MarPTEX - Tan Big Script

It took me three tries to make a Leslie that I liked. Then I wanted to add something, but chickened out.

Ditto on Lauren's and Patty's. Patty knows I struggle with her name.

I'm almost done with the March exchange envelope. It was the month that gave me a pseudo migraine. I don't actually make myself sick over my obsessing. But there is some weird thing that takes over.

As some of you have pointed out, I preach that we should all be more positive and not bad-mouth our work --- and then I bad-mouth my own work. So, I'll have to resolve that. There must be something logical going on. Obviously, if you make stuff --- you probably don't do everything *just-right* the first time. Maybe I should compare it to cooking. You might try a new recipe and then tweak it.

I guess my comments are just suggestions for tweaking. If I had unlimited funds for envelopes, I would just do each one enough times that I got to a place where I was happy with them.

OH.MY.GOSH.
I just remembered --- an envelope company contacted me about doing business --- I was out of town and told them I would get back to them --- I must do that (4-27-19)

Apr PTEX from Diane, Inta and Troy

Diane does some beautiful pointed pen work and she also makes those cool flowers where you load a paint brush and make carefully placed an choreographed strokes.

Below is Inta's pretty handmade envelope. I can't tell if it is a cake or a hatbox or a painting intended to be ambiguous.

And below that is Troy's envelope. I like the organic feel of the lettering. But, I am confused about why he put two stamps on the envelope.

Oh, never mind. I figured it out. His envelope is really close to 6-1/8" tall. It is slightly under - so it would have been fine with one stamp.
But he was probably concerned - and decided to play it safe. Am I right, Troy?

MarPTEX - Restraining the Rainbow

Two more where I finally figured out that I might do a better job if I did not use all the colors in the rainbow set.

Kate's is OK. If I had it to do over, I would have made the K and R larger. But at least the white space is not offensive.

On Robert's, I desperately wanted to add something - but as I recall, I let it go that way. Maybe not. It's weird how I can't remember anything once it is mailed. Although, I do remember how disappointed I was in myself that I did not do something better for Robert. This was his first time exchanging. I should have one idea ( or a few )  that I love - to use whenever there is a new person in the exchange.

There are so many people who only do the exchange once -- and I always wonder if they are disappointed in what they receive. But, I do not spend much time on that kind of pondering. The *whys* behind participation will be mysteries -- forever. Unless I win the lottery. Then I will hire a crew to drive me around the USA in a big tour bus and I will visit eVeRyOnE - both the frequent exchangers as well as the one-timers. And there will be a video crew. A YouTube channel where you can watch my conversations. I wonder where one goes to order a tour bus?

We already know that any question can be answered in one click. Here is my dream trip vehicle.

https://premieretransportation.com/travel-to-the-top

Atlas Obscura had a contest recently. They were looking for people to describe a dream trip and there will be winners. Sadly, they were not impressed with my dream trip and I received a polite email letting me know how much they enjoyed reading all the entries. They will feature the winning trips at some point and I'll post them here so we can decide if they were more worthy than my trip.

Frozen Treats from GraceE + Design Tip Information

This was a bonus envelope from GraceE last year - you need to click on the image to enlarge it and see the gorgeous detail.

I'm writing this in November - and hoping that they printed a ton of those stamps and that they will be available through the summer of 2019.

********* June 18th P.S.

I am cross-posting this information on one of my other blogs. Art for the Intimidated.

It has taken 6 years to come up with the second post on my Art for the Intimidated blog. Art for the Intimidated was a class I designed and you may read all about it on the tab labeled History. (It is not written, yet. I'll work on it.)

I get many requests for Design Tips. While it is easy to rattle off lots of tips, I read an article this morning that explains why *tips* are only half helpful.

You may read the full article here:

https://painterskeys.com/the-mother-of-all-tips/


Robert Genn gave me permission to reprint and link to his material. He has passed on and his daughter reruns articles that he wrote over the years. If you have time, go to the archive and read all of them.

The point he made that resonated with me is this:
 ...many would-be artists confuse interest with aptitude. Interest alone does not a great artist make. Most of us who would make art need a bit of talent, a dose of character, and good work habits.

