About Robert Crane
Robert Crane draws a picture in pencil and charcoal and then letters the words worth remembering in Calligraphy on the same page. Every piece on this site started that way, one sheet of paper at a time
Calligraphy and Drawing began as a hobby in College. The first Calligraphy piece that Robert reproduced was a Van Duzer family history that was shared with aunts, uncles and cousins.
Why these scenes
The subjects are the lines people keep repeating long after the credits roll or the season ends. Movie dialogue that gets quoted around the office. A coach's sideline wisdom. A comedian's routine. A passage from a book worth reading twice.
Robert has been soaking those moments up for a long time. In the summer of 1974 he worked security at an outdoor music theater north of Detroit, posted at the corner of the stage with his arms crossed for a comedy show. Nobody rushed the stage all night. He was nearly fired for laughing.
Each print comes with the story behind it. The descriptions in the shop are Robert's own: how a scene changed between the script and the screen, what a coach built before the championships, and why a particular line stuck.
From a Christmas card to an album cover
Not every piece starts on a screen. In the spring of 2024 Robert listened to the title song from an upcoming Christmas record by a Nashville songwriter he had known since grade school. He sent over a drawing inspired by the lyrics, thinking it might make a good Christmas card. A few days later the phone rang, and that drawing became the cover of the vinyl album released that October.
Have a song, a scene or a saying of your own? Ask Robert about a commission.
The VanDuzer name
Robert is named after his grandfather, Robert M VanDuzer. Also, one of his uncles, Uncle Bill, who was married to a VanDuzer daughter first got him interested in Calligraphy in 1977.
How the prints are made
Each original is drawn with pencil and charcoal and then lettered in black ink on high quality paper designed for this media. Most of the layout is done with guideline sheets that are placed beneath the working paper and illuminated from below with a light board. This keeps the original free of layout marks.
A high-resolution scan of the original is made and electronically sized to print at 11” x 14” (or 14” x 11” for landscape orientation). A few pieces that are very long are printed on 11” x 17” paper. These are noted in the item description. The largest possible print dimensions with my current technology are 13” wide x 19” long.
Originals are not for sale. The standard product is an 11” x 14” print. Each piece is rolled and mailed in a square box that is 4”x4” x16”. After receiving a piece, it should be flattened on a clean surface with books on top before placing in the frame of your choice. Delivery details are on the shipping and returns page.
shipping and returns page.