Love, Santa

"LOVE, SANTA" Personalized Letter :: $20

Send a good boy or girl a personalized letter from Santa, handwritten, stamped and addressed by a professional calligrapher. Make your child's mailbox or stocking very happy this Christmas with a good note from the North Pole, mailed directly from the "North Pole Southeastern United States Satellite Office" in Decatur, Georgia. :D

For a more personalized letter, please include the following details about your child/grandchild/niece/nephew: 

• Name
• Mailing Address
• Character qualities (patience, bravery, kindness, etc)
• Recent accomplishments (awards, grades, competitions, etc.)
• Presents they are sure to receive
• Words of wisdom you wish to impart
• Pets & family members to acknowledge

You may also have me scribe YOUR own letter, as long as it is within 90 words.

Please allow 48 hours for shipping.

Merry Christmas!
Love,
~Santa

P.S. This works for big kids, too!

New Cursive Crush Workshop!

Hi all,

Coming in 2015, I've got a few new goodies to share with you. Here's the first, my new cursive workshop called Cursive Crush! Very excited! Signup link here!

January 10 - 11th, 2015

Binders Ponce City Market

11-4:30PM

$160

Beginner-intermediate level Ages 11 - Adult

Maximum 15 students

The speed of digital communication today has gifted us with more time to pursue things we love. But somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten how good it feels to use a writing instrument to record our thoughts for ourselves and to those we love. Writing, and the time it takes to produce letterforms, is good for the body, mind, and spirit. It is also a gift to the recipient, who holds your elevated thoughts in their hands, literally, and with far more consideration and pause than through a text or email. 

The child of Spencerian calligraphy, Cursive Handwriting is not forgotten, because we have made a table for you to come join us in two fun and joyous days of lettering. Students will learn (or re-learn!) capitals and lower case letterforms, through formal exercises in structure, rhythm and flow - all standards similar to those taught not that long ago. 

Day one is spent on spacing and lower case characters. Day two we’ll dance with capitals and dive right into an envelope addressing/letter writing project. Both days we’ll take an hour break for lunch. This workshop is suitable for calligraphers, tweens, and all adults. 

Supply List:

Paper:

• Bienfang Graphics 360 9''x12'' Marker Pad

or Borden & Riley 9’’x12’’ 100s Smooth Cotton Comp Pad

• Rhodia Lined No 18 Pad

Pens:

• Pentel Slicci 025 pen
• Pentel Hybrid Technica pen

These pens come in a variety of thicknesses. You’ll want to have variety and choose something that writes very fine like the Slicci and have a slightly thicker width pen to see what feels right for you. 

• Your favorite/preferred pens from home. Can be fine or medium point. Ballpoint, rollerball, gel pens, etc. All are welcome and suitable for this class.

Stationary:

• Envelopes and stationary paper at least 5-10 envelopes/sheets 
• Feel free to bring in embellishments like stickers and stamps!

Misc:

• Mechanical Pencil
• Eraser
• Metal ruler
• Xacto Blades/knife
• Self-healing cutting mat (or the back of a pad of paper)

Chalkboard Painting: Cockfield Plantation

Here's a commission I finished up this week. Done for a friends' mother. These pieces get more and more fun each one I do. I want to have Thanksgiving dinner at THIS house! 

First I sketch the piece on graph paper and then move to the chalkboard. I Crete the same graph there, with a soapstone pencil, so I can easily run it away later. 

This particular client loved the chalkboard look, but wanted the board to be permanent, so I used Sharpie Oil Based markers for the final instead of chalk or Chalk Ink markers.

After the chalkboard has been gridded, I sketch out the words. Then trace over the sketch with the markers. Go slowly with the markers to get an opaque and evenly weighted stroke with each line.

These pieces make for wonderful holiday gifts for vacation homes, vacation getaways, memories, or an old family home that's been sold. I'm very close to making one for my parents place in Rabun Gap, Ga. 

I'd also love to make one for a group of friends, non-specific to a particular place, but simply honoring the connections we all have to one another. 

Copperplate Calligraphy Weekend Workshop October 25-26, 2014

This coming weekend I'll be teaching a Copperplate Calligraphy workshop from 11-4:30. Come join in the fun of inking up a page with loops, ascenders, descenders, power, and grace!