IMHO taking classes or workshops is part of the work that is necessary. It takes work. That is why they call it artwork. Most of the work that looks effortless actually took a lot of work.

I will be posting some tips on the other blog. I'll cross post them here.

I am happy to share tips, but I also know that to really understand and apply design principles, you need to *work.* That is the value of taking formal classes. You get assignments and you struggle and then what you learn becomes second nature. Like learning to ride a bike or drive a car or fly a jet airplane. Three different levels of difficulty. It is obvious that the learning curve on each is different.

It is the same with art. You can learn a few tips to make your work look better. Or you can study harder and get to my *drive a car* level. Or you can immerse yourself in the topic and become a rock star designer (jet pilot). I'm no rock star. But, I do have some skill that pleases my eye from time to time.

People who are at the bicycle level are welcome to read my tips. There are endless internet opportunities to find other tips as well as full blown education. Enjoy the journey.

MarPTEX - to Tina

This one was done with the markers that were used on all those rainbow envelopes that gave me a migraine.

At the very end, I finally figured out how to not use all the colors. I did not have any stamps in mind, so these are not my favorites - but at least they did a good job of contributing to the hoard-reduction.

Maybe I should have just done vine work on all the envelopes. Maybe May will be vinework month.

From Lisa and JeanR - July - Stars and Scraps

Top one from Lisa came in July - hence the stars. I like the Mr.Rogers stamp as an alternative to the flags.

And below - from JeanR - some collage that looks like she might have been using up some scrap paper. It looks like paper that was sitting to the side of the desk where there was a lot of pen-testing. I always like *test paper.* Years ago, when I taught Art for the Intimidated, when we did the unit on painting, I always handed out a piece of scrap paper and showed how essential it was to do a test stroke before you headed to the paper. Then I would sneak around and collect them and show how many of them could be cropped and turned into very pleasing abstract painting. There is something about mindless strokes that can be very fresh.

***

Swedish Death Cleaning in the kitchen. I decided the sell by date on pasta was just a technicality. Pasta lasts forever, right? I stopped eating pasta - but needed to feed Mr. Wilson. There were no bad side effects - and it has been over a week. Now I am pondering the cocoa from 2013. I can't imagine there is anything wrong with it. He gets one chocolate cake per year (in February) so a can of cocoa is going to last a long time. My question is not - should I continue to eat these items - should I be sharing the details with Mr. Wilson before he has dinner?

4th of July from Janet and Jolene

This envelope is pretty dreamy. Janet made two comments. One on a note inside that said she had "gotten a little carried away with the marbling." And then on the flap she wrote, "Sorry for the visual overload."

I dunno. It looks like the 4th of July to me.....it is a rare day that I can say that I like an envelope with flag stamps....and I really like this one.

I do not have any idea how she did this one. She has grandkids. Maybe it's the shaving cream technique. Maybe she'll send us an email with directions. Maybe it is a trade secret.

*****

Now it is June 9th - and I am adding one more 4th of July idea to this post. It arrived in May from Jolene. She used washi tape and the lettering is Akim. If you Google *akim* you can find exemplars. There is also an envelope from this blog that pops up that includes Akim in the blurb - but I need to modify the blurb because I was clearly off my rocker the day I wrote it.

Cleaver way to put the stamp on a flagpole and props to the PO for the nice placement of the cancel. Not that they can choose where a machine cancels - so it's props to the PO for not sending it through multiple times.

MarPTEX to INTA

INTA always signs up for the exchange with her name in all caps.

As I have mentioned before, I struggle with mixing stamps on the non-US addresses.

At the end of the March addressing, I was brain-fried from making poor choices and appropriated these WPA posters from the folder that Mr. Wilson keeps with stamps. I had only recently discovered them.

They are so pretty - and I like the soft colors - I knew the lettering needed something stronger, somewhere -- but I chickened out.

Mar PTEX - St. Patrick's Day

Here are all the St. Patrick's Day ideas that arrived in March.

Maggie had the cutest pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on the stamp. I'm honored that I got that stamp as it was not available in multiples of that one - it came in a set with others.

Leslie used a nib and ink and paired it with March Madness - the basketball.

Maureen's is so pretty because white on a dark color is lovely and she has taken the time to learn how to use nibs and ink.

