video no. 2

i added my next video to the video section, located on the [video] tab at the top of the blog. it shows me outlining a name that is blue and green. i ended up mailing the envelope without scanning it, so i just did this quickly to have something to illustrate this post.

or you may just click this link
and you will need the password
envelope
to view the video

https://vimeo.com/89397303

password  -- envelope

there is no blog post for video no. 1.
i just added it to a post about an envelope. it is about outlining.
thank you to the people who posted comments.
i am way behind on responding to comments because i am uber-distracted with my new distraction, making videos.

coming soon:
polka dots
ferns

any other requests?

this is an image from the first video. go to the video tab above to get the link to it.

my va-ca mail - smash

i am seriously annoyed with the person who put that grease pencil mark on the envelope. the address is very clearly written.
BTW, smash....
i see the alphabet in the layers of the squarish rectangle...but wonder if there are words? or a pattern to the letters?
just curious.


i love this envelope and the way the cancel is right over the wand.
so pretty.
maybe i can figure out a way to remove the grease pencil.
any suggestions?

something green for my irish friends

this is my first envelope using the fern stamps. you have to buy them through USPS.com because they are 49-cents. they come in rolls of 10,000 for bulk mailing machines. but they do sell strips of 10 for people like us. this was done very quickly. i will have some more detailed ones. and i might do a video if i can twist jan's arm and get her to come hold the camera again. does anyone want to see how to make fern letters?
the street address will go above billings, in one line

warning

i have a shelf over my desk. i pulled that stamp off the backing and then decided to wait and do a new envelope. i thought i would get it done promptly, but the stamp ended up sitting on the shelf for at least 6 weeks. just a tiny portion of the corner was adhered to the shelf. in the photo, it is being held by a piece of double face tape. the adhesive on the stamp is dried up and it will no longer adhere to anything. so, if you are not going to use a stamp, put it back on the backing.

i tried out my new phone camera and the smallest setting for file size to see how this photo looks on the blog.

my va-ca mail - smash

smash wrote lyrics from ray charles songs on the paper when it was flat and then folded it into an envelope.

i mentioned a while ago that i would try to do a tutorial on how to make envelopes. i am having trouble getting around to that...so, you might google, how to make an envelope. you will find lots of tutorials.

i will include the link to one that shows up at the top of the list.
be sure to check out some of the others.


http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Envelope

my mail - jeri

this arrived recently from jeri. she made the envelope from a piece of printed paper that has been in her stash for a while.

i included her note because she has perfect little printing. my daughter took a photography class and was taking notes in all caps. the instructor scolded her for *yelling* in her notes. these were her own notes for her own use. i agree that typing in all caps is yelling...but good grief...how could this charming tiny cap writing be mistaken for yelling.

so pretty.
thank you jeri :-)

my va-ca mail - smash

this one, from smash is a wonderful example of uber-scribbling. she uses real nibs and ink or gouache. but, if you only have markers, you could get a similar look using bumpy paper. that's the layman's term for cold press watercolor paper. it's bumpy, not smooth like the hot press paper which is smooth, from being *ironed* with a *hot* iron.

my new favorite markers are
sakura pigma calligrapher markers
available from john neal
so far, the nibs have not mushed down.

my va-ca mail - finnbadger

thank you finnbadger for sending this envelope to me. i loved it when i saw it on your blog.
and i am really excited about the response image i found to send to you.
it is a famous phillip.
care to guess which one?

finnbadger does all his work on the computer. so, anyone who is not a scribe or artist, feel free to join in the fun using your computers. they are a valid tool.

note the way a postal worker took a sharpie to the stamp. aarrgghh. he/she could have at least drawn a cute hat.

my va-ca mail - christy

anyone who was reading the comments over the past 6 weeks would know that i headed out for a 2 week va-ca in january and due to weather, etc, it turned into a month or more. when i finally got home and you do not want me to detail the actual final trip that got me to DM....there was a huge stack of mail....including this one from a brand new penpal. it reminded me of jan 2013 when i was gone for a month and came home and found the first letter from smash which was a huge shot-in-the-arm for the blog, which led to tim-texas and finnbadger and cathy and candy and hester and betty and the other people that i might be forgetting this morning.

