Friends of Calligraphy offers classes and workshops
that meet the needs of those beginning calligraphy as well as those who are ready for more advanced techniques. FOC workshops are open to current FOC members. Basic calligraphy classes at Fort Mason are open to the public. They are sponsored by FOC, and taught by FOC members. Also listed below are classes by FOC members who teach in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. They are not sponsored by FOC, but are listed here as a courtesy to our members. Please contact individual instructors for details.

FRIENDS OF CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Modern Copperplate Variations
Rachel Yallop
(download the pdf flyer)

Saturday & Sunday, February 25 & 26
8:30 — 11:00 am PST

This is an online class via Zoom
Cost: $60. FOC members only.
Enrollment is limited to 20 participants.
Complete registration instructions are in the PDF flyer

Online registration opens on Monday, February 6th 2023 at 8 am PST.

I developed this style as a fun way to write humorous quotes, or for light-hearted applications like birthday cards. This playful script is generally written upright, but letters can be tilted right or left and moved up and down. There are variations to most letters too, so there isn’t only one way to write a word or phrase. When writing quotes, for example, there are many design decisions to be made with how lines interact, and they can be very close set resulting in a piece with a lot of visual texture. It is an interesting script because there isn’t a set angle or x-height to follow, but the general rules of where weight falls in letter strokes are the same as a formal copperplate.

Rachel Yallop is a British calligrapher and lettering designer. Her love of letters stems from a lifelong passion for drawing, with her original calligraphic works exploring form, space, tension, and freedom of line. Rachel studied at Ravensbourne and then the Central School of Art & Design in London, gaining an MA in 1985.

FRIENDS OF CALLIGRAPHY Fort Mason Classes

Open to the public, these classes are meant for beginners and for scribes who wish to continue improving their skills.
(Download Fort Mason pdf brochure for 2023)

Basic Supplies: Non-waterproof black ink (i.e., Pelikan 4001, Higgins Eternal, or Dr Ph Martin’s Hydrus Carbon Black), all sizes Brause pen nibs, one or two pen holders, pencil and eraser, 18 or 24 inch metal ruler, notebook, cotton rag, a small water jar.
If other pens, nibs or holders are specified for a class (e.g., Engrosser’s Script), then it is not necessary to buy the Brause pen nibs on the Basic Supplies list.
There may be additional supplies specified by each instructor that are listed after each class description in the Fort Mason brochure. (Download pdf brochure for 2023)

Calligraphy supplies, especially Brause pen nibs, can be difficult to find. Call or visit your local art supply stores, such as Arch, Dick Blick and Flax. If they don’t have what you need, contact the calligraphy mail order vendors:

John Neal Bookseller, 1-800-369-9598 • www.johnnealbooks.com/
or
Paper & Ink Arts, 1-800-736-7772 • www.paperinkarts.com

Please register for any class at least six weeks in advance. Class size is limited to 16. You will be notified by the Fort Mason Class Registrar if you have a place in the class or are on the wait list. Payment of tuition is necessary to hold your place on a wait list. If you need to withdraw, a full refund will be issued 14 days before the class begins. Otherwise the tuition fee is forfeited unless a wait-listed student can take your place.

If you would like to add special instructions to your order, please send them to Katie Leavens via email.

Classes will be held at:

Online via Zoom
Fort Mason
2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123
Free parking outside the gate and metered parking within.

Humanist Bookhand
Judy Detrick, instructor
Online
Seven Saturday mornings • 10:30 am—Noon PDT
April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20
$135 non-members / $120 FOC members

Select one:

A perfect place to begin studying calligraphy, this hand provides a firm foundation for learning just about any style of lettering. Capable of countless variations, it appeals to seasoned calligraphers as well as those just beginning. Starting with a few Humanist scholars in Italy, this script was refined during the Renaissance, and became the model for the first Roman typefaces. Its classical beauty and clarity make it an excellent script for making books.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Supplies: Basic Supplies, plus a 14"x17" pad of layout bond paper, and a T-square.

Judy Detrick taught calligraphy and graphic design at College of the Redwoods on the Mendocino coast for more than 25 years. Her work can be found in several anthologies of calligraphy and graphic design, and she is represented in the Harrison Collection of Calligraphy and Lettering at the San Francisco Public Library. She is the author of Simply Calligraphy, A Beginner’s Guide to Elegant Writing.

Engrosser’s Script
Katie Leavens, instructor
TBD
Seven Tuesday nights • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT
July 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
$205 non-members / $185 FOC members

Select one:

Engrosser’s Script is a formal form of copperplate calligraphy from the turn of the 20th century. It is characterized by bold strokes and graceful curves. These modular strokes make this the perfect script for learning what the pointed pen is truly capable of. This class focuses on improving fine-motor skills and pen control.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Supplies: Nikko G nib, and either a Hunt 101 or Leonardt Principal nib, Oblique pen holder with metal flange, Strathmore Layout Bond Pad (9 x 12 inches), Container for ink (small jar with mouth at least 1.5 inches, or dinky dip), Artist tape, and other Basic Supplies.

Katie Leavens is a freelance illustrator & calligrapher here in San Francisco with a degree in Design. Her art explores the relationships between tradition & modernism through techniques, mediums, & subject matters. She has been studying calligraphy since 2015 and teaching since 2020. Katie is a member of IAMPETH and on the Friends of Calligraphy council.

