Folded Pen Practice

I decided to get out my trusty folded brass pens, which I had neglected for too long. Sitting dejected on the shelf, they were begging to be played with, dipped in the watercolors and gouaches of palettes from past projects.

Out came the paper - various watercolor - hard and cold press and Canson Mi-Tientes. Music of the blues genre, mainly Bonnie Raitt, helped get the creative juices flowing. In the process, I remembered how a little Schminke powder in the paint can really gunk up the pen.

It was a fun, playful afternoon!

AAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!

I've been trying to get my logo centered on this beast, but it won't cooperate! Time to let it be...and go catch some zzzzzzzs. Night, night.

A Birthday Card...

I got out my watercolors and created this card for my sister's birthday. I hadn't done this kind of decoration in a while, but had a blast doing it!

Then I got carried away and decided to decorate the inside as well...

There are definitely things I would do differently next time, but for now, I'm happy with it - & so was she!

Mock Logo Designs...combining my calligraphy with Illustrator and photographs I took earlier...

I finally got the time to sit down with my calligraphy and photos I took of different textures a few weeks ago, combining them Illustrator.

This one is an example of my calligraphy combined with a photo of rust...

calligraphy with some colorful rust...

calligraphy with fabricated metal...

calligraphy with rust on black background...

calligraphy with rusted metal & 3D extrusion...

calligraphy with rocks on black background...

calligraphy with yellow sandstone...

I have other photos of textures that I'll be using later this week, creating more mock logos, etc. For me, it's fun and challenging to come up with different effects. I hope you enjoy following along!

My Web Site

I invite you to visit my web site:
www.loritews.com

Get This Party Started...

Good morning!

I've contemplated creating a blog for some time now, but wanted everything well-thought-out before starting. That kind of thinking as only delayed this, since I'm always busy at something - family, art, life.


So here it goes - I'll start with some practice sheets that I've been working on (actually having fun with)!
I am going to use Gothicized Italic in some projects I have in my head, but knew I needed to refine it first.

I find that I like to have a theme to my practice - it allows me to concentrate on the lettering and not have to think about what word is coming next. Sometimes, the "theme" is simply a stream of (un)conscious thought. (I have to be careful when I publish those!)

When practicing, I also find it is helpful to play music that loosens me up, relaxes away any tension, and allows me to really enjoy the process of making letters. You may find me listening to anything from Clapton to ACDC, Prince to Jeff Lorber...

The party has started...