A few years ago, I created a fun calligraphy piece inspired by the phrase, “I was in the shower thinking . . . “. My best friend Leticia and I used to begin stories with this phrase. I made it for the guest bathroom to celebrate her new house and my new calligraphy business! Contact us for your own Custom Calligraphy Piece!
For Christmas 2020, Leticia commissioned me to make a similar piece for her mom’s bathroom. I had no idea her mom, Cecilia, liked the piece so much! That year, Leticia and Cecilia came to my mom’s December wedding. Unaware that Leticia already commissioned me, Cecilia wink-hinted as she told me how much she loves it.
Stylizing the Word “Shower”
I used a technique I read about in Julien Chazal’s book, Calligraphy, A Complete Guide. I wrote the word “shower” in watercolor. While the strokes were still wet, I flooded them with extra water. Then, I used the edge of a paper towel to suck up the extra liquid. This leaves the edges of the strokes dark and the middle of the strokes light and distressed. I set the block in the warm Arizona sunshine to completely dry.
Adding Lively Water Droplets
Then, I added a bunch of water to the cerulean well in my watercolor palette and sucked it up in an eyedropper. One by one, I squeezed droplets onto the composition from far away so they’d “splat” a little. Once the edges of each drop were dry, I again pulled the excess liquid up with a paper towel.
Finishing the Calligraphy
After this, I added the rest of the phrase using a Mitchell nib and walnut ink. I didn’t want the text to be too dark, but it came out a little dark anyway. I returned the block to the sunshine so it could dry completely (and fast).
Making it Feel Like a Shower
The final step was to add more “drips” with silver Finetec this time. Using the eyedropper again, I pulled up extra liquid once the edges were set. I also added a few more drops of blue to balance out the composition. I had to watch this carefully. If I left the drops too long over the watercolor calligraphy, the words started to come up!
Ready to Present
I finished this piece by cutting a dark blue mat for it and framing it in a black 8″x10″ frame. Then I wrapped it for Leticia to give to her mom! I am currently working on a limited edition, hand-embellished print to be available for purchase!
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A favorite quote, an inside joke, or an original poem all make meaningful gifts.
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