LIttle Things

I just turned 50. I was greeted with a bouquet of pink flowers from a dear friend to celebrate my day.

It feels like such a milestone and strangely weird. I find that birthdays cause me to reflect a bit more than New Year's Day does. It is a turning of a page and a new chapter to explore. I started thinking about my calligraphic journey. I started it in 2003...I was 36. Everything seemed an uphill climb for me. I was so awkward with the pen and so new to the supplies that I needed. Now I am surrounded with supplies and make the pens that are used in this kind of work.

I don't seem to do anything half-heartedly! I spent my birthday working on a vellum painting, that sadly needs to be scraped off and started again. This art form still holds so many mysteries for me. I could acutally feel my concentration level decrease as I realized that the vellum painting was going to require some correction. Rather than stop, I just kept painting. So a bigger mess to sort out but it can be corrected. I know there are people who are caught up with the word master...but after 14 years devoted to this calligraphic world, I don't feel as if I have mastered anything. I feel like a perpetual student, continually exploring and experimenting. Some skills have become refined but others remain elusive. I am still excited about the lessons that I can learn. These past two years or so, I have been exploring botanical art. It has brought a new challenge to me as well as an appreciation of subtle and sensitive lines. It has clarified some thinking and observation patterns for me as well as increased my sense of wonder with nature. I took it on to be able to add a botanical element to my calligraphic work, and I feel light years away from achieving that goal. But in botanical art, I found a kind of "portable peace' that can come with me on my travels. Each teaching engagement has me armed with my sketchbook, pencils and a leaf or a petal. The world around me can be noisy, rushed and cluttered, but the small leaf represents so much peace as I try to capture its nature in my sketchbook. I feel so grateful to be able to take time to study these techniques.

When I started my journey in 2003, I was drawn into the calligraphic world through my fascination with the pointed pen. I wanted to explore Spencerian Script and Offhand Flourishing.

Both of these worlds are still part of me. I flourish on a daily basis but lately Spencerian has taken a back seat to Italian Hand. This spring, summer and fall, I will be dusting off Spencerian as I prepare to teach a workshop in Toronto.

So I am spending some quality time with Spencer again. As I revisit his work and his skills, I am even more convinced that he was influenced by Italian Hand. I would never have seen this connection a few years ago. Once again, the mysteries and discoveries of the pointed pen world continue to mesmerize me and draw me in a little deeper each day. So my 50th year begins with continued wonder, mystery and new discoveries to be made. I hope to remain lost in that sense of wonder and appreciation for the world around me. I promise not to turn 50 again and get so reflective in a blog post!

Workshop and Tutorial News

Although it is still officially winter, my winter vacation is now over and I return to my full travel schedule beginning next weeked. I kick off in Ottawa, Ontario with a lecture on The Art of the Flourish and then a two day workshop in Italian Hand. The Poetic Pen workshop is so much fun to present. I love introducing Italian Hand to eager students. In workshop news, my schedule is fully booked for 2017 and 2018. 2019 and 2020 are almost full as well! So lots more travel booked. You can email me privately at heather@heathervictoriaheld.com for my 2017 travel schedule to see if I am coming close to your location. I continue to have so many students who can't get out to one of my workshops so I have been gradually taking private tutorial students through facetime or skype. These lessons are adjusted to each individual. I do need to see a specimen of your current work before I can take you on as a student. There is a waiting list for this process. Currently, I am taking students in Italian Hand or Offhand Flouirshing. I do have some pending requests for The Enchanted Letter and The Enchanted Meadow.  I am  fully booked for Spring and Summer. Italian Hand is presented in three or four sessions depending and Offhand Flourishing is presented in two sessions. You can email me for more details if you are interested. I am frequently away from home now for long periods of time and email correspondence will take

I am taking very limited students so I can keep up to their homework and be available to help them as much as I can. A very different venture for me. I have not been a big fan of the online format for calligraphic work, but my recent positive experiences with online botanical art courses have encouraged me to work with a few students.  I don't have any of the lessons pre-recorded and I am doing all the demonstrating live which is a far better fit for me than having a camera recording my words and strokes. The introvert in me can work with this format. I am not currently planning larger online presentations of any of the courses at this time as I really want to finish writing and creating the artwork for my books. So many projects, so little time!!! I will keep you updated as things progress. I really wish I had more time to dedicate to teaching individuals. I think the books in progress will go a long way to preserve my teaching methods for The Artful Flourish and The Enchanted Letter. Thanks for being so patient with me.

