March to Troy, Nanski and Morgan ---- Skill level 3

 

These three are essentially the same. Outlining the stamp is a nice touch but the one without the outline is fine. These were fun to do and I could have done a lot more like this - but the mission to provide a new idea every day nudges me into trying some variations.

I guess Morgan's is different. The first two had one color on each letter. Morgan's has a mix of colors on the various parts of the letters. I like both ways. 

***

To recap:

Originally, the exchangers were mostly calligraphers - although it quickly branched out to people who made their own envelopes, rubber stampers, collagers and even a couple graphic designers. Within those four groups - there was a complete spectrum of skill level. Over the years, I've received feedback that the welcoming of all skill levels is appreciated. 

Within the ranks of traditional calligraphers on other platforms that offer exchanges, there is a tendency for people to want a certain skill level - and they are not always welcoming to the complete beginners. I can see how that works for them and I wouldn't expect them to change that approach. I'm a bit of a unicorn. I think my exchange attracts unicorns. We don't really know each other but there is a certain amount of camaraderie.

As the years rolled by, people come and go. There are quite a few people who sign up once and then we never hear from them again. It's a mystery but we're not going to delve into it. The part that I enjoy is how consistent the exchange been with numbers. I always have lists of 6 people and the fewest number of lists has been 4 and the top number has been 6. So that works out for me to be able to put myself on all the lists. If I had more than 30 people sign up, that would be too many for me.

Hopefully, the way we have a posse of people with a wide range of skill levels is clear. Tomorrow we will separate the sheep from the goats.

What is she talking about? What happened to the three-pronged spectrum?

March to Jessica and Jackie - Skill level 2

 

Jessica's is one of the earlier ones and Jackie's is one of the last ones.

It would have been fun to do Schwessinger in the same style as Jessica, using a finer pen and not coloring it in. I wish the Jessica was larger.

I'm happy with Jacqueline's. I think this is the first time I went with *Jackie* and it probably won't be the last. It's a nice set of letters.

***

We have established that the exchange started because I had a blog for my students and then we decided to exchange envelopes. As I said, since the 90s, I have been running with calligraphers and participating in all kinds of exchanges. Most of the time, they were people who were seriously working on their skills.

I had learned very early on when I was teaching that lots of people sign up, with the idea that calligraphy is fun and pretty. They had no idea how tedious it can be. So, right out of the chute, I started to introduce some very alternative styles of lettering to show people who were not cut out to be traditional calligraphers that you can have a lot of fun with the alphabet and Crayola markers. You do not have to stick to the traditional styles. You can have fun and you can wow people with the DESIGN aspect.

There was one person in the first exchange who had done a ton of mail art. She was very good a collage and rubber stamping. There was nothing about traditional calligraphy that drew her in. She'd been having fun exchanging mail with people who were not calligraphers. So, from the very beginning, my exchange was open to non-calligraphers.

Then, people started posting envelopes on Pinterest and that's how non-calligraphers found the exchange. Finnbadger was one of the very first people who found me and sent me an envelope out of the blue. I think it was even before I had started the group exchange - so we just started exchanging on our own.  His whole *thing* was making handmade envelopes - but he had a very good eye for design and the choice of stamp was an integral part of the mailing. He worked the name and address into the composition - but it was always his everyday penmanship.

His penmanship was just penmanship. Not stylish - but not awful.

One day - he tried an actual lettering style - and I still remember how excited I was when I pulled that envelope out of my mailbox. A non-calligrapher had been inspired to try his had at lettering. I could hear a chorus of angels in the background. It was like that time Alexander Graham Bell made his first phone call.

So, part of me keeps thinking I can inspire non-artists to bust out of their penmanship and try lettering. I don't think anyone needs to go all the way to traditional calligraphy. But, I do think it's fun to mess around with the 26 shapes that we all learned when we were five years old.

While I think it's *fun* - it's fine with me if people shun the whole concept. Seriously - the only thing that is required is some sort of embellishment. So far - nobody has sent an envelope with a stamp and just a name and address in very ordinary handwriting.

More tomorrow.

March to Amy and Frances - Skill level

These two are part of the w.c.wire font that I used for most of the March envelopes. Mary's was the first and it was pretty clunky. Then I did Amy's and while it's clunky, it's still fun and all those little dash lines on the piñata inspired a detail on the lettering.

