In This Issue
Charlie Hughes
Cover
Calendar
2
Workshops
2
President’s Message
2
January Meeting
Cover
2009 Calligraphy Connection
3
A Roman Holiday
4
Over Coffee
7
Demo Corner/Meet the Mentor
Coll
eagues
of Calligraphy
Min
neapo
lis/S t. Pau .
l Minnesota
Back
January 2008
CHARLIE HUGHES
Of all the old lettering pros in the United States, there
are very few who have been working at it as long as
Charlie Hughes. He now spends most of his time in cold,
snowy Minnesota, (so much for retiring in Florida) but
grew up bouncing between Chicago and Milwaukee
where he had many years as a
professional commercial
lettering artist.
He started young with all
his teachers assigning him the art
projects to be done for the
classroom. In high school at
Boys Tech in Milwaukee, he
had the good fortune to land in
the art classes taught by
Ray Cote, a very gifted
teacher and proxy father
that recognized talent
when he saw it. Charlie
won national caliber
Scholastic Key Awards for his lettering and
painting. While still in school, he started working
at a sign shop, then an art studio.
After leaving high school, Charlie won a
scholarship to attend the Chicago Academy of
Fine Art at night while he worked days at the
Daily News. After a few months they asked him,
"Why are you wasting your time here? You don't
need any more classes." So, that was it for class
instruction. He learned from the pros from then on;
in art studios, the Milwaukee Journal and elsewhere
until he went on his own, the big freelancing step,
when he was 30.
In 1965, after many months of work, he designed one
of the last American produced metal typefaces, 'Century
Nova'—all by hand with fine brushes, ink and white
retouch. No help from computers in that day and age.
Interestingly, 30 years later in 1995, he designed
another typeface, 'Indy', in about 4 hours' time
on a bet with someone. He did that one
all by hand, too.
Thirty years' experience
didn't necessarily make
him faster in
all of his
endeavors,
though. In the
meantime, it
took 31 years for
Charlie to restore an
1886 vintage three-flat
brownstone in the Old
Town area of Chicago.
He and his sons scrounged
marble, fixtures, doors, trim, tile
and wainscot from other buildings soon to meet
the wrecking ball.
In 1983, Charlie was introduced to the calligraphic
world of lettering when at the urging of John Weber, he
attended the calligraphy conference hosted that year by
the Chicago Collective. At that point, Charlie entered
the next phase of his lettering career. The calligraphic
and flowing pen written letterform was a whole new
ballgame. Prior to then, his letters were of a drawn nature.
Continued on page 3
Unless otherwise noted,
all meetings will be at
Plymouth Congregational Church,
1900 Nicollet Avenue South,
Minneapolis.
Bus Routes: Nicollet/Franklin
2007—2008
Doors open at 12:30—Come early to
observe lettering demonstrations,
meet the mentor,
and browse exhibits.
January 19—Charlie Hughes Lecture
Treats: Laurel Curtis and Lori Tews
February 16—Making It Yours: Copying
a Manuscript Alphabet with Jean Formo
A hands-on instructional meeting!
March 15—Mini Workshops
April 11—Hands-on Program with
Martha Erickson
April 12 and 13 - Workshop with
Martha Erickson
W!
May 10—TBD
RE
NE
The COC Services
Web Page
Colleagues' Services web page
renewal info:
The COC Services web page is one
year old in January! Renewal fee
of $35 for a full web page or $15 for a
link or a contact listing is due by
January 31. If you are interested in
signing up for this service please visit
www.colleaguesofcalligraphy.com
Calligraphers’ Services page for more
information or contact Barb Makela,
[email protected] or
952-884-3149. Mail checks to Barb,
1221 West 107th Street
Bloomington, MN 55431
Hello Fellow Colleagues,
March—Mini Workshops
April—Martha Erickson Workshop
CLASSES
Beginning Calligraphy
Judith Michalski
Tuesdays, January 22 - March 11
6:30 - 8:30 pm (No class March 4)
Ramsey Junior High School, St. Paul
Visit www.ceregspps.org Adult Ed for
details or call 651-293-8874
Goodbye, Sara
It is with great
sadness that we
announce the
passing of our dear
friend, Sara Harder,
on November 14,
2007.
She was an active and charter
member of this organization, served as
Treasurer on the Board and taught at
the 1990 Connection at Saint John's.
Sara took Reggie Ezell's year long
class to extend her learning of the craft.