if today were international gratitude day, i would say THANK YOU in all caps :-)
christy clearly knows her way around with nibs and ink.
i will be posting a huge stack of mail over the next two weeks and little by little, i will also include my mail responses.


and.....to show my gratitude, i added a page and a video. if you look up above today's post, there  is a row of tabs [wedding envelopes] - [award winners] - [videos]
click on [videos] if you want my tips on how to outline. sorry about the mumbling. i will try to learn how to put it subtitles.

experimental

i jotted down the idea for letters like this. i think they were on white paper and all the spaces were filled in with a variety of colors. they look like simplified bernd letters.

google bernd letters and you will see a bunch.

i do not like the s in evans, so i might have to just mail this one inside an improved envelope, solving my problem of never having anything interesting to put inside envelopes.

jan - loopy dotty

another one from the day i was loopy. and i guess i am dotty every day. i don't know what it means to be dotty.
anyhow, i like that stamp. i'll need another one if i decide to mail this.

cartridge pens

i found a box with 3 osmiroid sets, 1 platignum, 1 waterman, 1 shaeffer, and 1 parker
and
a brand new, never been used
size 1 Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph.

if anyone is interested in any of these pens, let me know. some of them are selling for quite a bit on eBay. not sure i will get around to selling on eBay, but if anyone wants to make me an offer...
jmwilson411 (at) yahoo.com

where did they come from? people used to give them to me. i never used them...so most are in nearly new condition.

i have a whopperplate, too, but not sure i want to part with it yet. they are becoming quite sought after.

g-tec layering

this is from the desk cleaning in january. i found a whole stack of these radial layered scripts and rows of layered script. you could do the same thing with any kind of pen or marker. i found this stamp after the fact. it is probably better to choose your stamp first and then layer the colors you already see in the stamp.

i don't think my scanner likes to scan white paper. these look muddy. *sigh* scanners are so difficult or complicated.

8 of the month - 2 moms

so this is the third month in a row that i found an article about mail art. this seems to be two moms who use mail art to carve out a bit of time to be creative. they do collages.

you can see more of their work at the link below.

it looks like they blogged from 2009 to 2011.

i started feb 2010 and here it is mar 2014. they look like they try to do a lot of different things. i will attribute my success at sticking with this for so long to my lack of interest in other things. i do not recommend being so *narrow.* just observing.

http://museumofmotherhood.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/mamablogger365-special-10-week-online-exhibit-featuring-fe-mail-art/

bonus - undone

i took a stack of envelopes on my trip and thought i might make a few while sitting in airports. at one airport, there was a very cool desk set up in a long hallway. i am so mad that i did not take a photo of it. it would have been perfect to set up shop. it was outside of another office that was TSA. so, i suppose they would not have let me use the desk that was just sitting there....but maybe they would have. they swabbed my hands for explosives. i can't imagine why i looked like i had been packaging explosives....but, i passed the test.
anyhow....
this is what happens when i don't have a desk. i wanted to do something very fun with the stamp, dotting the i
but, after spending about 15 minutes searching through my stamps, the only one i liked was the forever globe
and i don't want to waste $1+ on this envelope.
i suppose something will eventually show up that will *go*
any suggestions?

ginger - leonardo

i thought i should take a break from the paint pen and tried some colored pencils. it was easy to start drawing like a four year old.  then i put in the name and address. and when i added gold uniball dots to the galaxy marker names....i had a new technique and wished i had more time to explore variations. but i was doing this back in december when i was on the futile attempt to get organized. now that i have ditched that goal, i will -no doubt- have time to come up with some fun layered galaxy and uniball ideas. why don't the pen and marker companies hire me?

my va-ca mail - smash

here are two more from smash. she was on a va-ca at the same time i was. she had the good sense to go to a warm spot. i actually ended up about a half hour from her snowy home.