Pure Love

Feeling reflective on Valentine's Day. I love my family, love my friends, love my country, and I love my work! I don' t think I could do this work if I didn't love it. I love the way the ink feels as it leaves the pen and hits the paper. I love the sound of the nib tines on the paper. I love the feel of art paper and knowing that it can take just about anything I can throw at it. I love every Victorian Curve that works out on paper. I love learning. I love process. I love fighting to learn something different and all the struggles it brings and I love practice. Sometimes there is more freedom in practicing something just for yourself than any other type of work. In practice you can explore what you love the most about the art. You can play and experiment. It all doesn't have to be pristine work. It can just be something to occupy your mind for a little while before you are called off to another task. Your workspace and desk is your sanctuary to explore in your practice time. All you have to do is show up. This post is dedicated to all of my friends who contact me with so little time to dedicate to this artform that they love so much. The time demands of life and obligations prevent them from being able to practice the way would like to. They look at instagram and facebook and get discouraged because they see so many people being able to create huge amounts of work. I would encourage you to take the pressure off yourselves and just do this as you are able. Savour the few minutes you have with pen in hand. Put it aside when you are too busy for it and return to it as often as you can. Nurture the love and passion you have for the art form. Don't apologize if you only have a few minutes to put ink on paper. Hopefully you will enjoy the experience all the more when you are able to sit down and devote some time to it. Be encouraged to explore whatever art form you enjoy at your own pace without any judgements on yourself if you don't see the progress you want to see. We all approach this art work differently. Our results differ widely. But the common denomiator is love. Do what you love, love what you do. Happy Valentine's Day my dear friends.

Revisiting Work

The studio needs a good clean up at the end of every day. But days get rushed and I often "misfile" a lot of my work in the interest of saving time. Not a great strategy for the long run. So often, I will have to devote weekends to doing a deeper cleaning of the studio. This weekend, I sat with several cups of coffee and went through stacks of files that had accumulated on my shelf. I always have good intentions for keeping files, but I definitely needed to turn my attention to this task. Over the course of the weekend, I found a lot of buried work in the files. Pages I had started to work on, even gilded, but then gave up part way through. Often I start projects for fun, but work demands take over so pieces are left unfinished. The view of these unfinished pieces takes place with fresh eyes. I feel differently than whan I started the piece so I am able to reflect from a new perspective. It's like looking at someone else's work. I can either see where I was going or not and from that perspective, I choose whether or not to keep the work. Lots went into the recyle bin but some were filed again to be completed as the mood takes me. I found a lot of drawing and older illuminations in the files. All of it was work that was just practicing a technique but it was wonderful to visit it again. It helps to see the work again with new eyes. What looked like failure pieces are really just part of the process of learning. The florals I worked on while trying to figure out strategies for using Duralar.

The paper holds wonderful tight lines from the coloured pencil but clogs easily and needs to be worked on from both the front and back of the paper. I can remember the struggle to learn how to use a new medium. I remember the struggle of trying to make the work look correct and remember the hours invested. They look completely different to me now and reflect the process of learning rather than the finished product. The vellum pieces have good points and bad points. What a learning curve with how to use washes of watercolour on a surface that can buckle with too much water.

These pieces teach me so much. They are illuminating in a completely different sense right now. I still regularly and faithfully purge my portfolio. I get rid of older work that I no longer want to fill my eyes or my mind. But I let it teach me before it is discarded. I started a new file to reflect the lessons I have learned. I wonder what that file will teach me the next time I visit.

Handwriting

Today is National Handwriting Day.

