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 WORKSHOP
- Lines, Layers, and Paul Klee download color pdf flyer
Rebecca Wild, instructor
Saturday–Sunday • February 4–5, 2012
9:30 am–4:30 pm
Fort Mason Center • San Francisco
$150 FOC members; $165 non-members
There will also be a materials fee of approximately $20 payable on the first day of the workshop.
Through a series of exercises inspired by the work of artist Paul Klee, participants will invent an abstract alphabet that will be altered, embellished, combined with words and layers, and used as the basis for multiple creative pieces. Hand-cut stencils, pastels, graphite, paint, and various resist materials will be used. Detailed demonstrations will offer plenty of time for hands-on artistic exploration and individual interpretation. Each participant will complete this workshop with an impressive sampler, new techniques and an appreciation for one of the most original masters of modern art.
All levels of experience are encouraged and welcome.
Rebecca Wild is an artist and calligrapher who lives in Portland, Oregon. Her work combines a love of letterforms with the luminous characteristics of drawing materials and paint. She has a BA in studio art and teaches locally at Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland Community College and Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. For more information visit her web site: rwildletterart.blogspot.com
FORT MASON classes
For more information on Fort Mason classes please contact Elizabeth Nisperos. The registration form in pdf format can be downloaded here.
Attention, students! Be sure to register for any class at least six weeks in advance of the first meeting. We must cancel the class if there are not enough registered students at that time.
Basic supplies and additional or different supplies specified by each instructor are listed at the end of each class description. The term “Basic Supplies” refers to: black ink (Higgins Eternal or Pelikan Fount India), all sizes Brause pen nibs, one or two pen holders, pencil & eraser, 18”– 24” metal ruler, notebook, cotton rag, a small water jar.
Calligraphy supplies, especially Brause and Mitchell pen nibs, can be difficult to find. Call or visit your local art supply stores, such as Arch, Dick Blick, Flax, Michaels, Pearl, Utrecht. If they don’t have what you need, contact the calligraphy mail order catalogs:
John Neal Bookseller, 1.800.369.9598, www.JohnNealBooks.com
Paper & Ink Arts, 1.800.736.7772, www.paperinkarts.com
- Blackletter (Class is full; there is a waiting list)
Georgianna Greenwood, instructor
Seven Tuesday evenings, 6:30–9:00 pm
January 17–February 28 • 2012
$140 FOC members; $150 non-members
Students in this class will learn to write the large and small letters of this script. Textus quadratus is one of a large variety of scripts now known as Gothic or Old English, and it was the model for the first moveable types invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1454. Because there are only a few basic strokes to learn, and because of the need for careful letter spacing, textus quadratus is a good script for introducing beginners to the principles of calligraphy and the use of the broad-edged pen.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Supplies: Basic supplies plus a 14x17 pad of layout bond paper.
Georgianna Greenwood graduated from Reed College and the Portland Museum Art School in 1960 and has been teaching and practicing calligraphy in Berkeley since 1964. She has given lectures, demonstrations, and workshops in the United States, England, and Germany. Her work can be found in the Harrison Calligraphy Collection at the San Francisco Public Library and at Reed College.
- Copperplate
Claude Dietrich A., instructor
Seven Wednesday evenings, 6:30–9:00 pm
March 7–April 18, 2012
$140 FOC members; $150 non-members
A new printing technology using hand engraved copper plates led to a new writing style in the seventeenth century. This style, which we now call Copperplate writing or Engraver's Script, imitated the flowing hairlines and graceful flourishes made by the burin, the engraver's tool. In this class you will learn to use a flexible pointed nib in an oblique holder to create these elegant letters. Emphasis on the basics necessary for future progress and develoment will be taught.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Supplies: Basic supplies (not including Brause pen nibs and holders), plus a 11x17 pad of Westwind blue-line grid paper, and oblique pen holder and three each of the following nibs: Nikko G, Brause 66 EF, Gillot 303, Hunt 101, Hiro 40, EF Principal. (YES, if you can manage it, please buy—six nibs x three—eighteen nibs! This is because beginners don't know which kind of nib will work best for them yet, and after they find out which one(s) suit them, it's good to have extras).
Claude Dietrich A., originally from Avignon, studied graphic design and fine art in France. After working in magazine design in Paris, he emigrated to Lima, Peru, where he had his own design studio for 25 years and was the director of the Graphic Deisign School at the Catholic University. He studied calligraphy with Hermann Zapf. Now residing in San Francisco, he teaches calligraphy at the Academy of Art University. Hiswork can be found in the Harrison Calligraphy Collection at the San Francisco Public Library.