i like the abstract swoop-dee-doos on the top one.
and on the bottom one, those are interesting flourishes on the h and l.
i don't recall ever seeing any like that.
and i like the - non-straight- base lines

thank you :-)

my va-ca mail

i love this one. the sender was not sure if i should blog it since it is an idea that she saw and *appropriated.*
i really don't think that this is a copywritable idea. the lesson books for learning to write in the Spencerian style show crossdrills which are pages of writing one letter at a time in rows that cross like this.
it's an idea...but, i just don't see it as something so unique that anyone could claim ownership. it reminds me of the brouhaha over zentangles. maria thomas gave the name to the concept of careful-exacting doodling. later someone confronted her with the work of a previous artist who had given a different name to the same concept. she pretty much shrugged it off as - yup, it's doodling. and went on her merry way. so....i think the idea of writing in rows - up/down/back/forth/kittycorner/cattycorner - is just writing. and...i can think of about 10 variations off the top of my head...so, let's see how many variations we can come up with. i know finnbadger is racing to his computer at this moment (cursing me for interrupting his day when he had other things to do that will not be getting done)

uh...*thanks* PO for the ugly red addition /:-(

ray's variations

i liked cathy's idea for the ray charles stamp so much, i didn't think i could come up with any idea that i liked as much. my usual way of coming up with ideas is to look at something on the stamp that i can repeat on the envelope. the most obvious thing was the black and orange stacked name. so, i tried the top one and was pretty happy with it. then i tried it in white. it's ok. not spectacular, but ok. the letters in *hills* are all so tall and skinny that they might look better shoved all the way to the left and no wider than the n-a.

jeri's orange series

this was my first copy of cathy's design that i posted back in feb. i found a dozen orange envelopes, so i hope to do one a month for jeri because she is a big fan of orange.

peggy - loopy-no dots

 these were the first ones in the loopy/dotty series. this is a favorite style of mine. but, i don't know if anyone else likes it. i guess i don't have much to say about it. it would be fun to see examples done by other people. i always enjoy seeing how people tweak ideas. and as always, the stamps that feature artwork are very complimentary to artsy writing.

variations

stella's is a variation on the gingerbread house lettering. it is also the first one where i tried the finnbadger suggestion to cut up stamps to make more interesting design elements. he's trying to see how wasteful i can get. not very. the only ones i can cut up so far are the italian ones that do not even have adhesive on them. but i am sure i will succumb to the temptation to slice-dice-waste perfectly good u.s. stamps. and the one to pam is my first Dubosch JUBILEE Script where i started to ignore the carefully ruled lines.

finnbadger's mail

this was on finnbadgers blog back in january. i get a lot of good responses from the guest artists. this one is sooooooooooo pretty. as i have said many times, i LOVE polka dots. i don't know how many of you follow finnbadger's blog. i have a link to it over there on the right. this is from miss cathy from mississippi, our resident postal worker. i think the p.o. should feature her in some of their philatelic promotional pieces. this is advanced level lettering, but even if your lettering was not advance, the layout and dots is a very stealworthy idea.

graceful envelope

This was Best in Show last year.
Below is the post with details about how to enter. I've had 8-10 envelopes accepted over the years. I probably don'thave time to enter this year. But, I like to remind others to enter. The link below is also a great place to troll for ideas.

Ssssssssss.. . that's the sound of time slipping away as the deadline
approaches for your entries in the 2014 Graceful Envelope Contest.

This year's theme -- The Superlative Letter "S" -- allows you to show your
style and spirit by symbolizing some sentiment starting with S. So set
aside some time, since all envelopes must be postmarked by March 24, 2014.

Winners will be chosen based on artistic hand lettering, creative
interpretation of the theme and effective use of color and design,
including incorporation of postage stamp(s). There is no entry fee.

For rules and galleries of winning envelopes from past years, visit
http://calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html

The Graceful Envelope Contest is conducted by the Washington (DC)
Calligraphers Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers. The
contest is open to all ages, with separate categories for children.

