Calligraphy Three: Advanced Calligraphy

Calligraphy 3: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser
Wednesday Evening
July-Aug 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 28, Aug 4, 11, 18, 25
6-8:30pm
Min4/Max 15

Calligraphy 3: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser
Tuesday Afternoon
Oct-Nov 2010
Tuesday, Oct 26, Nov 2,9,16, 23, 30
1:30-4:00pm
Min4/Max 15

Calligraphy 3: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser
Wednesday Evening
Dec 2010-Jan 2011
Wednesday, Dec 8, 15, Jan 5, 12, 19,26
6-8:30pm
Min4/Max 15

Calligraphy Three: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser
Intermediate to Advanced | Fee: $140 | Min. 4/ Max. 15 Calligraphy 3 is an advanced calligraphy class designed for those who have taken Calligraphy 2 & 3 or who already know the fundamentals of any calligraphic hand and are ready for the challenge of applying the words and other elements to the page.

Whether you are addressing envelopes, designing a monogram, laying out a certificate, document or quote of any size, this class will help you understand the concept of hierarchy on a page, drama, stable compositions and balance of elements.

You will also be encouraged to take the plunge into the world of flourishing! Experimentation with color, gouache, inks and paper is also encouraged. Bring in your free spirits and lets have fun!




Instructor Bio: Atlanta native, Anne-Davnes Dusenberry Elser earned her BFA in painting and ceramics from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1991. She then studied Graphic Design at The Portfolio Center in Buckhead, where she has been teaching design classes for over 10 years. In 2003, she began teaching classes here at Binders. Anne makes her living as a painter, illustrator, bookbinder, designer and calligrapher. She is also an instructor in these fields. Her award-winning work has been featured in design annuals, books and magazines (Print, CMYK, Graphis and Communication Arts, Minimal Graphics, Then Is Now) and can be seen in several book jackets (Memory Of A Large Christmas, Storyville USA, Trickster Lives, Let Them Eat Data.) While Anne’s experience gives her classes real value, her candor and sense of play allow for a fun, friendly environment. She has two cats named Gunther and Olaf, a son named Anton (who is amazing) and a husband named Doug (who is also amazing.) She also can’t wait to meet you.

Neutral Nails

I'm big into painting my nails, getting them done professionally and mixing my own polishes. Students ask me all the time what I'm wearing and it dawned on me that blogging about this very important subject would make a lot of female thinkers happy.

So here goes. My favorite colors are all neutrals. Lots of warm and cool grays and they're sexy when short or long. I like to wear my nails pretty short. Recently started having a thin layer of liquid gel applied at the salon and it's made all the difference. Polish lasts FOREVER.

If you like to wear your nails short like I do, you just need to find a salon that won't apply too much gel too close to the cuticle. As your nails grow out, you'll see a ridge between the gel and your natural nail and this looks really artificial. The best salon out there for me is called Polished in Brookhaven. On Peachtree in between Dreseden and N. Druid Hills. Ask for Julie. She's amazing.

So here are my sexy neutrals:

Essie: Island Hopping
Essie: Mink Muffs
Essie: Chinchilly
Essie: Playa del Platinum

OPI: You Don't Know Jacques!

Ulta: Truth Or Dare

Enjoy!

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser

Callig #2: Copperplate With Anne Elser
Tuesday Afternoon
July-Aug 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 27, Aug 3, 10, 17, 24
1:30-4:00pm
Min4/Max 15

Callig #2: Copperplate with Anne Elser
Wednesday Evening
Oct-Dec 2010
Wednesday, Oct 27, Nov 3,10,17, 24, Dec 1
6-8:30pm
Min4/Max 15

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $140 | Min. 4/ Max. 15

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.

Calligraphy is less about pretty handwriting, but more about DRAWING each and every letter. Its 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.

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book

Hello Friends!

I've designed a new Bookmaking class just for students who have already taken bookmaking and want a closer look at developing a book or journal's interior. This summer in July and August, 2010 the journey will begin with Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book.

This class will also be taught twice more this year in the Fall and Winter. (Times stated below.)
Sign-up is available NOW for the Summer 2010 session.

Introducing Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser


Tuesday Evening
July-Aug 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 27, Aug 3,10,17,24
6-8:30pm
Min 4/Max 15

Tuesday Evening
Oct-Nov 2010
Tuesday, Oct 26, Nov 2,9,16,23,30
6-8:30pm
Min 4/Max 15

Tuesday Afternoon
Dec 2010-Jan2011
Tuesday, Dec 7,14, Jan 4,11, 18, 25
1:30-4:00pm
Min4/Max 15

BOOKMAKING 2: The Opened Book with Anne Elser
Intermediate to Advanced | Fee: $140 | Min. 4/ Max. 15

If you've taken one or several bookmaking classes and are ready for the next step of creating content on those lovely hand-bound pages, join us in Bookmaking 2: The Opened Book.

