Calligraphy Design

New Work

2012-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Work in progress... click on photo to enlarge.

This piece is quite subtle. Lettered in a light blue gouache, with blind embossed, overlapping layers of clouds at the top of the piece.

Lettered in Moon Palace Sumi ink on watercolor paper, with hand painted initial capital and frog. I enjoy watching people's faces when they get to the last line.

I've always loved this blessing. Lettered in simple Uncial
with some color and gold on the first line.

Just a quick fun piece in complementary colors, with a sunburst at the top.
I used to sing this song to my kids at bedtime.

I had friends in Japan when the devastating earthquake and tsunami happened last March. I discovered a wonderful resource in Katz @ Yokoso News. People around the world spent many hours sharing information and listening to an insider's view of the disaster. We were all online when some of the larger aftershocks hit, and were actually able to watch Tokyo via skycam and see the buildings shake. The ability of the internet to bring the world together was incredible, and I felt a deep responsibility to share the information, much of which was not reaching the Western world. One night I got the image of golden ropes holding the earth together, wrapping it, binding it, keeping it from splintering into pieces. I did this piece quickly, without much planning, using a red circle to represent Japan, and only realized afterwards that the shape of the lettering block was almost a perfect circle to reflect the world above.

Lettered in 7 shades of gouache from turquoise to deep purple, with gold highlights. I love the decorative letter at the top, which is a Celtic capital with a Sherri Kiesel twist. A detail of me working on this letter is at the top of this page. I did another version in earth tones for a friend who has Native American heritage.

Strips of paste paper alternated with a deep violet blue italic. This piece is person, requested by my mother in memory of my nephew Cory, who passed away on his nineteenth birthday a few years ago. He loved to be outdoors, and we feel his spirit on the land my family owns in upstate New York.

Getting ready for our Mother-Daughter Show

2011-08-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

If you are a teacher or a student, you LIVE for summer-time. You dream of sleeping in, relaxing by the water, enjoying long lazy days filled with friends, good books, good food...

If, however, you are insane enough to agree to complete work for a Mother-Daughter Art Show in mid August, you find that summer has a very different flavor. The first part of it is filled with research, contemplation of the words you have found, poring through books and resources for inspiration, staring blankly at a sheet of paper, and feeling the panic well up inside.

Sigh.

A little background. I come from a family full of architects, singers, builders, gardeners, artists, musicians, photographers and writers. My mother has been a painter for as long as I can remember. The smell of linseed oil and turpentine brings back memories of the studio in our house on Long Island. Now, she works in Upstate NY on the farm she and my dad own, often painting the barns on the property. People far and wide own her work, and sometimes come back to visit her just to let her know that after 20 or more years her paintings still have pride of place in their homes.

The Big Barn, by Virginia McNeice

My youngest sister Annie is an art teacher and painter. She works in acrylics, pastel and oil, and makes lovely little gems such as this sunset:

Sunset by Annie McNeice

And I, as you know by now, share my love of color, design and language through my calligraphy.

The Sun by Maggie McNeice

So, in June, there I was, faced with creating an entirely new body of work in time for the show. So much for a relaxing summer. I collected 40 different quotations, lyrics, fragments of verse, and delicious words based on our theme: Skyscapes. I studied them, decided on colors, images, lettering style, and basic layout. I weeded the 40 down to 12. I was ready to begin. I thought.

But wait! I needed frames! That involved math, normally shunned by my right-brained self. Usually, I design a piece and then send it to the framer, letting them work their magic. This time, I had to work backwards, purchasing the frames first, figuring out the matte and text areas within them, and then designing pieces to fit.

At the beginning, I felt like I was trying to dance in a dog crate.

But an interesting thing happened, after doing the layout for the 4th piece -- I realized I could relax a bit, do a quick sketch of where I wanted the elements of the calligraphy to appear in the space, and then rule the lines. I found myself responding to the space instead of being constrained by it, and pieces came together quickly, and without much fuss.

I will be very busy until the 20th, when we have our opening, but by that time, I should have a good collection of joyful, colorful calligraphy to display next to my mother's and sister's paintings. And, I will have earned a week's vacation by the beach before school starts!

More soon,
Maggie

Wedding Season

2011-07-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so lucky that my teaching job slows down just as my calligraphy business heats up for the summer! This year, Spring was a bit hectic, and I am still trying to catch up with billing and a backlog of jobs, as well as planning 10 pieces for a group calligraphy & landscape show (more on that later).