Sara started one of her hobbies of
photography when she worked at
Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester,
New York. She was passionate about
calligraphy, bookbinding, paper marbling,
and she was an expert knitter who
spun much of her own yarn. Once, she
dyed and spun cotton balls into yarn
and proceeded to knit it into socks.
Pure Magic!
She belonged to a book exchange
group for a few years and designed
some great and unique books.
We will miss her smile and zest
for life.
-Bev Hunnicut
For my annual Christmas
project/gifts, I made little one quote
books. I used Foundational lettering
learned in my ongoing class with Jean
Formo, and Double Stroke Capitols
from the Martin Jackson workshop.
That way this year’s project is different
than last year’s and I can reinforce
what I learned by doing it.
I am encouraged to do that because
of a quote by Edward Johnston that I
keep handy— “only an attempt to do
practical work will raise practical
problems, and therefore useful practice
is the making of real or definite things.”
January and February are a perfect,
not too busy, midst of winter time to
do that. Use the skills you have learned
to do a project or piece and bring to
the January or February meeting. If you
are inclined you can have it critiqued
by our mentor, and displayed in the
Productive Pen area.
I am excited about the January
meeting as it will be an opportunity to
get to know more about long-time
member Charlie Hughes and his
extensive work.
In the new year let’s take every
opportunity to learn how to make
better letters and then use them to
create works of art to share.
Gary
Sale Tables
AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS
Once again tables will be available
during our meetings so that members
will have a chance to display appropriate
merchandise they have created for sale.
As a Ways and Means project, 10% of
sales will benefit the Colleagues.
Contact Barb Makela at 952-884-3149
to reserve a space.
Signet is a publication of the Colleagues of Calligraphy. Submission deadlines are 30 days prior to the next monthly meeting. The editor is responsible for
final decision on content. Mail submissions to Signet Editor, Ardie Gallant, 1826 Johnson Street N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55418 or [email protected].
Information and products mentioned in articles do not imply endorsement by the COC or BOD. Copyright 2008 by the Colleagues of Calligraphy. No portion of the
Signet may be reproduced without the written permission of the COC. For membership, see www.colleaguesofcalligraphy or call Joann Schulte at 651-698-5854.
For more information, write COC, P.O. Box 4024, St. Paul, MN 55104.
2
Signet January 2008
JANUARY
Continued from front page
FIRST, read this article on our
speaker for January—Charlie
Hughes. THEN, do whatever it
takes to be present to enjoy his
presentation and get to know
him just a little.
We look forward
to seeing you
January 19!
Over time, Charlie
did freelance work for
large agencies and
design studios, such as
Foote Cone and Belding,
Needham Worldwide,
J.Walter Thompson and
Leo Burnett. Charlie
worked on print, packaging,
TV ad, product and logotype
lettering. Much of his lettering
work is what the public sees
all the time—Marlboro,
Virginia Slims, McDonald's,
Oldsmobile, Osterizer,
MinuteMaid, Kraft Foods
products, Sara Lee, alphabet
designs for multiple beer
companies, etc. It may
have been on the
piano you played last
week (a Yamaha or a
Steinway Essex), the
lock you put on your gate
(Masterlock), the tractor
your father drove (Allis
Chalmers), what you used
to make birthday treats (Rice
Krispies), what your teenage
son had for dinner last night
(DiGiorno Garlic Bread Pizza baked on
a Crate and Barrel Pizza Stone topped
off with Famous Amos cookies) or
even the underwear you wore a few
years ago (Jockey 'For Her' for the
ladies, or that Corky Siegel T-shirt for
the guys).
The majority of Charlie's lettering
work is flat, on paper, executed with a
brush, pen or other
handy tool, and in
more recent years,
Signet January 2008
June 20S-oo
27n,! 2009
How do you plan an event
the size and complexity of an
international lettering conference?
By starting at the beginning,
of course! And then one step at
a time, step by step by step.
scanned into the computer to be
further messed with. But not all
of it. He has had the occasional
challenge of carving in wood
(Charlie the Tuna for the boss)
or in stone (Nike shoes), doing
stained glass for a beer company
(or what appears to be stained
glass to the
camera), raised
clay lettering
for a bronze
sculpture, and,
last and
definitely not
the least, brush
lettering "Oly" in the
shape of a Superman
shield across a
female model's bare
chest. The client was
Olympia Beer. Her
name was
Regan.
Actually,
Charlie
doesn't
remember
what her name
really was....