Each year I see it get a little more recognition as more and more practitioners of the calligraphic arts make their way to social media. I am so happy to see it there! Happy to see people pick up the pen and write. Delighted to see people become so enthralled with handwriting, journalling, calligraphy and the arts. It is wonderful to see all of the creativity. When I teach handwriting skills, I always work with the unique style of each student. My mantra is that your handwriting is as unique as your fingerprint or your voice. I don't believe in forcing it to conform to any existing system of penmanship. I have seen incredible penmanship in upright italic forms that I wouldn't dare change to a cursive form. I work on honing the handwriting so that it is consistent, legible and done with a reasonably light touch. I have students who are conviced that a fountain pen is their key to success in writing but they are often using a pen that is just too cumbersome for their hand. A simple switch to a lighter weight pen and often a finer nib, will often put their handwriting on the path to being much more legible. The first step toward good handwriting is finding the pen that you like to use, does not fatigue your hand and has a tip that is fine enough to suit your handwriting style. Most students are thrilled to hunt for just the write pen and I am no different! Today I used my Pilot Custom 912 Falcon Fountain Pen with Caran D'Ache Blue Night Ink. When it was time to address the envelopes, I switched over to my dip pen and used Ziller Wild Rose Pink. I am not a huge fan of acrylic inks, but love this new colour from Ziller.

I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy writing. Even when I was working so hard to achieve a light touch or conform to the Palmer system that was presented, I enjoyed the task of uniting thoughts with ink on paper. It still gives me so much joy to take some time with this humble skill. Remember that your handwriting is a reflection of you. It has characteristics that are unique to you alone. It has a joy and vibrancy that only your hand can create. That should be celebrated!!! Have fun with your favourite ink, your finest paper and the search for the pen that makes the handwriting most enjoyable. Happy National Handwriting Day!

The Magic of Mail

This past holiday season, I was overwhelmed with so many cards coming from all over the world.

I wrote back to the best of my ability. Some addresses were really tricky but I did my best to write back. National Handwriting Day is coming up and I will post some thoughts about handwriting later this month.

I don't find nearly as much time to write these days, but whenever I am permitted the luxury, I love to correspond. The letters that came to me this season were savoured. I waited until I had the time to open them and enjoy the words on the page. I sat with a cup of tea and read your notes and it felt like I was visiting with you!

Thank you for thinking of me and thank you for writing.

This post is just to let my readers know that I appreciate every note that is sent to me. I love hearing from you and watching how your lettering is progressing.

We have such a wonderful art form that can span the miles in a very tangible way. If you find time this month, why not surprise someone with a letter?

Best of 2016 and A Look Foward to 2017

This year has been a whirlwind. Lots of travel and tons of studio work. I have left many things undone that I wish I had accomplished this year but I will move them onto the 2017 agenda. I wanted to highlight some new favourites for me that became a big part of me this year. I spent a year drawing in coloured pencil with Wendy Hollender and her year of Botanical Drawing that she launched online. It was by far my best experience with online claasses. There were monthly deadlines to complete projects as well as critiques that happened in the online community. These two elements combined perfectly for me and kept me accountable to the deadlines. She also had a live monthly meeting where we could all connect online and ask real time questions and get answers. It was an amazing experience and one I am so glad that I had. My drawing skills are still novice but I learned much more about Botanical Illustration. I highly recommend her book Botanical Drawing in Color

. She is relaunching the same lessons in 2017 but they will be delivered in a different manner. More of a work at your own pace kind of class. I would highly recommend her teaching to anyone who gets the chance to study with her. As a result of my studying with her I have elevated Faber Castell Polychromos in my studio.

They are now my favourite coloured pencil to use. I am thrilled with their colour range, their vibrancy and their ability to blend with watercolour. They are an oil based coloured pencil and work far better for me than waxed based coloured pencils. I highly recommend them as an addition to your studio supplies. Another new addition to my studio supplies is the Rosemary and Co. Micro Detailer Brush.

This miniature synthetic brush has taken my painting technique to a new level. I can accomplish much finer detail on paintings as well as painted pens. Rosemary and Co. has become a beloved supplier for me! If you do place an order with them, be sure to request a catalogue as well as their newsletter. Both are wonderful. This year I worked exclusively with Miniatum Ink Gilding medium and Jerry Tresser's 23K gold leaf.

The combination of the two products gives a brilliant gilding result with very little effort. I highly recommend both products! As 2016 comes to a close, I am thankful for lessons that I learned and opportunities that I had for study. I will be launching new private online study opportunities in Offhand Flourishing and Italian Hand through Skype and Facetime in 2017. I will keep you posted. They will be on a very limited basis at first as I try to integrate them into my routine, but I am excited about the possibilites. Please email me privately if you are interested at heather@heathervictoriaheld.com. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I am looking forward to 2017!

