The Beauty of Letters I: An Introduction to Calligraphy and the Art of Writing

Letters are the basic building blocks that we use for written language. Yet, in our heavily computerized world, we don’t often take time to enjoy the physical sensation of making letters. This workshop will connect you kinetically to words and meaning. It is an introduction into why letters look the way they do and how you can use various tools to create beautiful letters.

Our morning will be spent on understanding how to use a broad-edged (chisel) pen. We’ll explore basic Italic letterform as a way of seeing how pen angle can create beautiful shapes. In the afternoon, we’ll focus on recreating 16th century illuminated letters based on shapes used in Italian Renaissance manuscripts. With these “Versal Letters” (literally, the decorated letters that start a new verse) and Italic calligraphy (from the Greek “calli” meaning beautiful and “graphos” meaning writing), you’ll have a foundation for creating artwork and discover a whole new way to appreciate language and meaning.

Workshop Instructor: Amanda West Lewis. Read her PROFILE or visit www.amandawestlewis.com

$125.00 

Lunch included (and dietary needs accommodated)

($20 material fee to be paid on the day of the workshop)

To register call (613) 464-2105 

The Beauty of Letters II: A Continuation of The Beauty of Letters I

In this full day workshop, you will develop the skills you learned in The Beauty of Letters, Part One. You’ll get a quick overview of the history of Roman, Celtic, Humanist, Italic and Gothic lettering. You’ll learn how to understand the unique characteristics of each style and how to use pen angle to create these different forms.

The workshop is also an opportunity to learn more about various tools used for calligraphy. You’ll have a chance to try out different pens, nibs and inks, as well as to experiment with making your own pens with found materials.

We’ll end the day by creating a collaged mural of your work.

Workshop Instructor: Amanda West Lewis. Read her PROFILE or visit www.amandawestlewis.com

$125.00 

Lunch included (and dietary needs accommodated)

($20 material fee to be paid on the day of the workshop)

Wednesday, March 27 from 9:00am – 5:00pm

To register call (613) 464-2105

What a delight to be doing calligraphy for real by lunchtime! Amanda has perfected the art of teaching this and we are the better for it. – Peggy Land

Fun, informational and inspiring – Jacquie Christiani