The Nashville Calligraphers Guild had another wonderful 2 day workshop. This time, the featured artist was Harvest Crittenden. For those that don’t know, Harvest is a Master Penman. I have seen her work online but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass to meet her and enjoy her class. The workshop was on Lyrical Lombardics, those beautiful illuminated initals in the Book of Hours and other manuscripts. Harvest showed us the methods to create these works of art so that we could produce our own.

We first picked an initial that meant something to us, whether it was our own initial or one for someone as a gift. After we drew it out on graph paper, we were to add personal images, animals, creatues or symbols around the letter. Once the design was completed, we then transferred the design onto tracing paper and tweaked it before putting the deign on our ARches 140 lb hot press paper. We then drew a box around our design (or a diamond or an outline whichever we preferred) and decided where we would put gold.

Using gold leaf has always made me nervous and uncomfortable but Harvest showed us the simple way of controlling the loose gold so that it went exactly where we needed it to go. I chose to use palladium as I chose blue for my initial. Harvest instructed us on how to use the Instagol the proper way so that it doesn’t dry on us before we get it on the paper correctly.

Day 2, we played with different ways to enhance letters so that they are more casual and fun to use on birthday cards and notes. I shall add pics as soon as they are downloaded from my camera.

I enjoyed meeting Harvest and I would really like to take the Spencerian Saga in October. Maybe next year!