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

There are no workshops scheduled at this time. Stay tuned for future workshops.

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 2021)

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.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 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 pm—9:00 pm PST
January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16
$185 FOC members / $205 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

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 letter-forms.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

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.

Carolingian
Judy Detrick, instructor
This is an online class via Zoom
Seven Saturday mornings • 10:00 am—12:30 pm PST/PDT
February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 17
$185 FOC members / $205 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

We have Emperor Charlemagne to thank for seeing to the development of one of the great scripts in the history of calligraphy. This elegant hand was copied and adapted throughout Europe for centuries, and reappeared during the Renaissance to become the great ancestor of the first Roman typefaces, which have been in uninterrupted use ever since. This class will introduce the basic letterforms, spacing, and page design of this timeless script. Students will find it is a hand quickly adaptable to individual interpretation.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

Judy Detrick 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 Writing.

The Magnificent Monoline Letter
Rick Paulus, instructor
Location TBD
Four Saturday mornings • 10:00 am—1:00 pm PDT
April 24, May 1, 15, 22
$135 FOC members / $150 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

The monoline letter is ubiquitous and has many voices. It was a favorite of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, and continues to thrive today. Discover the diverse and lively world of the magnificent monoline letter in this colorful workshop. From creating White House invitations (really!) to expressive calligraphy pieces and logo design, monoline lettering is as diverse and as easy to create as it is fun! Regardless of skill level, this workshop will bring new, exciting life to your work.
All levels of lettering experience are welcome.

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.

Italic
Meredith Klein, instructor
In Person
Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT
August 17, 24, 31, September 7, 14, 21, 28
$185 FOC members / $205 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

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.

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.

Brush Italic
Melissa Titone, instructor
In Person
Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30—9:00 pm PDT/PST
October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16
$185 FOC members / $205 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

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.

Friends of Calligraphy Lecture

There are no lectures scheduled at this 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

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

Ben Yates • Call (925) 451 - 2643

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:

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. Logo, Font, and Lettering for Illustrators. 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.