“Fons and Porter White Mechanical Pencil”

I recently completed a white on black lettering project.  I used Artagain black paper and McCaffrey’s ivory ink in a pointed pen to create pressurized Roman lettering.  Normally, erasing the necessary pencil lines would have been a tedious task. But last year when I was in Memphis fellow calligrapher Mary Lou Sherman introduced me to her Fons & Porter mechanical fabric pencil with white refills.

Mary Lou had raved about the ease of erasing those lines on dark papers, and she was right.  I bought two of them so I’d have one on my desk and one in my calligraphy workshop kit.  Well, to be honest, I couldn’t find the first one when I needed it and bought a second one.  Then, as frequently happens to me, I found the original.  So now one is on my work-table and one is in my toolkit.  (If I lose it again, will someone please tell me where to look?)

The Fons & Porter pencils are made for quilters, but as every innovative calligrapher knows, some of the best and most useful tools for calligraphy may be swiped from other genres.  Paper and Ink has been wise enough to search out and stock these cross-genre calligraphy tools for our benefit.

The lead in these pencils is not graphite, naturally, but according to Fons & Porter it “has a strong ceramic 0.9mm White lead that is specially formulated for fabric and made from water soluble dyes.”  It has a soft grip, and its lines erase with ease.  No hard scrubbing required, so there’s not much chance of destroying well-dried calligraphy or the paper.   I have also used it on a set of metallic silver envelopes, and it was a great help with that project too.   It leaves no erasure marks behind, which is a common fault with other pencils on difficult papers.

The Fons & Porter white mechanical pencil is available at Paper & Ink Arts and has 10 white refill leads.  The next time you want to letter on dark or metallic paper, you should have one of these at hand – or maybe two!

Jan Hurst

www.letterladysletters.blogspot.com

www.weddingletterlady.blogspot.com

www.picturetrail.com/letterlady

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Louisville-Calligraphy-and-Art

 ”Using the Phantom Liner” by Nan DeLuca

Envelopes and cards can be difficult enough to deal with when you CAN use a light box to see your guidelines.  Add to the equation tricky papers (slick, catchy), challenging inks, complex writing styles and deadlines, and it can be a lot to deal with.  Now make the paper opaque (either dark or heavily lined) which cancels out your ability to use a light box.  And sadly, some papers will not accept pencil/soapstone lines or erasing.  What is a calligrapher to do?

If you want to expand the type of lettering you can do to dark papers, heavily lined envelopes or just learn a new tool, the Phantom Liner (“Reflections” is how it is currently packaged) can literally expand your horizons…or at least play with your depth of field vision!  This device is often referred to by scribes as the Phantom Menace! It can be chore to set up and use but allows us to write on paper that is not translucent enough to use on our light boxes.

What makes scribes shy away from it? Why do some use it happily while others grumble using very un-scribelike words while setting it up? What exactly is it?

Very simply it is a device that allows you to see lines to write on that are really not there on your paper; they are only reflected on a piece of smoked plastic from a guideline placed across from it.  Imagine a hologram or a ghost image of your guidelines appearing over your paper or envelope.  You need to buy into this image and treat it as if it is really there on your paper.

The device looks like a giant “V with your guideline on the left and the grey plastic window/panel you must look thru on the right. You look thru the right side and see your guidelines above your writing paper. Your paper lies below and to the right of the “V” as shown in the package illustrations.

To make it work properly, here are some ‘rules’:

1. On guidelines, slant lines must be reversed (55 degrees becomes 125 degrees).  Any color guidelines      will ‘reflect’…so black lines will show up with black paper.
2. Color helps when writing on light paper. Measure and mark your margins in color on your guidelines to more easily see them reflected.
3. If you mark off your indents or  spacing, use different color lines.
4. I use a bright highlighter to mark my writing lines; this makes it easier to find on the reflection.
5. Guidelines printed on clear  plastic or vellum work on both dark and light papers.
6. Make a template or guide to sit your paper in with some vertical and horizontal centering lines marked so that you can always check that your Phantom Liner is properly oriented.