Continued on page 7
Some Completed Steps
◆ Saint John’s University has been
scheduled and a down payment
made.
◆ Bookmarks advertising the event
were handed out at this year’s
conference.
◆ Our website is up and ready to
expand as more information is
ready to share.
◆ Colleague members submitted
faculty and event suggestions.
◆ Several key volunteers are already
in place and others are “in the
works.”
What’s Next
◆ The COC Board and the 2009
Steering Committee call for
entries for a redesign of the
conference logo. Details will be
sent to all COC members in
January and be included in the
February Signet.
◆ Eve Brown and Kay Fritz are
beginning work to make our
Welcome Bags the best ever!
◆ A promotional video is needed to
advertise the 2009 Conference.
If you are interested or know
someone who is, contact Ardie.
Until next time,
Lynn Ohlhorst
Director .Exhibits .Volunteers
Phyllis Stratman . Treasurer . Registrar
Barb Makela . Faculty . Programs/Events
Ardie Gallant . Communications . PR
Use first name with
@2009calligraphyconference.com
to contact any of us.
3
A ROMAN HOLIDAY WEEKEND
A Beginner’s Perspective
by Susan Gesch
Relaxing music wafted thru the
door as we slowly filed inside. The room
was chilly but it helped to sharpen our
senses. There was an air of anticipation
and eagerness in all present, ready for
another calligraphic endeavor. This was
to be “a Roman Holiday.” A time set
aside to study the classic Trajan capitals
of the second century. Our leader in
this quest was Diane von Arx, a highly
skilled, pleasant, gentle, encourager.
Our implement of choice—
a pencil ( HB, F, or B)
rather than pen and nib.
It was a drawing class
where we learned to use
our eyes with a greater
scrutiny. To open them
and really see all the little
nuances that exists in the
structure of the letters.
With our handout from
Leonard Evetts’book based
on the Trajan columns,
we were set. We ruled our
paper 5 spaces high and 3
between. Our letters
would be 2 inches tall, to
prevent any temptation
to copy from the handout.
both the S and the
Y, have heart shapes
in their curve; the D
has a wider bottom.
We were
reminded of the
importance of visual
spacing between
letters. We were
instructed to take
a group of 3 letters
at a time to see
if the correct
relationship exists.
Diane w exemplar from Leonard C. Evetts’ book titled “Roman Lettering”
Our chosen word (mine was SCARE) gave us
a variety of letters from each category to practice.
However, much time was spent analyzing and
perfecting the letter R, the most difficult. We
studied the serif on the stem, how it has a slight
curve rather than being a straight line. We
learned to use a lighter touch with our pencils;
to do more with less, to give character and
strength to the letter. Only God and we
should see the lines that we had drawn.
We spent a lot of time seeing, drawing, and painting
the letter “R.”
We found that the alphabet is
divided into categories relative to their
weight and shape. Those letters that
are as wide as they are tall are:
GODCQ. Next in line are those that
are three-quarters wide: HUNTAVZ.
Half-size letters are: BEFLPRS (or
befle purse). The half plus are but three
in number: KYX. The skinny are: I and
J. The W has triangular counterspaces
that are all equal. The M in contrast
has the largest counterspace in the
center “v”. Originally the letters
HKYZ were not present on the the
Trajan inscription.
We studied individual letters such
as the A and H to see where the cross
bars lie. Above or below the center?
(Answer: A below, H above.) We
learned that the inner spacing, on
4
When we had perfected our “R”as best as we
could, it was time to transfer it to our good paper.
With the help of a light table we were able to
trace the shape. Then we outlined and filled in
the area with gouache and a thin, fine brush.
We learned that one had more control when we
pulled the stroke toward our heart.
The weekend drew to a close as we returned to our word, to fill it in with
darkened pencil. It had sped by. In one sense we had covered a lot of ground in
our short weekend. But in another we had barely scratched the surface with so
many letters left to explore. But we have a lifetime ahead of us, in which to do it,
and a keener eye to aide us.
Diane demonstrating lettering Roman capitals. Left to right: Kris MacDonald, Louise
Rogers, Gary Feyen, Joyce Francis, Diane von Arx, Susan Gesch, Judy Olson, Ellad
Tadmore, and Dave Johnson.
Signet January 2008
“This is mostly a drawing class, especially a seeing class.”
