Workshops

The SfC generally has WORKSHOPS throughout the year, usually a variety of the different calligraphy-related disciplines our members enjoy. We invite instructors from all over the country and the world, who are part of the international calligraphic community, but we also invite instructors from our incredible local list.

Our seven Regional Chapters also organize all kinds of programs and workshops. Check the main Calendar listing for events in your area, or find the Regional representative for the chapter that most interests you. Before registering, please consult with the workshop coordinator listed on the event's webpage to be sure that event will work for you.

Questions? Email Carrie Imai at workshops@societyforcalligraphy.org



Upcoming Workshops

    • March 09, 2024
    • (PST)
    • March 24, 2024
    • (PDT)
    • 4 sessions
    • Online - Zoom


    Sponsored by San Diego SfC  

    Saturday-Sunday, March 9-10 & 23-24  10am-12pm PST/PDT

    About the workshop: 

    Letters act as practical and useful signs, but also as pure and inner melody -Wassily Kandinsky

    Pure form, the quality of the line and the ornamental potential of writing - this is what it´s all about in this class. We will play with letterform variations, experiment with layout-ideas and then finish it all up with a spark of gold.

       Basic alphabet will be the Antiqua-letterforms - even if you haven´t tried writing them yet, your eye is used to them. We will use them and play with them, transform them and create new compositions. Step-by-step through the creative process up to a series of works.

       We will incorporate gold, will learn about some glittering effects, highlighting certain areas and a very easy way of gilding. Let´s have fun!

    The workshop will be recorded and available for two months.

    Experience Level: Beginner through advanced.

    About Andrea: Andrea is a freelance calligrapher & book artist from Germany. She´s working on commissions on a wide field of sign-painting, lettering, logo-design and murals. In her free artwork, she loves to follow the historic paths of alphabets and enjoys expressive transformations into the contemporary. Her art is shown both nationally and worldwide and is part of private and public collections like the Berlin calligraphy collection, the Center of Book Arts, San Francisco & the Int. Museum for Cont. Calligraphy, Moscow. She´s a member of German societies ars scribendi and Schreibwerkstatt Klingspor Offenbach, CLAS fellow (Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society), full member of LX (Letter Exchange) in London and member of Friends of Calligraphy, San Francisco.

    REGISTRATION: YOU MUST BE A MEMBER BOTH WHEN YOU REGISTER AND WHEN THE CLASS IS HELD. 

    Pay by check or PayPal (see details below). No refunds.

    Cost: $75

    A COMPLETED REGISTRATION REQUIRES 2 STEPS:

    1. FIRST REGISTER

    2. Second, Make a payment of $75 via PayPal or check. 

    Once you have registered, you will be sent a confirmation email containing the PayPal button to complete your registration.

    Due to the way our computer system works, registrations not immediately followed with payment will be cancelled. Registration will close after March 2nd, 2024.

    To pay by check, email Kristi, for instructions, at SDWorkshopsTeam@societyforcalligraphy.org 

    Include your current name, address, phone number, and email with the check (s) in the envelope. Non-members, include a separate check for $42, made out to Society for Calligraphy, along with your membership form: https://societyforcalligraphy.org/resources/Site/Membership/Membership.pdf or contact Kristi to process membership electronically. 

    Enrollment is limited to current paid Society for Calligraphy members only. Your membership must be current at time of sign-up as well as when class is held. For prompt receipt of supply list and confirmation, your payment should arrive no later than two weeks before the workshop. Supply list will be provided within the week following receipt of your registration.

    Questions? Contact Nan Anantharaman at SDWorkshopsTeam@societyforcalligraphy.org

    • April 13, 2024
    • 9:30 AM (PDT)
    • April 14, 2024
    • 4:30 PM (PDT)
    • Online - Zoom
    Register


    Sponsored by San Diego SfC  

    Saturday-Sunday, April 13-14, 2024 9 :30am-4:30pm PDT

    $100

    ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: 

    Developed by Edward Johnston (1872-1944) in the mid-1920s, Gothicized Italic is a versatile and practical Gothic hand that combines the advantageous elements of other Blackletter styles, such as the tall, slender forms of the Texturas, and the pointed character of the o's and arches that energize the Gothic Cursives and Batardes.


