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

Roman Capitals with Broad-Edged Nib
Elmo Van Slingerland
(download the pdf flyer)

Wednesday & Thursday, September 28 & 29, 2022
9:30 am — 4:30 pm PDT

Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington
Class level: intermediate
Cost: $180 for FOC members / $210 for non-members
Enrollment is limited to 18 participants
Complete registrations instructions are in the PDF flyer

Select one:

We will make Roman capitals with the broad-edged pen. We will focus on good proportions, applying serifs, variations in letters and attention for detail and quality of form, all done in a slow, concentrated manner of writing. We will use pen manipulation and pressure on the pen. We’ll practice letters with character and strive for sophisticated calligraphy with refinement and lively detail. There will be demonstrations, tips, and individual attention (as much as possible).

Elmo van Slingerland was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He studied at the Rotterdamse Grafische School (School for printing and graphic arts). In 1986 he attended a workshop in France with Claude Mediavilla and considers this as his start on the path of calligraphy. Elmo finished his study of graphic and typographic design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (passed with distinction). He has taught workshops in several countries in Europe, as well as Australia, Mexico, South Korea, Canada, the US, and at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (type design for post-graduate students). Elmo worked as a freelance graphic designer/type designer (for DTL, for which he designed the typeface Dorian, and worked on other typefaces). He has exhibited calligraphy in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and his work has been selected for different publications. He has been making letters fulltime and teaching calligraphy, letter drawing and everything in between both online and on location since 2020.

Drawn to Letters: A Dutch Approach
Elmo Van Slingerland
(download the pdf flyer)

Friday & Saturday, September 30 & October 1, 2022
9:30 am — 4:30 pm PDT

Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington
Class level: Some experience with calligraphy.
Cost: $180 for FOC members / $210 for non-members
Enrollment is limited to 18 participants
Complete registrations instructions are in the PDF flyer

Select one:

This workshop is intended for enthusiasts who already have some experience with calligraphy and would like to learn more about letter drawing. We are going to draw letters, but the calligraphy pen will never be far away. It is always there—physically, or in the back of your mind! Namely, our trusted calligraphy pen is always a good basis to fall back on.
We will discover what is possible with drawing letters through several interesting exercises: we will sketch, analyze these sketches, and further develop them. We will use different materials. such as calligraphy pens, pencil, brush, gouache, and watercolors, and we will look at different applications.

Elmo van Slingerland was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He studied at the Rotterdamse Grafische School (School for printing and graphic arts). In 1986 he attended a workshop in France with Claude Mediavilla and considers this as his start on the path of calligraphy. Elmo finished his study of graphic and typographic design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (passed with distinction). He has taught workshops in several countries in Europe, as well as Australia, Mexico, South Korea, Canada, the US, and at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (type design for post-graduate students). Elmo worked as a freelance graphic designer/type designer (for DTL, for which he designed the typeface Dorian, and worked on other typefaces). He has exhibited calligraphy in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and his work has been selected for different publications. He has been making letters fulltime and teaching calligraphy, letter drawing and everything in between both online and on location since 2020.

Evolution of the Latin Alphabet
Judy Detrick
(download the pdf flyer)

Monday mornings, October 3 — December 5, 2022 & January 9 — 30, 2023
10:30 am — 12:00 pm PDT/PST

This is an online class via Zoom
Some experience with a broad-edged pen is required, as is a copy of Writing, Illuminating, and Lettering, by Edward Johnston, any edition. A free digital copy is available at:
www.gutenberg.org.
Cost: $250 for FOC members / $285 for non-members
Enrollment is limited to 20 participants
Complete registrations instructions are in the PDF flyer

Select one:

This master class will be an exciting opportunity to learn hands-on how the Latin alphabet evolved from the first century BCE to the early 1500s. We will examine seven classic alphabet styles that emerged during that period of time. The basic tools, materials, construction, and layout will be covered. While proficiency in all seven styles is not realistic in so short a time, a sense of continuity of the styles will be gained, not to mention valuable practice with the broad edge pen!
Concurrent with our alphabet studies, we will read selections from Edward Johnston’s Writing & Illuminating & Lettering, published in 1906. We will look at what information might be outdated, what is still relevant to the study of calligraphy today, and what is timeless.

Judy Detrick is a calligrapher/designer living on the Mendocino coast of Northern California where she 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 Lettering.

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 2022)

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.

Copperplate
Raoul Martinez, instructor
This is an online class via Zoom.
Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT/PST
October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1, 8, 15. 2022
$185 FOC members / $205 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 one:

Copperplate, an elegant, flowing script, delights the eye with its hairlines, bold swelling strokes, and repeating ovals. It traces its roots back to 17th century Italy. Its name comes from the etched copper plates that were used to print copybooks. Immortalized by George Bickham in The Universal Penman, it is still used today for formal occasions and anything that calls for refined elegance. In this class, students will study the pressure and release principle, the basic strokes and the lowercase and uppercase letterforms. Alternate letterforms will be covered briefly.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Supplies: Basic supplies, a Canson Pro Layout Marker 9"x12" pad, 2 Nikko G nibs, an oblique holder with a metal flange adjusted for a Nikko G nib (preferred) or a Speedball oblique penholder, 4 Screw-Top Dinky Dips in a wooden base, a slant board (any stiff, smooth board minimum 18"x20"), masking tape, squirt bottle, and paper towels. It would be helpful to have an iPhone mount to enable you to use your mobile phone as a document camera and show your work.

Raoul Martinez had an informal exposure to calligraphy while he was in college. In 2009, his interest was rekindled by the Kalligraphia exhibit. He started taking classes offered by Atelier Gargoyle and Friends of Calligraphy, where he fell in love with Copperplate. Raoul’s artwork has been shown at the San Francisco Public Library, Filoli, the Presentation Center and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. For examples of his work see CalligraphybyRaoul.com.

Decorated Letters
Rick Paulus, instructor
This is an online class via Zoom
Four Saturday mornings • 10:00 am—1:00 pm PDT/PST
October 29, November 5, 12, 19
$135 FOC members / $150 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 one:

The decorated letter has served the purpose of drawing attention to the page for thousands of years and continues to be a foundational element of design today. This four-session workshop will explore decorated letters through the ages; discovering motifs, styles, and techniques along the way. These discoveries will give you a solid foundation from which to grow a strong repertoire of decorated letters in your own work.We will be working with lots of color, and at a very small scale.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Supplies: 1 sheet hot press watercolor paper, 1 sheet cold press watercolor paper, tracing paper, pad of Canson XL Multi-media paper, HB pencil, ruler, right angle triangle (min size 6”), 01mm & .05mm black Micron Pigma pens, pointed pen with stiff, fine nib, Sumi Moon Palace or Higgins Eternal ink, gouache (3 primary colors), pointed brushes 01 / 0 / 00, mixing brush, mixing palette, water, rag.

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.

Friends of Calligraphy Memorial Scholarship

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

Friends of Calligraphy Lecture

Andrea Wunderlich & Louise Grunewald on:
The Calligraphic Autobahn – Journey to a Friendship
...and what Rudolf Koch has to do with it.

November 13, 2022
11:00 am PST
This is a free, on-line lecture via Zoom.
The lecture is limited to 500 participants.

Louise Grunewald and Andrea Wunderlich met for the first time at the International Calligraphy Conference in Minnesota in 2009. Since then an international friendship has developed. A German Autobahn plays an important role, but also their calligraphic background and a shared interest in the work of Rudolf Koch.

Download the PDF flyer
Contact: Nancy Noble

Register for this lecture on Eventbrite.

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