Ruling Pens & T-SquaresA documentation of my journey through learning the drawn letter.

© 2015 Ruling Pens & T-SquaresAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

The opinions expressed in this book are those of the author only and not those of York College of Pennsylvania.

This book is an experimental class project for purely educational design purposes.

Design by Emily MaxwellPrinted by www.lulu.com

Ruling Pens & T-SquaresA documentation of my journey through learning the drawn letter.

By Emily Maxwell

I would like to thank the incredible Professor Melanie Rodgers for spending this semester curating lessons and giving me the necessary tools to become a world class ninja. Uh. I mean a lettering fanatic. Without your guidance and patience I would’ve been left drowning in the sea of knowledge with no ruling pen life-raft to save me. I would also like to thank my Mother, Pam Maxwell. Always gotta thank your Mom!

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

History 3 Why 7

How 12 Proposal 14

Syllabus 17

Tools 19

Purpose 21

Project By Project

“Hello” 26 “Cheers” 32

“I Liked You Better” 38

Application 43

Ruling Pens & T-Squares

Introduction

1

First, I would like to Welcome you to a documentation of my crazy, over-whelming, successful, and amazing Junior Year semester from hell. I am kidding, but they don’t mess around when they say “College is hard”. But aren’t the countless hours, blood, sweat, spilled iced coffees, and thousands of tears worth it all? To have a collection of work that you are truly proud of is a feeling I wish every person could experience - no matter what career!

This book is documentation of my independent study I completed during the Fall semester of 2015. My Professor, Melanie Rodgers, centered her Spring sabbatical on the art of the drawn letter. The products of her study were breath- taking and inspiring! I’ve always loved the look of hand-lettered products, but could never find a way to achieve the same results as Professor Rodgers did.

So, I gathered my pride and visited the Mel’s downtown Lettering Office at Marketview Arts in York, PA. I waltzed into Mel’s museum, and delivered the most desperate independent study proposal in history. Thankfully, she said YES! We set a date and began scheming. The rest they say is…to be viewed in the following pages. Enjoy!

2

History

3

CalligraphyWhen deciding what forms of hand-

lettering to focus on and how to begin practicing, Professor Rodgers and I both agreed that I needed a broader understanding of the art of calligraphy before handling drawn letterforms.

Calligraphy is widely based on pen-manship and the art form of writing letters. Developed by the Romans and Greeks, Calligraphy became an old age trade. Before Johannes Gutenberg developed the printing press in the 15th century, scribes mainly engraved by hand on clay in scriptoriums. Examples of this work can be seen in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, The Canterbury Tales, the Anglo-Saxon poem “Beowulf”, and stories involving King Arthur and the Knights of the

Round Table. Despite their tools and methods being different than ours, they still achieved the same results. Scribes often used styluses on wax or clay slabs, chisels on stone slabs, ink on vellum or parchment, and more recently, flat brush on paper. As calligraphy became more popular, it transformed from a craft into an art form. William Morris, an English textile designer and artist, said that calligraphy brought out the

“humanity of the maker and the truth of the materials.”

Professor Rodgers felt that out of all the forms of calligraphy, Chancery cursive would be an excellent starting point because of the easy to learn block letterforms. Chancery cursive has italic and italic cursive styles that make it the

“basic calligraphy font”. My research shows that the best example of this

4

LetteringContrary to art of calligraphy, hand-

lettering is based on drafting or how letters are drawn rather than written. The past few years have produced a hand lettering explosion across the design world. It is no longer design suicide if typography looks hand-drawn. Understandably, the lettering craze is large because of the flexibility of the craft. It can be used as sketches for a project or scanned in to be transformed into a digital work.

Lettering and calligraphy seem to follow a similar path historically. Like any design or artistic movement, the craft changes with the trends. Lettering was apparent in the Rococo era and the early 19th century. The skill exploded again when introduced into a more ornamental era during the Victorian and Art Nouveau.

Throughout the decades, lettering has taken various waves of change.

style can be seen in the La Operina or “The Work”. Ludovico Arrighi designed La Operina in Rome in 1522.

Throughout my brief experience with calligraphy, I can grasp the meaning behind William Morris’ statement. At times, I can be very impatient and I became aware of this trait when I had to make 500 copies of the one sentence I was trying to perfect. I started using various sizes of calligraphy pens that I purchased at A.C. Moore craft stores. After getting the feel for how the letters needed to be constructed, I switched to flat brushes with ink. The transition was difficult, but the end products were well worth the hassle. The words flowed evenly and had a smoother feel overall.

