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Modern Calligraphy Workshops – autumn 2019

calligraphy workshop in progress with Claire Gould at Swallows and Artisans

Would you love to have a little go at modern calligraphy? With Christmas on the horizon (I know!) there is so much opportunity to practice – and your folks and friends are going to LOVE their gorgeous gift tags when you strut your calligraphy stuff!

I’d love to teach you modern calligraphy this autumn. I have four of my own workshops coming up around the UK, as well as a few extra dates I’ve been booked as a host for (exciting!!!!)

Upcoming dates for my beginners calligraphy workshops are –

7th September – Nantwich, Cheshire
6th October – Smithills Hall (Bolton)
11th October – Manchester
19th October – Arnside, Cumbria
27th November – Coniston, Cumbria
30th November – Manchester

If you fancy getting your craft on, come and join me! You’ll learn a wonderful skill (which you can use for your wedding!) and have a lovely relaxing day out. And every workshop is perfect for absolute beginners!

In each calligraphy class we’ll start with assembling a pen and spooning up ink. We’ll make flowy, swirly shapes and then letters and words. I’ll show you how, with demonstrations at every stage of the process. Best of all, you get to keep your modern calligraphy set at the end of the class! Included are your pen + nib, ink and worksheets.

There’ll be a little pop-up shop at the end so you can buy colourful inks, spare nibs and penholders, books and more worksheets if you like.

Class sizes are limited so everyone has some personal tuition – and no matter what your skill level (we all learn at different speeds) I will help you along the way!

The November calligraphy workshops will be Christmassy – we’ll write cards, gift tags and make a gorgeous glitter bauble to decorate your tree!

I can’t wait to see you there!

Book your modern calligraphy workshop here:

7th September – Nantwich – Tickets
6th October – Bolton – Tickets
11th October – Manchester – Tickets
19th October – Arnside – Tickets
27th November – Coniston – Tickets
30th November – Manchester – Tickets

Header image credit Nicole Colwell Photography, styled by Lily & Sage, featured on Wedding Sparrow

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Getting your calligraphy out there – a weekly challenge!

It’s a scarily big step to go from practising calligraphy at home to showing to people – and getting your first ‘wow’ from a friend or a client.

One of my lovely calligraphy students just told me she has a 90 day goal of getting a first calligraphy client – which makes me so proud! She inspired me to come up with some baby steps – ideas to slowly filter your calligraphy practice out into the big wide world, so it becomes that much easier to share it with people – and eventually, to sell your craft!

Here’s a little list of ideas to help you share and publicise your calligraphy. I’ve written it as a weekly challenge, which I think will be a lovely way to start.

  • Week 1 – write a beautiful envelope and send it to a friend (maybe put a photo inside?) the key is to make it the best envelope that’s ever landed on their doorstep!
  • Week 2 – write yourself a little motivational postcard and pin it on your wall where you’ll see it every day. Write another and send it to a friend who needs a boost! Extra points if they share it on insta 🙂
  • Week 3 – write someone’s birthday card and envelope in calligraphy.
  • Week 4 – write a beautiful envelope and send it to a friend at their work. This way, colleagues will see it, the post people in their office will see it, and they’ll say “oh, my friend Caroline is a calligrapher”
  • Week 5 – write a beautiful name in calligraphy for a child you know. This could be your son or daughter, your cousin, sister, nephew or niece or a friend’s child. The rule: they have to be 12 or under.
  • Week 6 – gift someone something. Buy a cheap frame in a shop (for under £5), write a calligraphy quote and decorate it with a few flowers, then gift wrap it and give it to someone.
  • Week 7 – Create something especially for instagram. Make it impactful and take a great photo (throw some flowers or leaves on it!) – then share it on your insta with some hashtags: #learningcalligraphy #calligraphypractice etc – use at least 10 hashtags so other people learning calligraphy will see it too!
  • Week 8 – Invent an imaginary client. Perhaps it’s your dream customer – a bride-to-be or parents decorating a nursery for their little one. Pretend they ordered something, and make it for them. Pop it on instagram and say something like “a cute little invite designed for a summer wedding” – and remember those hashtags!
  • Week 9 – perfect your photography skills. Beautiful images of your work make ALL the difference. Gather together some little props (silk ribbon, flowers, pens, stamps, cute little stationery bits) and teach yourself how to do flatlays. (Insta is your friend if you need to research this!)
  • Week 10 – Create your brand name. Whether it’s your own name or a name for your business, having this in mind and writing it beautifully makes this little calligraphy project into something serious and exciting! It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be your logo forever… but just writing ‘Honey & Bee Calligraphy Company’ for real will be kind of a big deal!

I’ll be running an intermediate modern calligraphy workshop on the 17th of August in Manchester. If you’ve done a little calligraphy and would like to try some fun projects, and chat with me about turning your calligraphy into a business, I’d LOVE to see you there!

It will be a friendly, chatty, small class with tons of advice and personal attention for everyone so we can take your calligraphy to the next level!

Tickets here – www.bymoonandtide.com/listing/631828056

 

These beautiful photos are by Kathryn Hopkins

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Learning to slow it down

I can feel my calligraphy style beginning to change – my influences are evolving and so is my lettering.

The thing is, you always learn. With calligraphy there’s never a ‘perfect’. Fashions and styles change, and there are so many styles out there, there’s always another which tempts me.

