Antiquaria Journal Club | Week One Team Update

Week One is well underway and we hope that you're enjoying the process so far. I know that we sure are! It's been fun to see what everyone in our studio is working on...as well as what Y'ALL are working on!

Before we get to our team member's plans, we wanted to share a couple more helpful tips that have come up this week in the process of diving into our journals...

➺What do you do with the first page??

Usually....SKIP IT! Why? Because journaling is a process and you never know exactly what the journal will end up being. Will it encompass one week or one year? Will it include plans or just thoughts?

If you don't know, then there isn't harm in moving to another page to begin. It can also be fun to skip around - there is NO rule that it has to go in page order!

The first page could end up being a table of contents, a manifesto a summary...or anything else you want! So just skip it right now and we'll circle back!!

➺I want to improve my layout (something is just not quite right) but have trouble seeing where I need to fill in.

The easiest way to "see" your work for design evaluation is to take a photo of it. Luckily, these days taking and viewing a photo is a 2 second process on our phones! Maybe this little trick will be JUST the ticket to helping you finish your page off so you can move onto next week's with confidence.

BTW, this trick works for calligraphy or design as well ;)

Bailey's Plan:

Journal - Midori Traveler's Notebook (watercolor insert)
Journaling Type - Art Journal
Toolkit - Watercolor palette, Calligraphy Pen & Ink, Micron (.01), Stickers, Washi tapes, Rubber Stamps
How it's going - "So far so good! Once I got past making a mark on my page, everything started coming together. I am really liking the way that it's turning out so far! It's kinda addictive and I'm so excited to finish this spread and make more!"

Emma's Plan:

Journal - Strathmore Watercolor Journal
Journaling Type - Art Journaling
Toolkit - Paint and Pencil
How it's going - "I'm still staring down the blank page..."

Sarah's Plan:

Journal - Midori Travel Notebook (watercolor paper and dot grid inserts)

Journaling Type - Art Journal - Primary, Bullet Tracker - Secondary
Toolkit - Collage (printed and painted media), Stickers, Washi tape, LePens, Acrylic Paint, Pencil
How it’s going - "I’ve really enjoyed infusing different elements together to start creating a personality for my first spreads. I’m learning what works best as I go and am find that journaling is a wonderful opportunity to take a few minutes to channel some creative energy. It’s so fun to see the page coming together." 

Grace's Plan:

Journal - Visual Journal by Strathmore

Journaling Type - Art Journal

Toolkit - Charcoal (vine, compressed, pencil), Dot paper, Washi, Le pens, Stickers

How it’s going - "It’s going better than expected! I’ve always struggled with the blank page, but I feel like having prompts and something to help get me started is making it easier. It has been awesome getting back into using charcoal and I’m excited to start using other mediums I’m not familiar with. There is no pressure which I think is the best part!"

Katie's Plan:

Journal - Paper Source Brand blank journal

Journaling Type - Art/reflective journaling style

Toolkit - Le pen, fountain pen, pencil, acrylic paint, washi tape

How it's going - "It's exciting to start, hard to know if it will stay looking this way or transition into something totally new! I've been craving more of an artistic outlet lately so I'm excited to use this as motivational and reflective time to help bring that into my every day life even if it's just a few moments a day."

We are so excited to continue on with our journaling and we hope this week has gone well for all of you! Please tag us if you share your creations, @antiquariadesign #antiquariajournalclub 

See you Monday with next week's prompt!

Happy Journaling,

Emma, Bailey and the Antiquaria Team

Calligraphy Tutorial | Additional Tools for Lettering, Pen Holders

We thought it was HIGH time to share some of our favorite resources in a new mini blog series, Additional Tools for Lettering. By now, if you're reading our blog, you're probably already obsessed with lettering and stationery. We too are, of course, as well! We try not to buy EVERYTHING that comes out, but we do have a few luxe favorites that make our day to day practice even more enjoyable.

It seems like every time we post a photo with one of Bailey's pens on Instagram, we get questions about what pen it is and who made it. Compared to some others, her collection is really, really small. But the holders that she has are for a reason...and I'm sure that there will be more on her desk in the future!

From left to right: Yoke Pen Co., Unique Obliques (with painting by Open Ink Stand), Michael Sull, Jake Weidmann, Black Oblique from our Calligraphy Starter Kit

So, besides being GORGEOUS, why would you have different pens? 

The biggest reason for us, is to have pens adjusted the the different nibs that we use (more on that later). Nibs are like people, all made in different shapes and sizes, so it makes sense to adjust your flange (the brass piece) once so that you don't damage it. The other reason is that different pens have different grips and weights. It's really hard to know what you like until you try lots of different holders, hold them in your hand, and write with them.

It can be VERY hard to buy a pen online, especially at $100++ so that's why Bailey attends workshops and conferences, such as IAMPETH (more on that later too) where they sell them in person. Once you get an idea of the feel that you like, you can compare the measurements to the one that you have and use. That way, you're more likely to invest in a pen that really suits you.

Pens can be very simple (and really only NEED to be simple) or they can be very elaborate, like Bailey's hummingbird, shown above. But really, they should mostly be balanced in your hand and the flange should be adjusted correctly. If you order a pen from an artisan, you should be able to request that it be fitted to a particular nib before you receive it. Or...you can do it yourself!

This article, written by Chris Yoke, is one of my favorites for selecting a pen. And the video below, also by Chris is an excellent tutorial in adjusting your flange.

We hope that this shed some light on some of the more expensive and FUN penholder options out there...and why you would choose to upgrade or add to collection as your practice grows. There are SO many other lovely craftsman (and women) out there too! Just trolling Intsagram these days shows how many new, beautiful options there are!

Who's your favorite pen by?? Leave us a comment or tag us in a photo of your own pen collection on Instagram @antiquariadesign.

Until next time...
Peace, Love and Letter,
Emma and Bailey

Calligraphy in Action | Envelope Addressing in White!

             

Hi Folks,

We're here today with our second episode of our new series Calligraphy in Action! Yay!! We've had a lovely response to the first episode...so thank you! Missed the first one? You can find it here.

Today, Bailey demonstrates her signature modern calligraphy lettering in white ink (Dr. Martin's Bleedproof White) on a Paper Source A9 black envelope. Black and white is ALWAYS a stellar combination, and white ink really pops off of the page. She's using a Nikko G nib...the same one that comes in our Calligraphy Started Kit!

Every calligrapher has days that they struggle with ink...and this was one of them! You can tell throughout the video that the ink just doesn't want to flow well off of the pen. Bailey fought it for a little while, and then ended up adding more water to the white ink. It's always amazing how much those little things make a HUGE impact!

We hope you enjoy the video & that itLOTS of practice, so be patient with yourself, the letters will come.

helps in your calligraphy practice! Always remember, calligraphy takes time and lot and

Peace, Love and Letters,
Emma & Bailey