GraceE also has some dreamy pointed pen lettering. Each of these deserve to have their own posting, but there are not enough days in a year to give each person their own post.

MarPTEX - The Last Quilts

Might be the last quilts. There might be two left to use on a US address.

When I was at the vintage stamp store looking for a second sheet of the illustrator stamps, there were probably a dozen sheets of these quilts. It was sooooo tempting to get more. Luckily, it was fresh in my mind that I really had not done a very good job with my last sheet.

There was also a sheet of the Hanukkah candles that look great on birthday envelopes. I was so tempted. The BHB actually encouraged me to buy them. I had to snap at him that he is supposed to be supporting my rehab.

The guy running the shop looked at us like we were nuts and even made fun of me, out loud, for thinking a $6.80 purchase was out of line. He normally only works in the coin section of the shop and has very little interest in stamps. I like those stores where it is very clear that collecting things is akin to being addicted to drugs. But we agree to joke about it. I asked what the most expensive coin was that he had ever sold. A Morgan dollar - $45,000. That's why he laughs at a $6 purchase.

THEN -- (dramatic music - dunt-dunt-dunt)  we started talking about the option to buy stamps at LESS THAN FACE VALUE. Yup, the owner of the shop (who was not there that day) sells bags of stamps that are worth $100 but he only charges --- $85 or maybe it was a different number. Way back when I did buy a bag of them but I had to take whatever he put in the bag. It never occured to me to ask him if I could participate in the selection of the stamps. I'm pretty sure I can restrain myself from even asking --- but maybe not.

I'll keep all y'all posted.

Bonus Post - May PTEX from KateR

KateR sent this fun versal-esque design. I kept looking at that D and finally realized it is an N. The POs additions are nice.

It is etched in stone in my head: Do NOT go to the PO on Monday. So, yesterday (Monday), my pea-brain was at home on a shelf and I stopped in to see Bruce, Mr. Reliable. Bruce was not there, so I went to *Red* who does not wear a nametag. After a miserable experience with creating the envelopes (which is why I was so intent on getting them out of the house), it went from bad to worse. Red was not able to add 37+37 in her head. She stamped the square envelopes with a non-machinable rubber stamp. And then she decided that my From: and To: were not going to work. There's more, but I will spare you.

It was a good lesson in how to stop obsessing. Four exchangers got an email from me yesterday apologizing for the envelopes. OK, that's just plain nuts. I'm perfectly happy to be quirky - but I draw the line at nuts.

Sometimes we make things that turn out perfectly. Other times they offend us deeply - and we are responsible for making - pardon my French - complete crap - which completely undermines our self-worth. I'm getting a handle on this. If anyone can relate - I hope you can use this as a reminder to not be so frustrated when things do not turn out the way you were imagining.

Once upon a time I met a guy who was a professional watercolor artist. One of the things I learned from him was that he worked on 30 paintings at a time. This allows time for each layer to dry. He said that of the 30 he was working on only about 3 would end up as finished artwork to sell. I remember being surprised, but I have learned over the years that with some mediums, you have a certain amount of waste and you have to accept that.

I learned that in the summer of 1969 - so, it is one of those lessons that is 50 years old. Why do some lessons stick but others are revolving door situations?

Regular daily post right below.

Mar PTEX from Pam and SuzanneB

Flowers pop up quite often in the exchange. If I had time, I would go back and see if there was ever a month without any flowers. Maybe October --

Pam's is on top. A nice coordination with the stamps. I like the lettering on my name, too.

SuzanneB did some really delicate drawing on the flowers. You probably need to see it in person to appreciate how delicate it is. She included a sweet little birdy gift card.

You'd think when I am churning out ideas that are not pleasing me that I would learn to put flowers in the lower left. It is a pretty fool-proof design.

Big news on the computer front. The Big Brainy Helpful Brother told me for the umpteenth time that my computer would be slow if I kept 20+ tabs open at one time. This time he told me over FaceTime and he was wearing his *mean* glasses and a hat and the lighting was ominous and he completely intimidated me. It was really scary. But, it reformed me - magically and instantly.