Setting up can take some time to do correctly but once done, the work can go quickly.
First, find a heavy piece of smooth cardboard or other firm surface; you will be taping the phantom liner to it. (I use a piece of clayboard purchased in an art store).   It has to be large enough to accommodate the Phantom Liner base as well as the paper/envelope you are writing on.

Second, set up the Phantom on it, putting in the white plastic holder for guidelines on the left and the grey plastic viewer on the right. Have a screwdriver handy to make adjustments to the angles when the time comes to set up for your particular job.  Insert your guidelines on the left, centered and low;  do not place it too high or it will distort your image.  Get a good light source; light must shine on the guide sheets (not a spotlight!) while your lists and template area must also have light.  Lighting needs to come from the right hand side of your work area for right hand calligraphers; if you are a lefty, reverse sides.

Third, place a paper (your template with horizontal/vertical lines marked) under the grey plastic side on the left of the base. Looking through the plastic, can you now see your guidelines hovering. Trace your envelope shape on the paper and mark off some horizontal and vertical lines…a center line is very helpful.  Consider where you want to start your writing, margins, and where to end.  (For envelopes, I always outline my envelope on the guideline in a bright color to more easily align).

Fourth, take time to make adjustments and tweak your set-up. Looking down at your paper through the plastic, line up your guidelines with your paper and have the lines of writing hit exactly where you want. Watch the edges to be sure they match. As stated on the package directions, you can adjust the angle of the “V” by tightening or loosening the screw in the middle—thus moving the guidelines up/down.  You do have to play around with this for a while to get it right; do not be afraid to move your guidelines if needed.  Are the horizontal lines parallel on your guide sheet and on the template?  Is the center line on your guide sheet overlapping with the center line on your template?  The goal is to have the guidelines match the template.  When it does, note your seating position.  Are you comfortable?   This will be your writing position for all your work!  Test this-move a bit to left or right or slouch or sit higher—the relationship of the image changes with your position!!   (I often hold my paper/envelope on the bottom edge, with my hand loosely against my ribs, and I have even gone so far as to mark my ‘handprint’ on the paper edge!)

Fifth, finalize your set up. Retaining the position you have set up, tape down the phantom liner base securely with masking tape. You can put some cardboard borders or ‘bumpers’ on your template to mark exactly where your envelopes or paper will go to make sure it goes EXACTLY IN THE SAME PLACE EACH TIME AND DOES NOT MOVE. This template will now be where you will place your paper. (I go further by taping down small strips of thinner cardboard (mat board is great) to make an “L” to ‘hold’ the paper/envelope.) This way, each time I put down a fresh envelope, for example, I do not have to search for the right spot.  Another tip….even though you do not need to open the flap on envelopes to write…is a good idea to do so to assure you are not writing upside down on the front!

This photo shows my working setup. You can see my guidelines and even the finished envelope.  When working, my hand slips under and holds the bottom left corner area of the envelope steady while I write and the cardboard template further helps to position it.  You can see my “bumpers” with all the tape and colored lines on guidesheet on left.  Right above my ink/water area is the base of my lamp shining light on my guide sheet and work area.   I use Post-Its to mark the address I am writing on lists propped up in front of me.  Exemplar with Bickham serves to remind me of letterforms.  You can see the ‘screw’ in middle of the base to adjust the ‘wings’ of the Phantom Liner up or down a bit.
You have to strategically place your ink/water setup as well as the text/copy you are working from. Most importantly you need to find a comfortable position to write in. I turn slightly sideways, with my body at a slight angle to match the phantom liner set up. If you have to crook your neck to see thru the ‘window’, it will not take long until you are very sore and uncomfortable. A good chair with proper support is a godsend (for any of your calligraphic work!).  Actually, by forcing you into good posture, your writing may actually improve.