Frances' is the very last one I did in the series. It's looser and a lot more subtle than the ones that are coming up. It sat on my desk for 3 or 4 days - because I kept thinking it needed one more thing and then eventually I decided to send it along as is.

If you like this style of lettering - the inspiration image is on the April 11th post. 

I mentioned the 3-pronged spectrum yesterday - but then I realized that we need a different description.

When I started the blog - it was specifically for my students - people who were studying calligraphy. I already had a ton of pen pals, and calligraphers have been doing exchanges for much longer than I have been doing them.

Within the world of exchanging and calligraphers... everyone is on the same spectrum in terms of skill level. It is a broad spectrum which means that you might only have master skills with a broad edge nib and you have never warmed up or cultivated any skill with a pointed nib. Or maybe you just do brush lettering. There are a multitude of styles and tools. Within the brotherhood of calligraphers there is mostly kindness about skill levels because nobody was skilled on the first day they picked up a pen. N.O.B.O.D.Y. Everyone started at square one, trying to make the letters in the alphabet. So, when we have whiners in an adult calligraphy class - because they have written the alphabet once and it doesn't look like the instructor's work- we try to explain that it takes time.

Some people are drawn to the concept of taking time to master the strokes - other people think it is torture and they want no part of it. That's fine. I was not cut out to play music. I learned how to play a piano because I wanted to. I got to a certain point where I could buy sheet music and figure it out. But, if there were too many notes - it wasn't fun anymore. I lugged the piano around for a while - and waited to see if my kids had any aptitude - and then got rid of it after I had the second kid.

Sadly, when the third kid arrived of his own free will - he was the kid who was born with a passion for music. But the piano was long gone. And where is he now? He's in a house with:

1) a short upright piano in the living room 2) a beautiful Hammond B3 and Leslie in the dining room 3) a Yamaha electric keyboard in the guest room and then there is the large music room in the basement where there is a 4) Fender Rhodes, 5) Clavinova 6) a stacked set of 2 more electronic keyboards 7) a keyboard that's in a case and currently on loan because it's for people who might need to go play somewhere. 

There is also a drum set, various other things one can pound on, a guitar, an Omnichord, and another thing that you blow into and it has a little keyboard.

Let's not forget the THREE more organs and one Leslie in the garage that people gave him - because nobody can get rid of organs anymore. These were collected prior to him getting the Hammond B3 - and he has agreed that they will have to go to the dump. I suspect that they are all full of mice.

Sorry for the long digression. I'm grateful that my son has a passion. I'm glad it is not stray animals. Or BeanyBabies. But I allowed myself this digression to make a point - obsession with music or sports or cooking or gardening is the same thing as being obsessed with calligraphy. For a lot of people it's a thing. And we make it look easy - but it takes TIME. Same with musicians. They make it look easy - but they spend So.Much.Time cultivating the skill.

More tomorrow on skill levels and my exchange and that 3-pronged spectrum.

 

March to Riley and Nicky --- w.c.wire font

I really do try to save the sources and give credit for the things I find that inspire the envelopes I send out and blog. This time, when I did an image search - it flashed a line on the screen that said something like - this image has not been posted enough times to find it. So - I can't give anyone credit. I gave it the name of w.c.wire - because the shapes look like wire and the color part looks like water color and I actually got my watercolors out.

You may refer back to this if any of the upcoming envelopes look like something you'd like to try.

Before I run the envelopes where I used this style - we will look at the two that I did right after Mary's that ran yesterday. After I saw that my quickly done grid of flowers was not precise enough, I thought of doing just one big flower on each envelope.

I'm about 75% happy with how these turned out. The lettering would probably be very disappointing if I used it on envelopes to my calligraphy friends. But Riley and Nicky are not calligraphers so they probably do not scrutinize the lettering. 

When Patty mentioned that my lettering has changed - it started me thinking about all the other changes that have happened over the past 10 years. We still have some very talented calligraphers participating in the exchanges - but we've lost quite a few. Some of our new exchangers have some interest in calligraphy but some are on the third branch of a 3-pronged spectrum.

