Tuesday, December 5, 2017

T Stands for Tee Shirt

This weekend was the last weekend for the year long class, 26 Seeds. It's hard to believe the year has gone by so quickly, and yet not really a surprise. The class was fast paced and intense. So much to learn and process.


Pictured is my work station. This last class focused on Blackletter. On my table is the sample sheet we would be creating. There are spaces on the Nidegan paper (tan) to letter a basic Blackletter and a bunch of variations. My lunch for the day was a cup of soup and the white paper cup was to hold M&Ms, nuts, and raisins so I could snack while working or listening to Reggie. My travel mug of tea is just out of frame.

During lunch we would watch a slide presentation of works by some of Reggie's other students or a video about how powdered pigments are turned into paint, or how gold is beaten into sheets of gold leaf for gilding.



Traditionally, each class created a tee shirt to be presented to Reggie at the last class. Early on one of the co-coordinators coined the phrase Boston Reggiement as the title for our class. During the afternoon break, we were presented with our shirts. Each member of the class received a shirt. Each shirt was rolled and had a tag with our name. Isn't the shirt a pretty color?



For our class shirt, we decided we would letter phrases Reggie repeated to us all year. He would wrangle all us little ducks into line by reminding us to keep Time on Task. If we asked questions before he got to that point in a lesson he would say You're not old enough That was the phrase I chose to letter.


My tablemate lettered In class, fast is better than good. Something I had to remind myself constantly. As a Southpaw and a (proud) hooker,  I usually have to wait a bit for the ink to dry or I'll smear my writing as I write over the line and not away from the line as a right-handed person. No time to worry about that. The technique was more important than neatness. Other Reggieisms included:

Time for a gum arabic rub down Gum arabic, sap from the acacia tree is used to clean a nib of oils and residue before lettering

Up for shape and down for weight A reminder to thicken down-strokes slightly to give them a little more weight for balance

Snap shake and microdrag The technique for loading a pen with a brush

Keep calm and grind on To remind us to enjoy the zen of grinding stick ink

Cease and desist when we got to chatty and loud

We're fixing to get ready a prompt for the next lesson

Pressure release pressure a technique to give a waisted appearance to a down-stroke

Besides giving us his knowledge and experience, Reggie also presented each of us with a gift. He gave us a packet of Magic Seeds (morning glories) and inside the folder, a beautiful quote and a personal story as to how the seeds came to be a part of his teaching.



Now that the class is over, time to  process everything and to let the 26 seeds grow. I'm old enough now. Reggie told me so.  In the Spring, I'll look forward to planting the morning glory seeds. They will be a reminder of time spent with an amazing teacher and group of artists.

Reggie will no longer be teaching the year long 26 Seeds class. Boston 2017 was one of the last cities for this intensive class. Reggie will still be teaching at conferences and workshops in Chicago. If you get a chance to take a class from Reggie Ezell, don't hesitate.

 Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

31 comments:

  1. That must have been a great class, and I am sure your learned a lot under Reggie. It takes a special person to combine wisdom with humour to make classes 'tick', and you evidently had just such a person. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. Reggie's an awesome teacher. He understands the different ways people learn, and he knows how to simplify complex methods and techniques.

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  2. Happy T day CJ. Are you a little sad class is over? I'm a little sad we won't get to see your class activities. Love the shirt though. It is a great memory. And can't wait until spring to see those morning glories magically grow. Happy T day. Hugs-Erika

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    1. Yeah, I'm have a mixture of sadness that it's over and relief as so much time and $$ was involved. Hopefully, work I'll be doing will show some of the things I learned in Reggie's class.

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  3. Wow, what a wonderful class! Reggie sounds quite a character and an amazing teacher too 😁. It looks like everyone learnt so much and I love the tee design you all created and the colour is perfect! Thanks for sharing these happy memories and I look forward to seeing the Morning Glories next year flowering in your garden 😁. Happy T Day! J 😊

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    1. The tee shirt came out great. We had discussed getting some sort of navy or grey shirt so it was a surprise to see the turquoise blue shirt

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  4. I was surprised the class was over so soon. Seems like you just started it, and now it's gone. It's amazing how time flies when it's not your own. You made some beautiful calligraphy this year, and I know you will take that knowledge to the next level.

    Thanks for sharing these 26 seeds, along with your soup and nuts with us for T this Tuesday. It's true. You now ARE old enough. I look forward to seeing the morning glories bloom and prosper next year.

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  5. It seems to have been a wonderful class, your writing looks fantastic. The shirt is a great memory keepsake of the time you had in the class.
    Happy T day wishes.
    Yvonne xx

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  6. You were lucky to have such a great teacher! (and to get in on the last class!) Now go practice, practice, practice...... :)

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  7. Must have been an amazing class! I love your writing! Looks gorgeous!
    Happy T-Day!

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  8. Sounds like a wonderful experience. Happy T Tuesday

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  9. this sounds like an amazing class-and I do love the t shirt
    enjoy your Tuesday Kathy

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  10. Well that sounds like a great class CJ... And a lovely tshirt! Hugs! deb

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  11. Learning to do lettering like that seems like it would be difficult, but it looks so good. The t-shirt is a great keepsake. Happy T Day. 🙂☕️

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  12. What a wonderful post, CJ!! I always love your writing and wit; but this one was special. Marvelous logo for the class T-shirt. I also enjoyed all the Reggie witticisms and tips.

    Maybe I'm feeling a bit wistful myself as Life Book 2017 winds down.

    Happy T-shirt T-day! Hugs, Eileen

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    1. He had so many things he said, we would have needed two tee shirts to get them all on.

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  13. What a wondrous experience. I loved the Boston Reggiement and his gift of magic seeds. So glad you were part of this.

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    1. The story behind the seeds is very touching and I'm so touched that he shared a personal experience with us.

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  14. It sounds like an unforgettable experience and Reggie seems a very good teacher. If you recall all his sayings, that will remind you of his techniques later on. I hope you will have a lot of joy practicing your skills.
    I had a Little giggle as I read that you were a proud hooker. But then as I read on I realised hooker meant left-handed! Lol!
    Happy belated T-Day,
    Lisca

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    1. Most people approach writing from below the writing line. A "Hooker" is a left-hander who approaches writing from above the writing line forcing the left arm to hook.

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  15. I think Reggie's words will echo in your mind for a long while! It's sounds as though you were lucky to have him as your teacher! Brilliant idea for his shirt! Belated Happy T day! Chrisx

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    1. Reggie first came to Boston to teach 26 Seeds in 1998. At that time, I was just starting out and definitely not old enough. I had hoped one day, he would come back to teach the course. For the last 26 Seeds class he would teach, students names were put into a lottery. I was very lucky, indeed, to have him for a teacher.

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  16. What an amazing experience! Such a beautiful way, to end a great class! You had a brilliant teacher CJ!!! I love the "acorn" you did!

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