Suggestions:

• Try a hand you know and are comfortable with. Don’t try too many variables; black ink on ink jet paper for practice is fine.
• Allow time to adjust…both the position of the set up and your seating. Try different color papers and inks once you feel comfortable. Vary your guidelines…what works? What does not?
• Check and re-check your  position. A slight bump to the phantom can send it out of alignment. (With each envelope I check the position of the guideline relative to the template.)
• Depth of field gets some getting used to; the guidelines seem to ‘hover’ above your paper. Try to see through them to the paper itself; soon you will not notice the spacial difference.
• Take frequent breaks—don’t  get stiff in one frozen position. Be comfortable.
• If doing a job, price accordingly  for extra set up time as well because using the Phantom will slow you down in the beginning. However, it will allow you to take jobs that you  otherwise would have to turn down. Be wise in your choice of jobs accepted—dealing with poor paper, runny gouache, handwritten lists and a  too-tight deadline will make you wish you never had accepted the job.
• If you have long hair, leaning forward may cause it to come into the image area—that is why they invented pony tails!  Ultra long penholders can be an issue; it is nice to have one of the shorter ones handy.
• Extra large envelopes and shiny/sparkly papers can be difficult if not impossible to work with.
• The large size Phantom Liner is more useful…you can do smaller jobs with it but the reverse is not true with the smaller size.

The envelope above was so big that I used some weights to hold them flat and I had no room to open the flaps to write!Soon you, too, will be able to complain to fellow calligraphers about your current job on the Phantom Menace and will be churning out envelopes written in bright yellow on deep blue envelopes! (Many thanks to SOS member Carol Zack for talking me through all this over the phone when I first attempted to use years ago and many, many envelopes ago.)

You can view more of Nan’s work at: www.scribenyc.com.

To purchase the Phantom Liner, visit our website at: http://www.paperinkarts.com/tools-of-the-trade-writing-tools-phantom-liners.html

A Perfect Day, A Perfect Gray

by Kathy Milici

Once in a while, in every career calligrapher’s life, a miracle happens. Such was the case last summer when a bride/client asked me to match a PMS gray color for calligraphy on her wedding envelopes.

Each time a bride asks me to match a PMS printer’s color in ink, I get nervous. What if it can’t be done? Last year, Vivian Mungall told us in an IAMPETH workshop that there are a few PMS colors that simply cannot be matched.  What would I do if this ever happened to me, a 33 year veteran (and proud survivor) of the wedding calligraphy business?

I knew that I could mix a gray color that started by adding drops of black into white, one by one. It was a good starting point, and I knew I could add other colors to get the right ‘tint’ of gray afterwards.  I also wanted a writing fluid that didn’t separate during usage.  It’s no fun having to mix the ink over and over while you’re trying to hand-letter 200 envelope sets on a deadline. I thought to myself, why not try something different this time?

I had just bought a bottle of Dr. Martin’s Pen White and liked the opaqueness of it even though it was extremely thick and needed to be watered down. For some reason, I grabbed for my Higgins Eternal Black Ink and started adding drops to the white, stirring as I went along and comparing it to the sample paint chip that I had beside me. When mixing ink to match, one must keep in mind that it will dry darker than it looks, so it must be mixed slightly lighter in liquid form.

I kept testing the darkness of the new color on an envelope as I added a few drops of black into white -darker, darker, darker- keeping track of how many drops of black ink went into the mixture so that I could keep a recipe record. Then I stopped. To my amazement, it was a perfect match!  I tried to convince myself that it was a moment of sheer genius, or some kind of mad skill on my part, but the truth is that it was purely accidental. Even better, the newly mixed ink never separated. Once mixed, it stayed mixed.  Why? I don’t know! Sheer genius, I guess.

The perfect gray!

A closer look

The gray that Kathy has created seems to be the exact shade that many of our customers have been asking for, and we’re happy to be able to share a way to achieve it! To see more of Kathy’s work, visit her website at: www.24karatdesigns.com . You can purchase Dr. Martin’s Pen White and Higgins Eternal at our site: www.paperinkarts.com.

Artist: Kathy Milici

Studio: 24 Karat Designs, Newton, NJ

Project: Wedding Invitation Design

Media of Choice:  Nikko G nib, Higgins Eternal ink, Clairfontaine Paper

Designing a wedding invitation is different from addressing envelopes because you must render one perfect copy, in “camera ready” form, which is suitable for reproduction.