After a few exercises and tests, we launched into finishing two copies of a final project entitled “Hello” and compared the weight and value of both. Rodgers and I quickly agreed that our favorite piece was completed with Sumi Ink. At that point, we agreed to move on to other techniques.

Although we temporarily retired the calligraphy tools, I plan to return to my final calligraphy piece to tighten up a few forms for a portfolio piece.

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2 | J

essi

ca H

isch

e

For example, the 70’s produced an organic style, or the modernistic style in the 80’s and the grungy look in the 90’s. Present day designers feast onthe work of Herb Lubalin1, Stefan Sag-miester, Doyald Young, and Jessica Hische2. Type foundries like House Industries, A-2 Type, and Neutura arealso fl ourishing as businesses because of their intricate take on an old-age skill.

Personally, I had a very short, but thrilling history with lettering and calligraphy. In high school, I was never exposed to that area of graphic design. Looking back, some of my work could have been improved if I had been aware of the wonders of lettering and calligraphy.

When beginning my major at York College, I was under the simple impr-ession that being a graphic designer meant creating newsletters, business cards, and posters. Now entering my Junior year, I am widely aware of the multiple options that graphic design can provide. After this study, I can confi dently say that my experiments led to a greater understanding of let-tering. That lesson alone has already made me a better designer. This path is something I need to discover more of. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to do so at York College.

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erb

Luba

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Why

7

Hold on - time for a flashback. Since the first time I stepped in the

sporting game in 3rd grade, I was a confident, strong willed child. I could do anything because I believed I could do anything. That mentality quickly changed when high school hit and the bullies. I began doubting myself and questioning whether or not I could do anything. I wasn’t superwoman, and I never will be, but I started noticing that my self-doubt was killing any possibility of success. As any mother would, Good Ole Pam attempted to boost my spirits and encourage me to

“push past the pain” because it would “only make me stronger in the end.”

As a child, I didn’t pay attention to what she said, because let’s face it. All mothers’ think their children are the best and capable of anything. I didn’t believe her. I loved her for trying, but it didn’t change the lack of courage and motivation I was facing. But in attempts to not disappoint my mother, I tried to take her advice and I kept pushing forward.

I set a goal for myself to be good enough as a volleyball player to play in college. What did “good enough” mean? To the kid-me, it meant working countless hours/days throughout high school: training, practice, pre-season, club season, post-season. My hard work did pay off in the short term because I achieved many little goals on the way to my end dream. But that wasn’t good enough for me.

Come Senior year, I had six schools calling me to play for them. But the school I wanted, York College of PA, was not one of those six schools. So I kept working and pushing myself so I wouldn’t become disappointed. Senior year ended and I decided to try out for the team as a walk-on in hopes of con-vincing them one last time that I was good enough to be apart of the team.

One month before I moved into York College, I contracted yet another case of strep throat (in the middle of

8

summer, just my luck!) In hopes of cutting the recovery time short, I went to the doctor who only had bad news. I was now the new owner of a brand new case of MONO. Lucky me!

For those who don’t know, MONO is short for infectious mononucleosis, a disease that is transferred through saliva and attacks the lymph nodes, throat, and spleen areas of the body.

The bad news only continued. I was out of physical activity for at least six months due to the size of my spleen and how long it would take me to fully recover. The long-term verdict: no volleyball or physical activity for me.

I lost my chance. All the work I put in over the last four years meant nothing. I wouldn’t be able achieve my goal.

Again, my mom tried to explain to me that despite my set back, I wasn’t a failure. I should focus on all that I accomplished throughout high school and the countless matches of volleyball I played. What did those games mean to me? Did those games and moments overpower the chance that I wouldn’t play volleyball again?

My mom explained to me that the process is sometimes the task that helps us grow more as a person rather than

“No

Way

in H

ell”

Mel

anie

Rod

gers

‘15

9

our goal. I needed to be proud of what I have accomplished and acknowledge my growth over the years.

Looking back, I realize the value of that lesson and how it has shaped me as a person. As it turns out, I did end up playing college volleyball, just a few years behind schedule. That lesson has helped me excel in almost every aspect of my life. The journey of learning and experimenting and the progress you make overall are both different and relatable. We as humans judge our-selves by what we become and what we achieve at the end of whatever journey we are currently on. We grade ourselves by success or failure based on how fast, how well, and when we achieve our goals. We don’t often consider how the process of becoming something shapes how we access our growth in the end.