Send your entry through the mail to:
The Graceful Envelope Contest
100 Indiana Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001

krafty hannah

i think i have 10 kraft envelopes lined up that will appear on the first of each month. black marker, outlines, white details with the white gel pen.

art via post

hester sent me a link to this website. it is a call for entries. someone wants to have a mail art exhibit. i did not check into the details. sometimes there are very worthy causes behind an exhibit. sometimes it is just someone who wants to get their own career going. either way, i'm happy to drop an envelope in the mail. i'll jump on any excuse to make an envelope. of course, i did not let the ink dry and smeared it, so i had to fill in all that colored pencil detail. i was happy to have an excuse to try it to see how it looks. i'd like to do all the lettering a lot closer...but i think it would become very difficult to read. i chose stamps that had to do with the postal system.
so...hester, if you go to the exhibit...let us know.

elizabeth - loopy-love

another one from the day i was looping and filling in loops. this stamp is so perfect. if is decide to actually mail it, i suppose i'd stick johnny cash down there under the zip. johnny goes with everything. although a big black square might be too heavy. i'll keep looking and repost if i find something perfect.

from smash - bleach

isn't this scrumptious?
i'm 99% sure she wrote in bleach on black paper. i love writing in bleach, but don't do it very often.
so perfect with this stamp.
this is certainly in my top ten favorites from smashgirl.
thank you!!

watch options

i can't decide whether to send to finnbadger or cathy. is one of these options better than the other?

i think the red guy is from the star wars stamps.

the address will be in one, tiny line from left edge to right edge, level with the little knob with the red detail.

from tim texas

tim texas must have checked the blog on the day i was showing the blooper address on finnbadger's envelope. so rather than read the post, he just copied it off...and i suppose today, finnbadger is sitting there working on an envelope and he's thinking "gee, i wonder if it is 420 or 440? i don't want to mess up...again," and then he flips to the blog and he sees this one...and does another 440. and 420 is such a popular number...sometimes i sound like i am suffering with 420...but, i am not. it's something else. maybe i should disclose what it is. decisions. decisions. any guesses? OK, i'll tell you. it's coffee.

whew

note to self. avoid traveling in the winter.
i am home, and there were 11 pieces of mail.
one is a brand new penpal.
i look forward to sharing all of these with you in the coming days :-)

from smash - pretty in pink

the scan does not look quite right. the colors were a perfect match with the stamp. and the overall effect on the background is really beautiful in person. i do very little in the way of making these all-over backgrounds. so, i really admire the ones that turn out so well. it looks very quick and easy, but there is a learning curve. if you don't know what you are doing, it's pretty easy to just make a big muddy mess.

michelle - gingerbread /king&queen

i had run out of gingerbread stamps and really liked how the king and queen looked with the lettering and the orange hearts are perfect, too.

the sakura paint pen letters are outlined with a white gel pen (uniball) and the orange hearts are gel marker. either crayola or galaxy.

jan - starwars birthday

this is an idea that needs more work. i started with colored pencil, then outlined it with a gray glaze pen then added white gel pen. it is a hodge podge. but, the stamp looks great. i ended up just giving the envelope to jan in person and saved the stamp for something else.

i do think the style of lettering on the happy birthday was worth posting. it is a style that requires very little skill...just imagination...and looking for fun ways to make variations of the letters.

blair's birthday

blair's birthday was a while ago. she has been working so hard on her penmanship. the flowers are just simple lines and dots and a few dashes.

only tip...turn the envelope. that orange flower on the left turns out better if you make the lines using a back-and-forth motion...and you need to turn the envelope a quarter turn, so your hand is moving left to right when you make the petals.  dang, i need to find the cord to my flip cam and make a tutorial.

cathy - storm trooper

the juxtaposition of the stormtrooper with the plants amuses me. the plants remind me of poison ivy. they aren't. but, i am always impressed with the plants that have figured out how to be warriors. so, this would be perfect if the images were poison ivy. i also like the juxtaposition of the old school penmanship with the star wars guy. i remember liking some of the old school touches in the movie. a Nikko G nib and McCaffrey's ink worked just fine on the slick catalog paper.