• “Nothing is more satisfying than
making a beautiful Roman letter, then
making another one.” • Don’t bother
doing a letter unless it’s better than the
previous letter. • Trace and memorize
shapes and spaces. • Letters should be
closer to each other than to the next line
of text. • It’s OK to do something if it
solves a problem and doesn’t create a
problem. • We will have more control
over our pencil if we pull it “toward our
heart” than if we push it away from us.
• “Trace the good letters; fix the
flawed letters.”
When in Rome: Drawing and Painting Trajan
Inscriptional Letters
A Summary of the weekend class
taught by Diane von Arx
By Sue Filbin
Studying the Roman capital letters
with Diane von Arx isn’t so much a
class as a journey. Even the name of
the class—“When in Rome”—suggests
leaving our usual environment. In an
email sent a week before class, Diane
described what we should expect and
encouraged us to contact her if we had
any questions “…prior to arriving in
Rome on Saturday.”After returning
home on Sunday evening, one classmate
told her family she felt as though she’d
spent the weekend “shipwrecked”
(happily, of course) with 14 other
souls who were isolated for two days,
completely focused on learning the
beautiful proportions of the Roman
capital letters and the difference made
by the width of a pencil line.
Signet January 2008
Diane learned the Roman alphabet
by studying with Ieuan Rees in 1978.
She’s been using that alphabet—and
practicing it—ever since. Diane began
our two-day sojourn by announcing,
“This is mostly a drawing class,
especially a seeing class.”
We began by lettering monoline
capital letters on graph paper with a very
sharp pencil. In our second exercise, we
drew the outside of the capital letters
for the word on which we would work
for the weekend, selected from the
options of: RANGE, DRAIN, SCARE,
CRANE, FLAVOR, BRAND.You will
notice the letter “R”occurs in each
word. This is intentional as that letter
contains an upright vertical stroke, a
bowl shape, and a diagonal foot, all
components found in other letters.
We moved on from drawing the
outside of the letters to constructing
the complete shapes of the letters. The
letters were still “hollow,”but Diane
showed us how to give “life”to the
letters with a slightly heavier penciled
line that emphasized the junctures of
the parts of the letters. Finally, we drew
the complete word, paying attention to
the shape of each letter, the proportions
of its parts, and the spacing between
letters—among many other things.
When we had drawn the outlines of
the letters for our word, and Diane
approved of the letter shapes and word
spacing, we filled in the letter shapes
with a dark, soft pencil. Finally, after an
enlightening demonstration for using
gouache, we painted the outlined
shape for our by-now intimate friend,
the letter “R.”
We learned to be patient; to really
see the letters on the exemplar from L.
C. Evetts’ book titled “Roman
Lettering”and to try to replicate them.
We learned by watching Diane and
listening to her explanations as she
lettered on large sheets of white paper.
We overheard her comments to our
classmates, and were heartened by her
encouragement, humor, and enthusiasm
with each of us. We learned from each
other, as when classmate Ellad Tadmore
admitted,“I can fix that but it would
require moving the ‘R.‘”
Diane reminds Colleagues founder, Jo White,
what they both learned in a class on Roman
capital letters taught by Ieuan Rees in 1978.
Continued on page 6
5
ROMAN HOLIDAY Continued from page 5
Diane knew that many
of us were uncomfortable
…learn an alphabet
with capital letters because
“by seeing
we use them far less
and doing.”
frequently than lower-case
letters. Four of the fourteen
students had studied
Roman capital letters with Diane years ago, yet returned for
more instruction from a teacher who knows and loves this
important alphabet.
Quotes and Comments
Ellad Tadmore
I can fix that but it would require moving the “R.”
Jean Formo
This class was all about expanding and refining our
powers of
observation when it comes to
letters...refine, refine, refine!
Pat Barrett
“OH, NO! I have to do it over?
.... *AGAIN!!!”
Diane von Arx
(in her mock-German, joking accent): *“You vill do your
best vork”
Mary Greenheck
I thought it was wonderful. I liked the steps Diane
took. I’m thinking ahead to making a Valentine’s Day
card that will have a word with the letter “O”in it—
the word “LOVE.”
Pat Barrett (right) shares a sample of her Roman capital letters done
in a class taught by Diane in the mid 1980s. Left to right: Diane,
Christine Osman, Joyce Francis, Mary Greenheck, and Pat Barrett.
Of course Diane’s standards are far too (reasonably) high
to allow anyone to get away with anything—try as we might!
We quickly learned—because Diane told us so—that she
would rather have us do fewer but better letters than a quantity
of letters. In between lettering my own increasingly improved
Roman capitals, I noted the pithy bits of wisdom expressed by
Diane (see the box on page 5).