Do we ever really fail at something if we gave a valiant effort? Is it failure if we didn’t see success right away but rather later on? In my opinion, as a know-it-all 21 year old, success and failure are just figures of our creation. We decide what is good and bad; no one else. Why classify our actions by what we lose and gain? The road to

“failure” can be filled with tiny events that shape how we grow. Nothing is

ever success or failure, open or closed, black or white. Believe it or not, the grey area is a beautiful place to be.

I wasn’t the child who was artistically gifted since the womb, but I was always interested and attracted to art and the universe surrounding it. In High School, I took a couple graphic design classes and fell in love with the art. I knew that design was what I wanted to do with my life. Upon being accepted into the program, I promised to take every opportunity available to increase my skill-set. When I feasted my eyes on Professor Rodger’s work, the desire to learn the drawn letter flooded through my mind.

Throughout my time in the Graphic Design major at York College, I’ve grown a greater appreciation for my

“My Diagnosis” Melanie Rodgers ‘15

10

work as well as a wider detachment. As crazy as it sounds, being able to learn a concept, produce it, and let it go half way through the exercise is something that is extremely liberating. I acknowledge the success of utilizing a concept, but I don’t dwell on finishing the most minuscule details (unless it is a final) because I know that I con-quered that skill and I can do it again. Although, I am not finished learning about calligraphy and the drawn letter, I can check learning the basics off of my “To Do” list.

To conclude, this independent study is important because I am becoming

better at my career and improving my skill-set. It is also important because it makes me physically see the changes and growth in my work. Which is some-thing that has propelled me to love the craft even more.

One of the biggest hurdles with this study was figuring out what to do and when it would be most effective to do it. Professor Rodgers already completed a calligraphy independent study with another student, so she had a basis for the structure that portion of the course. But we weren’t sure the course of action for the hand-lettering portion of the semester.

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How

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When we first met to discuss the potential course, Rodgers asked me to think of what I wanted to gain from the course and how I wanted to accomplish it. I was extremely pleased to hear that I could customize the course based on my own goals. I felt empowered being able to control my future and my edu-cation…what a feeling!

I immediately began working, which made me realize how invested I was in this course. During this study, I wanted to focus on calligraphy, lettering, styl- ized numbers, and decorative scripts. Professor Rodgers and I discussed that the learning stages would be easiest accomplished by starting with pencil/pen, then working up through ink and acrylic paint then transferring my designs into the computer.

My goals for this independent study were centered around my major. I hoped to gain a better connection with my work and produce a collection of work for my portfolio. In order to do that, I would physically need to enhance my drawing and craft skills. The best way to accomplish this was to study the forms of good typography and design.

After approaching Rodgers with my completed list, she was very happy with my results. My next course of action was to propose my study to the register’s office to get official credit for my time.

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Proposal

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Independent Study Fall 2015

Student: Emily Maxwell Professor: Melanie RodgersSubject: Calligraphy and Drawn Letter

Objectives: Upon acknowledging my interest in hand lettering, but lacking the knowledge of how to begin practicing this skill, I confi ded in Professor Melanie Rodgers for her expertise. By working with Professor Rodgers this semester, I hope to gain a better, physical connection with my work. I feel my design work will benefit from learning how to draw and construct symmetrical and crisp letterforms. I plan on studying the origins of diff erent types of hand-lettering, specifi cally Calligraphy, as well as experiment with various mediums to build a stronger body of work. By evolving my eye for craft and design, I feel as I will have a better chance at landing a job after graduation in 2017.

Activities: To complete this study, I will meet with Professor Rodgers once every other week to discuss the activities I will complete in the following days. We decided together to focus on two major sections: Calligraphy and Lettering. Each section will be comprised of a demonstration, multiple exercises, and a fi nal project. Understanding that if time permits, I will complete more projects per section. We chose to focus on a Chancery Cursive style of Calligraphy for the fi rst half as well as our own selection of “decorative” lettering for the second half. I feel that this course of study will allow me to understand the mechanics and expressive aspects of each style.

Evaluation: My fi nal projects will be graded based on craft, technique, and design. Upon completing this study, I will have compared the techniques and outcomes of the two styles of lettering, studied the history of Chancery Cursive Calligraphy, and broadened my understanding of typography. At the conclusion of the 2015 Fall Semester, I hope to have a developed a new design skill, a better understand of how good typography can function, and a collection of fi nal pieces that could potentially help market myself to a future employer.