    This broad-edged style is also known as "Pointed Gothic," "Heavy Italic," and "Johnston's Compressed Hand."  The late Sheila Waters (1929-2022) further developed this style into a more vigorous and lively script, making it an immediate favorite among scribes all over the world.


    In this class, we will learn:

    Broad pen basics

    Characteristics that define Gothicized Italic as a Gothic script as well as what sets it apart from other Blackletter styles

    Stroke-by-stroke formation of minuscules and majuscules

    Spacing, simple variations and flourishes

    The workshop will be recorded and available for two months.

    SUGGESTED EXPERIENCE: Beginner through advanced.

    ABOUT NINA: Nina Tran is a calligrapher and a mom of 3 based in Los Angeles, CA.  She teaches pointed pen and broad-edged scripts with a focus on Copperplate, Spencerian, and Gothic scripts, including Gothic Cursive, Textura, and Fraktur.  When she is not writing at her desk, she enjoys reading, sketching, knitting, and hiking. 

    REGISTRATION: YOU MUST BE A MEMBER BOTH WHEN YOU REGISTER AND WHEN THE CLASS IS HELD. 


    Pay by check or PayPal (see details below). No refunds.

    COMPLETED REGISTRATION REQUIRES 2 STEPS:

    1. FIRST REGISTER

    2. Second, Make a payment of $100 via PayPal or check. 

    Once you have registered, you will be sent a confirmation email containing the PayPal button and instructions to complete your registration. (If you don't see the message within a couple of minutes, please check your spam folder for a message from societyforcalligraph@wildapricot.org)

    Due to the way our computer system works, registrations not immediately followed with payment may be cancelled. 

    To pay by check, email Kristi, for the address, at SDWorkshopsTeam@societyforcalligraphy.org. Check is made out to San Diego Society for Calligraphy. Include the name of the workshop in the memo line.

    Non-members, include a separate check for $42, made out to Society for Calligraphy, along with your membership form: https://societyforcalligraphy.org/resources/Site/Membership/Membership.pdf or contact Kristi to inquire about Introductory membership (first-time members only) or to process membership electronically. 

    Enrollment is limited to current paid Society for Calligraphy members only. Your membership must be current at time of sign-up as well as when class is held. For prompt receipt of supply list and confirmation, your payment should arrive no later than two weeks before the workshop. Supply list will be provided within the week following receipt of your registration.

    Questions? Contact Kristi Darwick at SDWorkshopsTeam@societyforcalligraphy.org

    • April 20, 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (PDT)
    • Online via Zoom
    Register
    PRESENTER: Nina Tran


    SPONSOR: South Los Angeles Chapter (Solar Nibs)

    COURSE DESCRIPTION:

    Stunt Roman is a playful variation of Roman letters characterized by contrasting round, chonky letters and slender vertical ones.  It was developed and published by William H. Gordon in his “Unique & Eccentric Letters” in 1915 and further developed by Ross F. George, his Speedball partner, in their Speedball Textbooks.

    In this 4-hour workshop, we'll be taking our beloved basic monoline Roman letters out for a spin Speedball style!

    This workshop will be recorded and available for a month. 


    Zoom invitation and handouts, if any, will be sent out a few days prior to workshop date. 


    SUPPLY LIST: 

    • Mechanical Pencil (0.5mm or varying sizes, if you have them)

    • Eraser
    • Marker layout paper (e.g. Canson XL, Canson Pro-Layout, Borden & Riley, etc.)

    Optional: other monoline tools (e.g. fine liners, gel pens, ball points, fountain pens etc.) Use what you have; don't get crazy.



    ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: 

    Nina Tran is a calligrapher and mom of 3 living in Van Nuys, California. She teaches a variety of scripts, including Copperplate, Spencerian, and Blackletter. When she is not fiddling with letters, she enjoys reading, sketching, knitting, and hiking.

    REGISTRATION DETAILS:

    1) First, register by clicking the "REGISTER" button at the top left of this page2) Then, make payment by PayPal or check. Workshop fee is $36


    To pay by check or if you have any questions, email sfc.solarnibs@gmail.com.