Nothing can be more intimidating than a book of blank white pages. We will begin by creating signatures with a mixture of several different types, colors, ages and textures of papers - anything from vintage sheet music, magazines, lined or graphed paper, envelopes, postcards, etc. By alternating these pages with blank pages, you'll have a book that wants to be altered further: touched, written in, cut into, stitched, painted, repainted and filled with purposeful doodling, writing and drawing.

Working at your own pace, your book can be themed or worked into loosely. Set your sights on the color palette and theme of your choice and by the end of the first week, you'll have "accidentally" found a collection of things you're enchanted with to incorporate into your book. Bring all the scraps of fabric and paper you've been saving to incorporate into the covers or pages of your book.

The approach in this class from to the "treasure hunt" pasting, binding, working and re-working will be an intuitive one, with the correct assumption that as artists, we have all the answers inside and before us, even before we begin.

We will work in a relaxing, engaging and completely intuitive manner, while sharing each of our unique talents, discoveries, experiences and processes with each other. You won't want to miss a moment.

We will make at least one book and a box for your book to live in. And if you're really hungry for more - make two! Bring all your bookmaking supplies and at least one set of color paints/inks in the medium of your choice and a set of drawing pens/pencils/markers.

New Little House

Dear Friends and Family,

We're settled in nice and cozy in the new home.

Olaf still spends a lot of time in the closet
when guests come over pr when things get too noisy for him.
Gunther needed no transition time. At the ancient age of 19,
he walked right in and said "Oh, that spot right there looks cozy."

Anton calls this "our new cute little house."
Doug can mow the lawn in 10 minutes.
I have no need for an upstairs and downstairs set of chap stick and hand creme anymore.
Ahhh. One level feels soooo good. This is darling and could not be more perfect.
My commute to Buckhead and Midtown is a dream. Brookhaven is fabulous!

To view pictures of our first little party on the 4th,
please visit this link:

Elser's New Home

Our new address:
2368 Bynum Road, NE
Atlanta, GE 30319

And we all lived happily ever after.

~Anne/Doug/Anton

PS: We have gardenia bushes in the back yard. SCORE!

Journal Inspiration

Since making my own books, using them as journals and teaching the craft, I've been tuned into this ancient form of self expression. Another quarter at Portfolio Center fat approaches. I am writing syllabi tonight before drinking heavily tomorrow. Hank sent me a terrific link about journaling. In Creative Strokes, we'll spend the first day making a Journal of YES, to be filled out with questions, longings, sketches, illustrations about the subject. We'll each be making a calendar with a different kind of YES illustrated with typography. Numbers and letters are first images before they are read. Can't wait to see the process unfold. Open to the yessness!

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/linda-tischler/design-times/introducing-guest-blogger-ken-carbone-curiously-curious-kind-guy.

Three-Shelved Sweetness

I know, I know. Here we are still giving away furniture and throwing stuff to the curb to fit in our cute little house but we really needed this new piece.

Our fridge is teenincey. And my pantry is the size of my old bedside table. Really. So we bought this darling three-shelf cabinet to stand right at the fridge's side. It's our "junk drawer" and everyone gets a shelf. LOVE this thing. The asymmetrical doors really get me. It's narrow, it's lithe. It's loved and dinged up just like the velveteen rabbit. The top is perfect for my cookbooks, a plant and a set of car keys. And we got it at Goodwill for $14.00. Sweetness.

Discipline

Did I happen to mention that Anton is three years old and fast approaching adulthood? There was no such phase as the "terrible two's." For us it's the "terrible threes." Although it seems to be normal, it's still unpleasant. Doug and I are constantly trying to figure out how to get inside Anton's head. Man, he's a smart cookie.

So we're overstating the obvious here with a picture of the Elser House Rules. Got the idea from the Supper Nanny site. And we've got a positive behavior chart going now, too. We'll see how this goes. I like the idea of rewarding him for good behavior. We work hard for the things we want, don't we? So should he.


And you guys know I love him - but seriously - can you see the image of him with sharp fingers and teeth? Totally accurate. Grrrrrr!

Tables

So we got even more done this weekend. My studio is now set up in a mostly workable format. I've still got lots of boxes to unpack and organize and our closets need to be arranged, but my new table workspace is lookin pretty sweet. I ditched my old white sectional desk and kept two vintage pieces to work with. LOVE how it all turned out. This room was already painted a soft warm gray and all my colors look yummy with it. The table tops will be a beautiful background for my books as I photograph them. Look for more red and green!


Tonight we all sat at the table to eat dinner. The grandfather clock is up, Doug's portrait is up, our table set and poof, we are once again a civilized family. :)

Change from the Outside In

Hello World,

It's been a week since I last posted. We are moved in! We still have lots of boxes to unpack but we are settled and cozy. Making this our home. And it's a sweet one.