15

Once submitted, the waiting period began. Waiting to get approved, waiting for the course to start. Waiting, waiting, more waiting. Finally, on a sunny day in July, I WAS APPROVED!

I could finally enjoy the rest of my summer until classes began.

(2 months later…)

Happy First Day of School! In the spring, Rodgers and I decided

to wait until the start of the semester to determine what our schedule will be. We scheduled our first meeting on a Friday, September 4, 2015 at 11 o’clock in the morning. I entered her office in Wolf Hall on the York College campus with tools and sketches that I acquired over the summer.

After our meeting was up and the verdict was in, it was officially indepen-dent study season! Professor Rodgers and I decided to keep our 11 o’clock time slot, but meet every other Friday to allow time for projects to be com-pleted since my class and volleyball schedules were so intense. As for our projects, the sketches I came in with are what we actually kept for the semester. I was very extremely happy to hear that she wanted to complete my earlier sketches because it gave me a small sense of courage. I can actually do this! The act of completing projects is a very thrilling feeling. I knew by using my sketches, this semester would be filled with success.

We talked about the list of various mediums and decided that pen/ink and acrylic would fit best within our time frame. We drew up our syllabus and both left eager to begin!

“Pun Intended” Melanie Rodgers ‘15

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Syllabus

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ART 298 Independent Study for Emily MaxwellCalligraphy and Drawn LetteringProf. Melanie RodgersFall 2015 | Fridays, 11am

9/04 Introductory planning session, supplies overview Assignment: Review handouts, practice basis italic writing

9/18 Review italic exercises; Calligraphy basics demo and exercisesAssignment: Do several diff erent versions of one phrase in various,

slants, sizes, layouts

10/02 Review variations on phrase; Brush and Ink calligraphy, demo, exercises Assignment: Brush version and Pen version of “Hello”

10/16 Review “Hello”; Intro to drawn lettering, demo of tools, drafting, processAssignment: Working drawing of “Cheers”

10/30 Review “Cheers” drawing; transfer to canvas, begin paintingAssignment: Working drawing of “I Liked You Better”

11/06 Review “Cheers” fi nal, drawing of “I Liked You Better”Assignment: Begin painting of “I Liked You Better”

11/20 Review: “I Liked You Better” fi nalAssignment: “H” initial cap working, drawing, painting

12/11 Review: “H” fi nal Summary of semester’s work; plans for future

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Tools

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The tools needed for this study weregenerally things that I have had fromother courses in the Graphic Design major. Although there were a few thingsI needed to pick up, Professor Rodgersgraciously provided most of the list.

• Tracing Paper• T-Square• Ruling Pen• Brushes• Sumi Ink• Paint • Gesso• Canvas (Various sizes)• Calligraphy pens• Masking tape• Sketchbook• Sharpies• Pencils• Right Angle• Paper• Lightboard

In the following chapters, I’ll discuss what happened during specifi c class meetings. Generally, Professor Rodgersand I met in room 318 of Wolf Hall on Fridays and jumped right into work. I would show the work I did since our last meeting and we would discuss aspects of the design that were great and where some designs and forms could use work. When demonstrating new concepts, she would use one of her sketches to show how to begin thenew process and shortcuts that she has found throughout her own studies. Itwas always helpful to hear and see howshe works because it gave me a good standing on how to begin my process.

Before I branch into my individual projects that were completed over the Fall 2015 semester, I need to explain the purpose of drawing letters when there are thousands of fonts available and why it is so appealing.

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Purpose

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Why spend $45.00 at TJ Maxx for a wall decoration that doesn’t exactly fit the colors to your living room, but it’s close. And that phrase or design isn’t exactly what you were looking for but you guess that it’ll do. No one will notice, right? Wrong. You will. You will continuously think about how that stupid decoration could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve been so much better if... you could have made it! Don’t be a TJ Maxx cop-out, people! Why not spend half the amount of money and maybe a little more time to acquire and achieve something that YOU created and customized. The sense of accomplish-ment is increased ten fold and you will be happy.

In a world that is exposed to so many outlets of information, why are some favored over others? Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram - our eyes take in thousands of images, sounds, sights, and information. What makes that certain post, video, or article stick out to us?

