PICK OF THIS WEEK - 2017
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Week #22
These works were done by individuals in New Orleans this year for the session “Basic Romans” in 26 Seeds: a Year to Grow. In their own words:
#1 & 2 Lisa Devlin

As a graphic designer, I use a variety of tools (including the computer) and appreciate many periods of art and design. I also enjoy generating ideas for make-believe products, creating ads and labels for them and putting them on greeting cards. So it seemed natural to turn Reggie’s letter-spacing exercise into ads. I thought that bubble bath and a wine vineyard would be great for expressing the word “LANGUIDLY,” followed by the registered trademark symbol for that touch of authenticity. Both ads were intended to amuse the viewer while expressing my enjoyment and exhaustion after a full day learning calligraphy.

I began by using the waxed grid paper and letters Reggie supplied, manually spacing the letters on the paper and then photocopying the finished work. Although the letters seemed spaced adequately well on the grid, the photocopied versions showed me this wasn’t entirely the case. So when I brought the letters into Adobe InDesign, I kerned them slightly. Concerned that reliance on a computer might not be within the exercise’s scope, I confess that I held back and didn’t do a complete job. I then copied the text and pasted them into the Adobe Illustrator files where the illustrations were created. The final piece was printed on my desktop printer.

This was a helpful exercise. Because of the deadline realities of my work and the frequent last-minute changes that typically arise, I’d developed some bad habits and rusty letter-spacing skills. So this exercise reminded me of the need to apply more care in that area.

#3 Patti Adams

This spacing exercise took a lot longer than I imagined! As Reggie suggested, after I laid out the word calligraphy on my waxed grid, I left it on a stand in my studio so I could casually glance at it as I worked on other things.

After a few days, I finally decided that there was obviously a Roman Rebellion taking place while I slept; letters were surreptitiously huddling up in my studio overnight!
I finally arrived at the version you see here. I printed it onto a sepia-toned 11x17" copy of a very large piece I did in graphite several years ago as part of an exhibition at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. It is a drawing of one of our oldest and grandest live oak trees in Audubon Park, aptly named "The Tree of Life”. Displaying some of the most splendid examples of nature's calligraphy, these majestic trees are for me a constant source of inspiration!


#4 Carmel Cucinotta-Harmon

I chose this 'ghost' picture from a Time-Life Book Series I have on the "Enchanted World'. Since all of us were so fearful of diving into the ROMANS, I thought this picture of "fear" was very appropriate. Class mates exchanged many emails saying how frustrated and fearful they were to attempt this very important exercise; myself included.

I used the Palatino Type Face that Reggie gave out in class. I took my picture and my layout to Kinkos (now Fed Ex) and had a transparency made of my spacing. It took some time for the sales person to figure out how to apply the letters to the photo. I was a bit worried because the black letters were so close to the darkest part of the photo. But, I liked the picture and decided to go for it.

I have since learned, through trial and error, that "I can do the transparency and photocopy" at home.

My little ghost still says it all about those lovely ROMANS

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You can enjoy all the Pics of the Week from 2009 through 2018,
archived on the home page of my website www.reggieezell.com
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