So here we are again, having fun with my Inktober Family Sing-A-Long songs. You know, the ones you used to sing during the family vacations while traveling long distances. I also remember singing these with my friends in the backyard as we swung for hours and hours on the swingset. I found it interesting that this tune was classified as a traditional American tragic. And once I read all the versus, it is not only tragic it’s a bit depressing. I didn’t know that as a child, the tune just made we want to sing loud and maybe even louder!
I created this one using a sepia brush pen for the initial squiggles in the background. I then utilized a stencil to create the circles for the lyric lettering. The larger orange areas are the first verse, the chorus is written smaller around the edges, with the negative spaces filled in with a mustard shade of gel pen. When my husband saw it he thought the verses looked like clementine orange slices…it’s where I go the idea to fill in the first verse negative spaces with orange gel. Sometimes you need to be open to what someone else “sees” to make your work even better.
Here we go…batten down your vocal hatches and get ready to sing…
In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine.
– Percy Montrose 1884 (a Traditional American Tragic)
Dwelt a miner, Forty-Niner,
and his daughter Clementine.
Oh, may darling, oh my darling,
oh my darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever –
Dreadful sorry, Clementine!
Once again I did not focus as much on legibility as I did having fun with different layouts and design elements. Looking at it later I think it’s too busy, which is a great lesson in when to employ restraint and when to go wild. Please also know that I am not doing multiple versions of each piece – this is a one and done exercise. So tomorrow I may employ a bit more restraint to make the lyrics easier to read.
As I thought on this lesson about restraint, I am reminded of the times when I had to learn that lesson in real life. Saying too much, not saying enough, giving too much, daring to listen and wait instead of jumping right in, letting people dominate my time or energies versus learning when to say No. It’s one of the adult lessons we learn early on, yet have to somehow learn again and again as the years pass us by. Different people, different situations, different boundaries and levels of enthusiasm. It is wonderful when we employ our wisdom appropriately for the situation or person, and it can hurt a great deal when we forget and squiggle all over the page.
Stick with me as tomorrow the calligraphy and layout will be very different….Stay tuned!