Sign up here!

Copperplate Calligraphy Weekend with Anne Elser 
2 Sessions | Beginner to Intermediate | Price: $160 | Max.10 
ARTZ1463 | Saturday & Sunday, October 25 & 26, 11am - 4:30pm


Description 
This is an introductory look at Copperplate, an elegant and elastic hand frequently used for formal invitations, documents and bridal events. Completely enchanting, the dramatic thick and thins of this delicate hand will make you swoon.

Students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. 

Calligraphy is less about pretty handwriting, but more about DRAWING each and every letter. It's about establishing a pace and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.

Instructor Bio:

After earning a BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduate studies in Graphic Design at The Portfolio Center, Anne Elser began her artistic career as a painter, bookbinder, designer, and calligrapher. With over 20 years teaching experience, her students often report how fulfilling the classroom experience is, prompting both personal and artistic transformations. Anne's classes are also FUN and full of laughter and you will find the sense of community she inspires  enriching and entertaining.

To compliment and serve better Atlanta's calligraphic and book arts communities, Anne recently founded "The Atlanta Penablers" a group that meets the first Friday night of every month.

Artist, calligrapher, teacher, mother, and friend, Anne believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all. 

www.AnneElser.com
www.AtlantaPenablers.com

This Workshop takes place in our Buckhead store.

For questions or comments please email Jacob@Bindersart.com 

The Supply list for this class can be found HERE

$160.00

Additional Information

Contemporary Envelopes

More fun with envelopes. Above is an experiment with Diane Townsend pastels beneath lettering and around it as a soft cloud. The shimmer pen is done with a clear glaze Sakura gel pen. 

Beneath that is a copperplate envelope sans capitals, for students who are ready to letter an address, but not yet confident with their capitals. So, now there aren't any excuses... Jump on those vlopes now, friends!!

Purple Vows

This lovely commission is for two Georgia ladies who traveled all the way to Washington, just to get married. Someday, gay couples won't need to travel so far and I want to be around to see it happen. 

Done in purple gouache ink to match her dress, this italic variation features dragon tongues I've been trying to master for years. 

Kitty Envelope

Let's see how far this kittie's meow will carry from Atlanta to Chicago.

Wedding Sermon

Finished up a commission today for a bridal couple who wanted their wedding sermon hand lettered. This baby took me  a while. 22x30 on arches HP stock. 695 words done with two ZebraG nibs. It's beautiful!

Time now for a visit to my chiropractor. :)

Floating Gold on Lucite Escort Cards

This weekend I  started a really interesting commission from a bride whose got a thing for gold and lucite. She's hanging these lucite squares by ribbons as a grouping of floating escort cards. So I whipped out my gold oil based sharpie marker and went to town. 

I think they look lovely stacked in this way, too. Interesting way to study letterforms and grids.

Next I do an  8 x 12 lucite drink menu for the bar. When she came to my studio to pick these up yesterday, she saw my chalkboard piece and said "THAT!! I want  my drink menu to look like that title!" So, it's going to be an exciting week for me. :)

Family Vacation Home Gift

Here's a 20" x 9" chalkboard commission I finished up this weekend. This will hang above the kitchen sink in a family's beloved beach vacation home. I love these jobs, knowing the words I pen have meaning and add to the specialness and lifetime of memories a family shares and builds together.

This client asked that I use permanent markers on the chalkboard so it lasts forever. Sharpie Oil-Based markers are more fun than I had previously thought. 

I still have not found out what a "Cartzilla" is but will share once I do!

Here's the sketch: 

West Elm Wedding Registry Launch

Some recent photos taken at my latest wedding gig with the wonderful folks and vendors at West Elm.

New Calligraphy 4 class coming this Summer 2014 at Binders!

Hello Inkers.

Guess what?! I've created a new Calligraphy class designed for students who've taken my advanced projects class Calligraphy 3. 

Introducing Calligraphy Four: Alternative Applications and Beyond

This class will be taught at Binders and takes place this summer in July on Thursday afternoons. If you're unable to take it during the day, don't worry. We'll be offering it again as a Tuesday or Wednesday night evening class at Binders in 2015. 