Here’s how it’s done:

The design is first rendered as a rough layout on tracing paper, using a series of pencil sketches, and approved by the bride/client along the way. Then each line is written by hand in ink, paying careful attention to the letter scale, proportion, and spacing of the lines.  Last, the master copy is completed using very high quality, super-smooth paper. I love Clairfontaine for this purpose; it’s heavenly to write on!  Higgins Eternal is recommended by many artists for reproduction purposes, as it is very black and produces a hairline that is slightly wider than other inks, thereby producing a high quality scan which doesn’t require touching up. It’s my ink of choice for anything which will be printed. Otherwise, I am totally in love with Sumi Moon Palace for envelope addressing, place cards and text writing.

Nikko G nibs seem to be my nibs of choice for almost everything I do. They are very durable and so versatile; in fact, I even named my cat after them! Attached is a photo of my studio cat, Nikko G. Nibs.

Stay tuned for the second piece of Kathy’s Wedding Wisdom where she will share timely advice on creating an ink color to match a bride’s request. In the meantime, you can visit her webpage at: www.24karatdesigns.com to see more of her stunning work. You can also visit our webpage at www.paperinkarts.com to purchase the materials and supplies Kathy recommends!

You can see more of Sandra’s work at:

http://www.zentangle.com/index.php?option=com_czt&action=userdetail&id=180

If you find her work as inspiring as we did and are ready to try your own pouch, you can purchase one here: http://www.paperinkarts.com/whtrol.html

Sakura Microns can also be found on our site, and the Marvy fabric color markers are available at: http://www.markersupply.com/madema1.html

This past summer, I had the pleasure of attending the IAMPETH convention in Phoenix. Among the many exceptional teachers was Heather Held, and the class that she taught was entitled “The Artful Flourish”. This past fall, Heather partnered with us  to create an apron with her artwork for the 2012 catalog (http://www.paperinkarts.com/aprhea.html).  Her work is easily recognizible for its beauty and elegance, so I was thrilled when she shared a piece for our blog.

For creating lovely backgrounds, Heather recommends the pastels created by Diane Townsend.  ”Diane Townsend Pastels contain the very pure pigments which provide vibrant effects on the paper. They can be burnished into the background using a pastel brush. Because the pigments contain no chalk fillers, the pigment does not clog the surface of the paper,” says Heather. Because of this, writing and flourishing can be done on top of the pastels relatively easily without the pigments building up on the nibs or causing the ink to resist the paper. “Even the most flexible pointed pen can successfully be used on top of the pastels. I use the Diane Townsend pastels to add a depth and a glow to my flourishes that is quicker and easier to achieve than applying a watercolour wash.”  For the writing, Heather chose her favorite pointed pen ink- McCaffery’s brown. “I use McCaffery brown ink to achieve a Victorian effect in my work. Using a moist brush technique, I can add watercolour washes to my floral flourishes and the McCaffery brown does not bleed or feather.”

You can see more of Heather’s work on her website (www.heathervictoriaheld.com ) and her blog (www.inkflourishes.blogspot.com). Visit our store to purchase the pastels (http://www.paperinkarts.com/paints—brushes-pastels.html) and the McCaffery’s ink (http://www.paperinkarts.com/inks-mccaffery.html).

created by Heather Held

As far as ink, Carol used Moon Palace Sumi because it “is a delight to use. It flows freely and is always very dense. When I’m doing work for reproduction, dense black Sumi ink gives the best results.” Arches 140# Cold Press Watercolor paper was Carol’s paper of choice due to the fact that it “is a favorite surface for the Folded Pen. The Cold Press texture of the paper enhances the rough edges that a Folded Pen makes naturally and handles the Sumi ink very well.”

Once she had completed the title, Carol did  a reverse of it in Photoshop, and it was that reverse that the gallery chose. “They liked the drama of the black background with the white letters.” As you can see, Carol’s incredible creative and artistic talents combined with the products she chose delivered a splendid result!

Photograph by Josh Romero

Study in Grisaille

The Creation of the Sun and Moon

Master of Jean de Mandeville

French (active 1350-1370)

- Encouraged by the refined tastes of court patrons, French artist of the 14^th century created a tour de force style know as camaieu, in which elegant figures painted in a monochrome or grisaille technique were sent against gaily colored backgrounds and enlivened with fine gilding.

5″ x 5 1/4″ vellum

Gouache and FINE-TEC (vs. gold leaf or shell)

Shop for Fine-Tec products at: http://www.paperinkarts.com/paints—brushes-paints-finetec.html