On a daily basis, I search for creative ways of thinking in hopes that my mind will be ignited to do something great. I see a project that others have done and think, “That’s cool, but how can I make that MINE?” By “mine”, I don’t mean purchasing or stealing, I mean how can I create something similar to that, but better. How can I take that approach into a different realm and create something new? That sense of accomplishment that surrounds finding and creating is what I love most about graphic design and art in general. Being a graphic designer forces me to think in ways that makes my brain happy and stressed at the same time.

Some people feel that it isn’t worth the thought or stress. “Why do that by hand when someone else has already done it? At least they get paid to do it.” This is a phrase that I have heard in multiple ways on various occasions. I simply respond with a chuckle and a

“Why not?” To best explain this, I resort to my self-proclaimed theory of “Built vs. Bought”. Now this theory doesn’t apply to everyone, but for artists all over the world - This one is for you.

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to focus on something that triggers different avenues of my brain. Physical, or tactile making, was the way of the world years before computers. The same tools have developed the career of design; why not continue to use it? Back to the basics doesn’t have to have a negative connotation, it can be a productive way to work, think, and live.

The 20th century is the age of DIY: Do-It-Yourself picture frames, patio furniture, Christmas gifts, home decor, home restoration - the list goes on. So ask me again: “Why do something when someone else gets paid to? Well, because I (and others) am not lazy! We value the tradition and authenticity of the handmade, the personalized, and the “like-no-other”. If feeling a huge sense of accomplishment about taking the time to make something you love, isn’t a good reason to join the DIY craze…the economy is shit, man. I’ll take a $4.99 canvas that I bought with a coupon, cheap acrylic paint, and four hours of labor over $50.00 worth of “Made in China” bullshit any day.

The appeal of creating by hand is indescribable. The physical process of making something is more exciting than even the digital form. Don’t get me wrong, I do love (and hate) both. But those feelings keep me constantly brainstorming and working. Being a graphic designer, most of the time I am on the computer. Taking a break from technology and picking up a physical tool is something that helps me reset my thinking process. It allows me a break from bright LED screens

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“Wabi Sabi Pillow” Emily Maxwell ‘15

Project By Project

25

“Hello”

26

27

“Hel

lo” (

Ink

Vers

ion)

Em

ily M

axw

ell ‘

15

for the calligraphy portion of our Independent Study. “Hello” is derived from a sketch I curated mid-summer 2015. It was simply the word “Hello” that was positioned in various sizes, weights, and orientations. For this project, I decided to take the multicul-tural road and research how different countries greeted one another. To my ease, the global greetings all seems to flow and fit together as I began to work. I decided on a long, narrow format because I wanted to pack in the words any way I could to make a solid, yet constructed mass of ink.

This project was never planned to happen. When Professor Rodgers first introduced the art of calligraphy to me, my first assignment was to “play around” and get a handle on how the forms are created and better understand the tools I would be using. I entered class the following meeting with four exercises:

“I F*!*% love Biscuits, “Boom, Love it”, “Oh, Sugar Foot”, and “Hello”.

After discussing my exercises and to my surprise, Professor Rodgers really liked my beginning stages of “Hello”. We played around a little more and agreed that this would be my final piece

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Professor Rodgers helped guide me into a different way of thinking by showcasing ways to curate text into a given spot. Before we knew it, we were launching ourselves into the lettering segment of the semester, but with a zest of calligraphy. She advised me to push this as far as I could, but not to overdo the planning. The words will fit as they may, but I would have to do more

“playing” to find the correct positioning of each word to have adequate amount of whitespace around each word. My assignment after our demonstration day was to create two final copies: one ink and one pen.

I left that day eager to begin working on the light-board and building my piece. I previously favored the calli- graphy pens that I bought at the craft store, but once I increased the size of my piece and began enhancing the little details, I noticed I fell more in love with the ink copy rather than the pen version. I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly made me love it more. Maybe it was the size? Maybe the stroke and movement of the ink? Either way, I was finally happy with a copy and waited to discuss it with Rodgers at our next meeting. Over the next few days, I kept thinking about the design and how I wanted it to be better, and maybe use it in different projects. I felt myself do what my fearless leader said not to: OVER WORK. So, I forced myself to let it be and wait.