Calligraphy 4: Alternative Applications and Beyond with Anne Elser

Intermediate to Advanced | Fee: $160 | Min. 4/ Max. 15 | Thursday afternoons 1:30-4PM | 6-weeks | July 31, Aug 7, 14, 21, 28 Sep 4, 2014

Calligraphy 4 was created for those who want to apply the layout and lettering skills learned in Calligraphy 3, onto alternative surfaces, textures and with a variety of tools and mediums. 

Projects Included: 

• Hand Lettering: using different fonts to intermix with your calligraphy. Balance, expression, and variety - the letters you’ve been making all your life can work beautifully with your calligraphy. Discover double-lining your letters and pimping the downstroke as well as lettering the same quote in different styles and using a tracing technique to build a complex arrangement of different lettering styles into one cohesive collage. 

• Envelopes: Literally pushing the possibilities of envelope design. Deconstructing existing formats to create a unique space for your custom message, flaps, folds, liners, windows and reveals. 

• Handkerchiefs: Lettering on fabric with permanent fabric paint.

• Chalkboard Paint: Smudge-proof, forgiving and colorful, Liquid Chalkboard markers are sexier than you think. 

• Idea to Finished Product: We’ll discuss and put into practice the process of creating a finished product for a specific audience with appropriate tools. The creative process is more fun than you might think!

• Brush Lettering: Whether painting on a person, paper, fabric, wood, leather, or canvas, you’ll learn to brush with confidence with some standard practice strokes and different techniques for painting a live letter vs. a sketched letter. 

Detailed Supply Lists will be given after first class and before each project. Supplies to bring to first class are pencil, calligraphy pens, ink, ruler, scissors, glue, tape, and transparent maker paper. 

Italic Calligraphy Weekend Workshop April 26-27, 2014

A broad edge can be as buoyant as you are!

Find out how this weekend at my 
Italic Calligraphy Weekend Workshop!

Italic Calligraphy Weekend Workshop

with Anne Elser - April 26-27, 2014

Details

Italic Calligraphy Weekend with Anne Elser 2 Sessions | Beginner to Intermediate | Price: $160 | Max.10 ARTZ1459 | Saturday & Sunday, April 26 & 27, 11am - 4:30pm


Description
The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. It's generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced.

During this weekend workshop, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also cover spacing and layout for addressing envelopes.

Calligraphy is less about pretty handwriting and more about DRAWING each and every letter. It's about establishing a pacing and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.

This event takes place in our Buckhead Store

If this class is sold out and you would like to be added to our waitlist please email Jacob@Bindersart.com

The Supply list for this Calligraphy Italic Class can be found HERE

Additional Information

SKU	ARTZ1459
Brand Name	Anne Elser
Department Name	ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Copperplate at Spruill Starting April 10th.

Next Thursday at Spruill, I've got a new afternoon Copperplate class beginning from 1:30-4PM. This is a six-week course in Beginning Copperplate. Seats are still available!

CALLIGRAPHY: COPPERPLATE WITH ANNE ELSER

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Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal

Course Number:

142DACA250

Dates:

Thursday, April 10 - May 22, 2014
    Check for other dates or times

Exception Dates:

No class 4/17

Sessions:

6

Meets:

1:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Instructor:

Anne Elser

Fee:

$180  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

This is an introductory look at Copperplate, an elegant and elastic hand frequently used for formal invitations, documents and bridal events. Completely enchanting, the dramatic thicks and thins of this delicate hand will make you swoon. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.

   
Supply List

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There are still openings remaining at this time.

A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.

Next Week! Beginning Bookbinding at Spruill Feb 20th-March20th Afternoon Class Begins

BEGINNING BOOKBINDING WITH ANNE ELSER

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Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal

Course Number:

141PPBB010

Dates:

Thursday, February 20 - March 20, 2014
    Check for other dates or times

Sessions:

5

Meets:

1:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Instructor:

Anne Elser

Fee:

$180  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

If you enjoy stitching, paper, and color in the company of good friends, you'll love this beginning bookbinding class. In Bookbinding 1, discover the fascinating anatomy of a book from cover to spine to fly sheet and how to make one sing in the spirit of good craftsmanship while celebrating your own aesthetic. Not only will you learn to make books (4!) and a custom slipcase for one of them, you'll be making the tools used to create them that make the process easy and enjoyable. Detailed handouts and an inventive and caring instructor are waiting for your heart and hands. This course is great for all crafters, artists, and scrapbookers of all levels and for those who want help in luring their creative side to the surface. Projects included: Piercing Cradle, The Merfect, Side Stab Books, Coptic Book with Visible Spine, Tape Bound Book, Slip Case, and a Case Bound Book. Supply List available on www.spruillarts.org.

