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
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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
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.
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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
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.
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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
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.
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Basic Design for Calligraphers
Rick Paulus instructor
Four Saturday mornings • 10 am–1:30 pm
September 29, October 6, 13, 20
$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.
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
Friday, June 22, 2018
6:30 — 7:30 pm
Flax Art and Design
1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA
Contact: Dena Sneider
The lecture is free and open to the public on Friday, June 22 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Flax store in Oakland, 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way. There’s plenty of parking and it’s a short walk from BART.
Hasson will recount the fascinating story of the creation of a new alphabet, of bringing the script into the digital world, and its spread at an astounding rate. Hasson’s serendipitous meeting with Ibrahima Barry, one of two brothers who invented and implemented a unique alphabetic writing system in present-day West Africa is the topic of the presentation on this remarkable endeavor.
With background on the Fulani people and their history, Hasson’s presentation brings into focus brothers Abdoulaye and Ibrahima Barry from Guinea who, at the ages of 10 and 14 respectively, decided to create an alphabet for their almost wholly illiterate culture. The alphabet is called ADLaM after its first four letters and it is also an acronym for a phrase that translates to “the alphabet that will save a people from disappearing.”
From the creation of the original glyphs (characters) of the alphabet in 1994, to time spent in jail for publishing a newspaper opposed by the government, to teaching methodology for the people, to present-day encoding, the Barry brothers’ story is an amazing account of how this newly created writing system has developed literacy among a widespread people-group of sub-Saharan Africa. This isn’t 3,000-year-old history, but a living, vibrant and vital movement in our present time.
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 CenterSouth 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
- 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, CASanta 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 areaKern County:
- Chris Paschke •Call 661 821-2188
Ongoing classes at all levels in TehachapiReno/Tahoe:
- Carol Pallesen • Call 775 329-6983
Ongoing classes in calligraphy and book artsNew Mexico:
- Bill Kemp • Call 505 235-4983
Teaching and tutoring in AlbuquerqueOnline:
- 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.