december 2012 bulletin

FROM THE
PRESIDENT...

As your holiday season begins to fill up,

I hope you’ll include the Guild in your
celebrating and be able to join us for
our annual party on Monday evening,
December 10th, 6-8 pm. We’re gathering
again this year in Bethesda at the Madison
Park Condo’s party room. It’s a small cozy
room that makes for easy conversation
and yummy munching. It’s also easy to
find coming from anywhere in our DC
area. Please see the invitation herein for all
the details.

The Bulletin takes a month off after

this issue, making way in January for
our Workshop Bulletin. You will find
the classes offered to be a good list with
much variety, open to all skill and interest
levels. After you’ve devoured all the
class choices and made your selections,
our regular Bulletin will be out again in
February. Thanks to everyone who has
sent in artwork, class reviews, and articles
for the Bulletin! It has enriched these last
few issues so very much. Please continue to
allow us to see what you’ve been up to by
sending in a piece or two from time
to time!

My holiday wishes for all of you are for

a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah,
and a season of memory making no matter
how you celebrate this season of joy. May
your traditions include holidays filled with
warm greetings and special gatherings you
may take with you into the new year. I
wish you good health, comfort and peace,
and no spilt ink in 2013!

Pamn
My best to you and yours, IN THIS ISSUE Artwork by Pat Blair
Warmly,
- Membership News
- Save the Date!
- Christmas Card Exchange
- Julian Waters Workshop
- Gallery Space
- November Meeting Highlights
 WASHINGTON CALLIGRAPHERS GUILD
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
A very warm welcome to our newest members who recently
officers: joined / rejoined. We’re so very glad to have you!
president: Pamn Klinedinst Karen Ackoff – South Bend, Indiana
pklinednst@aol.com / 301-654-6049 Nathalie Marinoff – New City, New York
vice president: Gretchen Elson Odelia Pena – Tulsa, Oklahoma
gmelson@cox.net / 703-591-5482 Sharon Reynolds – Greenville, South Carolina
Ron Ross – Gallatin, Tennessee
treasurer: Derrick C. Tabor
June M. Sloan – Toledo, Ohio
dtab221@yahoo.com / 301-330-7729
secretary: Felecia McFail
wcg_sec@fohta.com / 703-892-6262 Our sincere thanks to the following members who recently
renewed as Supporting Members. We truly appreciate your
member-at-large: Louise Harris
generosity.
louikecole@comcast.net / 301-596-7773
past president: Theresa Daly PATRONS
tcarrolldaly@aol.com / 703-780-9448 Charles A. Gibbs – Manassas, Virginia
Derrick C. Tabor – Gaithersburg, Maryland
registered agent: Bob Flory
bobandsue@theflorys.net / 703-569-4331
SUPPORTING
Karen Ackoff – South Bend, Indiana
standing committees:
Iris N. Anderson – Silver Spring, Maryland
audit: John Stackpole Pam Bennett – Uwchlan, Pennsylvania
jstackpo@alum.mit.edu / 301-292-9479 Stephanie Chao – Laguna Niguel, California
budget & finance: Derrick C. Tabor Marta Legeckis – Bethesda, Maryland
dtab221@yahoo.com / 301-330-7729 Susan Makris – Falls Church, Virginia
Margaret Natsume – Monterey Park, California
bulletin: Lee Ann Clark
Odilia Pena – Tulsa, Oklahoma
glaclark@comcast.net / 410-415-5846
Katherine Rehm – Burke, Virginia
education: can you help? Sharon Reynolds – Greenville, South Carolina
exhibits: can you help? Yvonne M. Stroud – Oak Brook, lllinois

Save the Date!

