Yukimi Annand

C500 The Form of Nature and Calligraphic Texture

Five Day Class
INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED
Lettering, Abstract

There are beautiful and unique forms all around in this world. As calligraphers, we have been studying to draw beautiful strokes by hand and to arrange them as letters with harmony. I believe if those strokes are formed with the influence of natural forms and individual’s choice, the result will be more unique and expressive than writing with someone’s already developed letterforms.

In this workshop, we will make various lines and marks with different tools to explore and find preferable tools for each individual. Then we will imitate dynamic forms in nature and natural objects to develop alphabets that correspond. We will write texts with those letterforms while imitating the natural textures. These textures may be even or uneven, and sometimes very dynamic. In the course of the workshop, basic design, layout and composition as well as use of color and mediums will be presented, and we will make several experimental Textural arts. The overall goal of this workshop is to observe the beauty of nature and incorporate it in our calligraphic works.

Supply List
Basic materials
  • #2 (HB) pencil
  • Sumi ink (Fueki bokuju green bottle recommended)
  • White paint (gouache or Dr. Martin's bleedproof white)
  • Pipettes, dishes, and plates for ink and paint
  • Mixing brush
  • Water container
  • Small pointed brush for retouching details
  • One or two 6-well plastic palettes
  • Rag or paper towels
  • Apron

Paper
  • About 50 sheets of A3 size (11" x 17") sketch, drawing or charcoal paper around 95 gsm for exercises. If you wish to do exercises on good paper, cut them to a similar size.
  • Good watercolor or printmaking paper like Arches Text Wove, Arches MBM paper (white 175 gsm) or Rives BFK (white 220 or 250 gsm): 2 full sheets
  • Black and/or gray Ingres paper (Hahnemühle, Fabriano and/or Canson): 2 full sheets
Optional: any handmade textured paper, thin Japanese Washi paper

Making marks
  • Automatic pen: #5 or larger
  • Flat brush: 3/4", 1" and/or 2"
  • Middle size (size 5 to 7) pointed brush (a Pentel color brush pen works)
  • White china marker (Dixon Phano white china marker works well) or white oil crayon
  • Balsa sticks (one or two small size sticks: 20 mm x 40 mm x 1.5 mm, and middle size sticks: 30 mm x 55 mm x 1.5 mm)
  • Calligraphy pen: any kind of chisel and pointed nibs and holders you have
  • Cola pen: any kind of folded pen (Tim’s radius cut pen and New Horizon folded nib recommended)
  • Ruling pen
  • Tools from nature: twigs, pine needles, seed pods, sticks, seashells, stones, etc.
  • Any tools you wish to use to make marks

Colors and mediums
  • Artist quality watercolor and/or acrylic ink (any brand): two or three of your favorite colors or colors related to your text (Schmincke Aero Color 602 brown Brazil, FW Acrylic ink Payne’s Gray and indigo are my favorite acrylic ink. And I often use Schmincke Aero Color 301 Red Madder Dark, Magic Color MC390 Grecian Olive, Magic Color MC510 Aqua Blue)
  • Fluid matte medium (Golden brand recommended. White regular glue like Elmer’s glue can be used instead): small amount, about 50 ml

Assembling
  • Binder clips
  • Double stick tape
  • Masking tape
  • Glue stick
  • Bone folder
  • Ruler
  • Cutting knife and cutting board
  • Pointed needle tool or tapered awl

Your chosen text: about 10–50 words, and images of nature (printed in black & white or color)

*It is not necessary to have all mark making tools. Please do not spend a fortune to buy new materials and tools that you are not sure to be useful.
Materials Fee
$5.00

Yukimi Annand is a calligrapher, lettering and book artist based in Southern California. She grew up in Japan and studied visual communication design and worked as a graphic designer/director in Tokyo. She is passionate about the beauty of the Roman alphabet and creates unique artwork with her love of calligraphic mark making incorporated with nature. She has been experimenting with the use of tools and mediums to expand her world of calligraphy. It has also been her great pleasure to share her ideas and to give workshops all around the world since 2012. Yukimi’s work has frequently been shown in Letter Arts Review as well as other calligraphic journals and books. And they have been included in calligraphy collections in Berlin, San Francisco and Moscow.