Diane recommends we learn an alphabet “by seeing and
doing.”Many Colleagues members will now be sharpening
their pencils, using tracing paper, and remembering what they
learned in that enlightening weekend journey at the Edina Art
Center (not Rome) as they letter Roman capitals, looking to
really see the shapes and spaces they’re creating. ❖
Photos for both Roman articles provided by Sue Filbin
6
Susan Gesch
It was wonderful. I’m lacking in knowing how to letter any capitals. The class was just what I needed
although I didn’t work on the letters again until just last
week. I finished my word and it was so much easier.
Diane is so open. She makes you feel comfortable;
she takes you at your own level.
Louise Rogers
I went home and told my husband it’s the most
enjoyable calligraphy class I’ve ever taken and it’s the
reason I want to go to the Chicago conference—to
continue studying the pencil-drawn Romans with
Diane. I think she really cares about both the Roman
capitals and the students.
Christine Osman
Diane is a very generous instructor.
Kris MacDonald
Drawn Trajans require an alertness and attention to
detail that challenges me to conquer their perfection.
That challenge keeps me in pursuit.
Diane von Arx
After seeing what these 14 individuals accomplished
in two days and how diligently and thoughtfully they
worked, I was so pleased for them and very proud of
what they accomplished. I think it was much more
than they expected. I, however, knew they were
capable of it because they took the risk, came on
the journey, and invested the time and effort.
Signet January 2008
Charlie Hughes
Continued from page 3
So, now Charlie is living in
Minnesota, partnered up with
Janey Westin, still doing
lettering—some of it for
carving in stone as well
as work for print. They
have done a team effort
on a life size marble
sculpture of a saint;
stone altar, pulpit, bishop's
chair and frieze for a cathedral; lettering
design, carving and installation of a
4'x5' slate of 'John Wesley's Rule'; and
stone mosaic for a
12.5-foot high niche
for a chapel. They will
soon finish a new
workshop building in
their back yard to
continue doing more
beautiful art.
There is, however,
one person Charlie will
never forget—the proxy
father that launched him
into the world of lettering
—Ray Cote, his teacher
back in high school in
Milwaukee. ❖
-Janey Westin
In a column titled “Rendering the
Psalms ecumenically”in the Park Bugle for
December our Judy Dodds was noted. The
article covered an exhibit of personal
visions of the Psalms—”I Lift Up My Eyes
to the Hills” at St. Matthew’s Episcopal
Church in St. Anthony Park that began
December 1. Quoting from the article by
Judy Woodward: “Another artist brings a
personal understanding of suffering to her
interpretation of Psalms 150 and 145.
Falcon Heights resident Judy Dodds, 63,
discovered that undergoing treatment for
thyroid cancer actually deepened her faith.
“I’m growing through this experience,”
she says.“My attitude is: I’m grateful. My
art has not changed, but my heart has
changed.”
“Dodds described herself as “mostly a
calligrapher”and says the “challenge is to
lay down the letters in an interesting way.”
She also uses watercolor, gouache, gold
and vellum paper in her interpretation…
“Dodds…uses both Greek and Hebrew
texts in her art, although she doesn’t read
either language. Of her work, she says,
“Each project is a walk in faith. It’s hard to
see how it’s going to turn out. I just have to
trust that it will.””❖
Remember that short notice
about the holiday card exchange?
This is a perfect example of what
you miss if you don’t sign up —
Emily Cooper’s inventive creation
that includes a small book…
and a surprise fold-down back page
with a pop-up delight!
See other samples in this issue,
with more in the next Signet.
Pat Barrett
Signet January 2008
7
DATED MATERIAL
MATERIAL
deliver promptly.
Please DATED
Please deliver promptly.
NON-PROFIT
ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
St. Paul, MN
Permit No. 2502
P.O. Box 4024
St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
Sue Filbin’s nature printing just keeps getting better and better!
Flourishing
MEET THE MENTOR
January Mentor—Janey Westin
Coming in January…
DIANE VON ARX
Janey will be available at 12:30 ready to look at your work,
offer suggestions, talk about your lettering goals, and answer questions.
Photo by Ardie Gallant
November Mentor
Sharlene Jacobson
discussing work
with Bill Shogren.
Karen Eighmy
demonstrating
Copperplate at
the November
COC meeting.
Photo by
Sue Filbin
Merrie Dahlgren