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This class will begin with a study of the beautiful, strong, round Foundation alphabet and then morph into the Bone alphabet which was the brain child of Jacqueline Svaren as an exercise to loosen up the rigid pen holds and stiff hands of her students. Bone is based on the very formal Carolingian, but is manipulated to the MAX to create a wild, amorphous, sexy alphabet.

Two alphabets with one form – sharpen up your Foundation and learn some new tricks with your pen to do the manipulated Bone alphabet. The beautiful thing that happens once you master these manipulated letters, is that this skill integrates into your other alphabets and gives them that life and bounce that you drool over in books and at exhibits, but were not quite sure how to get into your own.

This course will focus on the Foundational, Roman Capital and Italic alphabets – the core of a good lettering base. We will begin the study of each alphabet with exercises to help give you a clear picture of where you are at present and what you need to do to improve your letterforms. Then, through a series of simple and fun activities, we will examine the components that make an alphabet look good and apply those principles to our own writing.

There will be lots of personal attention. You can expect to see a marked improvement in your writing. You can expect to expand your knowledge of what makes a good alphabet. You can expect to learn how to be your own teacher. We will create a simple book structure to retain our findings. And, if you know me, we will have to do some playing with the letterforms to make them “dance”.

Through a series of exciting and fun exercises, participants will learn techniques using a variety of media such as watercolor, acrylic, inks, metallic powder and metallic leaf and innovative tools such as wood veneer, folded metal pens, plastic, pine needles and cardboard in the process of making expressive art. The objective for this class is to give the participants an introduction to the use of a variety of media, tools and techniques. We will create a soft-bound book to journal what is learned. We will also make some experimental writing tools. Lots of sharing and personal attention in this hands-on environment will assure a successful, fun experience and will develop a sense of familiarity and competence with tools to add to your repertoire. Lots of “Aha’s” happen in this class.

It requires an entirely different pen hold than other alphabets, so I like to give lots of personal attention in the beginning. Once the students understand how the manipulation is achieved, the fun really begins. The student outcomes from this class above all my others has been remarkable because of the infusion of the Bone alphabet into all their lettering following this class. Quantum leaps are achieved.

Each participant will receive a bound book of exemplars, samples and handouts.

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Mastering Italic…
This workshop will be an in-depth study of the Formal Italic Alphabet through demonstration and hands-on attention. We will study each of the components of the alphabet – what makes it look the way it does – and use this information to determine how your personal Italic can be improved. I’ve seen quantum leaps in improvement in this workshop.

You’ll learn how to fix new, old and “yucky” pens so they become “good” pens. You’ll learn how to make gouache and watercolor flow beautifully through your pen. Individual attention will help you to become your own teacher.

Italic ‘Formal to Funky’…
Starts with an in-depth review of the formal Italic alphabet. Individual attention will help to sharpen your italic hand. We will study each of the components of the alphabet – what makes it look the way it does – and use this information to determine how your personal italic can be improved. We will then use those component parts as a basis for a series of simple, fun exercises to explore the boundaries of each component. You will discover ways to give your lettering expression and personality, stretch your perception of what Italic is, and broaden your vision of what it can become to give you the tools to commit emotion to paper through lettering.

That’s what this workshop is about. It gives you the tools to make expressive letterforms, but better yet it gives you permission to PLAY! But this is serious play that will open up new doors and potentials to your letterforms. We will study the elements of an alphabet and learn ways to alter them to make your letterforms more expressive. We will then use those techniques to innovate new alphabets. I feel that as calligraphers, we are artists that use letters and words to express emotion on paper, as the painter uses still life and landscape. This class will help loosen you up and give you a whole new slant on your letterforms. You will risk, drop your guard, make a mess, have a great time and surprise yourself with some of the liveliest and best lettering you’ve ever done!