Christmas Snowflake Flourish Video

One of my favourite holiday tasks is filming a little Christmas flourish

. I was assisted once again by Oscar who loves to be on my table while I am working. He is pretty good about not messing up the work! Hope the little flourish is enjoyed! You can view it on my youtube channel by following the link.

The Connecting Thread

Many of you know that for years I spent hours of my time doing Victorian embroidery. Once in awhile, I still miss the the bright embrace of that wonderful artform. In the dead of winter one of my escapes is to visit antique shops. Every time I see a piece of lace or hand crocheted doily I stop to look at it. I have rescued dozens of vintage laces, handkerchiefs and doilies. I take them home and gently restore them to their brightest form. I seldom pass them up. I always feel a connection to the artisan who created the original piece. I want to give their work a life again. This little round doily was originally from Paris.

The crochet edging is done by hand. I wanted to revisit my freehand embroidery days and adorn it with flowers and glass pearls. As I worked on this piece, I realized that beyond my floral background, my flourishing technique is also based in my embroidery days. I seldom worked with a pattern. I just wanted to adorn things with some Victorian touches. The same is true of my flourishing. I stare at the blank page and see what emerges. With embroidery and with flourishing, you start with your biggest elements of the design and add your smaller elements around it, filling in with accent strokes and stitches as you go. The little visit back to my embroidery stash helped me to see the connecting thread between the two art forms much more clearly. Both require peace of mind. They both bring on a sense of peace and meditation while working. Both require you to completely engage with the medium. Both are very tactile. It was a bright diversion to revisit needle and thread. The heart flourish clearly reflects some of my embroidery experience.

Neither the flourish or the embroidery reflect perfection. They both meander freely and organically. Nothing is preplanned or designed. Both are the result of happy play and just letting the creation process happen. Happy flourishing. Just play!!!

Putting Ink On Paper

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day!

A day to be celebrated and savoured for many reasons. I have shared my thoughts with my handwriting class students many times over the years. I believe that handwriting flows rhythmically with the thoughts and feelings of the writer. If you are tense and jittery, your handwriting will reflect those feelings. If you are relaxed and at peace, the connection between thoughts in the mind and the journey to the hand seem to flow unimpeded. No emotion can hide from the tip of the pen. Handwriting and calligraphy are my daily reset buttons if I should use such a digital term for an analog skill. Even the word analog looks out of place when I am writing about handwriting. The digital age has affected our minds. There is no way around that and some will argue that our minds are better for it and some will say that are minds are worse for wear. I recommend the book The Shallows by Nicholas Carr if you want to dive into his thoughts on the matter. My copy is tattered, heavily underlined and laden with post-it notes where I jotted some responses to his thoughts. His book caused me to stop to think about the effects of the digital age. My response to digital overload is that daily reset button of handwriting and calligraphy. Both skills allow my mind to rest, to pause, to breathe. Thinking back to my cursive writing lessons in elementary school, I don't think I would have agreed that handwriting was rest for my mind. We had daily drills, practiced letter forms on guidesheets, often did our drills to a metronome to keep us writing rhythmically. Our handwriting needed to match the guidesheets as closely as possible. We needed uniform slant of letters, consistent open loops and flowing exit and entry strokes. Every elementary school teacher I can remember had impeccable Palmer Penmanship skills. I wanted my cursive writing to look like theirs but it really didn't conform. We had to apply in writing for our Pen License before we could graduate from pencil to pen. The world of pen offered bright colors of ink, different sizes of pen tip and even a fountain pen option if we could prove we wouldn't have ink blots all over our work. The goal of achieving that pen license was monumental at the time and I remember feeling stressed, and worried that I would ever get that license! I eventually got the license and remember my favourtite pen was the fine Bic with the schoolbus yellow barrel and the blue cap. My penmanship skills in no way called me into my future career choice. My thoughts about handwriting are often different than those of my colleagues. I see beautiful cursive writing as well as beautiful italic writing. I believe that handwriting is a very unique extension of our own personality.

