Calligraphy Honoring Harpsichord Donors

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Holly

Cecile Drackett came to me in 2012 to recognize those who contributed to the purchase of the beautiful harpsichord now adorning her church. It was lettered on fine art paper with gouache. (The gouache didn’t photograph too well. It’s a warmer gold than shown here.) To enhance the list of names on the doc, I reproduced some of the flowers from the harpsichord in watercolor on D’Arches HP paper. She later framed it and hung it in the church. It personalizes the gift and allows people to graciously thank the donors!

Calligraphy Cruise! C’mon, let’s go!! Caribbean and Alaska 2014

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Holly

ShipsGrandCay

While you were shoveling snow, we were enjoying the sun and beaches….

The 2014 Calligraphy Cruises are selected and posted on my website! In March, we’re off to the Eastern Caribbean (from Ft. Lauderdale) with the calligraphy focus – Engrossers’ Script and Flourishing. June takes us to Alaska (from Seattle) with the focus – Flourished Italic and Decorative Painting on Glass. Gary Lord and his wife Marianne will be joining us on the Seattle Cruise. www.PrismaticPainting.com Please call Holly about the classes and Peggy Whalen with Holland America Line questions or reservations. $100. reserves your place in class!

Cruises > www.HollyMonroe.com > Scroll down on the home page and find the Calligraphy Cruise logo or click on my CLASSES page. You can download the Class and Cruise info for both.

Enjoy the pictures of the 2013 Calligraphy Cruise to the Western Caribbean. We had a great time! A spacious workshop room, new friends…..

Fun in the sun at ports of call….Jill Quillian with the dolphins, up close and personal!

Blue skies, beautiful beaches…

Key West from the deck of the msWesterdam….

Several on-board pools, hot tubs, spa’s…..

Two formal nights….but always 5 star dining!

Gourmet picnic on the ship’s deck….with travel agent Peggy Whalen. Contact her at peggy@sunconnections.com or (360)-606-9339 for cruise details.

And there’s a lot more! Hope that you can join us!

Lighthouses & Basketballs

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Holly

Fifteen Lighthouses for the Willmore Lange Reunion 2013

Just in case you think a calligraphy career is boring, take a look! You might find a few of my unique projects amusing!

Summer brings vacations and families together! Sharman Willmore brought me these 15 creative lighthouses to letter on. She will give one to each of the families attending their reunion, which is near the ‘real’ lighthouse. A great family memory. Her father built these approximately 15″ tall replica’s. I lettered the relaxed script with a miniature WN sable brush with yes, acrylic ink. Amazingly, the ink was kind to my brush!

And if those aren’t a unique enough request for you, two years ago, I lettered on 200 Basketballs….

Katie Pavel, from University of Cincinnati’s Athletic Department, called me to letter the Limited Edition numbers on beaucoup Basketball’s to be signed by Oscar Robertson and given to UC’s athletic supporters. I was a tad disappointed when I learned that I was to letter them in Oscar’s presence at the game but then switched to a room in advance of the game, but such is life! This way, the ink was dry when he signed. It was a simple job, but great fun to have a change of scenery.

Can you believe I ever finished? I used a broad-edged pen with acrylic ink and it took about 3.5 hours (everyone asks)! Below is Katie and her co-worker as they orchestrated the project.

Resolution of Appreciation

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Holly

FoxResolutionUVA

Resolutions are a very personal way to honor someone who is important to an organization. Various schools and businesses will contact me (or other calligraphers) when someone is leaving their board or staff. In May, I finished this Resolution of Appreciation for the University Of Virginia Law School. (The color in the artwork above is probably truer to the original than those below.)

Thank you to Karen Ackhoff and her watercolor on vellum class, as well as Marie Angel’s book “Painting for Calligrapher’s”. Both helped with the technique for painting animal hair. I could have painted forever, refining and refining but chose to stop here for budget purposes. The fox head was only about 4″x6″ in size. I think it looks better and more delicate in it’s actual miniature size, rather than the blow up below.

Below is the entire resolution…….(colors appear a bit strong in this picture).

And before I leave you, this is the rough that I shared with client before going to final….colors are looking a bit garish here. Much more subtle in real life!

All that Glitters is Gold (Part 1) Shell Gold & Gold Powder

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Holly

Last month, when I lettered on the church soffits, I laid genuine 23k gold on the walls. (Scroll down to the capital “O” in my last post). So I thought it a perfect segue into an explanation of some of the gold methods that I use.

One of the easiest methods I use to add gold to a project is the application of shell gold or gold powder. Mixed with distilled water and a touch of a binder, I typically paint it on fine art/hand made paper or calfskin with a miniature brush, burnish with an agate stone and voila! Instant impact! This kind of gold is excellent for achieving tiny details. You can even tool tiny designs into a field of the gold with a very pointed burnisher.

Powdered gold lies behind the clover

There are many imitation golds, but the brilliance of the real thing drives me to be a purest. I use this method when a client wants gold, but doesn’t want the cost of the raised gesso with gold leaf, when I want to contrast the raised gold with the flat powder on the same design or when one of my prints needs a touch of elegance.

I will be teaching weekend retreats from my studio. Lodging available. If you are interested, let me know!