- Bookhand
Judy Detrick, instructor
Seven Tuesday evenings, 6:30–9:00 pm
April 24–June 5, 2012
$140 FOC members; $150 non-members
A perfect place to begin studying calligraphy, this hand provides a firm foundation for learning just about any lettering style. Capable of many permutations, it appeals to seasoned calligraphers as well. Refined during the Renaissance, its classical beauty and clarity make it an excellent book hand. The class will conclude with the creation of a single signature booklet written in this lovely script.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Supplies: Basic supplies plus a 14x17 pad of layout bond paper, and a T-square.
Judy Detrick, has taught calligraphy and graphic design at College of the Redwoods on the Mendocino Coast for more than 25 years and developed the Graphic Arts Certificate Program there. She teaches workshops in various locations throughout northern California. Her work is well represented in the Harrison Calligraphy Collection at the San Francisco Public Library.
- Italic Calligraphy
Melissa Titone, instructor
Seven Tuesday evenings, 6:30–9:00 pm
September 11–October 23, 2012
$140 FOC members; $150 non-members
The italic script appeared in Italy during the Renaissance, and is currently one of the most popular alphabets used by calligraphers. The practical uses for this timeless hand are virtually endless. You can letter poems, menus, invitations, envelopes, etc., and personalize anything you can write on! In this broad-edge pen class the italic upper and lower case letters, numbers, punctuation, and spacing will be taught. A cornucopia of delicious lettering examples will inspire ideas.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Supplies: can be purchased at the first class for approximately $20.
Melissa Titone, has owned a freelance calligraphy business since 1988, doing everything from wedding invitations to commercial lettering. She has enjoyed teaching children and adults, both privtely and in workshops and classes. Her work has been seen in various juried exhibitions and has been published in several books, including Greeting Card Design, the Speedball Textbook, American Corporate Identity, Letterheads Gone Digital, and The Artful Letter Engagement Calendar.
- Italic Handwriting
Patricia Coltrin, instructor
Four Tuesday evenings, 6:30–9:00 p.m.
October 30–November 20, 2012
$80 FOC members; $85 non-members
Italic was used both as a formal and as a cursive script in Renaissance Italy. Its clear, elegant forms provide a wonderful model for modern handwriting. Using pencils and broad-edge fountain pens students will study the construction and proportion of the letters and methods for joining them into a cursive script. The class will start with a slower, semi-formal cursive and work towards a more freely written version through exercises for developing rhythm and speed. We will examine many historical and modern examples.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Supplies: Basic Supplies, not including Brause pen nibs and holders, plus a 11x14 pad of layout bond paper, Clairfontaine or Rhodia plain writing paper pad, 4B pencil, calligraphy fountain pens with fine and broad nibs (approximately 1.1 mm and 1.9 mm).
Patricia Coltrin has been inspired by letters since 1985 when a friend loaned her a Pelikan pen. Initially studying with John Prestianni and Thomas Ingmire, she began a freelance calligraphy business in 1992 and has done both commercial and private commissions. Her work can be found in Belle Lettere (1997).
Friends of Calligraphy Lecture
- There are currently no lectures scheduled.
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. - Dave Goggin • Call 415.567.6773.
Introductory lessons in pointed pen, focusing on Spencerian script and/or copperplate.
East Bay:
- Patricia Coltrin • Call 510 524-5208
- 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 Adult School - Holly Ynostroza • 510.655.7591
Private classes; Adult Program, Orinda Community Center
Sonoma County:
- Sherrie Lovler • Call 707.528.1723.
Calligraphic Book Hand for Book Artists. - Melissa Titone • Call 707. 573.3810
Ongoing classes and private lessons in Santa Rosa.
Marin County:
- JoAnn Burchfiel • Call 415.924.2625
- Patti Cooke • Call 415.888.3299
Mendocino:
- Judy Detrick • Call 707.964.9276
Ongoing classes at all levels.
South Bay:
- Melissa Dinwiddie • Call 650.938.3939 or info@mddesignworks.com
Calligraphy, book arts, and illumination - Sara Loesch Frank • Call 408.446.3397 or frankfam@jps.net
Ongoing calligraphy classes for beginners and intermediates. - Marian Gault • Call 408.395.8026 or mariansg@aol.com
Calligraphy classes at South Side Community Center - Ann Thompson • Call 408.378.6965
Monterey/Carmel:
- Debra Ferreboeuf • Call 831 655-4311
Reno/Tahoe:
- Carol Pallesen • 775.329.6983
Ongoing classes in calligraphy and book arts
New Mexico:
- Kazuaki Tanahashi • 505.986.8518 or upaya@upaya.org
Courses at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe
Online:
- Ann Miller • 650.558.8270
Calligraphy and Letterform. Advanced Calligraphy. Two accredited Online courses through San Francisco Academy of Art University