Instructor: Elaine Muth
Thursdays 5:30-8:30pm
10 weeks: April 16 to June 18
Location: In-person Williams Building room 255
$395 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: None

Calligraphy is the practice of beautiful writing for everyday use and special occasions. Italic writing, an extremely legible, fast and flowing hand in use since the 1500s, is perfect for journals, artist's books, place cards, invitations and announcements (formal and informal), awards, certificates, greeting cards and mail art. This course is suitable for anyone who has a desire to learn decorative penmanship, from beginners to experienced artists, graphic designers and writers. The art of calligraphy for use in both practical and creative applications will be explored. Students' skill and technique will be developed through hands-on demonstrations, individual assistance, guided practice and the production of a variety of beautiful lettering creations.

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Syllabus

• Essential calligraphy terms
• Paper options and types
• Correct pen angle
• Letter sizes, proportion, slant
• Letter shapes and variations
• Letter and line spacing
• Monoline tools and applications
• Dynamic bold letters
• Simple, clean layouts
• Creative formats
• Decorative versal letters used by medieval scribes and modern-day applications
• Changing the Italic hand to suit the needs of the text
• Combining calligraphy with computer type in graphic projects
• Calligraphy as art: 
  • Taking your pen skills from craft to fine art:
  • Colourful letters
  • Hand-drawn decorative borders
  • Cartouches, colophons and motifs: birds, flowers, abstract designs

Supplies

• 3 to 5 black calligraphy marker pens: sizes medium (M), broad (B), extra broad (XB)
• Coloured calligraphy marker pens in 5 or more colours in M/B sizes. Recommended: Staedtler Calligraph Duo double-ended calligraphy markers; Speedball Elegant Writer Calligraphy Pens
• Coloured brush pens in 5 or more colours. Recommended: Staedtler Mars Graphic 300 Duo Brush pens; Faber-Castell Pitt Brush pens; Zebra Midliner Brush pens; Artist's Series (Dollarama)Brush pens or other colour brush pens
• Optional: Metallic brush pens. Recommended: Staedtler Metallic Brush pens
• Fine-line black felt pen. Recommended: Sakura Pigma Micron 0.5 tip size
• Coloured pencils: yellow plus at least six colours (Prismacolor Premier pencils are recommended)
• 2 graphite pencils: HB standard
• Ruler
• Masking tape: 1/2" wide
• Ink drawing paper pad 9" x 12", choose a white, unlined, light-weight, smooth surface sketchbook paper made for pen and marker use
• 8½"x 11" or larger practise paper lined (standard ruled foolscap will do) and unlined (plain white copy paper will do) 100+ sheets of each
• Onionskin tracing paper (will be provided by instructor)