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

The Ruling Pen
(Download the pdf flyer)
Peter Thornton, instructor
Friday, May 18, 2018 • 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Fort Mason Center, Room C-210, San Francisco, CA
$95 for FOC members; $110 for non-members

All levels of experience welcome at this workshop.
There may be a small materials fee.
A ruling pen ($5 each), will be made for each student should they wish.

Registration instructions are in the PDF flyer.
This class is full and a waiting list has begun. You must register to be put on the waiting list. If no space becomes available, you will receive a refund.

Select One:

Special instructions to FOC:

Calligraphy has historically appealed to the left and logical side of our brain. In this workshop we will be working on numerous exercises, using letters that produce a wide range of tones, textures, and colors, where absolute legibility is somewhat sacrificed for visual interest; where logic is replaced with invention and play. Using non-traditional and traditional tools we will primarily be using the folded ruling pen, a tool that openly encourages a more adventurous (and less precious) approach. Beginning with some simple and fundamental strokes, we will carefully build up alphabets that have a healthy disregard for the ‘safe and pretty’ for ones that carry a certain ‘rebel’ demeanor. We will also focus on balancing these letters and the logical need to read in projects that combine our new-found skills of tonal and textural excitement with our conventional and ‘safe’ pen or pencil work that acts as a perfect foil and partner in several finished pieces.

Peter Thornton has been a full-time professional and enthusiastic calligrapher for over 45 years, working in a UK studio producing books of remembrance, civic and royal certificates, etc. He has taught widely throughout the UK and Europe, as well as Japan, Hong Kong and South Africa, while traveling to the US to teach several times a year for 28 consecutive years. He has taught at over 25 international lettering conferences throughout the US, Canada and Europe. In 2006 he moved permanently to Tennessee, where he and Sherri now live, and still teaches weekend and extended workshops throughout the US and Canada, as well as offering private classes in his home studio on traditional gilding, letterforms, layout and design, etc. at a more focused and student-specific level.

Written, Drawn and Decorated Letters of Adolf Bernd
(Download the pdf flyer)
Peter Thornton, instructor
Saturday & Sunday, May 19 & 20, 2018 • 9:30 am–4:30 pm
Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Avenue, Albany, CA
$190 for FOC members; $210 for non-members

All levels of experience welcome at this workshop.
There may be a small materials fee.

Registration instructions are in the PDF flyer.
This class is full and a waiting list has begun. You must register to be put on the waiting list. If no space becomes available, you will receive a refund.

Select One:

Special instructions to FOC:

After a brief introduction to Mr. Adolf Bernd and his wonderful painted letters, this workshop will begin with a gentle review of color and tonal exercises in both harmony and contrasts that are an integral part of Bernd’s letters. We will then focus on a greater tonal subtlety as seen in Mr. Bernd’s work with projects using natural objects for color reference, as he did with his color studies. There will be exercises that explore the rich reservoir of the many subtleties found in neutrals and grays, both warm, cool, and inert, that will give us a more sustained sense of beauty and satisfaction. Then we will begin designing our Bernd-inspired letters, in a gentle progression, before working on the backgrounds that incorporate a unique feature of his work (what I call ‘Adolf Bernd moments’) where he intentionally interrupted the repetition of rote habit by quietly/secretly breaking the patterns of our expectation. By using the subtlety of watercolours, and contrasting complimentary backgrounds in two quite distinct methods, we will produce letters that delight the eye of the artist and the viewer.

Peter Thornton has been a full-time professional and enthusiastic calligrapher for over 45 years, working in a UK studio producing books of remembrance, civic and royal certificates, etc. He has taught widely throughout the UK and Europe, as well as Japan, Hong Kong and South Africa, while traveling to the US to teach several times a year for 28 consecutive years. He has taught at over 25 international lettering conferences throughout the US, Canada and Europe. In 2006 he moved permanently to Tennessee, where he and Sherri now live, and still teaches weekend and extended workshops throughout the US and Canada, as well as offering private classes in his home studio on traditional gilding, letterforms, layout and design, etc. at a more focused and student-specific level.

