I was given a package of Aitoh lokta paper, no doubt because it included a couple of sheets printed with a penguin design (I have always loved penguins). Because it is such beautiful paper, my first impulse was to save it for something “special” even though I know art supplies are made to be used. Fortunately, I got over Continue reading Lokta Paper
Just as we can thank 16th century German Lutherans for giving us Christmas trees, they also are responsible for the legend of the “Easter Hare” bringing eggs to good children. Trying to figure out how hares became associated with eggs led me down a rabbit hole so I will leave the debate to folklorists to battle it out. Have lovely long Continue reading Happy Easter!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! He is known for being the patron saint of Ireland but he is also the patron saint of Nigeria where they drink Guinness brewed with sorghum or maize instead of barley. No one knows for sure where in Great Britain Patrick was born but his parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were Roman. Continue reading Happy St. Patrick s Day
The Bow Valley Calligraphy Guild (BVCG) in Calgary were offering some great Zoom classes this year so I decided to join. One of the classes I wanted to take was with Heather Held. She is a wonderful Canadian calligrapher and I loved doing her flourished hearts class a couple of years ago. The BVCG class was similar Continue reading Happy Valentine s Day!
Last Monday was “Blue Monday”, said to be the saddest day of the year. Whether or not that is true or just part of a travel agency’s marketing scheme to get people to book vacations, I did try an ink this month that made me sad. It is from Ferris Wheel Press and is appropriately called, Sad Charade. They describe Continue reading The Sad Charade Ink
What do you give to someone who loves stationery supplies, penguins, and chocolate? Why chocolate pencils in a box decorated with penguins of course! I received this box of chocolate pencil crayons/coloured pencils as a Christmas gift. They were made in the Czech Republic with Belgian milk chocolate. I was surprised at how tasty they Continue reading Chocolate Pencils
I had fun at the last Edmonton Calligraphic Society Zoom class learning Sally Towers Sybliss’ Gingerbread Letters. Sally is an artist and calligrapher from Red Deer who brings a whimsical style to her lettering. The first time I try something new, I usually follow the instructor quite closely before giving it my own spin. Sally provided us Continue reading Cookie Letters
I received a set of ten Savoir-Faire gouache paints as a gift last Christmas and have had fun experimenting with them. Gouache is an opaque watercolour paint that dries matte. The opaqueness comes from pigment particles that are larger than the ones found in traditional watercolour paints. Probably the most famous artist who used gouache was Matisse. He used it Continue reading Gouache Paint
Last month I attended another Pelikan Hub, the annual event sponsored by the German stationery supplies company. Full sized bottles of their “Ink of the Year” have been given out at the last couple of events, motivation enough for me to go (Golden Lapis in 2024 and Rose Quartz in 2023). This year the freebees came packaged in a beautiful box containing the ink, a small notepad of Continue reading…
I made another Halloween card this year and returned to a look I love, a silhouette of a cat looking at a full moon. This time I followed a tutorial by Natalie Mecham and used Hahnemühle coldpress paper with various watercolours including Finetec Pearlescents. The branch and cat were done with Schmincke Indian ink and I extended the ends of the branches with a fine black pen. I’m not completely…