Graceful Envelope - the theme was "The Beauty in Nature." I chose to approach the theme from a conservation point of view, and used a paper bag for the envelope. I simply cut open a regular envelope and use it as my pattern to cut out the paper bag.

ellen - really quick

nothing exciting about this one.
sometimes you just need to write a cute curly name and add a heart and mail it.
of course, the cutest stamp ever is nice touch.

this was a gel marker. they are always fun.

guest artist jeri -

very pretty. i should have posted this in december, but it can be a valentine inspiration. nice bouncing of the letters. a rule of thumb in bouncing is:
make the first and last letters on the same level

foreign guest artist - tony ross

tony ross

this would have been a fun holiday envelope. nd it would have looked nice with the black and white miles davis and edith piaf stamps. or, i can picture the black and white drawing on gray of something less dramatic.

ellen - dottarific

i love the dottariffic markers. i only have three of them and they were samples from back in the day when i did designs for a magazine and was given new products to try out. if i let myself have more, i would be distracted all day. they have a big round hemispherical foamy tip and you get larger dots by pressing harder. way cool. way fun.

ellen - year of the ram again

here is that stamp again with some confetti that looks a little more like flower petals, but not actually flowers, just a variation on confetti. the whole thing is probably done with brush markers. the green one was a little dry. but, i think it looks nice to layer some darker strokes over the top and add the dot-dot-dot.

guest artist - kathy saunders

this is from a rochester, new york event planner website. it is the work of kathy saunders. i have met kathy at penmanship conventions. someday, i would like to see an entire set of envelopes that she does in this style to compare all the different lengths of names and addresses and see how she makes them all come out as beautifully as this one....
like....what does she do with
South Weymouth, Massachusetts?
etiquette requires that the states be spelled out....

guest artist - carol dubosch

in 2009, the graceful envelope theme was *addressing the environment* so carol stitched together several old envelopes and added the address and those wonderful Gee's Bend quilt stamps. very clever.

i like the idea of the small words ahead of the main word and then small words again...
and the first large initial cap sticking out a little to the left.
there is a nice arrangement to the words that should be noted for future reference.

ellen - uncle sam

hmmmm...not much to say about this one. just hang in there...some better stuff is on the way.

i guess i could mention the S in wilson. i see a lot of bad S shapes. sometimes it works to just let it hang down below the line. trying to keep it all tucked in can make it too scrunched. the S is frequently an odd-ball letter. most letters are squarish (HTEFL) or they have some angles (MWNVXY) or they are roundish (OGQCD) but S has a whole back and forth thing going on and if the top and bottom have hooks or if the overall shape doesn't relate to any of the other letters, it can be unsightly. it is counter-intuitive to make it drop down like that, but i rather like it and i see it done by people who are ten-times better at lettering than i am. so there.

guest artist jeri - red illuminated

this is so pretty i am just going to type a smile :-)

ellen - banner

this stamp is from the same series as the last one with a flag stamp and the decoration on the envelope is really fast ans scribbly. it's fine with me to just do a quick impression of the stamp. it would be gorgeous to do a very detailed rendering of the banner and put the name in carefully....but, if i don't have time to do that, i'm just fine with a scribble. i like that border across the top, too.

guest artist - carol dubosch

the 2008 theme for the graceful envelope was either *the letter C* or *color.* the two rainbow stamps fit together beautifully and it is genius how she chose to position them at just a slight angle and with the seam running north-south. soooooo pretty. it would not have looked right for the stamps to be parallel with the l. and it would not have looked right for them to be square with the baseline of the word.

i know carol wants to inspire people to enter the contest, but with examples like this....we might be making it look like it is a contest for only the very best calligraphers. while masterful calligraphy will catch the judges attention, they do choose envelopes done by beginners who have a very good idea.

check out the past winners and you will see what i mean....
or...click on the label *graceful envelope* and you will see several of my entries that were accepted and the lettering is nowhere near the skill level of carol's.