    Registration is for Society for Calligraphy members only. Your membership must be current at time of sign-up as well as when class is held. For membership, please go to: https://societyforcalligraphy.org/resources/Membership.pdf

    NO audio or video recording of any program, meeting, workshop or other SfC function permitted without prior consent of both guest artist and a representative of the Board of Governors. You must ask permission of the artist/ instructor to photograph any copyrighted materials, including demos. 

    • May 02, 2024
    • (PDT)
    • May 24, 2024
    • (PDT)
    • 4 sessions
    Register

    Presenter: Rick Paulus


    Sponsored by

    Thursdays, May 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2024  6-8pm PDT

    This is your opportunity to enjoy time in the virtual studio with former White House chief calligrapher, Rick Paulus, as he shares traditional methods, techniques and tricks of the trade as you move your own projects forward.

    ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: The process of placing text on a page in a meaningful way can be a daunting leap for one who has never attempted to do so. This comprehensive studio work- shop is designed to introduce beginner and intermediate calligraphers to the process of creating a finished piece. Through a series of independent assignments, Rick will gently guide you through the steps of taking your work from concept to completion using easily acquired methods and processes. Demonstrations and guided exercises will introduce the use of watercolor, gouache, masking fluid, gold leaf, and a range of papers.
    Workshop will be recorded and available for two months.

    LEVEL: Beginner to intermediate. Beginners should be familiar with the use of a dip pen. Knowledge of a formal hand is helpful but not required.

    ABOUT RICK: Rick Paulus has been a calligrapher and a teacher for over forty years. He apprenticed for several years at the legendary Tolley Studios, in Washington, DC, before becoming the engrosser for the US State Department. In 1998, he was appointed chief calligrapher of the White House, where he remained for two presidents until, in 2006, he heeded the call of the wild and left Washington, DC to explore new adventures in nature and in art. Today, in addition to enjoying calligraphic explorations from his studio nestled near the shores of Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts, Rick is dedicated to sharing the knowledge gained through many years of studio production and experimentation to students young and old alike.

    REGISTRATION: YOU MUST BE A MEMBER BOTH WHEN YOU REGISTER AND WHEN THE CLASS IS HELD. 

    Pay by check or PayPal. No refunds.

    Cost: $80

    COMPLETED REGISTRATION REQUIRES 2 STEPS:

    1. FIRST PRESS THE REGISTRATION BUTTON (members only). 

    You will be automatically be sent an email containing the PayPal button to complete your payment, OR instructions for paying by check.

    2. Second, Make a payment of $80 via PayPal or check. 

    Due to the way our computer system works, registrations not immediately followed with payment may be cancelled. 

    Enrollment is limited to current paid Society for Calligraphy members only. Your membership must be current at time of sign-up, as well as when class is held. For prompt receipt of supply list and confirmation, your payment should arrive no later than two weeks before the workshop. Supply list will be provided within the week following receipt of your registration.


    Questions? Contact Alessandra Kuwakubo at iepv.sfcworkshops@gmail.com. 

    • October 13, 2024
    • (PDT)
    • November 13, 2024
    • (PST)
    • 4 sessions
    • Online - Zoom
    Register


    Sponsored by 

    Sundays, October 13, 20, 27, 1-5pm, and Critique/Review session, Wednesday, Nov 13, 6pm-7pm Pacific time


    ABOUT  THE WORKSHOP: Good design, says artist Irene Au, is like a refrigerator—when it works no one notices, but when it doesn’t, it stinks. This workshop is designed to help artists of all skill levels who use letters and letterforms better understand composition and the elements and principles of design. You will come away with a better understanding of design essentials and some layout tips of special interest to lettering artists. The workshop will include many handouts, demos, and exercises to build your design skills. The three-session course will also include a review of work a couple weeks following the instruction to give you time to complete work. Details to Follow

    ABOUT MIKE: Mike Gold worked as a commercial lettering designer for over 35 years, mostly in the social expressions business. But his real passion is exploring the corridors of calligraphy that have been less traveled, the path where words and letters are design elements with which to play with line, shape and form, where creating a visual statement is more important than writing a readable text. In both his professional and personal art, Mike breaks traditional rules to create contemporary, non-traditional work.

