Day 48: 2013 Correcting lettering in a journal

When I asked Cathy Johnson for permission to quote the blog.....
There's a correction: this wonderful suggestion is from Pam Johnson Brickell and her wonderful work. Sorry Pam that you didn't get the initial credit but I'm hoping this will make up for it?

I follow this wonderful blog on keeping a watercolor journal - "Artist's Journal Workshop".  I can always dream of being able to keep a beautiful journal like Cathy Johnson or maybe Brenda Swenson can't I? Cathy is a generous teacher of journaling and workshops and how to's.

In today's blog, which I've copied whole - I did ask permission because I think this is a wonderful lesson for all of us -  she talks about making a typo on a "precious" journal page (Those Are My Words) - I would have committed hara kiri if I'd drawn that wonderful page and then made a huge typo.

I thought this was a useful lesson for all of us.

• Classes & Workshops
• Bookshelf!
• Supply Catalog (New!)
• Meet-ups & Sketch-outs

28 ARTISTS & JOURNALISTS
their work and words, interviews, blogs, images, hints, tips, websites
and more...

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Correcting Lettering Mistakes

A lot of times I'll wait until I get home before adding lettering to a journal page. Mainly because of time and comfort. But on this particular day, I felt quite comfy perched on my camp stool and the 8.5 x 11 journal page in my Stillman and Birn Alpha hardbound journal was such a dream to work on.

However, on the way home, I began to wonder if this really was Harbour Town's Liberty Oak. There were two very large oaks in the heart of Harbour Town.  The magnificence of this tree, with it's sprawling low lying branches surely struck me as the one to bear this name...... Not!

Long ago, a skilled calligrapher taught me how to correct mistakes... Tip: correct your mistake before you lift any unwanted lettering.  Huh? Yes, write over the lettering on the page, then white out or lift off what you don't want.

That way the stroke of the corrected lettering will be smooth and you won't have to contend with the often bumpy texture left by white out or white ink.  I used a Signo Uniball broad tip white pen, available from JetPens.com.

I decided to turn Liberty Oak into Live Oak.  The RTY of Liberty would be taken out.  A good size space would be left between the two words.  I decided to put the tree's Latin name between Live and Oak.... a quirky fix, but it worked for me :)

Since this is a journal page and not a piece of calligraphic art, I was willing to live with a bumpy surface to write the smaller replacement text on.

Day 46: 2013 Portrait Drawing Session Six

Barbara, Terry Kelly's wife had to step in

and play the part of the model when the model failed to show up.

One of the hazards of trying to hire live models.

They're a flaky bunch.

Jill's initial blocking in

Terry said to get the darkest of the darks into the drawing

Final drawing.  I was pleased.

I thought I'd remember each person

who did these drawings but it's been

several weeks and the memory has gone.

Another person's drawing

And a final drawing.

Day 45: Portrait Drawing Session Five

Photo - these are " professional" models.  They charge $10 per person  attending the class to take photos.  I can understand the adversity to photography in a life modeling class, but a portrait class!  This guy is fully clothed down to the black hoodie!

Day 43: 2012 Portrait Drawing Fourth Session

Sebastian, the model

My attempt to draw Sebastian.

Terry Kelly's hands explaining blocking in the shapes

Terry Kelly, the teacher, blocking in an eye

Terry Kelly's drawing

Barbara, Terry's wife's drawing - wonderful work!!

Another student's work

Sebastian was a wonderful model, easy to draw, well lit, good planes to his face.