Mia

For my niece's birthday. To frame for her bedroom. Lots of pink! She's turning seven!

Februray Bookbinding & Italic Calligraphy Classes Update

Hi Friends!

We have four exciting classes beginning the second week in February. Italic Calligraphy in the evening is already full, Italic Day has 4 more slots left and there are two Bookbinding classes that have not made (we need just two more slots to fill in each.)

The plan for my 2011 classes is to keep the class sizes nice and small so students get more individual help in each. It's working and I could not be happier! Bookbinding now has a 12 week class for all of you who wanted more time to learn more book and container techniques. Happy Friday to you!

~Anne

Calligraphy 1: Italic (DAY)
Made: 4 slots left.
Tuesdays, 6 sessions|Feb. 8-Mar. 15|1:30-4:00pm|Beginning-Intermediate|Sale price until Jan. 25: $190, After Jan. 25: $205 | Min. 3/Max. 7
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Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking (EVE)
Not Yet Made: needs 2 more slots.
Tuesdays, 12 sessions|Feb. 8-May 3|No class Mar 22| 6-8:30pm|Beginning-Intermediate|Sale price until Jan. 25: $380, After Jan. 25: $395 | Min. 3/Max. 7
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Calligraphy One: Italic (EVE)
FULL
Wednesdays, 6 sessions|Feb. 9-Mar. 16, 6-8:30pm|Beginner-Intermediate|Sale price until Jan. 25: $190, After Jan. 25: $205 | Min. 3/Max. 7
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Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking (DAY)
Not Yet Made: needs 2 more slots.
Tuesdays, 12 sessions|Mar. 29-Jun 21 (no class May 10)|1:30-4pm|Beginning-Intermediate|Sale price until Mar. 15: $380, After Mar. 15: $395 | Min. 3/Max. 7

Wedding Mark

Or monogram, but with full first names. What's the name for that? Anyway - this is for a lovely client who will use the piece as wedding stationary and as the centerpiece for a poster sized table chart display for guests. This display will post where escort cards are chosen. Couples can see where their table is before they walk in to dinner. Will post the final piece when done - I can't wait to see it!

The sketches considered and final monogram are shown here. I use a not necessarily sharp General's 580 Test Scoring Pencil for all my sketches and usually have to windex my table and keyboard before I'm through. :)

Brought to you by Anne Elser Calligraphy.
Love me? Then Like Me!

Beaded Copperplate

I've always wanted to do this. String beads on a flouncy, confident copperplate capital. Here's an experimentation I did in Advanced Calligraphy at Binders the other night. Had a blast and now I want more!

Pretty Dirty Words

This series consisting of calligraphic letterporn goes to a risque stationary line. I can't wait to see the finals and will post when I do! Meantime, here's a link for more.

Alice Faye

This is for my Dad on his birthday. Framed it in white and it will hang directly above her food dish. Alice Faye is Dad's dalmatian. Very much loved. Looks best in red!

Pencil and FW acrylic inks with a round sable brush.

2011 Calendar by Purgatory Pie Press

Such a beautiful idea. I want to make one! These smart book artists took obselete sea charts and bound them into a long stitch book with beautiful leather covers. Then letterpressed numbers and characters on each one to create a calendar called "The Weekly Navigational."

National Book Month January 2011

Marylin Schuster of the Roswell Library here in Atlanta has put together a display featuring my hand made journals. I think she did a beautiful job. Inside the case is an example of different binding techniques and tools used to create them. She also created a poster with my head shot, bio, etc. It's a sweet display and I hope it inspires the patrons to learn more about the craft.

Meet Mrs. Bentley

This is day 2 of our snow in. Anton and I made a snowlady this afternoon and he named her Mrs. Bentley. We think she's a rabbit, but you can't see her ears underneath the cowboy hat. He apron is vintage and she's friendly enough to kiss.

Doug, Anton and I drove to Kroger in the Kia Soul today and it was the weirdest shopping trip I've ever experienced. Lots of produce was missing, it was eerily quiet, though many lines at the registers. No one was smiling and Anton was freaked out enough to ask Daddy to hold him.