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When I met with Professor Rodgers again, we both agreed that the ink ver-sion was way better. But I expressed to her that I wanted to take this further and she agreed that I should. I want to see this pattern repeated, rotated, and constructed in itself. She gave me some information about a website that will print fabric out of an uploaded design... How cool would this design be as a

pillow?! I also want to use this design in some experiments in my printmaking class. For example, with screen-printing, I think the words hold enough weight and could be successfully printed on fabric, canvas, or just paper. I plan to revisit the ink version of this project and tweak a few things once more because carrying it over into other mediums. So many ideas...so little time!

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“Hello” (Ink Version) Emily Maxwell ‘15

“Hello” (PenVersion) Emily Maxwell ‘15

“Cheers”

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“Cheers” Emily Maxwell ‘15

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The first step that needed to be done with “Cheers” was creating a design with guidelines to help me produce a symmetrical design. This took up a decent amount of time because I had to start with the letter “h” and apply the same characteristics to the other letters. The most difficult part was deciding how to adjust the directional color shift on the “c”, “r”, and “s” because of the curves. I decided the simplest solution was blending the colors into one another. After I nailed down the color schemes, the next step was final- izing the design. It took multiple trials to control the design the way I wanted.

At our next meeting, Rodgers looked over my design and had some minor criticisms, which ended up making a huge difference in the result of my final rendition. She then demonstrated how to transfer my sketch to a canvas that had been primed with gesso. After the demonstration piece was transferred, we discussed the benefits of ruling pens and then tried some samples.

The idea for this project was again found in a previous sketch, but the insp- iration came from the one...the only, MELANIE RODGERS! Her time on sabbatical produced a beautiful, geo- metric piece: “Bravo Zulu”. Her piece took the similar format of block letters with geometric details. When I visited Professor Rodgers in the Spring of 2014, I noticed her working on this piece and fell in love. I knew I needed to master that technique for the mere fact that it was so beautifully crafted!

My first sketch was colored in with funky highlighters, but I had a hard time imagining the piece without the vibrancy that only neon’s can provide. I was very hesitant to use these colors because I felt it wasn’t professional or was bad design. I can’t put a specific excuse to it, but something didn’t feel

“right”. I expressed my concerned to my leader and she said “Why the hell not? It’s groovy!” After a quick giggle, I knew she was correct. Why not use funky colors? This piece is MY creation and MY expression - it can be whatever I want it to be!

“Bravo Zulu” Melanie Rodgers ‘15

It was harder than I thought! I kept tilting the pen, which created uneven lines, that I then bumped and blurred with the straightedge. Too complex! But after seeing the quick results of our trials, I was even more eager to see how my piece would turn out. The crispness of the lines with the vibrancy of the paint on the canvas kept my attention for longer than normal. Even Professor Rodgers agreed - “Oh, look how great that is!”

We left that meeting with lots to do. My final piece of “Cheers” was planned to be due our next meeting November 20th. At first it didn’t seem like much to do...until I opened my planner.

With a 60 page documentation book, a 20-minute research presentation, a film analysis project, multiple assign-ments for other classes, AND projects for my independent study due ALL within less than a month? I WILL FREAK OUT! SOMEONE SAVE ME!

I couldn’t wrap my head around all the work I needed to do, but there was no point in dwelling on it. I had to buckle down and get to gettin’ on as they say. First step...MAKE A PLAN. And on that plan were new sketches for

“I Liked You Better” and finishing my “Cheers” painting! First, I needed to practice my ruling pen skills because damn, it was rough.

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After multiple attempts at making straight lines with my inked up ruling pen, I felt confident enough to begin outlining my letters on my canvas. As I began, fully loaded with poppy orange acrylic, a huge paint bubble flooded all over the white canvas. UGH. Long story short, I decided to switch my background color to a lighter grey...hides the mistakes better. Wink, Wink

The first few lines were very difficult and easily smudgeable. But once I got the hang of it, the paint was flowing! This technique tested my style of work. I couldn’t rush through this project, I had to literally watch the paint dry so I wouldn’t ruin any of my outlines. That was the hardest part - paint takes forever to dry! Once the lines did dry, I was able to begin filling in the shapes. The teal and yellow paint were slightly opaque, so they took multiple coats to get a solid painted shape.

I was a little frustrated with how some of the paint dried. Some areas were extremely smooth while others were kind of lumpy and thick. I think I need to become accustomed to thin-ning the paint to the right consistency for the ruling pen to work as well as for the filling paint to lay the same thick-ness as the ruling pen.