One of the ways I help my brides is to give them resources that will answer questions about invitation design, printing, and etiquette. Although the social "rules" have relaxed when it comes to daily correspondence, wedding invitations are still treated in a formal manner, and should be addressed accordingly. Here are a few of my favorite helpful sites:

David Tutera's Big White Book of Weddings
(David is the creator and host of the wedding makeover show My Fair Wedding. My cousin and his bride are having David plan their destination wedding on a Greek Island this fall. This is a free online book at googlebooks.com)

The Cranes Wedding Blue Book
(This is the bible of wedding stationery, with an exhaustive section on etiquette for many different situations.)

Martha Stewart: Invitation Advice

More information will be coming soon, as well as some samples of recent envelope jobs!

Enjoy your summer,
Maggie

Odyssey Calligraphy Conference News

2010-08-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

Photos from Odyssey International Calligraphy Conference: Scribe Store, where calligraphers can sell their creations; my first attempt at layering on Durolar, translucent drafting vellum; inkpot and quill cookies; and samples of work from the "Show and Share."

Well, a few weeks after the International Calligraphy Conference in Boston, I am still flying high. What a wonderful experience! I met incredibly talented people, made some new friends, and I was lucky enough to take Polyrhythmic Calligraphy with Denis Brown (from Dublin) for the week. In his class, I not only learned a lot about rhythm, consistent letter forms, and penwork (we did lots of pen manipulation), but once we had gotten a bit more comfortable with his asymmetrical, sharp italic letterforms, we started to explore stretching and layering them. I feel like I have just brushed the surface of this subject, but I have Denis's new DVD to keep me motivated and working in the right direction.

I took a Zentangle workshop, which was great fun, and I will talk more about that soon. I hope to teach a brief introductory class at the Cancer Community Center in November/December of this year. If you don't know about Zentangles, check them out at zentangle.com or just google "zentangle" -- you will be amazed!

I took tons of pictures of the three exhibits at the conference. One was calligraphic representations of Cheryl Wheeler's lyrics, the second was the instructors' exhibit, and participants also displayed their work. I will not post any of these here until I get permission from the artists, but if you check out "Nice Renditions" you can see information about the book. On YouTube, you can see two videos (Part 1 and Part 2) about the conference as well.

More info soon!

Enjoy -- Maggie

Framing your calligraphy

2010-05-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

I often find that people spend more money on framing than on the artwork they have received, which is a pity, as framing, although finicky, is actually a fairly easy process. I just found a great resource, complete with detailed photo illustrations, that shows how to frame your own artwork, step by step.

If you don't have a matte cutter, you can easily purchase pre-cut frames (make sure they are acid free) or ask a local frame shop or art supply store to cut one for you. Frames are available in standard sizes online, at art stores, frameshops, and (gasp!) at the Christmas Tree Shop.

Although this site is aimed at framing Asian artwork, the steps are suitable for any flat piece you wish to frame. Take a look at this site , (http://www.orientaloutpost.com/howtoframe.php) dig out the prints, photos, calligraphy, etc. you have tucked away, and turn your house into a gallery!

The Busy Season

2010-02-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

The quiet time of year is quickly coming to an end. Soon the busy season will begin, and I will be lettering every day after teaching school. College diplomas, high school diplomas, awards, certificates, invitations, envelopes, wedding vows, family trees... spring is a crazy time of year for me!

I am also making plans to revitalize the calligraphy guild here in Maine, which I have sorely neglected. I have some feelers out for workshops, and a tentative schedule of events. It's time to get everyone together again, share the joy of lettering and art, and encourage each other to get our pens wet, brush up on our lettering skills, and try something new. I hope some of us will even submit an envelope to the Graceful Envelope contest or enroll in the Odyssey International Calligraphy Conference in Boston on July 24, 2010.

I have gone back to school -- getting my feet wet in a Photoshop and website design class, with the goal of eventually setting up a basic website for my calligraphy. I've spent a lot of time recently surfing the web, finding all sorts of great sites and talented artists. What a wealth of inspiration is out there! My favorite innovative calligrapher these days is Denis Brown. Intriguing and very exciting work.

Here's looking forward to spring!

