Lettering for folk artists....

Hi everybody.

The sun is out on this beautiful Autumn day (after a very dismal, soggy, wet and miserable summer here in Oz) and the sky is perfectly blue and sparkly.

I promised myself that if I would get this post uploaded in time, then I could treat myself by taking the dog for a walk down to our little village (with maybe an outside table at a coffee shop and a little sketching into my notebook being the end destination ;) ....).

So, let's get on with it then!

If you have not attempted lettering in your folk painting work as yet, then I want to encourage you to 'give it a go'.

It is really not as difficult as it seems.

We don't need to study a 3 year course on the finer points of calligraphy, we just need enough basic information on how to apply lettering in a pleasing, non-splodgy manner to our work.

Now, the first thing I would suggest is - buy some basic calligraphy books.  The ones you see above is my collection, gathered over the years.

A basic calligraphy book, with clear instructions on how to get started, line up your work and load your pen, etc. will be enough to get you adding some nice lettering to your painting.



Once you have a good basic book, you might want to consider looking for a few more specialist books, if this is what interests you.

Here are a few pages from some of my books that I find inspiring. (bear in mind that I don't actually write like this, I just drool over it).

This is a page  from my book 'Medieval Calligraphy - It's history and techniqe' by Drogin.

As the name suggests, he includes a lot of interesting background on the lettering and the monks that practiced it.

A page like this is wonderful to put tracing paper over, and then you can practice the flow of the lines and strokes.



 

Then there are the Celtic styles.

They are beautifully pictorial.



 

And the illuminated styles.



 

Now that I've whetted your appetite, I'll show you some of the tools you might need to get started.

Bear in mind, I am not a calligrapher, just a folk artist doing some lettering.

For practice, you will need a board, paper, and something to prop the board on, like a rolled up towel.



 



 

Now, you can paint your lettering with a flat brush, but I most often choose to use a calligraphy pen.  The type that is a holder, with a nib inserted into it. Like below.

 



 

Now, before you tell me off for the state of my nibs and holders, I have been using them for MANY years.  They have seen a lot of use.

 



 

This type of nib is called a 'Speedball' nib, and it's the type I use most often.

Not sure why, it just is.



 

This is the 'other' type of nib.



 



 

The lettering on the rose blocks below, was done with a very small flat brush.  I will use a brush if the lettering is larger than my pen sizes.  The principles for both are the same.  I just prefer the pen because it doesn't lose it's 'chisel' edge.



 

This lettering was just done with the tip of the round brush I was painting with at the time as I wanted it a bit more rustic.



 

 

Using the flat brush.

 

When you go through your basic instructions in your calligraphy book, they will explain to you the importance of drawing lines, before applying your lettering (you can do this on tracing paper first, draw your lettering, then transfer it to your surface.  This way you get the placement right the first time.)

The lines are what keep the lettering the same height.



 



 

I have found the best thing for me to letter with, is my Jo Sonja paints thinned with water to a milky consistency.  And this way, you have a wide colour choice.  I've used inks, but this is just as good.

 



 

 

Filling the nib with thinned paint, using a brush.



 

I like to apply some to the tip of the nib as well.



 

 

Make sure that you make a few practice dabs first, to blot the pen.



 

 

Apart from working between the lines, the most important thing in achieving uniform lettering, is holding your pen at the same angle, the whole time you're writing.



 

 

And most calligraphy books will show the letters, with little arrows to indicate which direction and order to write them.

Can you see how the direction and the angle of the pen make the thick and thin bits of the letters?



 

It's a good idea to rule up pages with lines and practice.



 



 

I've drawn some lines on here, to show you how the body of the letters fit in between them.  Your ascenders and descenders (tall bits and long bits) will not fit between this basic set of lines.  You can draw extra lines for these, but for what I'm trying to achieve, I usually don't bother.



 

I hope you do decide to try some lettering, and if you do - let me know how it goes!

Till next time
Fiona

I like your 'chops'.....

Now, you are probably wondering 'what on earth is she talking about - what do chops have to do with folk painting?"  Has she gone mad?

No.

Let me explain.

Musicians practice to get a technique, or new musical skill, 'in their fingers', so to speak.

In other words, their brain doesn't have to painstakingly think it through each time they incorporate that technique in their performance - the 'memory' of the technique is now in the muscles of the hands and fingers.

This is what is referred to as a musicians 'chops'.  Skills that have been well developed in the musician, that are performed with seeming ease.

So how is this done?

