BRAINSTORMING

Practice pages with various types of lettering pencils

How many ways can I write a name? I asked myself this question while I'm sitting at my desk after a calligraphy friend proposed that I hand letter a list of names for a meeting in May. I hesitated. I'm not a professional calligrapher. There are many people in the Bay Area who have honed their calligraphy skills much better than I have, but I said yes anyway. I thought it would be a good challenge, a good way to practice, and I had enough time to figure out my design and alphabet choice for the list. If nothing worked, I could ask someone else to do the work.

I've scrolled through pieces that I've done using various alphabets and various names to come up with a plan. 

I  wanted to produce something more interesting than just a list. I thought of the grand certificates produced by the City of Los Angeles Creative Services Department, which are far more artistic than the certificates you might see hanging on the walls of doctors' offices. The LA Dept. certificates are routinely made by their calligraphers, but I knew I would need much more time than I have to create something as spectacular. (Click on the link at the bottom to see some of their work.)

What kind of format could I use? I thought of making each person's name on a pre-cut circle of watercolor paper, but that would create additional work to figure out a good way to show them on one board. 

I thought of using colored backgrounds so that the letters would be outlined in a different color from the letter itself.

I looked at examples of other lists I have made. I realized how often I make lines of letters touch each other, which makes for an interesting composition, but not particularly legible.

I could make the letters fat so that I could doodle inside them. I could use black paper with white ink or other colored paper with contrasting ink or colored pencil for the letters themselves. I could make the first letter of each name decorative like the medieval monks used to do, and then use monoline letters to complete the rest of the letters.

I could choose my favorite alphabets--Ben Shahn or Neuland--because I am already comfortable writing them. 

Here it is already April and I need to start to work on drafts of my project.

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* Check out some of the work done by the LA City Creative Services Dept:

https://share.google/hnMuoUD4k6NG5tsrk

Window View March 2026