What's that? I guess you will have to remember to read the blog tomorrow.

The more I looked at these two - the more I liked some of the subtle details. I like the way the U-shaped flower repeats the shape of the donkey legs on the stamp while the more pointy shapes of the flower and the overall shape of the flower coordinates with the shape of the piñata....which is a ??? shape. There is a word for shapes that radiate out from the center. Maybe it's radial? I don't know and I'm not going to start looking for the names of shapes.

Instead, I am going to get all verklempt and reminisce about the time I wrote that I did not know what the name of a flat football shape is. It's an oval - but it has pointed ends. Finnbadger kindly sent me an email or left a comment telling me that the shape is a lens.  It has been so comforting to have people help me out with questions. 

 

March to Mary -- Sandra Hutter

 

I was using those Sandra Hutter flowers as inspiration and they were so-so. Then I tried doing just s single flower, larger. Two of those will appear tomorrow. The lettering style went through all kinds of variations. This was one of the early tries. I didn't think it was salvageable until I found the orphan stamp and while the flowers, the lettering and the stamp are not the best combination, they aren't the worst.

The problem with mine is that I did not pencil in a grid and carefully fill up each rectangle with the flower - making sure I preserved the griddy-ness. Mine just looks like two stacks. It's a subtle detail - but it matters.

***

There is a lot more to appropriate at Sandra's website....if you like scandi-style designs. 

LINK to Sandra Hutter

FEB from Kate + coffee cartoon

February is always a fun month with lots of valentine inspired mail. Half of us send empty envelopes most of the time.  Kate's envelopes are often empty - but when she decided to do a card, they are always lovely.

I'm showing both sides of this one so you can see how it is stitched rather than glued - which is a very nice feature.  

***

I'm guessing there are some coffee aficionados amongst the readers.

Here's the link to Grickle - https://www.instagram.com/p/DVwAWaRjfHz/

I did not see any warning about reposting his work... so here it is... in case you don't have time to click the link.

FEB from AmyG

 

The days are flying by and I'm way behind on loading the blog posts. This is such a fun card. I usually feature the envelopes on top and AmyG's envelope is very nice - but I'm wild about the card. Circles, dots, white space, tiny little details to balance the bold circles. The border works so well. If you can't tell, the three circles are collaged.

The envelope has some ideas that I'll be appropriating. 

There is no add on today because I have to finish filling the posts. I'm writing this on March 26 - so there are only two weeks of posts filled. I try to stay a month a head. Today is the day that I am meeting with the contractor to hopefully finish up absolutely every last little detail of a project that I have been monitoring at my son's house. He has to go to work - so I agreed to be the person who lets people in to the house and answers questions. If anyone has ever owned a house and managed repairs, renovation and restoration - you know that it can get complicated. I might digress from my vigilance at keeping the focus of the blog on and share some public service announcements.

FEB from Judi - squaring off - APR to Judi

 

This is a fun one from fairly new exchanger,  Judi. I keep reminding myself to stay focused on the original intent of the blog - which was to share ideas and inspire people to use what they have learned in classes to make things. Most of us are making things as a hobby, rather than a business. Also, some of us have not taken any classes. There are self taught people who are very interested in letterforms. Other people who do not have a background in art enjoy experimenting with colors and decorations....doodads. 

As someone who has relied on *just dots* to create a fun envelope, I am supportive of all skill levels. I am also hesitant to offer suggestions where I see how one more little detail would add to the overall design. I am very sensitive to how a kind suggestion can come across as critical rather than critique.

So -- I rarely offer suggestions. I think I've done it with some people I actually know. But, I've hesitated to do it with the majority of the exchangers who I do not know.

Judi and I corresponded about a couple things and I'm going to ask her if it's OK to use her envelope to add a *fun tip* to the blog. We'll see how it goes. 

***

Judi said it was fine for me to offer tips on her envelope. The tip is on the rays. I'm not sure how she decided to alternate the two sizes. If she did the bold ones and then didn't like the spacing and added the fine ones - I can see how that's a logical solution. I don't have a problem with the two sizes - I just wonder why. By the time you get to the end of these comments - you'll see that I end up liking the two sizes.

