Jan Barger Cohen's blog

Paper to Wood

  • Posted on: 11 May 2017
  • By: Jan Barger Cohen

This is the fun part, painting my design. I've primed the wood and painted the black areas with enamel. After some colour tests I've decided to use acrylic paints for the rest of the sign - my brief is for it to be gold on black, but I've added some blue and red. Nearly finished! The calf's eyes seem to stare at me as I work.
Paper to Wood

Lines & Letters

  • Posted on: 27 April 2017
  • By: Jan Barger Cohen
Thinking with Pencil

To get my angles and lines and curves right I have drawn a more precise sketch on A4 graph paper, which I will enlarge to A1 and use as my guide when working on the wood. Drawing the letters on a curve is challenging - even though I was once a professional calligrapher, I expect the letters to be the hardest part. I've based my lettering on the Albertus font, which was in use in the 1940s when our production of Faust takes place.

Thinking with Pencil

  • Posted on: 12 April 2017
  • By: Jan Barger Cohen
Thinking with Pencil

I have drawn my pencil sketch (on A5 paper) for the Golden Calf pub sign. I don't usually make thumbnails or lots of sketches because I generally 'see' a picture in my mind and then put that down on paper.

Here are some thoughts that went into my design:

  • Want it to look like a proper pub sign
  • Want the calf facing out, not in profile
  • I'll put the lettering at the top as an integral part of the design
  • The Golden Calf comes from the biblical story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. A tablet shaped arch around the calf will both hint at that and make the design more interesting.

Craft Fair Crafts

  • Posted on: 5 April 2017
  • By: Jan Barger Cohen

Before I get too involved with the Golden Calf sign, I am finishing preparations for my table at the Heber Craft Fair on April 8th.

Craft Fair Crafts

I'll be displaying mostly brooches, pin cushions and handmade greetings cards. These have been great fun to design and make, but I need to spend some time now planning my display. I'm fairly new at this (I've spent most of my artistic career illustrating children's picture books) and I have been touched by how generous more experienced exhibitors have been with their tips and help on the day. In the meantime I'll be thinking about the Golden Calf sign - mentally sketching in a way.

Images & Inspirations

  • Posted on: 31 March 2017
  • By: Jan Barger Cohen

Rehearsals are going well for our May production of Faust. Cast and crew not only have music and moves to learn - we also have costumes and props to assemble.

Images and Inspiration

In a leap of faith (as I rarely do any large-scale work as an artist or work on wood) I have volunteered to paint an A1-sized sign for our on-stage pub, The Golden Calf (where the chorus seem to spend a lot of time!) and blog about my progress. I'll get my inspiration from images of cows and pub signs, then let ideas bounce around in my head until I know how I want to proceed with the design.