Celtic Tenor Monogram

2010-01-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

I recently had the opportunity to tackle a fun challenge, when I was asked to create a monogram with a Celtic "feel" for an Irish tenor named Paddy Homan from Chicago. Since I have Irish heritage, and grew up listening to The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, I was excited about the job, even though we only had 10 days to get it done.

Monograms are a very personal project, so it was interesting to create possible designs, discuss them with a friend of the client and have him present them to Paddy. Upon starting work, I collected information about Paddy, and his thoughts about the monogram, which would be used on his stationery and possibly on future CD's or correspondence. He wanted something that reflected his Irish heritage, some Celtic knotwork, and possibly an Irish salmon. Thus armed, I spent some time doing rough sketches, playing with the shapes of the two letters: P and H, fitting them together, wrapping them around each other, placing them in a circle or a square, placing design elements beside them. Some possibilities were very complex, some more simple. I then met with Paddy's friends and they chose one to develop more fully. After a day or so of "tweaking" the design, adding type for the name and contact information, getting final approval, I finished the monogram. (I particularly enjoyed drawing that stylized salmon.)

I found a local business that not only printed the letterhead on time and under budget, but took my line drawing and worked their photoshop magic on it. ( The photo attached is my final draft, not the final product.) What took them 15 minutes would have taken me hours with a pen and ink! Another thing to learn how to do in my free time...

In the end, the clients were happy, and I hope to see Paddy's recent CD in the mail sometime soon. He has a lovely voice.

Pencil Play

2009-07-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

I told you I would start experimenting a bit, so here is an example of what I've been up to. This small sheet was lettered (with pressure and release) with a wonderful new mechanical pencil I got a few months ago. It is huge, well balanced and heavy, with a selection of lead inserts. You'll find a discussion about this pencil on Dave's Mechanical Pencils blog. I found mine in the local Art Mart store, here in Portland. Mine may have been hanging around on a shelf for a while, because I haven't found it online to purchase, but I believe it's similar to a Koh-I-Noor 5.6 mm lead.

Enjoy!
Maggie

My New Toy

2009-07-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it, I am obsessed by office supplies, pens in particular. But this recent birthday present takes the cake! It is a Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point fountain pen. And it's magical! With just a click, the nib pops out of its little garage door (reminding me of the cool headlights on sports cars) and presents itself, ready to write.

I was skeptical at first... would the ink be dry? Would the nib be smooth enough for daily use? But I am a convert. The pen is ready and waiting each time I use it, and I love the way the nib feels as it glides across the paper. I decided to go with a standard (medium) nib for this pen, but for my next one, I may decide to get the nib re-tooled to resemble a broad nib, suitable for Italic or Uncial lettering...

So Santa, I'm starting my Christmas list early... I want this pen in Nightline Moonlight next!

Maggie

Playing With Purpose

2009-07-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to lunch with 3 fellow calligraphers/artists, and realized anew how important the connection and sharing with like minds can be. I came away from this meeting energized and enthusiastic, ready to dive into a project I started a while ago. The samples above are some of the small pieces I made then, and this week, I have set up an area to do some more small explorations, in an endeavor to find new ways to use my tools and materials.

I will post more of these "happy accidents" soon, and encourage all of you to try some on your own... think, "what if I try this?" and start on a pile of small paper... no worries, no stress, just a curious mind and a willing spirit. Have fun!

Maggie

Brainstorming

2009-06-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

It seems appropriate to think about brainstorming on a stormy day...

I love initial design meetings with clients, on the eve of starting a new commission. Today, a charming gentleman came by to discuss a presentation piece for a long-time friend. We sat together, chatting about the story behind the gift, the recipient, the emotion behind the words, and the gift's purpose. We talked about lettering styles, images, colors, papers, and layout. The excitement built as we explored the options and started to narrow our focus. Finally, we had a layout, a decorative element, colors and lettering styles, and a rough draft of the commission. Success!

This sort of problem-solving fills me with energy and enthusiasm. I love to create something of beauty, something the recipient will appreciate and treasure. Some clients enjoy the process as much as I do -- they are willing to collaborate with me to assemble a design. Some have a very strong feeling about what they want -- colors, styles, images, and all I have to do is put their choices onto the paper. Others call or email text to me and just tell me to "make it look good." This can be fun, or it can be a daunting task, as I have mentioned before.

Today was a good day. A satisfied client, lots of positive energy, and good news from the home front -- who minds a little rain?