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html

ellen - candy hearts

those candy hearts again. this time on the funny colored envelopes. i don't remember what they called this color. i bought a box of 100 of them at office max. they were fun to have as an alternative.

those fun hearts again...quick and easy.
i like the way the Ls line up
and the way the two names fit together.

ellen - mickey mouse

it doesn't seem like mickey would look ok done in black, but, i knew i couldn't color it in in black without it getting all muddy. so, i was surprised that this looked OK in gray....i'm also surprised disney agreed to let the p.o. put mickey on a stamp.

ellen - lions

quick uncials, quick outlines, quick whiskers, quick hearts. i love making those little hearts with the tips of the brush markers.

guest artist linda - pencils

these pencils were cut out of a magazine or catalog and adhered to the envelope. the colors are great. no comment on the flag stamp. i can't even imagine why she had one in the house...unless...it was one of those envelopes that comes in junk mail, where they include an envelope with an actual stamp and they think people will say, oh, i must not waste that stamp, i better send them a check. but, clever people glue something over the address and use the envelope for actual mail. except this is a red envelope, so it would not have come in junk mail. i spend too much time pondering stories behind other people's mail. but this is not wasted time. i have to drink coffee, so i am putting my coffee drinking time to good use.

ellen - glaze pens

i loved those glaze pens. they still sell them. and they look really cool on chrome-coat paper...which is the super shiny stuff. i'm not going to say anything about the lettering. this is just filler while i get some good stuff piled up and scanned. i'm actually writing this on 12-12-12...and trying to get the blog lined up so i can focus on something you will like better than this envelope.

guest artist - carol dubosch

carol's 2004 graceful envelope. i think the theme was weather? she wrote rain several times, in ink and then washed it off. and added some sunny orange stamps and lettering.

her website mentions that she has been promoting calligraphy for 55 years. so, there is a lot of experience behind this particular envelope. in some ways, it is very simple and straight forward. we could spend a lot of time looking at how the elements fit together.

i always like tight-fitting elements and overlapping and this carol's writing overlaps the stamp, which looks great. however, i will mention that i have had postal workers tell me that they will not accept stamps with writing on them. this one went through fine and there might be postal workers who would not object, but, be prepared if you decide to overlap the stamp with writing.

again... every postal worker will have a different opinion on what you can do and can't do. please do not quote me or consider me an authority on postal regulations.... i just pass along things that have been said to me directly. if i don't like what i hear, i just go to a different post office. with regard to putting the stamp anywhere other than the upper right corner, i have had very polite postal workers warn me that i am not in compliance with their *rules.* i put on my wide-eyed *who knew?* expression and nod my head that i understand the rules....then....as i walk away...the little devil that resides on my non-jiminy cricket shoulder says: they need your business more than they need the stamp in the upper right corner.

ellen - heart candy

such a cute stamp. love the combination of colors. i was lucky to have the right color markers. i don't think i could do much with this stamp without those two colors. i like the way the lettering is small and rounded, like the candy.

guest artist linda - pear

this one is nice because of the simplicity. i like letters that touch. it is hard to convince beginners to make their letters touching. but, once they get the hang of it, i think they can see how it makes the name into a nice shape. and sometimes, that is all you need for a successful envelope. of course, the bright colors also play a major role.

ellen - flag

this is an example of something done very fast and scribble-y. sometimes people slave over their envelopes and they don't think they should just scribble the idea really fast. i would not enter this in the graceful envelope contest, but, if i just wanted to send something fun, it's good enough.

ellen - jiminy cricket

another example of taking one little detail off the stamp and putting it somewhere on the envelope. very quick....

guest artist - carol dubosch

this envelope was Best of Show in the 2002 graceful envelope contest.

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html

read all about the contest at the link above.  the theme for 2013 is *A World of Change*

the theme in 2002 was *The Written Word* - so carol wrote the word *words* a gazillion times. you could adopt this idea for an envelope by writing the person's name over and over and then applying stamps and a mailing label.

carol said:
When you write the word "words" over and over without spacing it begins to read "word sword word sword" which is a fun play on the quote: The pen is mightier than the sword. I don't know if anyone catches that trick…but it was fun for me to employ it on this entry.

ellen - colored pencil

the flowers do not go with that stamp. but, i will include this one in case anyone likes to doodle with colored pencils. i like to make scribbly little flowers and vines.

foreign guest artist - sitoshi kitamure

sitoshi kitamura

super stealworthy
but, you are going to need to know how to draw a little bit.
you could take a photograph and trace over it.
you can also take photos and plug them into the newest version of Word.
it has a feature where you can convert a photo to a line sketch
then you could print it out and color it in.
first you have to move into a brownstone.
no you don't
this would look just fine with any kind of house

actually, this is two envelopes
which is a second stealworthy idea.
make a set of envelopes that -when combined-
create a much larger picture

ellen - wyoming

this series of stamps that looked like picture postcards - one from each state was so much fun. just use the color of the lettering and pickup one other color for accent. and the lettering could be anything. this whole set of 20 envelopes to ellen, that are pretty old show that i was rather stuck on this stick-figure variation of neuland. it was quick and easy.

