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In the calligraphic w orld a column of letterforms can be well executed yet lack spirit and passion. In this workshop, accomplished artist and instructor Lisa Engelbrecht helped us find ways to discover a unique style of letters that is ours alone. As we get caught up in the “correct” tools, the tried and true layouts, and the same mediums, we never allow ourselves to experiment. With Lisa, we explored the use of non-traditional tools and unconventional mediums as we experimented with new letterforms.
The workshop began with a discussion of the current state of our creative selves, followed by exercises in ways to change the look of our letters. The essential elements (clean nibs, good paper, conscious speed, consistent pen angle, etc.) were noted, then began the experiments.
The first changes we made were to structural elements, such as height, width, pen angle, branching, crossbars, leading, and even the essential characteristics of a hand. We traded one letter of a made-up hand with our table mates and attempted to create whole alphabets in the new style. Other changes were made by adding different structural elements such as dots, flags, and spikes.
The addition of different tools and media rounded out our experimenta tions. Demonstrations of tools including stimudents, spider writers, Coit pens, bleach pens, and even twigs from a broom loosened even the most rigid among us. Also, we constructed several of our own tools out of balsa wood, plastic containers, and soda cans. We then used these tools to create our own style of lettering. Surface treatments with an emphasis on wash techniques and layering were also demonstrated and explored.
All of us were encouraged to tap the inner child/artist within and play. The weekend culminated with a display of “lab books” and rosin paper books, all filled with samples of what we’d done, and all including what Lisa reminded us was the final element: “you, the artist and your passion.”
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