My tip of the day is squaring off the stokes - and on Judi's - it's such a minor detail - because it looks like she used a broad edge nib - so the only thing that bothers me is the way some of the strokes angle.

On my example - I made the rays with a chisel tip marker to make them more square and consistent in straightness. I like to look at the details and Keith's rays look like they are a little less square on the outer end. So on the envelope - I only squared the end next to the circle.

Then I scrutinized the space between the circle and the rays and that needed fixing. 

Above - I made this after the envelope - and you can see how I have a pencil line to make the space between the red and black more even. 

Below - you can see how inconsistent the spacing is - between the rays. That really bothers me. I should have slowed down. 

The lettering bothered me. Changing the J to lower case helped.

I let this project go until the last minute - so - in the end - I like Judi's rays better than mine.

And the only thing I would fix about Judi's is to have them all radiating from the same point and avoid those angles on the tips.

I haven't even mailed this yet - since I'm writing this on April 6.

If I have time, Judi will get a bonus envelope.

I like the border Judi put on the stamp.

FEB from Mary

This is adorable. It's in my stack of ideas to appropriate. It's now March 18th as I write this. One workman showed up and almost finished. He has to come back with one final piece. The other guy, an electrician, had to reschedule for today. He said he'd be here at 7:30. I survived the dental appointment. Then I had to just surf for a while to let the dust settle and see what kind of energy I could generate. I was supposed to make a lemon meringue pie for pi day - so I might get around to that.

During the surfing, the entities that read everything I type and then select items to toss in between the things I have chosen to view must have determined that my whining about a dental appointment indicated that I would be interested in a tsunami of people sharing things that are medical/dental related and they are mind-numbing on multiple levels. 

I'm regretting that I shared anything about being sick or going to the dentist - but, I do not allow myself to go back and rewrite my posts because I am on a mission. The mission is to not backtrack. Just toss things out and keep moving. 

***

Real time add-on. I had deep regret yesterday when I read the post. On the other hand - we all go through the ups and downs of maintaining our selves and our surroundings. Lucky for us we have our envelopes to offer bright spots in the midst of the chores.

 

FEB from Jacqueline - muttering

 Jacqueline used one of my all time favorite Love stamps. I wonder if I can find one of the envelopes I did. I can picture them in my mind. Should I go look for them - or should I just focus on some writing to fill up the last five days that need filling.

I am still waiting for the workers. It was suggested that I be here at 8 am. It is now 9 am. At what time do I start making calls. Why am in a bad mood? I don't think I do a lot of whining unless I can figure out a way to make it halfway humorous. I think it's because I'm cold. 

Being cold reminds me that I could warm up if I moved around. That reminds me that I have forgotten to do my PT exercises for my knee thing. I'll go do that and see if it warms me up. I also have a dentist appointment later today. I'm pretty sure I've already posted that it's starting to bother me that the dentist and the dental technician are always so perky. Don't they know that nobody likes them and nobody wants to be enduring a dental appointment. Maybe I'll ask them if they have ever encountered a person who loves to be at their appointment. 

***

I chickened out. I just turned up the politeness knob that dishes out generic comments about the weather.

FEB from Julie - My Indiana Muse

This is the first envelope from Julie in WA. She enclosed a nice note, introducing herself. I noticed that Julie is making digital art which has always been included as an acceptable medium for the exchange. Kathleen Rea (I think that was her name) exchanged for quite a while and then disappeared. As I recall, she was the only person who made digital art. I will continue to welcome digital art even though most of us are making things by hand. 

If you read the blog daily, you might recall that I am trying to discourage people from doing collage and using washi tape because the USPS sorting machines are aggressive and collage and tape tends to get shredded. I am also taking a stand against sealing wax. Most of the time, the envelopes arrive with a blot where there had been sealing wax. Yes, I know it's *cool* - please save it for the gorgeous envelopes that you deliver by hand.

***

I loved this movie. It's for people who like art and are intrigued by artists who find a muse. This is a very slow paced look into some old slides of unknown origin that mesmerized an artist and the amazing way he was able to track down the full story of the person who captured his attention. It's a lovely story. Although, if you are not an artist and you often think that artists are off their rockers - you might not like it - or you might feel validated in your perspective.

