layering

another sample of layering. this is a reject from a set i did that were attached to gift baskets. they did not go in the mail. this one was too slanted, so i did it over.

marker lettering

this is a scan of a poor color copy. i always liked the way i crossed the t in kate. there are so many angles in K-A and that particular style of E that the X on the top of the t-stem just seems to go along with the other letters.

this is also a good example of layering markers, imho.

2011 stamps

http://beyondtheperf.com/stamp-releases/2010

above is the link to the USPS site for stamp enthusiasts. on the lower left corner is a link to sign up for the magazine/catalog they send that has all the new stamps. this is part of the usps.com website, where you can order stamps online. many people are unaware that the usps will bring stamps directly to you for $1 s&h. it's an easy way to get all the stamps they offer. now...if they would just post the pictures of the ones coming out in 2011. they did issue two more, but they are really boring. space related...and just pictures of guys.

neuland rocks

i love neuland. these are very old. back in the day when i would address an envelope and then look for a stamp. i refuse to put a stamp on an envelope if the stamp clashes with the lettering. so...now i always have my stamp ready. i know people who will spend a LOT of time on an envelope and then go to the p.o. and see what they can find. seriously. i couldn't do that.

i also had a client call me from the parking lot at the p.o., in tears because the postal worker did not have any stamps that matched her envelope and then the postal worker barked at her, "good grief, it's just a stamp." you'd think the postal workers would appreciate our dedication to their product.

could be xmas

with a little tweeking, these flourishes could be poinsettias. or holly.
note-to-self: scan and post favorite holly flourishes.

ashleigh brilliant

i posted about these verse-addresses a while back. nobody seems as excited about them as i am. except for ashleigh. it was his idea. i figured i would send one to him. i imagine it is ok to post his address on the internet. he has it posted at his website. he also has directions for how to get to his house. so....if you are in the neighborhood, drop in. buy a postcard or two or ten. he's a charming fellow. you can also commission him to write a verse address. you can commission me, too. but his are much better.

one of these days i am going to post the poem i wrote for my own holiday card. it was one of those years when the postal rates were going up. i might even get really organized and have an advent calendar countdown for the month of december. how cool would that be, to have a piece of mail that arrives every day to open, instead of the calendar. would have to work around sundays. guess the saturday envelope could have a second one inside...note-to-self follow up on this idea

masterful

my milwaukee penpal did a fabulous job of creating a design using three stamps. she made lemonade out of the sour situation of needing to add a few cents to an old stamp. note how she took bits and pieces off the stamps and applied them to the lettering. nice touch to tuck the star behind the ribbon.

note how the ribbon curls around the jean and becomes the W. and then the adorable little person hanging between the W and L. and then there is the puddle around the bottom of the letters. very curious. maybe this penpal will explain. there is a clue, but...i think she needs to comment before we say more.

monster stamps

lettering is done with a brush marker. make top-to-bottom strokes and lift the marker as you get to the bottom. then go back and add the black. this was to go with a monster stamps. i know i just missed halloween, but this would be very nice done in pale blue,it would look like snow. instead of black, do the shading in a dark gray...a cool gray, not a warm gray. or make it into chocolate syrup dripping over the top of a huge banana split. show some restraint when you put the cherries on top. i don't think you want a cherry on top of every single letter.

card design

i don't have the card, but this envelope was inspired by a greeting card. i suppose i never mailed it because i did not have the perfect stamp to go with it. still no pictures of the stamp designs for 2011. there is a hopper stamp pictured and a lunar new year that has some kind of fruit.

the petals and leaves on the envelope are made by tapping the side of a brush marker. to make perfect little flowers, you need to rotate the envelope so that your hand is in the same position when you tap the petals.

note to self, get a video camera and make some instructional videos.

sharpie blobs

i would have to interview the artist who sent this envelope, but i think she started with her sharpies and found them to be a bit bleedy, so she just went with the flow and used the bleediness to enhance the whole design. those three white dots (and two smaller white dots)are perfect on top of the orange lettering. they add so much. another place that a little restraint is appropriate is on the dots on the address line lettering. she did not put dots on the end of every stroke. that would have been too much.

kathy series

not the best lettering, but the circle part of the postmark is a perfect harvest moon. and the little guy running across the top looks like he's been in on some halloween shenanigans.

holiday mail

the year the monster stamps came out, i actually used them on my holiday cards. i will find one and post it. this isn't my finest lettering so i will add a bonus envelope done by someone who took a few lettering lessons. she really caught on to the idea of lifting the design off the card or stamp and using it on the envelope.

kathy series

two today because that second one is blah. the top one is ok. not the best of the clothesline series.


must have been near st patricks day. the green is not a good choice with that stamp. does anyone know who that character is on the cancel?