    Mike has an M.A. in Visual Communications and has studied with many outstanding lettering and design masters over the years. Mike has taught around the country and at several international calligraphy conferences. His personal work has been featured in Letter Arts Review many times over the past 25-plus years. He has been a juror for the Letter Arts Review annual and his work is in many private collections, including the Berlin Calligraphy Archive. He is the author of Lines to Live By (available through John Neal, Bookseller), which is Mike's take on being a non-traditional calligrapher in the 21st century. 

    EXPERIENCE: Beginner to Advanced (Some lettering experience is helpful) All levels

    Workshop will be recorded and available for four months.

    Zoom invitation will be sent a couple days in advance.

    Cost: $150, paid by check or Paypal (see details below)

    REGISTRATION: You must be a member both when you register and when the class is held. Pay by check or PayPal. No refunds.  (Contact Kristi for the information on paying via paper check.) 

    MEMBERS ONLY

    You must be a member of SfC when you register and when this program is held. Enrollment is limited to current paid Society for Calligraphy members only. No reservation will be held until your dues are current. Please click HERE to join via check, or Kristi contact at   sdworkshops@societyforcalligraphy.org to inquire about becoming a member of SfC.

    Questions? Contact Nan Anantharaman and Kristi Darwick: SDWorkshopsTeam@societyforcalligraphy.org.

    For prompt receipt of supply list and confirmation, your check should arrive no later than two weeks before the workshop. You are not registered until confirmed by the workshop coordinator.

    NO audio or video recording of any program, meeting, workshop or other SfC function permitted consent of both guest artist and a representative of the Board of Governors. *** You must ask permission of the artist/instructor to photograph any copyrighted materials, including demos. 

