Monday, October 20, 2008

The Art Nouveau Wedding Invitation & An Appreciation for the Handmade


I love to write. As in cursive. Or calligraphy. Maybe even a nice block alphabet. In eighth grade my Social Studies teacher, Mrs. McIntyre (who, by the way, wore a bouffant), had a post of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence. I would spend class period upon class period perfecting my proverbial John Hancock.

When I got to college, I would laboriously recopy notes as to both allow the knowledge to sink in and to practice my penmanship. Thus studying became a process to be somewhat enjoyed (and my notes became a much sought after commodity).

Now I create wedding invitations, many in an Art Nouveau or Art Deco style. Each and every letter I forged by hand from my own stylized Art Nouveau alphabet. Much to the chagrin of graphic design buddies, I do not draw my alphabets on the computer nor do I scan them in. Rather each letter is unique unto itself, an organic creation based on the letters both before and after and with special attention to the layout of the whole; an entirely holistic creation rather than a series of computer generated text.

Plus, I enjoy creating fonts (especially those from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Please see the matching RSVP card for this invitation!). Although my labor would be cut down exponentially by using a computer for text, my enjoyment level would proportionally decrease. Many tell me that only I can tell if an alphabet is created entirely by hand, but I beg to differ. Although the average person may not be able to discern hand-wrought lettering, there is a human, organic, emotionally charged feeling emanating from only that which is handmade.

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14 comments:

heidi said...

Agreed! And that invitation is gorgeous!

LeaKarts said...

I agree. Your stunning handwriting adds something to everything that you do, and it is that something which makes your text far superior to anything a computer could do!

Hadley Makes said...

You are the zen mistress of calligraphy!

Cindy said...

your handwriting and the invitation are beautiful.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Ooh, I've had fun perusing your lovely blog. And I totally agree with your comments about the "new" Masterpiece Theatre! More Edward Gorey, please!

Unknown said...

I also completely agree that there is something so natural in a handmade, hand written invitation. It sounds as though just the act of doing it brings you joy and peace and that is a gift as well! It is simply stunning :)

CapoCosmico said...

Increibles tus ilustraciones... son un lenguaje increible...
un saludo grande y felicitaciones

Mrs.French said...

gorgeous as always...makes me want to get married again...xo

Waterrose said...

How warm and lovely is a handwritten note or card. I took a class at the Columbus Art Institute on typography and creating fonts in the 80s. I love the class. Your fonts are beautiful and I bet (if you were so inclined) that one of the font creations companies would love to include yours in their library.

tangobaby said...

WOW. Your artistry and dedication to the process is wonderful and I love reading about how you create and work.

Lovely lovely lovely.

Di Overton said...

I have a friend who does calligraphy and I could sit and watch her for hours.
Your invite is beautiful

Hoi Polloi said...

I cannot believe you did that by hand! People tell me I have beautiful handwriting, but it doesn't compare to this!

please sir said...

Wow - what a great thing to do - looks wonderful!

megha said...

this invitation is really gorgeous



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