The Benefits of Piece Work

2009-06-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of calligraphy and end-of-year activities at school. Each night, I have returned to my studio to work for several hours. Some nights, I lettered until the sky brightened and the birds began their songs. Awards, diplomas, placecards, and wedding envelopes made up the bulk of my projects this month. Some calligraphers might scoff at this humdrum piece-work, but I have found unexpected benefits in spending hour after hour on simple, repetitive lettering tasks.

First of all, I can listen to great music. Pandora.com fills the room with Nora Jones, Jack Johnson, the Beatles, Toxic Audio, Madeleine Peyroux, Nickel Creek, and many others. The music gives me energy -- I often find my pen-strokes keep time to the beat. Copperplate requires the soothing strains of Windham Hill or Jim Brickman piano. Italic, which is easy for me, allows me to relax into the more lively sounds of Queen or The Chieftans. Cuban music still reminds me of working with Claude Dieterich -- I reserve it for letters formed with quick, energetic strokes. As I sing along, my hand relaxes, my breathing steadies, and the letters flow from my pen with ease and enjoyment.

I have also learned to value this time because it gives me an opportunity to practice and perfect my lettering styles. Although I have been a calligrapher for more than 20 years, I continue to learn and improve. I may change the way I make a particular letter, or fool around with a new flourish, or tweak the angle of my pen... and with each piece I do, this fine-tuning becomes more comfortable.

As I write, I think about the person who might receive this envelope, this diploma. I try to make each name look unique in some way, in the hope that it gives joy to the recipient. I have found that when people find out I am a calligrapher, they ask me to write their names "fancy." Kids, in particular, are amazed that I can write one name 20 different ways. I'm the same, and I admit, I have a collection scraps of paper with my name written on them by several calligraphers and teachers -- Peter Thornton, Michael Hoyer, Michael Clark, etc.

And finally, as I have written before, the letters themselves give me joy. I suppose if they didn't, I would be in the wrong line of work! The long swoop of a lower case "g," the flourish above an "h," the little hairlines that drip down from a Gothic "r" make me hum with pleasure. "Yes! Look at that one!" "Ooh, a perfect curve!"

So, as I write this, I realize that as much as anything, this is about taking pleasure in the small things in life, the ordinary daily tasks, the boring, repetitive jobs we do. So, I urge you -- put on some good music, take pride in your work, seek ways to bring pleasure to others, and most of all...find joy!

Springtime

2009-05-31T14:52:00.001-07:00

This afternoon, as I watched old movies and lettered some lovely robin's-egg blue wedding envelopes, I thought about Spring. When I was a kid, this season was my favorite time of year. I used to spend hours outside exploring -- when we lived in Long Island, we wandered the neighborhood, discovering red rubber balls, hidden marbles, and sea shells that had washed up during storms on the beach. The world seemed fresh and new and magical. When we moved upstate, we wandered around our farm, watched the plants push up through the cold ground, picked flowers for our teachers, and were amazed at the miracles around us: calves being born and chicks and goslings coming out of their eggs. We even had our share of lambs, goats and geese under the kitchen sink, where the heat lamp could keep them warm. Spring was a time of fresh green, new things, and hope.

So, as I sit here at my work table, looking out at my garden, which is running rampant with all the rain we've had, I will try not to feel guilty about the fact that I'm not out there ripping out the weeds and controlling the chaos... instead, I choose to enjoy the exhuberant growth, and the amazing transformation from cold, white wasteland to splendid, unstoppable life.

In celebration, here is a piece I created for my mother, based on a Haiku she wrote: Little bird, spring comes, why don't you build that nest?

Enjoy!

Work and Grief

2009-05-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

This winter, our family lost a wonderful boy, my 19 year old nephew Cory. He got sick while at art school in NH, and we were with him for 3 days in the hospital, where he tried to fight a cold that had turned into pneumonia... but in the end, we had to say goodbye to this bouncy, enthusiastic, artistic, loving boy. I felt like I'd lost my son. Cory had lived with my family in Maine for a summer while he went to MECA's summer program for art students. We fixed up a bedroom for the boys, and he and Owen finally figured out how to take the bunk beds apart in one room and assemble them in their room -- with only a few screws left over! I drove over the bridge to Portland once or twice a day with him, listening to rap or country, talking or laughing about his classes or some wild tale he told. After that summer, he would always call me at least once a week to tell me a funny story and make me laugh. He'd always ask, "You didn't take the bunkbeds apart, did you?" (As if I could!)