So - I am opening a new business. It's called UncleDonis. My brother is a Donald and Uncle Fremmis is -bar none- the best short story ever written. I regret spoiling it for all y'all but, I have to relate the premise. In a nutshell, Uncle Fremmis is a guy who can fix things. BigHelpfulBrother is a genius at fixing things. A frickin' genius (I'll tell a story later) Uncle Fremmis gets into the business of *fixing* people. I won't tell you exactly how he does it - but it is a rather intimidating process. BigHelpfulBrother is very intimidating when he wants to be. So, I am going to set up a business where people pay me for the opportunity to have the BHB *fix* some stupid thing they keep doing.
I'm not sure how I can get the BHB onboard - but it seems like a waste of his talent that I am the only one who gets all my ineptitude fixed. Seems like something we should offer to a wider audience.

Bonus Post - Art Cover Exchange

This envelope, by Carol DuBosch, is another winner in the Graceful Envelope 2019 contest. Carol is a pen pal and if you do a search on the blog, you will find many wonderful examples of her work.

I've been meaning to pass along the link to the Art Cover Exchange Club. A couple readers alerted me to the club when they saw that I had some other readers who were interested in illustrated envelopes.

Covers is the word that stamp collectors use for *envelopes.* I don't know why and I am resisting the temptation to research the topic.

Side note: my computer has become very slow and uncooperative. I am going to use this as a secret helper in my quest to get more things on the to-do list done.

Here is a link to the Art Cover Exchange Club

http://www.artcoverexchange.org/index.php?p=1_3_About-ACE

MarPTEX - Last Four Rainbows

Good riddance to the last 4 envelopes that were attempts to do something fun with the set of 12 rainbow hued brush markers.

Rachel's is OK - but the stamp is a cringeworthy choice.

Jessica's is ho-hum and one last kick-myself for not using just read and purple.

The birthday greetings to Sue probably offend me the least because the stamps coordinate fairly well.

And Grace deserves a replacement because it is *arf-y.* Grace has done a couple envelopes with similar lettering in the background - except she fills the entire envelope. I like her design and might do a second attempt at stealing it - but I might stick closer to what she does. Part of stealing (or being inspired) by ideas is not doing exactly the same as what someone else did --- but sometimes straying too far misses the feature that made the element successful.

Mar-Apr PTEX from Tina, Fatima, Finn

I love Tina's March envelope and card. It is not hand drawn - but it could be. I'm pretty tempted to do a hand drawn version. And the card is lovely.

Fatima has some gorgeous Spencerian penmanship that does not show up very well. I do like the combination of Spencerian with Dr. Seuss. His work looks like it was pen and ink - so it is nice to see a similar quality of line.

And Finnbadger did a fun computer graphic design putting the actual image of the stamp into some kind of template that has the lettering. When I do my random drop in on penpals, I shall be asking him to show me how he did this one.

Don't worry -- I'll warn people if I actually get around to dropping in.

Bonus Post - Critiques

If you clicked on the link to the Graceful Envelope, this one (by Christy Robb) was a co-Best in Show along with Sherri Trial's. Sherri is a pen pal. Christy is someone who found the blog and then contacted me. We even had one meet-up in person. We are the same vintage and both had some graphic design experience back in the olden days before everything was done on computers. Designers had to hand letter layouts for clients, so both of us came to calligraphy with some good basics in how letters are constructed.

The topic of critiques has come up with one of the newer exchangers. She asked if I had time to critique. I always have time to critique. That is one of the essential skills that people learn when they take classes in art. I have gobs of respect for people who have natural abilities and inclination to make art - but no time or interest in taking classes. Some people think critiques are mean. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. I often encourage people to live a critique-less life - if it feels right.

Sorry to repeat this for the umpteenth time, but it is so true. Kurt Vonnegut wisely said:

“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

On the other hand, if people want tips for how to improve, they should be able to avail themselves of critiquing. I do plan to do some critiquing on the blog - but I have to tell a story. Long, long ago, at a calligraphy guild meeting a lovely person who had not taken many (any?) classes came up to me and asked me to critique a piece she had done. I politely told her which parts I thought were the strongest and then pointed to a couple areas where I thought it could be improved. She thanked me and walked away.

Another person who had been observing the conversation waited for the first person to be out of hearing range and then she said to me, "I can't believe you ripped her apart like that."

