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✒️
Calligraphy
WORKSHOP

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BOOTCAMP 101: PERECT FOR BEGINNERS

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Dive into the captivating world of Blackletter Calligraphy with Angie's immersive workshop!

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Are you a beginner with little or no experience at any kind of art making? That's okay! 

Are you worried because you have weird or sloppy handwriting? That's okay too!

Calligraphy is a fun and relaxing art form that anyone can do.

Whether you're a seasoned artist or picking up a calligraphy pen for the first time, this is your invitation to take a creative break and enjoy an inspiring afternoon learning the timeless art of Blackletter Calligraphy.

YouTube Shorts Video:

Transforming my “Blackletter” calligraphy from pen and paper to a digital graphic!

Blackletter Calligraphy Workshop Overview

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  • Setup: You will be guided through the ergonomics of how to hold your pen for both right-handers and left-handers, proper pen angle, posture, and tips for setting up your home creative calligraphy space. 

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  • Materials and tools: All materials are provided with the workshop fee including calligraphy marker, instructional handouts, practice paper, and a personalized gift name tag. 

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  • Warm-up drills: We will cover the foundational structural pen angle and strokes such as the downstroke, the upstroke, curves, pen tilts, and the diagonal stroke.

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  • Letterforms: Learn and practice the specific structure and pen angle for creating blackletter calligraphy letterforms.

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  • Spacing and composition: How to space and compose your letters and words to create a balanced and striking piece of calligraphy.

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  • Practice and feedback: Receive personalized feedback from the instructor so that you have tools and techniques to continue learning and improving on your own.

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  • BONUS 🤩 Experiment with multiple calligraphy tools! Try out metal dip pens and ink, fountain pens, feather quills, glass pens, different brands and sizes of markers and brushes, digital calligraphy with the Procreate app, unusual tools, and more!

With a little practice you will be on your way to creating and designing beautiful personalized calligraphy for merch, tattoos, digital graphics, envelopes, greeting cards, certificates, abstract art, or even your own font!

Originally used for manuscript books and documents almost 3,000 years ago, blackletter calligraphy still remains relevant, dramatic, expressive, and authoritative.

Updated calligraphy workshop schedule coming soon!

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About Your Instructor​

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Angie Durbin has been a professional lettering artist and instructor for over 20 years. Starting her career in Hallmark Cards’ lettering department, she has also worked with other stationery companies such as American Greetings, Papyrus, and several more.

 

She authored the “Calligraphy and Letter Art Kit” published by Accord Publishing/Andrews McMeel which included 14 original alphabet designs with instructions, themes, and 260 unique words to learn with.

 

Angie draws inspiration from calligraphy for creating her abstract artwork and also for her role as a multimedia designer & creative director in New York, where the same fundamentals of composition, typography, and overall visual communications cross over to both passions.

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Her commercial design and lettering portfolio can be viewed here: www.angiedurbindesigns.com

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  • What should I bring?
    Just your creative self! All calligraphy supplies will be provided and are part of the workshop fee. If you have calligraphy tools that you'd like to bring and try in class, you are welcome to do that! (not required)
  • I have terrible handwriting, does that matter?
    Your handwriting style does not matter whatsoever. Think of calligraphy as "drawing and crafting letters" rather than jotting down notes. It's a different brain function; rather than distilling information that you are writing down to process or remember, you are making visual art. My own handwriting is atrocious! It's often sloppy with skipped letters, misspellings, and unreadable characters and words. Handwriting has nothing to do with creating calligraphy, except that it uses the same hand that you write with. The artistic visual focus of it along with hand-eye coordination fires up the visual perception side of brain (right hemisphere) as opposed to the analytical/processing side (left hemisphere). So don't let your weird handwriting stop you, you'll be amazed at how different your calligraphy lettering art will be! 😀
  • Do I need any art experience to take the Blackletter Calligraphy workshop?
    Absolutely not! This workshop is designed for beginners and provides a welcoming space with hands-on instruction and feedback from the instructor. It can be overwhelming and frustrating to try calligraphy on your own. Save tons of time searching all the videos out there and get in-person tips and conversations about developing your own calligraphy style and expertise.
  • Refunds and Cancellations
    Due to the cost of venue space and art supplies which are pre-purchased well ahead of the workshop date, cancellations and no-shows are not refundable. If the workshop is cancelled due to an unforeseen event such as flooding, fire, or illness, a full refund will be issued to all students who have purchased the workshop.
  • What should I bring?
    Just your creative self! All calligraphy supplies will be provided and are part of the workshop fee. If you have calligraphy tools that you'd like to bring and try in class, you are welcome to do that! (not required)
  • I have terrible handwriting, does that matter?
    Your handwriting style does not matter whatsoever. Think of calligraphy as "drawing and crafting letters" rather than jotting down notes. It's a different brain function; rather than distilling information that you are writing down to process or remember, you are making visual art. My own handwriting is atrocious! It's often sloppy with skipped letters, misspellings, and unreadable characters and words. Handwriting has nothing to do with creating calligraphy, except that it uses the same hand that you write with. The artistic visual focus of it along with hand-eye coordination fires up the visual perception side of brain (right hemisphere) as opposed to the analytical/processing side (left hemisphere). So don't let your weird handwriting stop you, you'll be amazed at how different your calligraphy lettering art will be! 😀
  • Do I need any art experience to take the Blackletter Calligraphy workshop?
    Absolutely not! This workshop is designed for beginners and provides a welcoming space with hands-on instruction and feedback from the instructor. It can be overwhelming and frustrating to try calligraphy on your own. Save tons of time searching all the videos out there and get in-person tips and conversations about developing your own calligraphy style and expertise.
  • Refunds and Cancellations
    Due to the cost of venue space and art supplies which are pre-purchased well ahead of the workshop date, cancellations and no-shows are not refundable. If the workshop is cancelled due to an unforeseen event such as flooding, fire, or illness, a full refund will be issued to all students who have purchased the workshop.
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