From the author - -
Introduction
I was lucky enough to spend a large part of my early working life as a lettering artist and it was during this time that I fell in love with letters. That love remains with me today and often comes into play in my craft work. In the early days, working on book jackets, television titles and packaging products, I began to understand just how important lettering styles are to our everyday life. It opened the door to to the beauty of letters and gave me the skills I needed to create my own designs. With the introduction of computers you may have thought that lettering design would diminish but there is always room for new ideas and interpretations, especially with initials. Open your eyes to the wealth of lettering styles around you and you will be amazed just how creative you can be. Look at magazines, television, clothing, packaging - each style of lettering conveys a different message.
About the designs
History can provide us with perhaps the most magnificent examples of decorative initials. We can go back to the 4th Century after the birth of Christ to find beautifully painted decorative initials marking the beginning of a book, chapter or page. The Book of Kells, written in the 8th Century, is one of the finest examples of this work. Through every age, artists and scribes have developed their lettering skills, providing us with a wealth of material to work from. The word 'initial' is taken from the Latin 'initium' which means 'beginning'. I hope this book will be a beginning for your love of letters. If you are a glass or silk painter, an embroiderer, artist or designer then this is the ideal reference book for you. Items can be personalised with a monogram or merely decorated with different lettering designs. Your creativity will really play when you choose colour combinations within the designs - something at which I am sure you will excel.
And finally
My hope is that I can help take the stress out of drawing decorative initials. And who knows? Along the way, while you are copying these designs, you may find that you will come up with a few of your own.
Good luck.
Soft cover, 32 pages.
Price: $18.95 ($17.23)
