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visual artist and writer marisol diaz

i am a self-defined Nuyorican creative (that is a Puerto Rican who is from both the isles of Manhattan, NYC and the Caribbean). I share daily in the joy of education and live in a cute port town in New York, in a 'teensy-weensy' apartment with my two dogs and canary named Valentino. Check out my Etsy shop for purchasable pieces. Please do not reproduce imagery off of this site without explicit credit and no derivatives may be made of my original imagery- Thank You.

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This work by marisol diaz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Thursday
Mar192009

Everyday Typography..

sample of a Primitive Country Folk art sign

I went up to the North Country this past weekend to visit my in-laws. We even crossed over the border to Cornwall, Canada for an afternoon of consignment/thrift/antique/ (really window) shopping. One thing that shows up in all the country decor and antique shops on the way up North are those "Primitive" (I just learned that is indeed what they're called) country folk art wall quote signs saying things like "I don't repeat gossip, so I'm only going to say this once" or "don't look down on someone unless you're helping them up" or "family is..." you can fill in the blank with any sugary heart-warming thing you like (cuz it all looks good on an antique-treated, wood stained, framed sign).

An embroidered primitive sign from Susie's Bittersweet Treasures

However, I'm partial to the hand-lettered signs as opposed to the computer generated ones that are meant to imitate the hand-lettered look with a cleaner polish. I am also partial to the beautiful hand -embroidered quotes that are sewn on to tea- or coffee stained fabric. As they are meant to be, all of them are very inspirational.

So for today I thought all of us 'creatives' in cyberspace could all use some inspiration and motivation to put our hand and art back into writing. I discovered this 'envelope' (scroll down) in my writing desk (its origins unbeknownst to me) and I thought I would share the images of the writing tools and eloquent instructions that came within the envelope with you.

Instruction #1

A well positioned desk is an invitation to write.
detail of pen nibs

Instruction #2

Dip the nib in the ink-pot and try first on scrap paper: otherwise the first line might be a spot or ink blot. Use a protective sheet to cover the blank part or your sheet as you write. Always write with the full width of the nib.

front of envelope envelope insert

Instruction #3

Do not use pads: use single sheets. To begin the quiet art of beautiful writing, inner calm and concentration are required.
back of envelope

Instruction #4

It might be that at first your hand will not accomplish what you expect. Try again. Eventually you will reach your goal, and, in the process, gain a true feeling of peace.

When finished with your writing thoroughly clean the nib. You are now experiencing the pleasure of writing.

For really wonderful examples of lettering one of my favorite art magazines Somerset Studio has a wonderful section entitled Lively Art of Lettering that you should be sure to check out!

Reader Comments (4)

I love lettering and am constantly working on new ones to use in my journals...these are GORGEOUS! Guess I need to invest in some nibs and ink, huh?
Peace & Love,
♥ Barb ♥

March 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterBarb

I love the combination of the north country folk art writings and the ancient art of calligraphy especially on a blog when the computer is being blamed for the dramtic loss of good penmanship!

March 23, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterstainboy

Wow...Beautiful!!

March 27, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterMegha

I think I need a bandzug 3.0 in my life

March 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGeoBowz

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