alphabet

once a year, i think i can skip the envelope and post something different. this was a letter that i found in one of the envelopes to ellen. i cropped the top off, because...just because....i like a little mystery. this was from the time when i did designs for Scrapbooks, Etc. I do not recall having to redo this alphabet 4 times. i do not recall ever having to redo anything for them. maybe i was just making up a story. it was very strange reading a bunch of letters and notes that i had written a decade ago to my daughter when she was in college. anyhow, i always liked this kind of writing and think it is very versatile. i should use it more often.

guest artist - susan

isn't this pretty? i can't find the envelope it came in, so i will have two posts on dec 30th. scroll down to see an envelope.

every year susan makes a very pretty card. this one was folded flat and her addressing was tiny monoline italic in red and green.

thanks, susan. i should have taken a photo of the whole tree...this is the only ornament other than the silver balls.  an ornament with its very own tree.

guest artist jeri - wilson

i am deducing that this is an envelope jeri sent to her mother who might have been M.M.Wilson. i know jeri was a born wilson. again...the postmark is very nice. jeri has really good luck with the cancels fitting into the design. and, this is a very fun stylized MM. i do have my suspicions about that big gold dot. me thinks it might be a cover-up. if the two Ms were dancing, then why did only one of them get a head?
or maybe she just doesn't like pairs. there are 5 dots in the counters, an odd number. am i over analyzing this? yes i am. and what about that grouping of dots on the far left. why are they in a flying Y?

ellen - film strip

there is at least one other envelope in the archive that shows the film strip lettering. it is a variation on neuland with white gel pen squares.

the black was done with a huge marker. probably prisma color with a wedge shaped nib. they are so much fun and great for making posters or signs.

guest artist - carol dubosch

over the next few weeks, i am going to share some envelopes done by carol dubosch. she gave me permission to post them and mentioned that she liked to promote the graceful envelope contest. she has had several envelopes accepted and apparently, a few were not accepted. but, the point of posting them is not to talk about winning or not winning, the point is to spot ideas that even a beginner can adopt. i used to call them stealworthy ideas. maybe adoption sounds better. or inspire.

i love the way the candles are in black (see the black on the stamp) and the other lines of copy are in color. while i have used this stamp many times for birthday envelopes, i do not recall ever making black candles. even though i frequently suggest using a minor color in the stamp for the major lettering. so, i think my oft-used tip is a good one. black candles ---sounds a little dark and ominous. but the slenderness and height of the candles make them very graceful and light.

very pretty.
thank you carol.
stay tuned for more fabulous envelopes by carol.

p.s.
after i wrote the comments above, i received this email from carol and i'm sure you'll enjoy hearing the story behind this envelope.

"I waited until the day before the entries were due and just sat down and made myself come up with an idea. The theme that year was the Fifth Anniversary of the Postal Museum. So, I opened my hand (five fingers), and decided to emboss my hand behind whatever else I would do. I then found 5 ascenders in "the graceful envelope" and made them extra tall and put flames on them. I decided not to use capitals, so the ascenders would have all the attention. Then (blessings abound!) I opened my box of stamps and VOILA the Hanukkah candle stamp…so I echoed the primary colors of the candles in the address details on the envelope."

back to jean's comments:
i have to point out the part where she says she waited until the last day and then sat down and made herself come up with an idea. there are so many artists who describe that process. there is something about last minute pressure that makes a lightbulb go off over your head. procrastination can make for so much stress. but, that last minute pressure seems to be magical. so, if you are up to the last minute to do something, don't give up...just sit down and make the idea spill out on the page. i guess the sitting down part is important. if you are pacing around looking for an idea, it doesn't work. you need to be sitting there with paper and pencil.

ellen - reindeer

there might be one similar to this in the archives. i loved these stamps and did a ton of envelopes the year they came out. the non-traditional green and addition of yellow and purple was really fun. and i like any stamp that has snowflakes shaped like asterisks.

i really like the way the ll in ellen pops up rather high. i also like the way the lestters are touching, but not always touching at the bottom.

guest artist - ray ritchie

these were done by ray ritchie. he addresses envelopes and uses the greeting card inside for inspiration. he has cropped them to keep the addresses private.
here is part of what he says about decorated envelopes:

"These envelopes are almost always done with brush markers and/ or fine Zig Micron pens. I enjoy doing them because they give me a chance to experiment with lots of different styles and ideas. The color and decoration scheme usually take their cue from the card design, and the letterforms are sometimes related to the forms used on the card, if I like the style."

you may read more at his blog and also scroll through his posts and see some more artwork.

http://www.rritchie.com/wordpress/

thank you ray for permission to run this image on my blog.