It immediately reminded both Doug and I of a recent movie we rented called The Road about a post-apocalyptic Appalachia where people turned to cannibalism for survival. Eeeek!

Secret Belgian Bound Book One-Day Workshop

Secret Belgian Bound Book One-Day Workshop
Kai Lin Art Gallery
MAY 21, 2011: 10-5

Spend a Saturday making your very own Secret Belgian Bound Book made of folded pages and stitched together with a needle and thread. This book features a hard, yet flexible spine and covers (front & back) cut from raw chipboard, covered with handmade papers (Washi Paper) and then stitched together like lacing up a shoe. The pages (signatures) are then stitched to the inner lacings. A functional, yet decorative work of art, it makes a great sketchbook or journal for yourself or someone who would enjoy filling it! The first hour of class we will gather materials down the street from the gallery at Utrecht art supply, then return to begin our project. We’ll take a break to eat lunch and by the end of class, you’ll be very proud of your first belgian bound book!

Our workshops are fast and fun. You won’t want it to end!

Min. 3, max. 10 students.

Pre-Payment of $100.00 reserves your spot. Reservations: Shelley@KaiLinArt.com or call (404) 408-4248. Refunds given no later than 24 hours before workshop.

SUPPLY LIST
Shop with Anne the first hour of the workshop at Utrecht Art Supply in Midtown or in advance at Binders Art Supply in Buckhead. E-mail her for supply questions: Anne@AnneElser.com.
Approximate supply cost: $70.00
Lunch & supply costs are not included in tuition.
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Scissors
Wax paper
Bone folder
2-ply chipboard
Washi Paper
Mechanical pencil
Exacto knife/blades
Bookbinding needles
12 x 18 Self-healing cutting mat
Stiff & springy glue brush
18 inch Non-slip metal ruler
8oz container of Acrylic Gel Medium
Blank or lined paper for book pages

New Calligraphy Sample Book

I had a powerful epiphany recently about how to present my new envelopes styles. Many stationers who showcase calligraphic envelope addressing style like to show their clients actual envelopes. These are useful because you can hold them in your hands, feel the texture of the ink sitting on the paper's surface and you can easily imagine how wonderful it would be to see and feel your name or your guests names written so beautifully.

Dang, that was a long sentence.


It occurred to me that I could stitch a family of envelopes together just like a book. So instead of signatures sewn together, I'd treat each envelope as a signature itself.


I am going to make a healthy handful of these and mail them across the country. I've never seen anything like it! And I think they'll be a hit.


While searching for addresses, I thought I'd put an intellectually romantic spin on the vlopes by using addresses many of our beloved artists, writers and actors used to have. They're all in NYC. Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Marc Chagall, Cary Grant... the list goes on. I had to guess on many of the zip codes, so if you're a native New Yorker and are offended, correct me please.


The extra flourishes you see on the James Dean envelope bumps the price from $3.40 to $4.oo. But they are worth it. I swear, the last batch of xmas cards I made were a big hit. No one wanted to throw the envelopes away. There's nothing quite like seeing your own name singing on the page. Light as a feather, free spirited ink - dancing on the page. Liquid love.


To see all the pictures, go here to my calligraphy portfolio page.

Buzzed Again

I laughed out loud and hard when I clicked on the Bridal Buzz link to my inspirational post about my intentions for 2011. Thank you Bridal Buzz! Wit is wonderful. :)

This hysterical (and totally true) motivational message from one of our favorite calligraphers in the country, Anne Elser.

What's inside the books.

Colleen Cameron is a student at SCAD here in Atlanta and wrote this beautiful article in her blog called Copper and Wood about the books I make and the process filtering through my hands and to the pages. Worth the dive and she is so in tune.

Read her article here.


Here's a snap of the two of us talking at Kai Lin Art's opening of Joy last month, where we discussed the work and got to know each other. Neat person she is.

2011

Remember all that stuff I said about becoming love? Fuckit. Let's kick some ass this year.