It is achieved by repetition - training the brain, nerves, muscles, etc. to adhere to a pattern, until you can do it in your sleep and you don't have to give much thought to it.

Do you remember learning to tie your shoe laces?

The exciting part is, that this is where creativity really kicks in. Our early attempts at something are usually stilted, encumbered by the mental process of thinking each step through.

Once we become free of the thinking, our brush strokes 'flow off the brush' with seeming ease.

So, for those of us that want to improve our painting skills (develop our chops), here are a few points I've been mulling over.

Don't spend all your painting time working on actual projects that need to be completed, that need to 'become' something.

Get sample boards ready - or better still, get heavy drawing paper (at least 210gsm I'd say), tape to a board, base paint, practice away.  Without the hindrance of completing a coherent piece.

 



 



This is exactly what I was doing in the last post about Norwegian Folk Art.  I wasn't painting a design, just components of one.



Make notes as you go - list colours used, brushes, etc.



 



Store the pages in a folder.  This is a GREAT way to record your progress and to let you see how much you have improved.

Next.

Find beautiful strokework.  Get tracing paper and lay it over the pages.  Draw over with a pencil, stylus, whatever, and feel the rhythm of the shapes.

Continually doing this teaches your brain. You know - develops your chops. :)

Ok.

Now it's your turn.

Off you go.  And don't forget to have fun!

Till next time
Fiona

Dutch Folk Art Cows...

I wanted to share with you the bargain I picked up in a local shop last week.

 



These stand about 2" high.
They are a bit dusty/grubby, as I haven't cleaned them up yet.

Here are some close-ups of the folk-painted designs.

On one side, a little dutch windmill and a few comma strokes.

And on the other, a little flower sprig, with commas and dots. Simple. But pretty.

And on the top,

Not only are they pretty, but they are useful - salt and pepper shakers.Here is the bung -

And here is the nostril shakers

Now for the price - I paid a whole $2.Bargain.Till next time
Fiona

Folk art painting on canvas

It's pouring rain here today. Has been all summer.

So I am in the studio.
I want to paint, but I don't want to think too hard about what to paint. My concentration level is a bit on the low side.

I have boxed canvas that I had previously painted on, then didn't like the outcome.

If I paint over it, I can get one of my books from my all time favourite artist Jo Sonja Jansen, pick a design, then recreate it to fit the canvas.

That will be a great exercise in brush skills.

So, I choose this design.



This is the back cover of 'The Art of Folk Painting', by Jo Sonja Jansen (and David).
I bought this book over 20 years ago, as you can probably tell from the scuffs and scrapes on it.

It will be a good subject for practicing brush skills, but I don't want mine to look so 'neat'.
Let's see what we end up with...

Here is my canvas, all painted up and ready to go.

Ok, I have the pattern sketched on there - yes, I did say 'sketched'.  It is a good habit to get into to freehand your designs on, and this isn't too hard if you keep a few things in mind.

Like, if you look close enough, you can see that I have divided the canvas down the middle, both horizontally and vertically. You could then split those areas in half again if you liked.

These lines help you place things in a balanced, symmetrical way.  No real detail here, just enough for you to base in the shapes.

The more you practice, the better you get.  No shortcuts here.Here is the palette that I have chosen to go with.  All acrylic.

Going from the white on the top right, anticlockwise, we have -

Titanium White, Moss Green, Sap Green, Green Oxide (2 splodges of), Teal Green (but I didn't end up using it), Celadon, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Storm Blue (there is a splodge of Blue deep there, but that wasn't used either), Purple Madder, Burgundy, Napthol Crimson, Red Earth, Napthol Red Light, Raw Sienna, Yellow Oxide, Turners Yellow.

Most of the colours are Jo Sonja Artist Colours.

I always use a wet palette, when working with acrylics.  One in a shallow container with a lid.

Most folk art designs require you to base in the shapes in a medium value.  Then we come back to shade, highlight and decorate.

Can you see how I've used a sponge and a rough bristle brush to 'scrub in' colour to the background colour of the canvas.   I stroked this colour around most of the design objects, to 'ground' them.

It also gives the canvas more of the rustic look I was after.

Here is the finished painting.

till next time
Fiona

.

This is....

...the very first post of this blog!

Woohooo!

Well, maybe I better tell you a bit of background.
Ah-hem.  Here goes.

I learned to do what we called 'folk art' at the time, about 23 years ago. It has since developed other names, such as 'decorative painting', but I still prefer to call it 'folk art'.
Why?