Each person's handwriting is as unique as their voice or their fingerprint. No two people will write identically even if they started with the same system of penmanship. My goal in teaching handwriting was always to increase legibility while helping each student find a practical rhythm and pace to their writing. If they can't read their own notes or keep up with their own thoughts on paper with ink, they are going to abandon the pursuit of the skill. I do find that the digital age can bombard my mind. The harsh bright screen of the computer, the beeps I hear it make while I am trying to concentrate on getting my thoughts on paper, watching little messages fly across the screen, and in the back of my mind, often wondering what else is on. So I temporarily switch from my writing document, see what is happening on facebook and instagram, linger there often longer than needed ,check my email, respond to those and then try to remember what I was working on before the diversion. I wonder..... is this healthy? When I pause and shut down that computer screen and can sit at my desk with only ink and paper, my mind breathes. It rests in the comfort that the paper will not distract me. The paper does not have a delete button. It does not autocorrect my words and thoughts. Errors are captured and recorded on paper but with the safety of knowing that the recycle bin can carry those mistakes into oblivion. I can rest and take comfort in the thought that I can create something on the paper that can bring joy to someone else.

I can brighten someone's day with a note of encouragement or a brightly flourished envelope. I can let the feelings I have for the recipient come to the surface and flow out of the tip of the pen. It is a unique experience. It is meditative, it is peaceful, it restores my focus and refreshes my mind. It is my daily push back against the bombardment of the computer screen.Neither my handwriting or my calligraphy is perfect. It is not a font. It reflects the human who picked up a writing instrument and united with the process of putting ink on paper.

It's a celebration of a skill that can be used to bless someone else. It is a practical way to say thank you that means far more to the recipient than an email. When a handwritten letter arrives for me, I savour the experience. I pause and breathe while reading the note. The note does not intrude. It did not beep at me as a text message. It waited quietly on the desk until I was ready to open it and read the thoughts of my friend. I feel connected to my friend as I read their words.It's an entirely different connection than what comes to me on my iphone as a text message. It feels different than a digital message. It did not get lost in a huge group of emails that came to my inbox. It found a quite place and soulful time to visit with me. The process of sending handwritten notes continues to be part of my life. In many ways, I think in ink. Happy National Handwriting Day!