   
See Supply List below for this course.

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There are still openings remaining at this time.

A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.

The broad and generous strokes of the Italic calligraphic hand

Many calligraphic newcomers ask me whether to start with Italic or Copperplate. Both of my classes are geared towards beginners, so both are appropriate. But I learned Italic first, which lead into Copperplate and I believe it made the transition easier for me. I can tell you that knowing both, has enhanced the other.

Many of my students come to me with a heavy preference for copperplate over italic, because it is so expressive and feminine with its lovely loops, cusps, and tails. I get that. But I can tell you I get equal pleasure using the broad edge pen, because of the wide, meaty, and generous amount of ink I'm able to lay down on the thirsty paper. If you're a painter, definitely start with the broad edge, because you'll soon be working wet into wet like watercolorists do as they grace the page with a brush.

Here's an interesting historical tidbit I read in an article entitled "Write On" for Family Tree Magazine by David A. Fryxell in preparation for National Handwriting day last month:

"Humanists of the Italian Renaissance rebelled against the harsh forms of Gothic Script, reverting to a version of Carolingian writing. Some credit Niccolo Niccoli, a 15th-century Italian, with giving this script its distinctively modern slant. Dubbed "italic," after Italy, this simple style of writing was the precursor to cursive, although not all letters were linked."

So! I do recommend Italic first, because from a historical point of view, it makes complete sense to gear you up for the lovely linking Copperplate thrives upon. And there is a tiny thrill I get when switching from Italic to Copperplate, knowing I'm repeating an important part of history, OUR history, in doing so.

My next Italic class begins next week on Thursday, February 20th, 2014 from 6-9PM at Spruill Center for the Arts. It is a 5-week course and full of goodies, the least of which is the social experience of making beautiful calming marks on paper, with a new group of like-minded people who could likely be new friends for life, including myself. :D

Love to all,

~Anne

CALLIGRAPHY: ITALIC WITH ANNE ELSER 

Beginner/intermediate•5 sessions• 6-9PM• Feb 20, 27 Mar 6, 13, 20•Min.5/Max.10•Spruill Center for the Arts

The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. It's generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib, can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. During the five-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.

Make your own ink recipe!

Hi, All.

I've finally put together a supply list and basic instructions for those who want to mix their own calligraphy inks. Click this link to download a PDF of the instructions! And have fun!

~Anne

Baby Gift: Hand-Painted Handkerchief celebrating the birth of a new person!

Using Jacquard Textile Permanent Fabric Paints and a Pentel brush, I paint on a variety of fabrics from cotton, cotton jersey, linen, vintage hand towels, and hankies. This takes time, and I love doing it. Wedding Gifts, Baby Shower Gifts, monograms, sentiments, graduation gifts, and more - there are many ways to tell a person they're wonderful. This hankie was painted on soft pink fine linen, and hand stitched with a rolled hem using matching thread. These can be machine washed easily, without compromising the hand lettering in any way. 

This soft pink made adding opaque white accents to the soft grey really fun.

Here's a closeup of the finished painted hankie. Next step is to hand stitch a rolled hem. And numbers - there's nothing sexier than beautiful numerals that visually speak to one another. 

The sketch. First done in pencil, I use a light table to illuminated the way of the brush strokes, tracing as I work with a fine brush and permanent fabric paint.

The linen colors I work with - cut, ironed and ready to be painted and stitched.

My light table: Here's the linen on top of the sketch, which I outline in black marker so it's more easily seen through the linen.

The painting has begun and you can see the marker sketch underneath the linen, guiding my way.

The final piece, ready to be shipped and sent away to its forever home. :D

Even folded, the letterforms invite you to touch them.