The Personality of the Letterform
(Download the pdf flyer)
Randall M. Hasson, instructor
Tuesday through Saturday, June 19–23 • 9:00 am–4:30 pm
Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington
$450.00 | $15.00 materials fee; FOC Members only

All levels of experience welcome
If you choose the 50% deposit option, the balance is due no later than May 28, 2018.
Complete registration instructions are in the PDF flyer

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

The goal of this workshop will be to experiment with a variety of tools, traditional and non traditional, in order to give letterforms a personality of their own. Some of these results will be legible words or text, and other results can be representations of letterform that may or may not be legible. Experimentation and invention are the key words here and the intent will be to develop the calligraphic marks based on the personality of the participant. To that end we will be using a wide variety of writing systems as the basis for our starting point; these systems can range from ancient and archaic to modern forms that are non-western.
Textural and painterly techniques will be addressed at the same time with an experimental journal book that can be the foundation (or inspiration) of work in the future. We will explore effects from a variety of media (including Sumi, walnut and acrylic inks, acrylic paints, mediums, graphite, colored pencils and permanent markers) to achieve depth, coloration and textural effects. We will address page to page transitions and ideas for creating a cohesive and progressive composition.
The Mahara Journal is an optional large (11" x 15" ) watercolor book that can be used as a fabulous ground for this workshop.

Randall M. Hasson is an artist, calligrapher, instructor and speaker who has appeared on the faculty of Arts, Lettering Arts, and Educational Conferences in the United States, Canada and England. He is the author of articles on a variety of Art or Lettering Art related subjects. His most recently completed project was the 24th (Centennial) Edition of The Speedball Textbook, which he co-edited. He has spoken for the C.S. Lewis Foundation in Oxford England, and has appeared on the faculty of fifteen International Calligraphy conferences as a mainstage presenter and/or teacher with lecture topics covering Public Art, Art History, the Painting Process, Collaborative Art Projects, and the History of Writing including the recent invention of the ADLaM Alphabet which originated in western Africa. He is currently writing the history of Ross George, William Gordon and the Speedball story, due to be published in 2019.

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. Basic supplies required by each student include: black ink such as Higgins Eternal, all sizes of Brause pen nibs, one or two pen holders, pencil and eraser, 18 or 24 inch metal ruler, notebook, cotton rag, a small water jar. There may be additional supplies specified by each instructor and are listed after each class description in the Fort Mason brochure. (Download pdf brochure for 2018)

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

John Neal Bookseller, 1-800-369-9598 • www.johnnealbookseller.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.

Classes meet in Building C at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Free parking outside the gate and metered parking within.

Blackletter
Meredith Klein instructor
Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30–9:00 pm
April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22
$150 FOC members / $170 non-members

This class is full and a waiting list has begun. You must register to be put on the waiting list. If no space becomes available, you will receive a refund.

Select

Blackletter (sometimes called “gothic”) is a name given to several scripts that first arose in medieval times. Still popular today due to the beauty of its structure, rhythm and spacing, blackletter is not only excellent for text pieces, but can also be used to create dramatic headlines, patterned backgrounds, logos and more. Consistent letterforms and spacing make blackletter hands good for beginners. In this class we will begin with basic Textura and move into a simple but beautiful form of Fraktur.

All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Meredith Klein fell in love with blackletter in high school. She studied the “black” hands for four years with Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist, and has taken Fraktur workshops from Luca Barcellona and Giovanni de Faccio. She has taught at Trivial Pursuits, been a guest instructor at Janice Braun’s History of the Book class at Mills College, and gives private lessons. Her work has been published in Bound & Lettered and Alphabet. Her Fraktur calligraphy was used for Swords & Angels, a limited edition artist book, in 2016.

Brush Italic
Melissa Titone instructor
Four Saturday mornings • 10 am–1:30 pm
May 26, June 2, 9, 16
$120 FOC members / $135 non-members

Select

This class will introduce you to the wonderful, versatile world of pointed brush lettering. The commercial art field is full of quirky, stylistic brush lettering (just look on the grocery store shelves). Experience the unique pressure and release rhythm of the brush while learning letterforms based on the Italic upper and lower case letters. We will also cover special effects of color blending and shading with brush markers to make your letters pop! A working knowledge of Italic is helpful, but not imperative.