from finnbadger - dots

this is the full envelope. i posted just the 440 part a while back. it is a paper sack. he used scotch tape to close the end, which is OK. i should probably send him a roll of double face tape. i think he would really like it.

the way he figured out how to use the dots for, the dot in wilson, the ) in 440 (which should have been 420) and the o in moines and the o in iowa is *jean-ius*

grasshopper is UH-MAZE-ING
why am i talking like a teenager?

stella - blue vase

this one does not have a stamp. the round stamp with an image of the earth fits perfectly in that glass orb. but,m if i apply the stamp, then you won't see the orb. now i am thinking of making a vellum outer envelope. there is something a little disturbing about making elaborate mail, with double envelopes, and nothing inside. but, the list of other pastimes that are more disturbing is pretty long. this is a page from a magazine, folded into an envelope.

cathy - yoda

i like the way the shadow on the bottom band of gray makes the stamp look like it is sitting up in front of the stack of fabric. the blue in the stamp doesn't quite fit in, but, it's a fun idea. i like the greek key inspired lettering.

from smash

this one arrived with only one 29 -cent stamp. but, if you look closely, you can see that there is a 1/4 of the cancel that is missing, where there had been a stamp. this might be gouache. it was definitely done with a pointed pen. it is worth it to learn how to write with a pointed nib and ink because this kind of writing is so much fun and once you have some basic shapes down, it is really fun to do loose casual scripts.

guest artist - brad mc cormick

http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/envelopes3.html#brochLetter

 

 above is the link to brad mc cormick's site. he does all his envelopes on the computer. they are very clever and some of you might enjoy surfing around on his sight and seeing his envelopes and reading the stories behind them.

i did not contact him and ask permission to repost this. if he sees it and wants me to take it down, i will do so.

jeri - ignore the stamp topic

amy has a huge stash of stamps and offered to share some with me. certain ones, she reserved. the alcoholism stamps were not in her reserved stack. i jumped on them because i loved the font. then, i had a big problem. every time i wanted to use them, i figured they would be a terrible insult to the recipient. then, i decided that i would just have to risk it. jeri is the least likely person i know to be an alcoholic. below is a photo of her with a *tree-cozy* that she knit for a tree in her home town. if that isn't proof that she is a very sober person, i don't know what is. jeri is on the right. my mom is on the left.

this could be a lesson in how to look at fonts and figure out your own letters. if anyone is interested in a full lesson, let me know in the comment section, and i will add some font-copying lessons.

potter series - glasses

i was pretty happy with how this one turned out. partly, the color of the envelope helps. then, the galaxy metallic marker was very nice and i like the gold dots on top. sometimes having hundreds of markers and pens is a very good thing. i doubt i could have come up with anything i liked without special markers and pens. the gold dots were also galaxy markers, not gel pens.

leftovers

i didn't buy any of the poinsettia stamps this year. in cleaning off the desk, i found this envelope and this style is ok with the poinsettias. the little green dots look like pollen and poinsettias drop a ton of pollen. i do not know what kind of gel pen this was. super glittery - in the kathy-collection.

misssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss cathy

ever since i mailed my first envelope to miss cathy, i have wanted to do an envelope with an endless missississississississ.
and i intended to actually write some nice esses, but, i ended up being lazy. no surprise there. but, i like the effect. this was done in december when i had stamps off holiday cards. i never bought any of the poinsettia stamps. they are pretty. just didn't have time.

oops, i chopped off part of the envelope on the scan.

smash - aesemic writing

anothe aesemic writing sample from smash. i think i have one of those stamps left over in my collection, so i may *scribble* a response envelope and maybe tie in my DuBoschJUBILEEscript obsession as well.

guest artist - bill mayer

http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2013/05/envelope-art-high-and-low.html

a link to a blog about illustration art. this post has more images from an exhibit of bill mayer's envelopes. i have never heard of him. an interesting read, if you are looking to kill time.

i will look for 10 more complete articles so that on the 8th of every month, there is a full article about someone who is into mail art. i had one in jan and now this one.

here is the link in one line, in case links work better when they are on one line

http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2013/05/envelope-art-high-and-low.html