Humble Pie

There is a lot of homework in the year-long class. One of the homework assignments involved two parts. The first part was to mix gouache to paint a color wheel. Part two was to use one of the colors with 2 tints and 2 shades to letter the poem Do It Anyway attributed to Mother Teresa. We could also choose our own text as long as it was about the same length. We were to letter the poem in Basic Romans on a sheet of Arches 90 lb watercolor paper with a Speedball B2 nib. The letters were to be 1/2 inch in height with 1/8 inch interlinear space. The letters were to be packed tightly and the color gradation would enable the reader to read the text clearly.

I had great difficulty with this assignment. Mostly figuring out how to use the spoon-shaped B nib. I was also having a tough time getting the gouache the right consistency, like light cream, to flow through the pen.

In the olden days, I would have struggled to complete the assignment as instructed. I would have ended up unhappy and frustrated with my efforts. But with age comes the wisdom that a student should get some value out of homework. Not just to mimic what the instructor did in class.

What did I need to get out of this assignment? I really needed to figure out how to manipulate the B pen. Rather than bother with the gouache, I used a bottle of Winsor Newton Blue ink to letter The Beatitudes 

As Reggie said, Roman letters are very humbling. There is a precision to them and the shape and width of the letters adhere to strict rules.It's like going back to first grade. Very humble, indeed, but I'm also pleased with my first efforts, warts and all.