My Indiana Muse

 

FEB from MacKenzie - Pondering houses

 MacKenzie's idea for her envelope is one that I would steal in a minute. It's also one that I could start right now and have my April envelopes all ready to go. 

***

It is now a few days after I wrote the first part. I did not get around to appropriating this idea. It will go in the stack of ideas to refer to when I need an idea. Currently, I need to focus on filling in the blurbs on seven envelopes that are loaded.

I'm waiting for two work guys to show up and do some work. I am at my son's house. I'm happy to be the person who hangs out while things get done around his house and he's at work. He's lucky that he has someone like me who has spent the past 47 years dealing with the maintenance and renovations of a house. 

I've always wanted to figure out what kind of structural material, etc would be the most maintenance free for a dwelling. I think something very industrial would be the way to go. Also, if you live in a place where the weather goes from 10°below to over 100° - you'll want to adjust for that. Maybe metal - with insulation? 

Maybe Juliana will weigh in on this topic. Juliana is our architect. I'd like everyone to submit a job title, please and thank you. Feel free to use a very subtle way to word your job title. For example, if you are a lawyer, you could say *counselor* since *counselor-at-law* is a thing. My favorite job title for myself is *scribe.*

What's the most interesting job you've ever encountered?

FEB from Nicky

 

I think Nicky has done some blackletter - or gothic - on previous envelopes. Nicky is our printmaker friend who does mostly animal prints. I love the cats. While I have never had a pet - I have done some pet sitting and appreciate very much that pets are treasured members of families. 

***

The add-on today is just a quick note to fill in the blanks on my reference to physical therapy for six weeks and the reference to convalescence. I'm not dealing with knee replacements - just doing platelet injections which is a regenerative procedure. I did it ten years ago and had very good results. Hopefully I can escape the replacing of the joints by having a booster shot. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to talk about tomorrow - even though it's going to be 30 seconds after I end this blurb when I start tomorrow's blurb.

FEB from Renee

Renee featured Abe Lincoln on her February envelope which was a lovely idea - and she included some nice quotes. The idea to write out a bunch of quotes on envelopes and have them ready to address is an idea that meanders through my mind quite often. I'm writing this on March 14th and I just mailed my envelopes this morning - which is late - for me. I don't really feel like starting the April envelopes. There's a ton of stuff on my to-do list. 

Blogger is doing something weird - so the blurb is going to stay up here. I rather doubt anyone pays attention to the order or how things are arranged on the page. I hope, if you pop by every day - it's just a quick stop and you know that the quality of the comments ebbs and flows. Maybe the comments are better when I get on a topic that lasts a few days. Maybe not. 

Whatever.

Let's all go do something productive.

Unless we are convalescing - then let's just be patient.

 

MAR from Maggie - APRIL sign-up

Dreamy pointed pen work from Maggie - and the envelope full of hearts - plus vintage stamps - and then the frosting on the cake - this pretty card. Sooooo pretty.

Today through April 4th is the window to sign-up. Lists are sent on the 5th.

If you participated in the MARCH exchange - just shoot me an email that says: SIGN ME UP - you do not need to retype your address and info.

Send your sign-up to:    PTEnvelopes-at-aol-dot-com

Let me know if it is your [Birthday] month or if you are willing to be on [2 Lists].

If you were not on a February list - or if you only sign up occasionally - or are a new exchanger - please send your information in the following format:

Jane Doe

123 Oak Street

Ames, IA 50010

janedoe@aol.com

[Birthday]  [2 Lists]  -- if those items apply

If you are new to the exchange - there are helpful details at this link:

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/p/rules-of-exchangement.html

 

FEB from JeanR

Here is another nice combo of stamp and cancel. I'm pretty sure I have almost a full sheet of the new love bird stamps. It just dawned on me that I have forgotten if *love birds* are actual birds. The popular source for questionably accurate information (PSQAI) says:

Yes, lovebirds are a real variety of small parrots belonging to the genus Agapornis. They are known for their strong pair bonds and affectionate nature, with nine species native to Africa and Madagascar

 

I don't think those birds on the new Love stamp are actual love birds - which is fine. 

This is drivel. I apologize. 

JeanR is migratory. 

I'm looking forward to seeing her when she gets back to Des Moines. 

