Calligraphy – The Italic Hand
This class will introduce students to the background and historic context of the italic letterforms which are based on 14th century lettering. They will learn the concepts of proportion and spacing and learn and practice the upper and lowercase letters. Weeks 1-3 will focus on the lowercase forms, with practice homework assigned and critiqued weekly. Weeks 4-6 will focus on the uppercase forms with more varied layout assignments which will also be critiqued. One class will also be devoted to materials – different types of pens, paper and inks- and students will experiment with those tools. We will also focus on envelope addressing, for those who wish to address wedding invitations.
Calligraphy – The Gothic Hand
The Gothic hand also known as Black Letter is widely associated with medieval manuscripts and admired for its ‘exotic’ look. This class will focus on the handling of the broad tipped pen, the construction of the lower case letterforms, and touch on the capitals. students will also experience lettering with various writing tools, quills, stick ink and will render a word utilizing illumination and decorative techniques.
Introduction to Uncial lettering
The uncial alphabet is commonly associated with medieval manuscripts originating in England and Ireland as early as the 2nd century. Class will run for 5 sessions, will focus on the structure of the letterforms as well as some class projects such as a hand made book.
Now What?
I took a calligraphy class, what do I do now?
For those who have taken any lettering class, this 4 week workshop will give some experience working with smaller pens and expand your knowledge of other materials and papers. We will work with different backgrounds for a chosen text.