It was really exciting to see the piece come together. Although I wasn’t happy with the amount of hours it took to get half way done the piece, but it was huge accomplishment to finish! I would love to try this lettering style again because it pushed me be patient and made me to stick with a grid/system.

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As the due date arrived, “Cheers” went in for a mini critique and showing with Professor Rodgers. She was over the moon happy with the final piece! Whew!

She really loved the contrast of the bright colors on the muted grey back- ground. Even though it was a decision I made in hopes to fix my mistakes, it turned out for the better. Dontcha’ love those happy surprises! I discussed how troubling the ruling pen was for me and how the stupid yellow paint gave me so many issues! From being too chunky to too opaque, Rodgers said it was a “nightmare of the trade.”

As we looked at the piece longer, we both agreed the “Mates” portion of the piece could use a little more work, but overall, she was impressed with my ruling pen determination! I even got a little shout-out on The Lettering Office Blog! Look Mom, I made it!

“I Liked You Better”

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“I Liked You Better” Emily Maxwell ‘15

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This next project was developed over Christmas break of my Sophomore year. At the time, I was having a few roommate issues. I roomed with this girl the end of my Freshman year and we had a blast! But over the summer, a brain channel or nerve must’ve fried. She went bazerk! Ya see, my Freshman year we always had fun on the week-end after I got home from work! But when she got another boyfriend over the summer, the fun ended...quickly. She became judgmental of my relat- ionship and often compared “who’s BF was better”. It was like I rewinded time back to middle school days. She was controlling, moody, and rude as a teenage girl going through puberty.

After one of our ridiculous arguments, I muttered a little phrase that was only meant to be said in my inner thoughts:

“I liked you better when you were a hoe!” She glared at me like no other...Oh boy. My mouth always gets me in trouble! As if you couldn’t guess, she moved out and we never spoke again! Please, don’t pity me yet, having a single room to myself was FAN-FREAKIN’-TASTIC! Anyway, I decided to letter this little ditty in hopes of finding a comical way to display my feelings toward that given time in my life.

To begin this project, I first began redrafting my design and improving upon my original sketch. Mel and I decided to blow up my sketch to fit an

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8” x 8” canvas. I first began with the “liked” portion of the piece. I wanted to go for a little westernized letter form with nice serifs and bowed stems. It was difficult to use one of my tools to achieve the consistent arc, so I went with a simpler tool: a water bottle cap. It worked perfectly! The cap had a small enough arc to fit into my letter height, but round enough to see a difference.

I completed my sketch and waited to meet with Professor Rodgers before I continued with the project.

When we met on Friday, she was extremely happy with my sketch and my ideas. We discussed ways to make the project better and she stressed the importance of finalizing my design before I even transferred it to my grey gesso-coated canvas. The beginning stages are always the hardest because it takes so many drafts to complete a design. The countless amounts of tissue paper can become disorganized very quickly, so I’ve taken to number my sketches. This process helps me keep track of where I’m going with my design, but also shows where I’ve come from. Notice the journey, remember?

Seeing the stages of my work is always rewarding, but they are also good guides for various letter forms.Sometimes my final sketch doesn’t have the same weight as a former sketch had. Maybe one word looked better then, but the overall layout looks better now. In this project, that was the case with the “were”. In my third sketch, the shape of the word was more fluid than my final. I simply traced my previous sketch to incorporate it into my final. As Rodgers said “ The little “w” looks like tiny butt cheeks!”

Mission accomplished.As I began sketching, I decided to

focus on embellishing my piece a little more than I’ve done in previous pieces. I wanted to change the shape of the words and manipulate them into new forms rather then just words. To do this, I decided to create my own shape for the letter “I” as well as reducing the

“Hoe” section to just lines, but tight enough together, they would create the letterforms be default. As I dove deeper into the design, I decided to ditch the embellished “Hoe” portion, I wanted that portion to be powerful.

I also was urged to find a palette on colourlovers.com, an online palette organizer. I found a funky color palette with some bright oranges, teals, and a deep blackish brown. I felt this would

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go with my piece best because of the way they would interact with the grey background. The colors were bright enough to pop off the page but soft enough to fit together nicely. I decided to swap out a color for an ugly yellow green tone because it would give a nice balance against the teal. If I’ve learned anything from Professor Rodgers, the funkier the color, the better!