This morning Anton and I had breakfast at our table, as we only have two more boxes to unpack in the kitchen. This weekend I'll tackle my studio space. Tomorrow Anton and I go visit the neighborhood pool at the Briarwood Recreation Center. So excited!

We've been going back to the old house to collect some things the movers couldn't take. While walking through with Anton, we sang "Thank You old house! We love you old house!" And it really was a prayer of thanks for safely nesting us for the past 8 years.

We moved the Hoosier Kitchen Doug and I bought for Anton's first bedroom into this new little kitchen. For the first time, I am using it for it's original intention of storing baking items, supplies and tools. It's fabulous!

This ranch house is very tiny, built in the 50's with a little front yard and larger fenced in back yard. The dining room table sits right up against one of the windows looking out into the front yard. I love eating a meal that way - especially breakfast.


I can stand in the middle of this house and point to every corner, knowing each is only a few steps away. Everything within arm's reach makes for a feeling of continuity that I did not feel at the larger house on Brandy Turk Way. I love being on one level, love feeling centered, close to everything, and living in an older, more urban neighborhood. Things being on a smaller scale feels really good, though there are many adjustments needed to the way you do things, buy things and store things. For instance, our pantry is a third of what we had previously. I spent one morning figuring out how to stack and sort items to fit it all in. No more buying in bulk for us and no more hanging on to the contents of junk drawers, etc. The bedroom closet Doug and I now share is a quarter of the size we used to have together. I donated 75% of my wardrobe to Goodwill and I still have too much stuff. It feels good to only keep thing things you use and wear on a regular basis.

So as we continue to settle in, I'll post more photos of the new space. Everywhere I look there is thoughtfulness and charm. And the coolest thing about being able to say that is that my new environment is a reflection of my interior - I mean the inside of me. We recognize what we already know and who we already are.

Child Labor

Take a look at the facebook album I recently put together of Anton's fun morning of playtime with the Jacobsons. Toooo much fun!

Jacobson Child Labor Scam

Closer and Closer

The newest addition to our new home will be the first bird who moves into this little house.

Today is Thursday.

We move on Saturday.

Welcome home, little bird.

Paper Letters

All over our house, I've got calligraphic paper letters pinned to the walls. It started with the A in Anton's room when he was just a few weeks old and now there's an E, D or A in just about every room of the house. Doug's and my initials sit above our headboard in the bedroom. I'll carefully peel them off and put them up in the new house next week. My Hipstamatic for iPhone app took the pictures. Awesomeness.

Journey

This is a case bound book I made a couple months ago in the last bookmaking session. It's covered with imported washi paper from Washi Accents and the tiny pink flowered paper in the middle is from Binders. It comes in about 4 different shades, blue, pink, orange and green. The paper wrapped around the spine is a solid washi from Binders that I painted with acrylic. The headbands are made from the same solid paper and the pages are a Canson drawing paper that's smooth, thick and in a lovely warm ivory tone.





Tiny words at front (Journey) and back (Ending) are from a teacher's educational master vocabulary workbook where all the correct answers are circled in red. It was a real find at the Atlanta Vintage Books.



One of the great things about moving and throwing out things is that you find stuff you thought had been gone for years. For the past 8 years, my prismacolor set was sleeping in a box in our attic. I found it and started going through some of the blank pages in this book to add graph lines, grid marks and writing lines. SO much fun to make and NO I did not measure each one perfectly. They're all random!


The pink ink in the italic calligraphy pen is from Artlite. Artlite has the most fabulous pen collection and a really fun supply of lined and graphed paper pads that when alternated with blank paper, make great pages for a book. LOVE!



The notes you see written inside are all about this move and the encouragement I'm getting from god, friends and guides. It is glorious.

Back to packing!

~Anne

Hipstamatic

I'm probably one of the last of my friends to download this awesome app on my iPhone, Hipstamatic. LOVE the effects. Here's another sentimental look at the living room we're leaving. The painted walls I embellished, the color palette (yes, I'm taking that with me.) I can paint walls again. We drove by the new house tonight. It's a real cutie. We then took a drive from the house to Anton's school. Five minutes. Ahhhh. Back roads all the way.

Piercing Cradle Directions

Hi Friends,

Here's a set of directions I wrote for making your own piercing cradle out of foam board. If you make the cut between side A and B half way through the foam, you'll be able to fold it at the seam and glue it more easily to the two short ends.

Binders sells the larger piece of foam board this same size (16 x 20.)

These are very handy, lightweight, portable and quite sturdy (just don't leave it out in the rain or try to sit in it.)

Cheers!

~Anne

Answer The Questions

Here's a new coptic journal with an enchanting phrase on the cover: Answer The Questions. There are bits of a map on both sides that accompany this gentle nudge to fill the pages full of questions and answers.

