After many preliminary sketches to decide which way to take this work, I finally finished Hark! today.

Calligraphy by Steve Husting, finished 12/27/2014

To make the red strokes, I used a pointed pen and Speedball C1 broad edge pen nib, and 3/8″ Horizon folded pen for the center gold strokes. The scattered gold spots were also created with the C1. The gold color came from the Finetec watercolors and the Crimson gouache is Reeves. I applied the patent gold leaf with Instacoll base. I cut Stonehenge warm white paper to 20″ x 16″ for that size frame, which I haven’t yet selected at this time. I hope to enter it in the OC Fair arts competition in 2015.

You can see the many preliminary sketches I made in actual size, below. Should it be in black? Black and gold? Red? Red and gold? Gold in the letters, or alongside? No one answer was “correct.” I chose to keep it simpler rather than cluttered. I elected to do the swashes with a pointed pen to make them of a finer weight than the letters. Many of the prelims were to experiment with word and letter placement and swash styles. I was very happy with my smooth strokes; I’ve come a long way in that department.

Hark! preliminary