Workshops
The following workshops are available as weekend or week-long events:
Contemporary Scripts
The goal is to look beyond the traditional, formal calligraphic model to ways of lettering that may be more suitable for contemporary personal, commercial and fine art. We examine the rules that guide formal scripts and hands in order to understand how and why to break those rules. Through a series of exercises, students practice breaking the rules to create non-traditional, informal, and even abstract letterforms and compositions. We practice with a variety of tools, writing surfaces and media. Students will come away with a better understanding of how to critique contemporary lettering and how to create it.
Pointed Brush
The pointed brush is a great tool to explore both traditional and non-traditional lettering and has applications for both commercial and fine art. Students will experiment with synthetic and natural hair brushes in order to see the benefits and uses of each. We will practice with various inks and paints and try out different writing surfaces. We will begin with a basic pointed brush alphabet and go on to explore various ways to modify and develop pointed brush letterforms.
Ruling pen, Cola Pen and Brush
Basically the same class as Pointed Brush, only we practice with 3 tools instead of 1.
Hand Drawn
Lettering is the "art of drawing letters." But I like to think to think of Lettering as the umbrella term for all things hand lettered. Under that broad category you'll find calligraphy, hand drawn (which could include painted, chalked, marketed) , digitally composed, constructed, cut out, etc. Our focus is on an area that has taken the design and advertising world by storm: hand drawn. This workshop can be designed for either commercial or fine art applications.
Over and Over
The prolific author Ray Bradbury said that the best way to generate great work is to generate lots of work. To that end, this class is designed as a calligraphy marathon, where you will compose the same text over and over, but in many different ways. You will be helped along by a series of exercises that will involve different media, tools and techniques. There will be opportunities to treat the text literally and more abstractly. Some of the exercises will involve color, others black & white. You will come away from the day with lots of info on how compose many variations of a text and with a pile of work. Put your running shoes on and bring a pen.
Moved to Abstraction
This workshop will feature exercises and projects that will bring out the artist in you. We will look at some of the principles and ideas that guided Picasso, the Abstract Expressionists and others in creating contemporary calligraphic art. Collage was key to both Picasso and Braque in developing their work and modernist visual vocabulary and we will use it here, too. Various other media will also be explored as we work on various surfaces.This workshop is designed for calligraphers looking to move beyond letterforms and traditional calligraphic compositions.In this class, letters are seen as line, shape and form and compositions are works that reflect a personal vision that may or may not be readable.
Layout & Design
Basic layout and design for calligraphers. We will go over the basic principles and apply them to various exercises. Topics covered include the use of negative and positive space, gestalt concepts, contrast, focal point, color, and grids, among others.
Spontaneous Creation
This workshop builds on the Layout & Design workshop, but focuses on working spontaneously. Most calligraphers learn to carefully plan and execute their designs. In this workshop, we create as we go, making design decisions on the fly, as many fine artists do. We let the art tell us what's next. We start with an idea and a plan but remain open to change as we create the work. Numerous exercises will guide you through this process.