Now for sale on Etsy!
This coptic bound journal feels just right in your hands. Lovingly covered with vintage maps, hand-painted patterns and imported washi paper, it's nice and thick, though small and portable.

"Accidental" word placement when collaged with several different pieces: "Answer the questions. Everyone knows they are something of a surprise. in the middle of hundreds, they seem to be out of place."

I just love that statement!

3.25 inches wide
5.5 inches tall
1.25 inches thick
192 blank pages

New Envelope Style

There's a new envelope style I want to welcome to the family, a slant with a cheeky crop at the far left edge. I did a few samples of these for a delightful vendor out in California, Mae Mae Paperie and they were SO much fun!

You see it above with a freshly cut bouquet of seedum Autumn Joy cuttings my friend Tina advised me to take. Sedum, when left to grow on its own, can grow so tall that it collapses from its own weight. When trimmed to a third of its size just before flowering, it will grow twice as many blossoms on smaller stems, leaving a short thick base for each two blossoms. I love this plant and when we moved into this house, it was crowded around the side of the house, choked in a small bed with orange day lilies. Doug and I dug up the bulbs and moved them better locations around the mailbox and at the base of some of the fence posts. They are very happy there! I won't be around to see the sedum's double blossoms. But I'll take these rooted cuttings with me to the new home.

Tomorrow we pack stuff in boxes. I will remind myself to smile while doing it. Not much point in moving when you're miserable. :)

Soft Focus

So these pictures of my beloved family were all taken with my dinky iPhone (also a member of my family) with a quick and dirty photoshop mobile filter to finish them off. We are two weeks closer to moving and I am looking wistfully at everything before me. So I think the filter is appropriate. Cause it's really how I see things.

Saying good bye to this beautiful house is really hard. It was such a homely bachelor pad when we moved in. And now it's transformed into an adorable, yet strong boned home. If ever there was a statement that described the inner transformations I've been through the past 8 years since living here, that says it all: adorable and strong boned.

Our very next home will engage us into a new set of transformations. I can't wait to see what they are.

Hello, life. I am here and I love you.

Coptic Bookmaking Workshop at Kai Lin Art

Friends! I will be teaching a new round of bookmaking workshops at the Kai Lin Art Gallery in Midtown. The first one is set for Saturday, June 26th, from 10-5pm. Going to be fun! Contact Shellie DuBois to reserve your spot: 404.408.4248.





Coptic Bound Bookmaking Workshop

Spend a Saturday making your very own Coptic Bound Journal. We will make covers and pages
for your books and learn how to stitch them together using this ancient Egyptian technique.

If you’d like to shop for materials in the supply list before the workshop, Binders Art Supply in Buckhead has all the supplies you’ll need.

Anything you need help choosing or don’t have time to get berforehand can be purchased down the street from the Kai Lin Gallery at Utrecht art supply during the first hour of the workshop.

We will then return to glue, fold, pierce and stitch our books together. We’ll take a break to eat lunch and by the end of class, you’ll be very proud of your first beautiful, strong, yet flexible book.

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

For more information about different bookmaking techniques and a more extensive supply list and links, please visit AnneElser.com.

Anne Elser Essential Bookmaking Supply List
Shop with Anne the beginning of class. E-mail her for questions: Anne@AnneElser.com.

1. Lineco® medium-duty awl $12.79
2. Lineco® pack of bookbinding needles $5.99
3. Lineco® bone folder $5.59
4. 2-ply chipboard $4.00
(30 x 40 sheet, cut into quarters)
5. Washi Paper, 2 coordinating sheets $10.00
This is decorative handmade paper that comes in many
different patterns, textures and weights. Pick two sheets
you like together that are not tissue paper thin.
6. Mechanical Pencil $3.19
7. Exacto Knife & blades $3.63
I prefer the Fiskars brand if you want to upgrade.
8. Self-healing cutting mat $9.39
At least 12 x 18.
9. Stiff & springy glue brush $1.09
This price refelcts an inexpensive version of a chid’s
craft brush. Lineco makes a larger glue brushes if
you’d like to upgrade.
10. Non-slip metal ruler $3.89
This price reflects a cork-backed ruler. I find the foam
backed rulers sturdier, if you’d like to upgrade.
11. 8oz container of Acrylic Gel Medium $9.39
Coatings like gloss or matt do not matter because
we’ll brush this on and use as an adhesive to cover our
chipboard with paper.
12. Blank letter sheets of paper (20-25) $5.00
I like to use paper that feels good in my hands.
Sometimes I alternate blank pages with lined and
graphed paper. If you can’t find a ream of separate
sheets you like, then buy a pad of paper you like
and either cut or tear them out.
ESTIMATED TOTAL $73.95

Bring from Home
1. Scissors
2. Roll of Wax Paper
3. A phonebook to help pierce holes in paper.