elllen - gift tags

i like this idea and would use it again. i would make the gifts larger. i would also make the last name and the address lines come out exactly the same width as the row of gifts.

chuck - holiday 2012

this was my holiday envelope to chuck. nothing holiday about it...i wanted to do something with a million little lines, but was running out of time, so, i did this. the R in myrick is cringeworthy.

i loved that little drawing that i found somewhere. i was hoping to redraw it and make it look like chuck and me....but that didn't get done either.

today's critique will point out that the ck in chuck is too large -or- the u is too small. but, ribbon writing is pretty loose, so, i won't be too hard on this one.

ann-margret - holiday

the stamp is from england. it came on a letter to my husband and i was able to peel it off. i love the artwork and if i had time i would make a huge holly bush. and i love the bird and the star. i need to find out if there are more adorable english stamps.

ann-margret is in canada, that is a fake address. i think she watches the blog. last year i did some holiday ideas for her and i saw one name *Dana* that she wrote in a style like this. so i am just guessing how to do the other letters. my example doesn't thrill me yet, but i am going to keep working on it. and maybe Ann-Margret will tell us if there is an exemplar somewhere.

the r is too wide. see the big hunk of white space inside the r. it's not wretched, but it is a little off. anyone interested in making their lettering consistent in spacing should watch those r's.

ellen - birthday

another old one that isn't very exciting. although stacking smaller letters on larger letters and adding confetti is something you could do very quickly. in this case, it looks like the marker was getting pretty dry and i don't think i have mentioned for a while that dry markers should be saved....they usually have enough ink to write one name, add an outline, and some confetti and it's good to go.

barb - flowers

 i do not have an exemplar, so it is an extrapolation. ann-margret had an example of it that i admired about a year ago. i wrote the black first and then used a red tombo brush marker. i will add the actual address above the city state. i might use all caps, block printing, just to mix it up a little.

guest artist jeri - letters mingle

the series of stamps that celebrate *letters mingle souls* is such a nice series. i have a few of these stamps and i have trouble using them, because i don't want to run out of them. i guess i should make myself a little packet of one each of my favorites and then start using up the remainders.

as always, jeri does a great job with the centered layout. and the dots are very nice touch.

kathy - ornament nib

i mentioned earlier that i needed to come up with ideas for these ornaments going in different directions. i like this one a lot and i think i will add more pale blue spirals and her real address and actually send it. people who send me cards get one in return...i can't decide if i should show what my cards look like this year. they are outrageous on a couple different levels. i guess if you are curious, you will have to send me a card, eh?

elllen - year of the ram

once again, i like to pick up a minor color from the stamp for the base color of the name. these stamps were a 12 year series, i think. they were always lots of fun. the way the colors are blended on the stamp, it was pretty easy to find colors that looked nice with the stamp.

i'll label this one confetti, and eventually, go through all the envelopes and label more that have confetti, one of my go-to decorations.

guest artist linda - J&T

it took me a second to find the J and the T. this is a very fun idea. i am not seeing those colors in the stamp, but, the stamp is not colorful so it is just fine to add some colors to the envelope. and of course, coloring in the counters in the O shaped letters is always a very nice touch.

ellen - snowman

this is an old one from the days when i was sending a lot of mail and was not too concerned with quality. just cranking them out really fast. i can't think of any other time that i did this kind of double outline. i could see spending more time on the concept. loved those snowmen stamps.

jack moore

there are 135 people who have signed up to be *followers* of this blog. one of them, jack moore, used a photo off my blog for the photo of himself. i was tickled that he chose that photo. it is a photo of lee steen, one of the 3 artists who are my *molders.* there is probably a better word than molder. but they did more than influence, so i;ll go with mold, unless someone can offer a better word. i'll try to find the link to the post about him. anyhow, i always wanted to post an envelope to jack so he knew i noticed that he had taken on the photo as his identity. i have also been thinking of doing one envelope for each blog follower. that would be fun. i might do it. or maybe i should just start with the phone book and do everyone in des moines....decisions decisions.

anyhow, it would be fun to do envelopes using lots of these ornament stamps. i didn't actually use stamps, i just ran off some color copies of the stamps. that's my curly casual penmanship with a nikko g and mcCaffery indigo ink. the envelope is a nice leftover from a william arthur job. sadly, crane's bought william arthur so this might be the end of nice paper. i try to not think about it.

jeri - twirl

a while back i had some experimental envelopes that i cranked out during the penmanship conference in august. i found this one in a stack and i don't think it has been on the blog. i am going to use it as the insert in the envelope i actually mail to her. i did not have any stamp in mind, but liked the shape of the flowers with that doodad on the end of the last hobart.