Past Workshops

February 24, 2024 FRAKTURA with Viktor Kams
February 21, 2024 Fraktura with Viktor Kams (In-Person)
February 11, 2024 Those Blooming Envelopes! with Violet Smythe
January 21, 2024 Decorated Lombardic Capitals
January 13, 2024 The Gilded, Painted Letter and More with Rosemary Buczek
January 05, 2024 Dancing Petals: Painting the Charm of Loose Watercolor Roses
November 19, 2023 The Lettering Studio with DeAnn Singh
November 17, 2023 Wet on Wet Watercolor Cats
November 11, 2023 Let's get Italicized! Master the Basics of Italic Calligraphy
November 09, 2023 GREETING CARDS with Roxanne Glaser
November 05, 2023 Parallel Pen Flourishes with Jane Shibata
October 24, 2023 AMONGST THE BLOOMS with Connie Furgason
October 07, 2023 Neuland and Embossing with Sue Greenseth
October 02, 2023 Captivating Color: Choosing, Mixing, and Using Watercolor for Calligraphy
September 23, 2023 Inland Empire Meetup
September 23, 2023 BAMBOOZLED: Everything Bamboo IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
September 17, 2023 Sgraffito - Scratching through Gold
August 19, 2023 Gelli-Printing with Printers' Inks (MEMBERS-ONLY)
August 15, 2023 Ben Shahn-ish with Beth Lee
August 12, 2023 More Fables and Flowers with Risa Gettler
August 10, 2023 ADVENTURES IN CREATIVITY with Barbara Close
August 05, 2023 Fraktur & Flourishes with Nina Tran
July 22, 2023 Spot On! Modern Illumination with Andrea Wunderlich
July 15, 2023 Carrioka & Other Dances
July 05, 2023 COPPERPLATE BOOSTER
June 17, 2023 Mid-Century Pen Moves Part 2
June 10, 2023 Fables and Flowers
April 22, 2023 A SHARP PENCIL AND A KEEN EYE
April 19, 2023 A WAY OF CREATING WITHOUT WORRY
April 16, 2023 Everyday Uncial
April 14, 2023 Toltec Gothic Flourishing with Peter Greco
April 14, 2023 Working with Borders
March 22, 2023 ROXANNE GLASER - DRAWN TO GRATITUDE
March 11, 2023 The Letters of Imre Reiner
February 11, 2023 Napkin Play: Creating booklets, tags, pockets and more!
January 21, 2023 To B or Not to B: A B-Nib Play
January 14, 2023 Neuland+embossing
December 03, 2022 Gelli-Printing with Printers' Inks (MEMBERS-ONLY)
November 27, 2022 Fabulous Flourishing for the Holidays
November 19, 2022 The Inside Curve
November 12, 2022 Text and Texture - Folded Pen and Color Blending
November 10, 2022 CREATIVE CARDS
October 30, 2022 ONE-STROKE LETTERS WITH DECORATION
October 23, 2022 Calligraphic Dirds
October 22, 2022 Calligraphic Dirds
October 14, 2022 Versals
October 08, 2022 Drawn to Letters: The Dutch Approach
October 06, 2022 Whispers & Screams: Exploring the Ruling Pen
September 24, 2022 Romanesque Stitch Book
September 17, 2022 Uncial Uprise
September 11, 2022 Writing on Circles and Curves
September 05, 2022 Mastering Numbers
August 27, 2022 Basic Monoline Italic
August 10, 2022 Once Upon a Circle
July 30, 2022 Rudolf Koch in Color and Ornament
July 16, 2022 Mid-Century Pen Moves
July 03, 2022 Parallel Pen Party
June 26, 2022 Painting a Decorative Medieval Knot
June 07, 2022 No Fear CASUAL ROMANS
May 14, 2022 Fresh & Fancy: modern illumination inspired by Lindisfarne Gospels
April 30, 2022 Playful Pressurized Letterforms
April 23, 2022 Playful Pressurized Letterforms
April 10, 2022 Mastering Markers
April 09, 2022 SPRING SYMPHONY
April 06, 2022 Bold & Blended: Chunky Roman Caps with Belgium Bister Inks
March 15, 2022 Introduction to Celtic Knots
January 08, 2022 PARALLEL PEN: DEMYSTIFYING AND BEYOND
January 04, 2022 Round Ronde, A Ronde We Go!
December 27, 2021 Fabulous Flourishing Cards & Envelopes
December 04, 2021 PARALLEL PEN: DEMYSTIFYING AND BEYOND
November 20, 2021 Botanical Embellishments - Creating Wreaths
November 13, 2021 Pointed Pen Holiday Elements
October 24, 2021 Everyday Uncial
October 18, 2021 Small Capitals with Small Landscapes
October 16, 2021 Who's afraid of Rudolf Koch?
October 09, 2021 Interlock Surfin’ Letters
October 01, 2021 LUSCIOUS LAYERS WATERCOLOR
September 28, 2021 Greeting Cards Galore
September 18, 2021 Small Capitals with Small Landscapes
August 22, 2021 Fabulous Flourishing : Techniques for All
August 21, 2021 Introduction to Fraktur
August 17, 2021 How Do You DOodle That? with Nancy Hays Hills
August 07, 2021 Angels in August
July 31, 2021 Hardcover Accordion-Spine Book
June 11, 2021 Drawn and Built-up Capitals - Study of Hermann Kilian's Work
May 22, 2021 Exciting World of Ruling Pens
May 16, 2021 Copperplate Capitals with DeAnn Singh
May 04, 2021 Tools Galore
April 11, 2021 Dutch Masters Script
April 10, 2021 Monoline Foundational Hand
March 19, 2021 The Foundational Hand from Form to Design
February 20, 2021 Assorted Blackletter
January 24, 2021 Copperplate Basics - For Beginners & Brush-Ups
January 21, 2021 Uncial, Then and Now with Meredith Klein
January 16, 2021 Flora with Anne Elser
January 13, 2021 Open-Shaded Script with Anne Elser
January 09, 2021 Love, Fear and Flourishing
November 21, 2020 Flourishing Text
November 14, 2020 Focus on Italics
October 24, 2020 Captivating Cadel Capitals with Vivian Mungall
October 18, 2020 Italic Basics: Beginners & Brush-Ups - DeAnn Singh
October 10, 2020 Illuminated Capitals (via Zoom) with Risa Gettler
October 08, 2020 Holiday Greetings with Victoria Kibildis
October 03, 2020 Introduction to Copperplate Script (via ZOOM) with Nina Tran
September 13, 2020 RESCHEDULED: Italic Basics: For Beginners & Brush-Ups (ZOOM) with DeAnn Singh
September 09, 2020 Introduction to Gothicized Italic - ONLINE with Nina Tran
August 22, 2020 Playful Letters on ZOOM with Carrie Imai
August 15, 2020 Long Stitch Bookbinding - ONLINE with Amy Spencer
August 05, 2020 Copperplate Garden (ZOOM) with Barbara Close


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