Flat Pen Uncial
Meredith Klein, instructor
TBD
Seven Tuesday nights • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT
September 12, 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17, 24
$205 non-members / $185 FOC members

Select one:

During the Middle Ages, uncial achieved prominence as the chief script for religious books. In the 5th century, scribes began to experiment with flattening the pen angle, and by the 6th century, a new form emerged—flat pen uncial (with the nib held parallel to the baseline). Its manipulated serifs made the hand slow to write, but resulted in some beautiful manuscripts, such as the Vespasian Psalter (c. 730 CE). Not only is this decorative script perfect for titles, greeting card messages and more, it also presents an opportunity to work on pen-turning, a skill that is useful for other hands. We will also look at Insular Majuscules (the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels). Although some experience with the broad edge pen is helpful, students of all levels are welcome.

Supplies**: Pad of layout bond (14” x 17”), Small container (such as dappen dish or dinky dip), Low tack tape (i.e., drafting tape or painters tape), Pipettes, and other Basic Supplies, Slant board recommended.
**Supplies subject to change if class is online

Meredith Klein first fell in love with calligraphy in high school. Originally self-taught, she has studied with many internationally known calligraphers, and attended monthly “Black Sabbath” classes with Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist, working on blackletter and uncial forms. In 2006, directed to use her “go-to” hand in a manuscript book class, she chose uncial, and has since used the hand both as texture and text in pieces and artist books. She has taught for FOC at Fort Mason/online and at Trivial Pursuits, taught in-person and online for other guilds, at local venues, and been a guest instructor at Janice Braun’s History of the Book class at Mills College. Her work has been published in Bound & Lettered and Alphabet, and her blackletter appears in a limited edition artist book, Swords and Angels.

Engrossing Text
Rick Paulus, instructor
Online
Four Saturday mornings • 10:00 am—1:00 pm PDT/PST
October 28, November 4, 11, 18
$150 non-members / $135 FOC members

Select one:

Learn to write Engrossers’ Text like a pro!
Engrossing hands, or engrosser’s texts, are uniquely American hands, derived from the influences of French and German roundhands. These broad-edge calligraphy hands are the workhorses of the certificate and diploma industry. They incorporate slants, curves, and angles which give them a somewhat ornamental feel while remaining relatively quick to write.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Supplies: Basic Supplies, plus: Multiple holders are recommended to hold various sized nibs, 9” X 12” Marker Layout Paper Recommended: Slant board, T-square or parallel rule, use of color is optional.

Rick Paulus has been a calligrapher and a teacher for over forty years and has thirty years experience in commercial and fine art calligraphy. Rick apprenticed for several years at the legendary Tolley Studios, in Washington, DC, where he wrote more Engrossers’ Text than you can fit into a bottle of ink. In 1998, he was appointed chief calligrapher of the White House, where he remained for two presidents. Today, he continues his calligraphic explorations from his studio near the shores of Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts.

Friends of Calligraphy Memorial Scholarship

The Friends of Calligraphy has a scholarship fund honoring beloved members.
To apply, click here.

Friends of Calligraphy Lecture

FOC has scheduled several lectures. They will be posted as soon as more information is available.

MEMBERS WHO TEACH

San Francisco:

Thomas Ingmire • Call 415.673.4938.
International Calligraphy Correspondence Program. Classes at all levels.
CPA-HO, 1040A Filbert Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

Ann Miller • Call 650 558-8270
Calligraphy and Letterform. Advanced Calligraphy.

East Bay:

Patricia Coltrin • Call 510 524-5208

Meredith Klein • Call 510.205.1119

Raoul Martinez
Copperplate and blackletter classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

Carla Tenret • Call 510.526.1214

South Bay:

Melissa Dinwiddie • Call 650.938.3939
Calligraphy, book arts, and illumination

Sara Loesch Frank • Call 408.446.3397
Ongoing calligraphy classes for beginners and intermediates.

Marian Gault • Call 408.395.8026

Ann Thompson • Call 408.378.6965

Marin County:

JoAnn Burchfiel Brand • Call 415.924.2625

Mendocino:

Judy Detrick • Call 707.964.9276
Ongoing classes at all levels.

Sonoma County:

Christine Renden Haggarty
Ongoing classes in Asian calligraphy for beginners and intermediates.

Sherrie Lovler • Call 707.528.1723.
Calligraphic Abstract Painting.

Rick Paulus • Call 774.323.0050

Melissa Titone • Call 707. 573.3810
Ongoing classes and private lessons in Santa Rosa.

Yolo County:

Sumner Stone
Type design workshops in Rumsey, CA

Santa Cruz/Monterey/Carmel:

Ruth Korch
Art and calligraphy classes in the Santa Cruz area

Kern County:

Chris Paschke •Call 661 821-2188
Ongoing classes at all levels in Tehachapi

Reno/Tahoe:

Carol Pallesen • Call 775 329-6983
Ongoing classes in calligraphy and book arts

New Mexico:

Bill Kemp • Call 505 235-4983
Teaching and tutoring in Albuquerque

Online:

Harvest Crittenden • Call 517 545-3031
Online classes in Spencerian, Flourishing, Copperplate and Photoshop for Calligraphers.

Melissa Esplin
Brush lettering, gestural pointed pen, and chalk lettering.

Elizabeth McKee
Ongoing classes in pointed brush

Ann Miller • Call 650 558-8270
Calligraphy and Letterform. Logo, Font, and Lettering for Illustrators. Two accredited Online courses through San Francisco Academy of Art University

Kestrel Montes
Pointed Pen Calligraphy and Engraving

Sally Penley
Email Sally for a list of current Zoom classes

Jacqueline Sullivan