After my sketch was ready to transfer, I began the transferring process, it to my canvas. With “Cheers”, my white canvas problem began in the trans-ferring stage because I used graphite coated lightly with workable fixative. Talk about a mess! It was everywhere: my hands, the table, my canvas, $!*@! When I met with Professor Rodgers, I expressed my troubles. She recom-mended using white chalk. GENIUS! Since my canvas is a light enough grey, it will show briefly, but won’t stain the canvas like the graphite did. I could easily brush off the excess dust with a dry paintbrush but still achieve an accurate transfer.

IT WORKED! My piece transferred beautifully, Thank God! Now it was time to begin painting. I decided to attack this project in a different way. Since it was very stacked, I would paint row by row. This technique would force me to be patient and not rush through.Thus, eliminating or decreasing the chance of smudged lines. Hopefully.

With my guidelines down, it was time to mix up my color palette and figure out that consistency issue again. I used in a small amount of matte medium to break up and thick consistencies. Thankfully, it cleared up any problems.

I began painting and stuck to my

line-by-line technique which helped me not smudge the previously painted lines. So the wheel was turnin’ and the paint was flyin’, I had some deadlines to meet! I felt more comfortable with this painting; I wasn’t as frustrated or rushing to get done. I allowed enough time throughout my weeks to complete little portions of the piece bit by bit.

I am actually extremely impressed with this piece. From “Cheers” to this piece, I feel like I’ve learned so much! When designing, little tips flood my mind and prompt me to think logically about where my design is going. Not including all my improvements in craft (which I needed), this piece is well designed and extremely thought-out. Who would’ve guessed a 15-minute sketch in class would turn into one of my favorite pieces! I guess I should send a Thank you letter to my old roommate for the inspiration? ...Nah.

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Application

“Ordinary” Emily Maxwell ‘15

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Before beginning this independent study, I promised myself to use what I learned to keep bettering my skills as a Graphic Designer. Not only did this study help with my patience and craft, it helped with my typography skills as well. The biggest question in my mind was ‘How do I apply this to other classes?’

During the same semester, I was enrolled in a publication design class and a printmaking class. I found it easy to apply what I learned throughout other areas because typography is always relevant in Graphic Design. In publication design, I used the craft skills and typography treatments in our numerous 5,000+ word spreads.

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“Grandma’s Place” (Screen Printed Placemat” Emily Maxwell ‘15

In printmaking, using type treatments was made WAY more fun that tracking lines in a twelve page spread. I used my designs for screen-printing on fabric, paper, and t-shirts! How great it that?! I was eager to begin printing new screens and further my sewing skills. I made a few pillows with matching sets, t-shirt for friends, and custom placemats

for my Grandmom’s Birthday. One perk of being able to create textile pieces and home decor is the economic aspect. Hello cheap projects! Thank God for Goodwill!

After learning screen-printing in class we transitioned into linoleum cuts and wood cuts. Here I learned that cutting perfect letters into

“Bea

utifu

l Life

” (Pl

ate)

Em

ily M

axw

ell ‘

15

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linoleum/wood with no room for error is not as fun as having the ability to erase your mistake and start over. Having a ‘Command + Z’ option for daily life would be oh, so grand!

Later, I realized the beauty of having no escape raft; it was liberating to feel the pressure of allowing my sketch and tool to guide me. My impatience and frustration did get the best of me at times. I admit, my attitude during those studios was less that pleasant. Sorry, Professor Schiavone.

As I saw the outcome of my prints, it made the pain worth it. They turned out extremely well! I like the “easy cleanup” aspect of linoleum printing. Screen-printing is more controllable and precise, but it takes too long to switch colors!

In my massive hours of free time, I have managed to incorporate some hand lettering in small craft projects and future Christmas gifts for family. I’ve raided local Goodwill’s for plates, picture frames, and mugs to letter on with sharpie marker, paint or my wood burning tool. Some may feel that these types of crafts aren’t “what artists do” but they are wrong. It isn’t about the object itself, but it’s more of a practice tool to experiment with different types of lettering and surfaces. It is pretty difficult to create perfectly drawn letters on round coffee mugs! But what is a better use of free time? Texting, eating, napping, or binge watching hours of Netflix? Or using my down time to continue to think creatively and use my skill set to create something different? Second option? That what I thought.

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References 1 | Lubalin, Herb. “Herb Lubalin Hand-written Business Card.” The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography. Web. 9 Nov. 2015. 2 | Hische, Jessica. “Pocket Planner.” Jessica Hische. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.