English Roundhand...My Personal Philosophy

I don't intend to be preachey all of 2016 but I feel the need this first week of January. Bear with me for now! When I want to convey something cheerful in script writing my default setting is English Roundhand. From the minute I picked up a pointed pen, my natural tendency was to produce rounded letterforms with weighted shades on the downstrokes. English Roundhand was not the first script I attempted. My first love of writing was Spencerian Script! My introduction to Spencerian Script came in 2003 at the IAMPETH convention in Cleveland, Ohio. That is where I had my first class with Michael Sull and my journey and love affair with the pointed pen truly began. I attended my first Spencerian Saga in 2005 and attended several more over the years. The Spencerian Saga continues to flourish under Harvest Crittenden and her directorship and I recommend the Saga experience to anyone who wants total immersion in the Geneva On the Lake experience of Spencerian Script in the setting of Platt Rogers Spencer's home base. It will not be forgotten. I worked with Spencerian Script alone for many years. It was my correspondence hand and worked well with my style of flourishing. But when I was exposed to the work of George Bickham in The Universal Penman, my heart skipped a beat! This is my worn and battered copy. I had the spine of it removed and a heavy duty coil binding added so it would open flat on my desk. It remains my most used resource in my studio along with Tomkins and Milns Ornamental Penmanship. Both of these monumental works are available as Dover Reprints. If you don't have copies of these I recommend you run to get them!!! Inside the books, I was mesmerized by the content. The forms are voluptuous and elegant. The lettering brings me so much joy. Both volumes contain not only fine examples of English Roundhand but also my beloved Italian Hand which has become my favourite lettering style. In the back of Bickham's book you will find pages with various styles of lettering. Terminology is a weird and scary ride in the calligraphic world. I have witnessed divisive and derogatory behaviour over terminology. I don't dwell in the land of division. My hope is to build bridges and encourage the lovely art form. If you are an educator or artist who is promoting the love of lettering and sharing your skills with others, I applaud you. As an educator I feel that part of my calling is to bring others into the joyful relationship that can be found with the pen. My personal love is the pointed pen. That being said I see work being done with the broad edge that is positively breathtaking. I love the beauty that can be found with that remarkable tool. Most of my time though is spent with the pointed pen as I flourish, practice English Roundhand, Spencerian or my beloved Italian Hand. Yes... Italian Hand is my runaway favorite and I will be commenting more about it in future posts!!! For anyone interested, I will teaching Italian Hand at Binders in Atlanta this coming March. I still consider myself to be a relative newcomer to the calligraphic world. Lettering holds surprises for me every day and I am still filled with the same sense of wonder and awe that I had when I first picked up the pen. It didn't take me long though to encounter opinions and ideas that some people found superior to others. I remember being taken aback at some heated discussions and opinions arising over the word copperplate. I didn't understand it then and I try to avoid the division over it now but I don't shy away from discussing it. I did dive into years of research over the term and I came across a variety of ideas and opinions. One book pointed to 'copperplate' as the reason for the decline of Western Calligraphy. I don't share that opinion and choose to elevate this script lettering as one of the most graceful and elegant styles that can be created with a pointed pen. I recognize that others think differently but see no reason to divide over vision of a script hand. Maybe I am missing something, but I think if we love lettering, we are on the same team and all do our parts in promoting the lettering arts. Each of us adds our own chapter to the story and we bring with us the ideas and experiences that shape our opinions. No one taught me or told me to use the term English Roundhand, I just landed there. I remain there because for me, it is the most descriptive and accurate term for the style of script that I want to emulate. This is just my opinion that I have arrived at through my own personal reasearch. I recognize that there are many incredibly talented script artists who have arrived at the conclusion that the best term to use is copperplate. I still love and respect their work. Despite all of us having our love of lettering, we will all possess diverse opinions. That is to be celebrated and encouraged but never feared.This plate from Tomkins and Milns explains it best for me. "Beauties of Writing exemplified in a variety of Plain and Ornamental Penmanship. Designed to excite Emulation in this Valuable Art." That says it all!!! Free the caged bird! Learn what you can from others but never think that is the only way to learn. Never shy away from original research, if your opinion is different even from someone you respect, its ok to express yourself. Never underestimate what can happen when you study for yourself. Take what has been printed before with a grain of salt..including this! You will come to conclusions that no one else can lead you to. Love what you do and do what you love!

Nurturing Hope

2016 has started off strangely. My Dad took a bad fall and is recovering from hip surgery now. I am no where near as caught up on my work load as I thought I would be but I am working hard. As I sat at my desk today I found myself thankful for those who choose to share their love of writing with others. Expressing yourself to someone who is on your mind is such an important step to take. Our friendships are precious and people's feelings are so fragile. I have been bombarded with emails from people who find social media overwhelming and don't want to post their work online for fear that everything they want to do or say has already been done or said by someone with more skill. Here is my word of encouragement to all of you who think you will never reach further in your studies of this art or who feel their skill level has reached a plateau.

Never give up! All that matters is that you enjoy what you are doing with the pen. The absolute desire and determination to go further will fuel your practice sessions. Continue to believe in yourself, look at what you create on the paper after each session, take what you delight in and discard the rest. This journey is a long one. Don't compare yourself to the skill of others! We all progress at different times and each journey is so personal. Enjoy each stage while it lasts! Weave your dreams as you work to improve, and nurture hope not only in your own work but in others. Forgive me for being preachy...... I just see so much potential in your work and dont' want to see anyone give up. I am reminded that on my own journey, I would have given up if it were not for some kind words of encouragement from those who have since become some of my closest friends and mentors!! Finally if you sense discouragement in someone else, send them a handwritten note to cheer them on. Love you all! Please write to me if you want an encouraging note sent out! I would love to do that for you!

Welcome 2016

Sending heartfelt blessings as we embrace the New Year. This flourish was done with Old World Iron Gall Ink on Rhodia paper. These days, I can only find the smaller blank pads of Rhodia paper here in Canada. But they are a great size for smaller flourishes. This design will be worked into my handouts for an upcoming workshop called The Vintage Garden which launches in Portland, Oregon. Although I am not one for resolutions, I am hopeful that 2016 will be filled with "Work From The Heart". Happy New Year!