I couldn't do calligraphy for quite a while after his death. I had a backlog of projects, but I just couldn't begin. I would try to plan or write or draw, and instead, I would drift away again. When I eventually started working last month, I made mistakes on all 3 jobs I lettered. My head wasn't "in the game," I guess. A few weeks ago I lettered bookplates for the art books my parents are giving New Hampshire Institute of Art in Cory's name, and sent them (with a huge care package for his friends) to the school. This seems to have healed me to some extent, because I am finally able to work again, and the creative ideas are starting to flow.

When the phone rings these days, I'm getting used to the idea that it's not Cory with another crazy story for me about hunting, his friends, or something he did at college. And I know this summer, the house will be much quieter than it was 2 years ago, but... Cory -- the bunk beds are still set up.

Spring Rush

2009-05-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's that crazy time of year again -- college graduations, weddings and corporate events all happen at once. I teach during the day, then I sit at my drawing table for hours, looking at my neglected garden... unless I am lucky, like today, and it rains. While this work is not the most creative, I have learned to enjoy the repetitive nature of addressing envelopes and writing the same line of text over and over on awards. I take pleasure in the swoop of a graceful "g" or a perfect "o"and listen to my favorite music on Pandora Radio as I work. The mellow sound of Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, Enya, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss keep me company, and once in a while I'm surprised by something new... I just discovered "Til Kingdom Comes" by Coldplay -- a lovely ballad, and Madeleine Peyroux's "Don't Wait Too Long." The tempo and tone of the music definitely affect the way I form my letters.

I have a splendid new fountain pen filled with purple ink -- a Vanishing Point Nimiki from Richard Binder in Boston. Smooth and scrumptious!

A thought from a dear friend: Do what you love and the rest will fall into place.

I Don't Want to Live on the Moon

2008-08-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

This has to be my favorite artistic project for the summer. A very sweet young man came to me and asked me to letter this song for his mother, as he would be dancing with her at his wedding to this tune.

I recognized it at once -- from Sesame Street -- Ernie sits in the window, gazing up at the moon, singing this song. It was still in my head after more than 10 years. I sang fragments of it for days while I played with ideas of how to best represent it on paper.

You can see Ernie sing the song .

I was thinking that this is a perfect example of how my best work comes out when I don't think too much about the client, instead reacting to the words (and the feelings and images they conjour up). If I make it personal, I can't go wrong. If I have fun with it, play with it, the work comes alive. If, instead, I try to get inside another person's mind, I end up either completely STUCK (more on that later) or making a piece that doesn't ring true. Of course, I want my clients to be happy -- but more and more I realize that by working in a way that is from my heart, I accomplish that.

Chris emailed me after the wedding, and sent a picture of his mother receiving the poem. She cried, he cried, and even I got a little teary... who could ask for anything more?

Six Degrees of Separation

2008-08-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

This picture blows my mind! Kevin Bacon is holding my calligraphy, on an award presented to him by the Dartmouth Film Society. And he's smiling! How amazing is that!

These awards are lettered on a paper that is pre-printed with a vine border, then blind-embossed at the top (hence the appearance of empty white space in the top 3 inches...)

I was tempted to make streaky "bacon" letters for his name, but restrained myself, instead using an earthy red (not unlike bacon, you might notice), a warm brown, and gold leaf.

So now, if you ever play the game "Six Degrees of Separation" you will be one step closer to Kevin. Cool!

Hello from soggy Maine!

2008-08-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

I love new journals. In fact, I have a collection of them -- purple velvet, handmade paper, gold edged pages, marbelized end papers, blank pages, lined pages, handmade paper, grid lines... All those pristine pages just waiting for me to write on them, draw on them, add a splash of color, glue something interesting in...

I use my journals as inspiration and a record of my days. Sometimes they are chronological, sometimes I bounce back and forth in them, responding to the images and words on a page spontaneously.

And here is a new kind of journal. A new journey! We'll have to see what unfolds...

A few images to get us started, because, of course, I'm a visual learner, and pictures are Where It's At!

Here are some sketches of botanical designs I have been playing with.

And a pretty little box I made for a nice client to give to her friend. I had fun trying to figure out how to make the flourishes on "Peggy" look elegant and not like Medusa's hair.