Hey now! A lot going on here at the studios of Fat Orange Cat. I’m excited to share some calligraphy work I’ve been commissioned to do. So far all my work has been confined to my growing stacks of notebooks. When it’s time to write “for real,” I am suddenly shaking with excess adrenalin. And admittedly, the first 3 envelopes or so ARE a little wobbly. But then pretty soon my arm is gaining some muscle memory, I’m getting into a rhythm, I’ve figured out the whole pen/paper/ink/pressure combination (different papers=different inks=different nibs=different pressure), and I’m all woohoo lookitmemommy I’m calligraphing like a big girl!
Well, not quite. I’ve used up pretty much all the extra envelopes I was given due to mistakes or clumsy smears. But I’ve jumped into the deep end so it’s sink or swim. Luckily, everyone so far has given me free reign to write how I want, so that helps calms the nerves. A lot.
First up, envelopes for Max and Bailey’s backyard wedding in Cambridge, MA, which I will be photographing {can’t wait}. Their friend Travis of Park Life Press made simple letterpress invitations on a really thick and creamy beveled card. Their guest list is small, so this was a great primer.
Next up, calligraphed envelopes for Amanda and Warren’s downtown Boston wedding, with a much bigger guest list. They found me through Rob of Goosefish Press here in the South End. I found Rob recently myself while strolling through SOWA last month. Rob letterpressed their invitation suite on very soft cotton paper (made by Crane’s of Dalton MA, my favorite stationer). Inks tend to bleed easily on this paper, especially if you dilly dally, but luckily I found a nib and ink combo that kept the ink flowing nice and clean. And with 130 some-odd envelopes to calligraph, I eventually got the hang of it. I loosened up enough to even incorporate flourishes that didn’t look like I had suffered a massive stroke mid-stream.
Ink blot above was an accident. I like it, but rewrote it in case the clients didn’t.
More to come, including chalk boards and illustrations!
Li- these look incredible! I’m so impressed with how each one of these projects turned out. Well done!
I love your calligraphy! It’s so pretty!! :)
Holy amaaaazing, Li!!!! Those swooshes are to-die-for! Congrats on the calligraphy work coming your way, and I can’t wait to follow along!
Unbelievably gorgeous work! Simply stunning.
Beautiful work Li! Looks like you’ve been super duper busy! :)
It all looks amazing and makes me wish I had your abilities, but I really especially love “ZeALAND”
It looks so strange in print…
Love it! you just need to add catering and flowers and you can do the whole wedding.
Ooooh look at those assured, devil-may-care flourishes … so enviable … you made me laugh with, “I loosened up enough to even incorporate flourishes that didn’t look like I had suffered a massive stroke mid-stream” — I know that ‘stroke’ effect all too well having recently started to teach myself a copperplate hand!
On my own site I’ve been concentrating more on the classic, formal scripts, but the more I learn about calligraphy as an amateur the more I enjoy the more fluid and expressive modern calligraphic hands that develop out of them. There’s an abundance of great contemporary calligraphy at the moment and it’s great to know the internet is actually helping it thrive instead of killing handwriting off.
Have you ever seen the old English alphabets that developed after Gothic — the ‘anglicana’ and ‘secretary’ hands from the fifteenth and sixteenth century in northern Europe? They have a similarly energetic, dashing elegance to the script you’ve used on the envelopes. Just for historical interest.
Damn girl! Did you hand write each of those!?!? SO talented! I’m glad you’re pursuing this, you really have a gift!
you are so ridiculously talented. that’s all.
Really, really beautiful! Having dabbled in calligraphy myself, I understand exactly what you mean about the initial stress/shaky hand sydrome. It feels SO good though, once you get into the flow, right?!