Excuse me.

Obviously the comment stung and I probably tried to explain that critiques, ones that are requested are not "ripping apart." But, the person who saw me as brutal was someone who had opinions that were etched in stone. I'm not sure I could have said anything that would have softened her perspective.

So, I have some friendly advice to send to Christy. Her versals are lovely. The layout is perfect. The details are in perfect balance. One of my biggest *whines* is about people who do not use enough contrast. Often times the small lettering is too big. In this case, the small lettering is perfect in size. My only suggestion is to Christy - and everyone - always have some perfect little block print letters in your tool kit. I will not elaborate on the exact details on the tiny lettering - unless Christy asks for it. I am just mentioning it because I know she has the skills to do really perfect tiny lettering.

I hope that I had enough disclaimer ahead of this comment. As I said, I do get requests for *more lessons* and I am happy to do so. But, I need people to understand that it is no fun to just dump lessons on you unless I can also critique. Everyone has the ability to look at something and replicate it. The critique is just pointing to details where the replication could be a little closer.

If anyone is shocked and disappointed in me for critiquing - you should probably find some other blog where they gush over the perfection of everything. I know that is a popular perspective. I would never try to change those minds. But, it's not how things work here. I'm pushy. Put a picture of me on your dart board. I'd be honored.

A regular daily post is below.

Apr PTEX to Chuck

This idea needed to be done with colored pencils. It would also have benefited from being either more accurate or less accurate. There is a certain amount of boredom with being in the middle.

Apr PTEX from Janet and Carroll

Janet does nicely illustrated envelopes. I hope the dragon stamps are around for a while. I had one sheet of them and would like to do more. I remembered to add the back flap below Carroll's envelope. I'm inept at inserting photos at a later date.

Carroll's idea is very nice. It would be fun to get some of those stamps and do some variations on her idea. However, my blood boils when the science lovers get more attention and funding than the arts. All of my scientist friends acknowledge that science is an art and art should be on equal footing with science. But, the blankety-blank people who get to decide what the focus of education is going to be are perpetually pushing science as essential and cutting the arts budget. They also cut PE - another atrocity. I hardly ever get into these raging debates -- but the coffee was extra strong this morning and I'm on a rampage. As much as I like the idea, I will not be buying any of the stamps.

I think the last time the PO promoted the idea of arts education, the stamps were 5-cents. Rant. Rant. Rave. Rave. Maybe there is a newer one. I'd be thrilled if someone could point to some significant support for arts education. I'll admit - there is some. But it is all *alternative* when it should be *mainstream.*

Janet's back-flap.

Apr PTEX - to CaroleV and Janet

Another one where I am kicking myself for not having the stamps out first and using just red and purple.

Janet deserves something way better than what she ended up with. I came really close to not posting any of these - but I have to follow my own advice and share the ho-hums.

I wonder if I would ever find a way to only churn out stuff I love. I follow Mary Engelbreit on InstaGram and she clearly likes everything she churns out. I do not like all of her stuff equally. Some of it I really like and other stuff, I would not post - so maybe Mary and I are at two ends of the spectrum.

I'm not going to try to like everything I do -- and I will continue to *grade* it. Anyone who is disappointed in their envelope can let me know and I'll make a do-over.

Bonus Post - 2019 Graceful Envelope Contest

Thank you to blog reader and exchange participant GraceH for asking me if I had seen the posting of the Graceful Envelopes for 2019. I was blown away by how many of them were done by people I know. Also, I was very pleased that they were not overloaded with illustration as they have been in years past. I do not have anything against illustration, but I have been missing the focus on lettering. There are lots more this year that feature lettering.

This one, by Sherri Trial is a perfect example of how a stamp can inspire a beautiful envelope. I could go on and on about all the details and ideas that came off the stamp but I will let all y'all find them yourselves. Hopefully, everyone can see that the whole block of copy is in the shape of a horse head.

You may see all of the envelopes here - and I might feature some more of my uber-favorites.

https://imgur.com/a/rWGZiL8

You can surf around and find the kids envelopes. I have not looked at them yet. I will, and then I will post a link.

Today's regular post is right below.