fundraising / calligrafest co-chairs:
can you help?
library: Iris Anderson
iris.anderson@comcast.net / 301-598-0392
mailings: Phyllis Ingram / 703-385-9750
pgingram1@verizon.net
membership: Sue Flory
bobandsue@theflorys.net / 703-569-4331
our annual holiday party is almost here!
nominating: appointed in January monday, december 10
programs: can you help? 6-8 pm in the party room
publicity: can you help? at the madison park condominium
scholarship: Marta Legeckis 5000 battery lane, bethesda, maryland
morkaleg@yahoo.com / 301-493-8907
scripsit liaison: can you help? Please plan to join us for an evening of fun, friends and fine
website: Lorraine Swerdloff food! The Madison Park Condo’s party room is the same
swerdloff@gmail.com / 202-723-4635 great location we enjoyed last year and is easy to find even for
workshops: Christine Tischer Virginians who think Maryland roads are a mystery.
chris@calligraphybychris.com / 301-745-4633
Plans include a potluck buffet, including your favorite dish.
The Bulletin of the Washington Calligraphers Guild is published eight times per year We will fill in the menu after you let us know what you will
from September - May with a special workshops issue in January. bring. Sharing something is very much appreciated, but all are
The deadline for submissions for the February issue is January 15, 2012. We welcome your
contributions. Please send digital files for text, photos and artwork (reflecting all levels, from
welcome whether you choose to bring something or not.
beginner to advanced) to pklinednst@aol.com. Your submissions will be interpreted as permission
to use in the Bulletin, unless otherwise specified. We will use your submissions on a space-available More information is on the website:
basis and may reduce your artwork to accommodate available space. Mention in the Bulletin does
not constitute endorsement by the Washington Calligraphers Guild.
http://www.calligraphersguild.org/meetings.html
The Washington Calligraphers Guild, Inc., is a Virginia non-profit corporation, with an IRS tax
designation of 501(c)(3). The guild’s mailing address is P.O. Box 3688, Merrifield, VA 22116-3688. Please RSVP to Pamn Klinedinst at 301-654-6049 or
Visit our website at www.calligraphersguild.org. pklinednst@aol.com.

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 A WORKSHOP PRESENTED BY JULIAN WATERS

O
MODERN BLACKLETTER & CAPITALS
- Anne Trotter

ver Columbus Day weekend (October 5-8, 2012), Our writing textures gradually morphed from simple
nine Washington Calligraphers Guild members attended a most Textura into more complex writing where the diagonals are
enjoyable and comprehensive workshop given by Julian Waters out of parallel, the tops are more shallow, strengthening
at Sheila Waters’ studio in Pennsylvania. In the latter part of the and connecting the top of the x-height line, and the bottom
workshop, various styles of capitals were explored, and Julian diagonals point down, more vertically, giving more separation
introduced us to the ruling pen. However, most of the workshop between the “feet.” We moved from simple construction to
was about the many facets of Blackletter. Julian prepared an increasing complexity to modify the texture, lifting the pen at
extensive two-part 170-page bound sourcebook for each of us. It each corner of each shape, to using pen-lifts with overlaps, to
included historic samples of Blackletter, from simple Textura to pen-slides with overlaps, to pen-rotation techniques to
more complex Fraktur, a range of modern 20th century achieve particular shapes. In much of Julian’s work he uses
European examples, plus many examples of
Julian’s own work. It showcased lettering
created in a variety of media including ink,
woodcuts, metal type and stone, along with
extensive descriptive and informative texts
written by Julian.
During the workshop, Julian gave an
overview of the history and development of
various Blackletter styles. He talked about
important 20th century writing masters,
type designers, teachers and their students,
including Koch, Schneidler, Spemann, Zapf,
Poppl, Linz and others, and the migration of
influences which we can learn from. A review
of the many samples of Blackletter and their
contexts helped us gain some appreciation
and understanding of the forms. In our own
writing practice Julian started us with simple
black and white textures, using separate, then
connected strokes and patterns, then moving
into basic letterforms, exploring “soft” and
“hard” textures, before becoming simple
Textura writing. All along, Julian stressed
the importance of “thinking ahead” and
visualizing what you are about to do before
you do it -- to have the form in your head so
it will look good on the paper (to paraphrase
Hermann Zapf). He stressed regular optical
spacing, working for the strength of the
writing texture as a whole while avoiding
being precious about individual letter shapes.
He encouraged us to “carve around the
white” while making our black strokes. As he
said in the sourcebook, “In Blackletter, it’s all
about the White” – an approach that applies
to all fine lettering. Julian stated that there
is no such thing as a perfect letter. “Each
individual letter is only effective when its
shape works harmoniously with its neighbors
and with the letter spacing.