All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Melissa Titone has owned a freelance calligraphy business since 1988, doing everything from wedding invitations to commercial lettering. She enjoys teaching children and adults, both privately and in workshops and classes. Her work has been published in several books, including Greeting Card Design, The Speedball Textbook, American Corporate Identity, Letterheads Gone Digital, The Artful Letter Engagement Calendar and 100 New York Calligraphers. She was co-director of The Passionate Pen, 2015 International Calligraphy Conference.

Italic
Patricia Coltrin instructor
Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30–9:00 pm
September 4, 11, 18, 25, October 2, 9, 16
$150 FOC members / $170 non-members

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The italic hand first appeared during the Italian Renaissance where it was used by artists and scholars, diplomats and papal scribes. Today, it is one of the most expressive and versatile scripts available to the calligrapher. This class will study the construction of both minuscules and majuscules, focusing on proportion, rhythm and spacing. You will see many historical and contemporary examples. We will touch on simple variations.

All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Patricia Coltrin has been inspired by letters since 1985, when a friend loaned her a Pelikan pen. Initially studying with John Prestiani and Thomas Ingmire, she began a freelance calligraphy business in 1992, doing both private and commercial commissions. She enjoys teaching both privately and in the classroom.

Basic Design for Calligraphers
Rick Paulus instructor
Four Saturday mornings • 10 am–1:30 pm
October 20, 27, November 3, 10
$120 FOC members / $135 non-members

This class is full and a waiting list has begun. You must register to be put on the waiting list. If no space becomes available, you will receive a refund.

Select

The challenges of placing text on a page in a meaningful way can be a daunting leap for one who has never attempted to do so. A series of independent assignments will gently guide you through the process of taking your work from concept to completion, using easily acquired methods and processes. As you explore the basics of design, you will use a range of papers and mediums including gouache, watercolor and gold leaf—all essential tools in the calligrapher’s studio—to further your abilities as an artist.

Basic knowledge of at least one calligraphic hand is required.

Rick Paulus has been a calligrapher and a teacher for over forty years. Rick 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. Today, Rick enjoys calligraphic explorations from his studio nestled in the coastal hills of Sonoma County. Rick has been active in calligraphy guilds throughout his career, and is excited to be teaching the Basic Design for Calligraphers class at Fort Mason.

Friends of Calligraphy Lecture

An illustrated lecture by Stan Knight
Friday, April 20, 2018
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Flax Art & Design
1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA
Contact: Marcia Friedman

An internationally renowned calligrapher, Stan will talk about his life in art and letters, beginning with his first art school experience and continuing to the present. He’ll show some of his drawings and paintings, his earliest (terrible) calligraphy, examples of commercial lettering, and later exhibition work. Included will be college experiences with Tom Swindlehurst and his influence on Stan’s life and work. He will discuss his own (and others’) good and bad attempts at combining letters and image with calligraphy. Showing selections from an impressive lifetime body of work (with ‘warts and all’), Stan’s humor and insights promise an entertaining and informative evening. Click here for the flyer

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

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

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

East Bay:

Patricia Coltrin • Call 510 524-5208

Georgianna Greenwood • Call 510.841.6924

Kaori Ogawa

Antonia (Nini) Smith • Call 510 526-7249
Year-round classes at Piedmont Adult School

Erma Takeda• Call 925.284.7368

Carla Tenret • Call 510.526.1214
Year round classes at Albany Community Center

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
Calligraphy classes at South Side Community Center

Ann Thompson • Call 408.378.6965

Marin County:

JoAnn Burchfiel Brand • Call 415.924.2625

Patti Cooke • Call 415.888.3299

Jody Meese • Call 415.272.3612

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 Book Hand for Book Artists.

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:

Debra Ferreboeuf • Call 831 655-4311

Carolyn Fitz • Call 831 335-2886

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:

Ann Miller • Call 650 558-8270
Calligraphy and Letterform. Advanced Calligraphy. Two accredited Online courses through San Francisco Academy of Art University

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

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