***

Real time: That was a weird post yesterday and this one is lame. I'm currently working on the late April posts and am pretty excited about some of the topics that have popped up. They're better than this. Consistency is elusive.

FEB from Patty - poignant

This is from Patty. I don't think of Patty when I see a nice arrangement of vintage stamps. Is this something new? I like the cursive and I love the blues --- and I love-love-love the penguin. I like that bird on the head. There was a whole bird-on-the-head series quite a while ago. It included Finnbadger and Smash. In the olden days we had nicknames. Or maybe it was just those two. 

 

***

This morning I had some topic in mind and I needed a word - so I started this post - and then I was hungry and forgot to come back after I ate and now I have forgotten what I was going to write about. I seem to be in some kind of weird stupor after that whole virus ordeal. It seems to be gone - but, now I am in week one of a six week physical therapy ordeal on my knees.

poignant /poin′yənt/

adjective

1. Arousing deep emotion, especially pity or sorrow; touching: synonym: moving. 
   "a poignant memory; a poignant story."
   Similar: moving
2. Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings. 
   "poignant anxiety."
3. Physically painful.

I need a word that isn't this intense. Does anyone have one? 

Wistful is a nice word - but it's not intense enough and I'm not longing or yearning or desirous.

wistful /wĭst′fəl/

adjective

1. Full of melancholy longing or wishful yearning. 
2. Expressing sadness or yearning. 
3. Longing; wishful; desirous. 
   Similar: longingwishfuldesirous

FEB from Nanski - AI and Bob Ross

 Here is some additional info about mobile IV services because I've had a couple questions in emails. It was a nurse who came to the house to give me the IV. First she took my vitals and then communicated with a doctor and got the doctor's OK prior to starting the IV which included the prescription drug Zofran. She had a telescoping pole to hang the bag on and all the rest of her supplies fit in something similar to a rolling suitcase. It was a little larger than a carry-on size. 

I do not recall which service in Chicago we used, but added a link below to one of the services that popped up when I did a search for *Chicago mobile IV therapy.* They do not list Zofran on the website, but this one says the service is *Doctor owned.* I learned that the mobile IV service in Des Moines has Zofran - so it's probably available through most services - although I can see why they wouldn't be listing prescription drugs on a website. It's more of a hydration and wellness service. 

https://mobileivmedics.com/service-areas/illinois/chicago/  

Nanski had one of the Love stamps that came out a while ago. The rest of the envelope is a variation on the design she used with The Snowy Day stamp. I always an appreciate some variety in color palette with the Love stamps. Sticking to just red and pink is nice - which they do from time to time. There was also a nice insert. The cancel is pretty cute with the two birds peeking over the top of the stamp.

***Returning to the topic of why that style of illustration that AI offered when I asked it to make me a drawing of a portly cowboy at the airport. Side note: we do not have actual cowboys in Iowa. Some farmers lean towards what used to be called *western wear.* I can't imagine that actual cowboys wore bib overalls. The bib overall thing is much more of a farmer thing. And then there's Ralph Lauren. Cowboy chic. I'll always remember my cowboy uncle (an actual farmer/rancher in Montana) who had spilled battery acid on his denim jacket. He made a point of showing me that he had authentic *acid washed* denim apparel. Somehow he had heard about the latest trend in denim (at the time) which was distressing the clothing.

But, I digress. I said I would explain what I don't like about AI images - specifically the ones that popped up when I asked for one. Maybe there are other styles of AI illustration that are available somewhere - but I have only seen the one style that, to me, looks like Bob Ross paintings. They are realistic. However, they are lacking in an ineffable quality. Ineffable means there are no words - so we're in a bit of a bind here.

Let's try comparing it to voices. There are many people whose voices we recognize in an instant. Think of a famous singer whose voice you'd recognize easily. To me - paintings often have a *look* where you can identify the artist without looking at the name. Frank Lloyd Wright is an example of someone whose work is quite easy to spot. 

If you love Bob Ross artwork and you love AI artwork - that's fine with me. I imagine there is artwork that I love that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. 

This concludes my comments on AI - hopefully, for good and always. Time will tell.

I have a LOT of posts to fill. Wish me luck that it's not a pile of drivel.