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 pen rotation, cornering, multi-stroking and other refinement
techniques. He freely shared his methods under Sheila’s
document camera while we gamely attempted the same
at our desks. Julian showed how Blackletter can be “warmed
up” if every straight stroke is actually slightly curved. This
concept opens up many variations and style possibilities.
Late in the Blackletter class we experimented with clustered
alphabet compositions and using split pens,
poster pens and ruling pens.
Over the course of the four days, Julian brought in some very
rare books and examples for us to view. Included were
books designed by legendary German calligrapher and type
designer Hermann Zapf, Julian’s teacher & mentor, and
of Zapf’s wife, Gudrun Zapf von Hesse. A very rare sight
was an original metal plate for Zapf’s “Feder und Stichel”
book, hand engraved by August Rosenberger. We even
viewed a short video made about Hermann Zapf in which
he demonstrated some of his writing techniques. In addition,
we were most fortunate to see two very early original works
from Julian’s collection, a Johann Neudoerffer from 1538
and a Giovanni Cresci copy book from the 1570s. Julian also
brought in samples of his own work.
This workshop was a great learning experience with a great
group of people.

— Julian Waters

gallery space

Above: Map for Emily and Wes by Carolyn Milligan

Left: Jesuit Volunteer Corps annual card created by Sally Wightkin

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 T
november meeting
highlights
he November 9 program meeting highlighted the Graceful Envelope
Contest, which is administered each year by the Guild. Although the subject
was “What Makes a Winning Graceful Envelope,” the insights offered by past
contest judges Shane Perry and Mary Lou O’Brian were valuable to anyone
beginning a lettering project or trying to appreciate a work of art.

Along with contest coordinator Lorraine Swerdloff, the judges discussed the
qualities that set past winners apart from the competition, including skill in
lettering, effective use of color and design, creative interpretation of the theme,
and even incorporation of postage stamps into the design.

Guild members got to see examples of winning entries mailed in from around
the world, ranging from student winners in the junior and children’s divisions
to intricate designs by professional calligraphers. The judges described how the
rules of the competition helped artists to focus their creativity—since entries are
limited to the size of an envelope and the designs must include
a lettered address and proper postage.

The speakers encouraged members to enter the 2013 contest. The theme, “A
World of Change,” asks calligraphers to create a Graceful Envelope inspired by
changes that have shaped our world in the past or the kind of change you would
like to see in the future. Visit the Guild website, www.calligraphersguild.org,
for complete rules and many colorful examples of past winning envelopes.
Deadline is February 25, 2013; there is no entry fee.

Above: 2005 Best in Show

winning entry by
Catherine Langsdorf

Left: 2006 Best in Show

winning entry by
Shane Perry

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 A ll Guild Members
Let’s enjoy each other’s creativity this year by exchanging
hand-made holiday cards!

To register for the exchange, please e-mail Phyllis Ingram at

pgingram1@verizon.net by December 11. She’ll collect all the names and
addresses and then e-mail everyone who registers a complete list
of participants.

You then mail each person on the list one of your holiday creations and
enjoy receiving the same.

Creative card-making is a great way to start the holiday season!

nonprofit org.
u.s. postage
p.o. box 3688, merrifield, va 22116 • www.calligraphersguild.org paid
address service requested 12 / 2012 merrifield va
permit no. 742