kathy series

so many things wrong with this one. if you are in my current class at the moment, feel free to express your utter shock and horror at our next class. if you can't tell what's wrong...then you will have some homework. extra homework.

kathy series

remember the ones with stamps on clotheslines...this time i decided to just throw it in the dryer

kathy series

not my best work, but the idea is worth looking at. i chose one little shape off the basket to add to the bare bones lettering. this one is not successful because the name is not free. it looks forced. then the doo-dads look forced as well. what it needed was a bold layering move that might have made it worse or it might have made it better.

and i'm thinking that it would have been better to pencil a circle and put the name into a circle to echo the round shape of the basket. the rectangle of the name conflicts with all the graceful curves.

kathy series

the top scan is the back of the envelope...alerting the reader to ignore the oops-es. and then the front of the envelope advised the reader to cut off the margins.

it is fun to learn one flourish and then see how many directions you can send it.

kathy series

the kathy is not so good, but i like the schneider. need to pull this one out and work on that style some more. it's done on a hunk of cardboard. recycled cardboard is nice for postcards. its a pretty color. i usually have a stack of cut pieces of cardboard ready to go for quick notes to people. easier to jot down a quick message on a postcard....rather than find an envelope and something to go inside.

kathy series

i have no idea how to do nice block lettering. this was an experiment. it would not have made the blog, except that i have a few bizzy weeks coming up and i need to get many days of blogging scheduled to run. i know there are a couple of you who would be disappointed to not have your daily envelope.

kathy series

i think this was done with a tombo brand brush marker. i do not usually buy them, unless i am trying to match a certain color of ink. they are nice markers and if you are compelled to buy more markers, go ahead and try them. i think they work nicely if you like to brush ink onto a rubber stamp and then stamp it. the new ones are very juicy and make nice brush lettering not that this is an example of nice brush lettering. it's an example of sending mail...quickly. not every envelope needs to be a masterpiece.

maps

this is a quick idea off the top of my head. i hope i have time to do some more like these featuring maps of the states. i love maps.

sorry this one is late. i schedule posts ahead of time and forgot to reset the clock to 1 am.

kathy series

i don't always care for the envelopes when i spend too much time drawing subject matter. these are dopey. but, it's a fun idea if you like to draw flowers. or if you like to morph letters into objects.

kathy series

this one is going on my wall chart, too. i need to use this idea again.

kathy series

trog was a guy in a cartoon that i sent in the envelope. these flower stamps were wonderful. i did so many custom invitations that were designed around the stamps when they were available.

kathy series

loved loved loved the eames stamps
i hope the ones on the list for 2011 that mention *design* are on par with these

kathy series

this one belongs back with the ones that had the crazy spelling.

kathy series

yes, more scribbles. i shoudl send a thank you to the p.o. for delivering such a scribbled mess. they in turn, should send me a thank you for buying so many stamps and promoting the sending of mail.

kathy series

i know i spent very little time on the drawings. they look like they are wearing straw hats. but, it's a cute idea.

kathy series

this one took a little time. wrote the name, outlined it, added gold dots. squeezed in the *i* in schneider. the polka dots don't really go with that stamp. but, i'd do that lettering again if i found a stamp that had something dotty about it. the combination of gold with black is nice. i'm guessing it was a gold sharpie. although i have some other gold markers.

kathy series

once again, the p.o. did a nice cancel.

here are the upcoming designs for stamps in 2011

# Lunar New Year - Year of the Rabbit
# Black Heritage - Barbara Jordan
# Kansas Statehood
# Ronald Reagan
# Garden of Love - a set of 10 flower stamps
# Jazz
# Legends of Hollywood - Gregory Peck
# Helen Hayes - The "First Lady of Theater"
# The Civil War, 1861 - souvenir sheet of stamps and the first in a five-year series
# Indianapolis 500
# Owney the Postal Dog
# American Treasures - Edward Hopper, The Long Leg - the stamp that was canceled in 2009
# Mercury Project & MESSENGER Mission - a set of 2 stamps, one featuring Alan Shepard
# U.S. Merchant Marine - a block of 4 stamps featuring historic vessels
# American Scientists - Melvin Calvin, Asa Gray, Maria Goeppert Mayer, and Severo Ochoa
# Latin Music Legends - Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena, Carlos Gardel, and Celia Cruz
# Romare Bearden - set of 4 stamps
# Pioneers of American Industrial Design - set of 12 stamps
# Flags of our Nation - set #5 in the series
# Literary Arts - Mark Twain
# Christmas - Madonna of the Candelabra
# Holiday Contemporary - Holiday Baubles

kathy series

a variation on the landscape. the p.o. says it will have some flower stamps in 2011. i hope they are as good as these.