Sheila Waters • •
| J U N E 2 5 — J U L Y 2 • 2 0 0 6 |
Trinity Lutheran College • Issaquah, Washington
Born in England, Sheila Waters earned her masters degree at the Royal College of Art, studying with Dorothy Mahoney, assistant and successor there to Edward Johnston. At 22 she was elected Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators, followed by commissions for royalty, museums, collectors and corporations for over fifty years. Since immigrating to the US in 1971, she has taught countless students across North America, in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In 1976 she served as founding president of the Washington Calligraphers Guild.
Her best known works are the illuminated MS of Dylan Thomas’s “Under Milk Wood” (now in the library of the late Sir John Paul Getty Jr., Oxford, UK) and “Roundel of the Seasons.”
The Golden Thread—Forward to Basics Closed • 5 days
This overview workshop aims to fill in many of the gaps in the fragmented calligraphic education common today; to provide a “golden thread” of understanding to string all those “pretty beads” (styles) into a meaningful calligraphic “necklace” by exploring the following:
- The principles of analyzing historical and modern styles of writing. Is some knowledge (even a little) of the history of writing important? How can we relate historical styles to our contemporary work? What are the principles of modernization? How do we solve common problems with tools, materials and techniques?
- The symmetrical structural unity of roman minuscules, then, using the changing shape of the letter “O” as a tool, that structure will be stretched (Carolingian), elongated (Narrow Foundational and Italic), pointed (Batarde and Gothicized Italic) and fractured (Black Letter).
- The principles underlying variations of Italic, produced by the effects of speed on the asymmetrical structure of “n” and “u” as key letters, rather than “o”.
- Solutions to technical problems of tools, materials and techniques.
- Capitals to match the above styles
Many relevant exemplar sheets will be provided. This class is approriate for all levels but very beginners.
- Supplies:
Drawing board, layout bond paper, a few sheets of tracing and graph paper, tape, soft and hard pencils, eraser. Ink: non-waterproof, non-bleeding ink, stick ink and stone, or black gouache; colored gouache if you have problems with it, mixing brushes and palette, water pot, pen-holders (straight barrel preferred), favorite range of nibs (but include Speedball C1 and C2), appropriate reservoirs, eyebrow tweezers, triangle and ruler. Scraps of good paper if you like.
$20 supply fee includes handout reference binder of over one hundred pages with individual sleeves.