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

Dutch Masters Script
(Download the pdf flyer)
Judy Detrick, instructor
Saturday & Sunday, May 18-19, 2019 • 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Albany Senior Center • Albany
$180 for FOC members; $210 for non-members
Some experience with the broad edge pen required.

Complete registration instructions are in the PDF flyer

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:

Special instructions to FOC:

Often overlooked by calligraphers who seek inspiration from historical scripts, the Dutch masters of the 17th century never fail to astonish and motivate. Not only were they virtuosos at rendering most European styles, their technical mastery paved the way for the emergence of pointed pen scripts a century later.
The hand quite distinctly their own is our subject. In this workshop we will decode the construction and decorative aspects of this truly original script, and look at its place in modern design. We will analyze what makes the design so dynamic, and learn how to adopt the best parts of what we like about the script—feeling free to mix and match our favorite letterforms from other sources— to create a hand of our own! Learn why the Dutch masters were, and continue to be, so highly regarded by calligraphers the world over.

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.

Developing Meaning, a 5-day workshop
(Download the pdf flyer)
Brody Neuenschwander, instructor
Friday & Saturday, June 7-8 AND Monday through Wednesday, June 10-12, 2019
(no class Sunday)
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Arlington Community Church • Kensington, CA

$450 (FOC members only)
Experience: Intermediate and above
Complete registration instructions are in the PDF flyer
Note: This workshop requires some pre-class homework

Based on first day PayPal registrations, we know this class is full and that a lottery will be needed to determine participants. The lottery will be after first-day snail-mailed registrations are received. At that time, a waiting list will be created. Anyone signing up after April 12 will be placed on the waiting list.

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

Do you begin a new piece of calligraphy with a laborious search for a worthy text? Or do you just want to splash some colors on the paper and then do some lovely italics on top? Or do you sometimes sit there and think: “I am in a rut and always do the same thing. How do I find a new and exciting idea for this piece?”
If any of this sounds familiar, then this is the course for you. You will not have to write worthy quotes – your own thoughts are much more profound. And you will not be faced with the dilemma of how to make the work interesting or colorful – that will all happen because you will be investigating your own words and your own experiences. The result will be an artist’s book that will surprise you and everyone in the workshop. And it will lead you to deeper places in your own life that will inspire your calligraphy long after the workshop had ended.
Before you arrive at the workshop you will be asked to write some short texts about experiences you have had, and these texts will form the core of your book. We will focus on meaning, not design. Everything you do in your book will be to enhance its meaning. Let the look take care of itself. You will produce a multi-faceted interpretation of your texts, using calligraphy, found letters, mixed media, journal work, drawing, etc.
We will stop every now and then for a discussion of modern art, especially modern art with text in it. The focus will be on art that asks the viewer to do at least half the brainwork. These discussions will help you to deepen the meaning in your work by explaining some of the strategies used by many modern artists.
I absolutely love teaching this workshop, because in truth you will all teach yourselves and I can just sit back and watch the lights go on.

Brody Neuenschwander is a text artist and calligrapher. After graduating from Princeton University, he completed his PhD at the Courtauld Institute, while studying calligraphy at Roehampton. He began his professional career as assistant to Donald Jackson. His translation of many writings of Hans-Joachim Burgert has led to Burgert’s theory being available to other calligraphers in the West. Since 1989, he has worked with film director Peter Greenaway on numerous films, operas and installations that use calligraphy in high and low tech applications. In 2004, he taught at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, researching the development of text art in the 20th century. Recent projects include video installations, stained glass, monumental texts in metal, and stage performances with live calligraphy. He has studied Arabic/Islamic and Chinese/ Japanese calligraphy and has taught and exhibited throughout Europe, the US and Japan.

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 2019)

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 will be held at:

Albany Senior Center
846 Masonic Ave, Albany, CA 94706
Fort Mason
2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123
Free parking outside the gate and metered parking within.

Gothicized Italic
Meredith Klein, instructor
Fort Mason • Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30–9:00 pm
April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28
$150 FOC members / $170 non-members

Select one:

Special Instructions to FOC:

Created by Edward Johnston in the early 1900s, Gothicized Italic is not actually italic. Based on 14th century Batarde (which blends elements of gothic cursive with formal textura), Johnston elongated the historical forms. In England it is called Johnston’s Compressed Hand. Combining the density of blackletter with a liveliness that comes from its rounded forms and gothic window/wineglass interior shapes, the beauty and rhythm of this hand make it perfect for invitations, certificates, poems, quotations and other work.
Some knowledge of the broad nib is helpful, but all levels of experience are welcome.

Supplies: Basic Supplies, plus a 14 x 17-inch pad of layout bond paper. We will use Speedball C-1 and C-2 nibs instead of Brause nibs.

Meredith Klein fell in love with blackletter in high school. She studied the “black” hands for four years with Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist, and studied Gothicized Italic with Sheila Waters. She has taught at Trivial Pursuits, been a guest instructor at Janice Braun’s History of the Book class at Mills College, and gives private lessons. Her work has appeared in Bound & Lettered and Alphabet. Her calligraphy was used for Swords & Angels, a limited edition artist book, in 2016.

Versals
Rick Paulus, instructor
Fort Mason • Four Saturday mornings • 10 am–1 pm
September 7, 14, 21, 28
$105 FOC members / $120 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:

Special instructions to FOC:

Versals, those beautiful, capital letters which indicate the beginning of bodies of text have drawn our eyes to the page for centuries. Versals are typically colorful, often decorated, and always full of life, no matter how simply drawn. Beginning with a simple analysis of the Roman alphabet, participants in this class will be gently guided through the process of developing their very own constructed, or drawn, Versal letters.
Some knowledge of the broad nib is helpful, but all levels of experience are welcome.

Supplies: Basic Supplies, plus slant board (18 x 20 inch recommended); gouache; watercolor; old “retired” small brush for mixing (can be poor quality); layout bond paper; 1 sheet of quality writing paper; 12” roll of tracing paper; artist tape; X-Acto knife; T-square & 90° Triangle recommended but not 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.

Italic
Melissa Titone, instructor
Fort Mason • Seven Tuesday evenings • 6:30–9:00 pm
October 8, 15, 22, 29, November 5, 12, 19
$150 FOC members / $170 non-members

Select one:

Special instructions to FOC:

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 on which you can write. In this broad-edged 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 for using this elegant hand.
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.

Friends of Calligraphy Lecture

Artwork by Carl Rohrs

The Harrison Collection: One Tip of the Iceberg
an illustrated Talk by Carl Rohrs.

FOC Annual General Meeting
Sunday, May 5, 2019
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Latino/Hispanic Room
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
(Lecture starts at 1:30 pm, followed by the FOC business meeting at 3:15 pm.)
read more . . .
Contact: Evelyn Eldridge

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

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. 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.