P.S.
Thanks to all the people who send me lovely messages about how much they love the exchange. I appreciate hearing from people. Some of you read my blog faithfully every morning and it's nice to know that I have a posse out there who enjoys a little spot of something else. Taking a little time to putter with your art (and it could be any art) is a good thing. Mr. Wilson got on his soapbox yesterday, criticizing someone who was not skilled at composing well written English sentences. Well, Mr. Wilson, you were an English major and you like to write. You're a wordsmith. Shut up about people who do not do what you do. Just because it comes easy to you does not mean that it comes easy to the rest of us. Yeah, I came down with a sledge hammer. It feels so good to win an argument with someone who has a PhD in arguing. That's what he did with his English degree. He went to law school where they literally get a degree in arguing. Nice skill to have if you need a job. It's not like I win many arguments - but this time I was right - so that helped.

What's my point here? Take a little time to putter at an art. It feels good and it doesn't really matter if your stuff looks as good as Sherri's. The amount of time she has taken to hone her skills would boggle your little mind. She took time to send her art out into the world so that we could be inspired and that is a gift. It's not about how good your art is - it's about doing it.

AprPTEX from Tina and Trish

This teddy bear from Tina is so adorable.



And Trish also sent a teddy bear themed mailing. She included an Irish toast. I'm happy to report that I do not want for anything. I could come up with stuff that I'd like -- but in terms of my needs - they are well met.

Apr PTEX to Jolene, Kristine, and Carolyn

On Jolene's it would have looked better to have an upright script on her name. The non-matching of the colors is also a problem for me.

After I used up all the dolls, I switched to some Forevers. The colors are nicer - but the designs are a bit blah.

I had to add some second colors -- but didn't have any good ideas for shapes - so we ended up with dots and hearts for Kristine and Carolyn.

AprPTEX - from Smash and Faye

These are both handmade envelopes. Smash's, on top is made from sturdy watercolor paper that came through just fine. She makes envelopes out of paper from other projects.

Faye's envelope was made from some very light weight paper that did not hold up on its way to Iowa. The PO kindly put the envelope in one of their *Sorry* envelopes.

So--- be sure to make handmade envelopes sturdy enough to withstand the postal machinery. Somewhere on the blog is a link to a video that shows the machines in action. They do not look gentle at all.

Apr PTEX to Anthea, GraceE, and CathyO

Once again, it is a shame to use up favorite stamps on designs that don't please me. Plus, I am kicking myself that I did not pull out the stamps first. Using just red and purple markers would have been lovely.

Aaarrgghhh.
I have a good excuse for not thinking clearly. The plan to do them in Chicago did not work out so I did not even start until the 20th. Being late just doesn't work for me.


My idea to do individual lower case letters - with each one flourished - was an exercise in absurdity.
It worked better with the multi colors. I knew the green ones needed something else - and the wimpy hearts don't have enough pizazz. I might have made these work better if I had allowed myself to re-do the envelopes a few times --- but I was sooooo late getting them in the mail.

June PTEX Sign Up - Chuck's Flowers

Here is a stealworthy idea from Chuck. A rectangle on the left + some illustration + little squares or rectangles that relate to the stamp.

Sign up for the exchange is Sat, June 1 through Tues, June 4. I will send lists on the 5th or 6th. You will send out decorated envelopes by the end of the month.

To be one of 6 people on a list - please send me this info in this exact format:

John Doe (CARDS)
123 Oak Street
Ames, Iowa 50100 USA
johndoe@gmailcom

Send to:
jmwilson411 -at- yahoo -dot- com
I will reply when I get your email. 
If you do not hear from me, resend your email - 

You may get one international address on your list which will require $1.15 postage.
Beginners are welcome. There is no theme. Any medium is welcome. Do not stress. It is not a contest.

Half of us send empty envelopes. Some include a note. A few people like to exchange handmade cards. For those people, add the word (CARDS) after your name and those people will include a card in their envelopes.

If your birthday is in June - let me know and I will add that info to the list.
Add birthday info on a line above your name.
Add (CARDS) right after your name.

June birthday
John Doe (CARDS)

If you would like to be on two lists, let me know. It is nice to have some volunteers to be on two lists so that I can make all the lists come out even.