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FOC Workshops

Fort Mason Classes

FOC Lecture

  • Sumner Stone Lecture
    January 30, 2022

Members Who Teach

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




  • Mid-Century Pen Moves
    Sue Greenseth
    (download the pdf flyer)

    February 12 & 13, 2022
    9:00 am to 12:00 pm PST

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

    This workshop 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:

    This workshop will primarily focus on learning a few unique and whimsical hands that became popular in the 1970’s. During that time, Arthur Baker published a few books showing alphabets that require steep pen turns that became wildly popular. His work inspired me in my earliest work and it continues to inspire me today. We will also touch on how to thoughtfully add a graphic to a calligraphic piece.

    Sue Greenseth is a calligrapher and lettering artist in Portland, Oregon. In the 1970’s she moved from Central Illinois to Corvallis, Oregon, and found herself in the middle of a calligraphic renaissance. She has a broad range of creative pursuits. Early in her career, she taught calligraphy and freelanced as a commercial lettering artist for world-renowned clients. In the 1990s, when e-commerce was in its infancy, she became a designer for her own online jewelry company. These days, Sue continues to teach calligraphy as well as practice as a full-time artist. She loves breathing life into letterforms and animating words with a pen.
    Download the PDF flyer ...


  • Modern Medievals
    Christi Payne
    (download the pdf flyer)

    March 9 to 11, 2022
    9:30 am—4:30 pm PST

    In person at 52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
    Cost: $270 for members and $300 for non-members
    The class is limited to 17 participants.
    Complete registration instructions are in the PDF flyer

    Registration opens on February 4th at 8 am PST.

    In this class we will be using Lombardic-style versals as our base and learning some simple design motifs that you can use to create medieval-style flourished caps. The class is designed for all levels, as it is more drawing based than traditional calligraphy.
    Christi will demonstrate from a compendium of design techniques and styles that are traditional to Lombardic letters and times. One of the goals of the class will be for students to acquire the knowledge and resources to find their own samples to copy and learn.

    Christi Payne has 45 years of calligraphy experience with a specialty in medieval illumination and a love of drawing that originated with her medieval studies but has branched into an active sketchbook practice, with pages combining words, images, calligraphy and illumination. Her sketchbook blog can be found at www.ewoandchristi.wordpress.com.



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.




Fraktur
  • Fraktur
    Raoul Martinez, instructor
    This is an online class via Zoom
    Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PST/PDT
    March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19
    $185 FOC members / $205 non-members

    Select one:

    Fraktur, the elegant daughter of blackletter, conjures up images of the court of Maximilian I and tattoo artwork with her contrast of subtle curves and straight lines. Learn the script of Bocskay, Neudörffer and more modern calligraphers such as Rudolf Koch. You will fall under the charm of its long vertical strokes and hypnotic texture..
    All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

    Supplies: 3 & 4 mm Brause pen nibs, 2 or more straight pen holders, metal ruler, 9×12" pad of marker layout paper, black ink, dinky dips or similar capped inkwells, squirt bottles for distilled water, artist’s tape, slant board (any stiff, smooth board minimum 18×20"), and paper towels.

    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 Fraktur. Raoul’s artwork has been shown at the San Francisco Public Library, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Filoli, the Presentation Center and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, and has been published in the Speedball Textbook. For examples of his work see CalligraphybyRaoul.com.


Italic
  • Italic
    Meredith Klein, instructor
    Fort Mason
    Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT
    July 26, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, September 6
    $185 FOC members / $205 non-members

    Select one:

    Arising from Humanist cursive writing during the Italian Renaissance, italic has come down through the centuries as one of our most versatile calligraphy hands. This elegant, graceful and practical script can be used for nearly anything: poems, envelopes, certificates, signs—the list is endless. In this class, you will learn the minuscule and majuscule alphabets, focusing on the letterforms, rhythm and spacing.We will also cover layout and ways to create variations.
    All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

    Supplies: Basic Supplies, plus a 14"x17" pad of layout bond paper, a protractor, a drawing board, and an 18" or 24" T-square. An 18" C-Thru ruler may be substituted for the metal ruler.

    Meredith Klein first learned italic from books; since then, she has had many distinguished teachers. She has taught calligraphy in the Fort Mason program since 2016, been a guest instructor at Janice Braun’s History of the Book class at Mills College, and taught for other guilds as well as privately. Her work has been published in Alphabet and Bound & Lettered, and her calligraphy appears in a limited edition artist book, Swords and Angels.


Copperplate
  • Copperplate
    Melissa Titone, instructor
    Fort Mason
    Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT
    September 13, 20, 27, October 4, 11, 18, 25
    $185 FOC members / $205 non-members

    Select one:

    Copperplate is a beautiful flowing script which was developed in the seventeenth century and is commonly used today, mostly for formal events such as weddings. In this class, you will learn to use a pointed pen for lettering the uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numbers, and punctuation.We will discuss how to vary the letterforms to create different styles. The students will choose whether to learn flourishing or the mechanics of addressing envelopes for the final class.
    All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

    Supplies: This instructor prefers that everyone use the same supplies, which can be purchased at the first class for approximately $25.

    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.


Decorated Letters
  • Decorated Letters
    Rick Paulus, instructor
    Fort Mason
    Four Saturday mornings • 10:00 am—1:00 pm PDT/PST
    October 29, November 5, 12, 19
    $135 FOC members / $150 non-members

    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 Lecture





  • Sumner Stone on: Typography and Calligraphy

    January 30, 2022
    1:00 pm PST
    This is a free, on-line lecture via Zoom and will be recorded..
    The lecture is limited to 500 participants.

    Many of the slide images shown in this lecture are taken from Sumner’s upcoming new books. The journey will begin with a look at the still mysterious mental and physical pathways that led from the hand written manuscripts of the early Italian Renaissance to the forms of the first Roman types.
    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
  • 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
  • Meredith Klein • Call 510.205.1119
  • 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
  • Ann Thompson • Call 408.378.6965

Marin County:

  • JoAnn Burchfiel Brand • Call 415.924.2625
  • 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 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
  • Sally Penley
    Email Sally for a list of current Zoom classes
  • Jacqueline Sullivan