So I’ve been watching videos by master calligrapher Paul Antonio, by Suzanne Cunningham and by Ashok Giri. These guys write slowly and beautifully, and in more traditional styles.

And even as I write modern letters, I’m slowing down and thinking more while I write. The temptation with modern calligraphy is to rush things. And while a wayward stroke or two doesn’t matter so much in this style, a carefully planned, uncrushed wayward stroke can make all the difference.

Come and learn modern calligraphy with me!

Upcoming calligraphy workshop dates:

21st June – brush pen lettering in Manchester https://etsy.me/2WMzqAQ

5th July – modern calligraphy in Manchester https://etsy.me/2FfwXUG 

6th August – modern calligraphy and brush pen lettering in Cumbria https://bit.ly/2KZFuP6

17th August – intermediate modern calligraphy in Manchester https://etsy.me/2N5niqe

7th September – modern calligraphy and brush pen lettering in Cheshire https://bit.ly/2WYm1Vm

11th October – absolute beginners modern calligraphy in Manchester https://etsy.me/2Fu2MJF

30th November – Christmas calligraphy workshop in Manchester https://etsy.me/2MVkR9A

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Calligraphy workshop success!

Last weekend I taught two modern calligraphy workshops at The Little Paper Shop in Nantwich, Cheshire. They were so much fun!

In the morning we made cards with owls and lovely quotes to give to mothers, daughters, friends and new granddaughters! And we wrote some fantastic framed motivational quotes.

The afternoon was filled with rainbow calligraphy, making friends and learning a lot about babies and toddlers (they wee in flower pots in banks! So funny!)

Huge thanks to everyone who came and made it such a fun day. You were all FANTASTIC!! And of course thank you lovely Cara, Aga and Camilla from The Little Paper Shop. Your little world is just wonderful.

I can’t wait to come back in September for more. Join me on 7th September for modern calligraphy in the morning and brush lettering in the afternoon!

Tickets via The Little Paper Shop here 🙂 Workshops: The Little Paper Shop

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Absolute beginners calligraphy workshop – weekend sale!

modern calligraphy workshops Manchester uk

As it’s June and officially summer this weekend I’m running a whirlwind kinda sale on my calligraphy workshop on July 5th.

It’s an absolute beginners modern calligraphy workshop in Manchester, and tickets are usually £55. (This includes a basic calligraphy set for you to take home)

SAVE 20% off the calligraphy workshop price – THIS WEEKEND ONLY!

For this weekend (now until Monday) you can SAVE 20% if you book directly at www.bymoonandtide.com (while places are still available). The price still includes a basic calligraphy set for you to take home too!

If you’ve never been to a modern calligraphy workshop before, then GOOD! You’re perfect for this! We start with the funny pens and nibs – I’ll show you how to potato them before you write (yeah, that’s a thing) and how to put the nib in and how to put ink on your nib and how to use the pen to put the ink on your paper.

And then I’ll show you how to do it beautifully.

You’ll have the loveliest time – AND you’ll actually learn brand new lettering skills!

By the end of the workshop you’ll have a sound understanding of the basics of modern calligraphy.

All in the space of a couple of hours! We start at 2:30 and finish at 4:30.

You’ll also have some little goodies to take home – something you’ve written, perhaps a little piece of beautiful modern calligraphy you’re proud of and ready to frame as a reminder of the fun we had in the workshop!

There’ll be a little pop-up calligraphy shop at the end so you can buy colourful inks, spare nibs and penholders, books and more worksheets if you like.

Class sizes are limited so everyone has some personal tuition – and no matter what your skill level (we all learn at different speeds) I will help you along the way!

Click here to save 20% and book your tickets today!

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Summer calligraphy workshop dates for your diary!

If you’d like to join me for a modern calligraphy workshop over the summer, here are all the dates you need!

6th June – I’ll be in Coniston (south Cumbria – 45 mins from the M6) all day for a modern calligraphy workshop at Swallows & Artisans. In the morning we’ll learn the basics of modern calligraphy. This workshop is suitable for absolute beginners and is loads of fun! You will learn how to write your own gorgeous script with a dip pen and nib. Stay for the afternoon session where we’ll play with brush pen lettering, colour blending and more!

Info & tickets – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk

15th June – Join me in Nantwich at The Little Paper Shop for an intimate and fun modern calligraphy class. In the morning we’ll learn how to hold, load(!) and use a calligraphy pen and write our very own unique and beautiful alphabets.  The afternoon session will be all about beautiful brush pen lettering, and we’ll blend colours and create beautiful wall art in modern calligraphy!

Info & tickets – https://www.thelittlepapershop.com

21st June – Beginners brush pen calligraphy workshop at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, Northern Quarter. Join me to play with brush pens, colour blending and a relaxed and fun modern lettering workshop! The class starts at 2:30 and ends at 4:30 – why not take the afternoon off work and indulge in a little shopping trip while you’re there?

Info & tickets – www.etsy.com/uk/listing/645652407

5th July – Absolute beginners modern calligraphy in Manchester at the Craft & Design Centre. My lovely home from home, the classroom at Manchester Craft & Design is spacious and perfect for learning the beautiful art of modern calligraphy! Every attendee will be given a personalised calligraphy set to take home – included in the price!

Info & tickets – www.etsy.com/uk/listing/698264199

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Places left for my calligraphy workshop in Coniston on 21st of March

I’m really looking forward to another modern calligraphy workshop at Swallows & Artisans next week – there are just a handful of places still available, for both the morning and afternoon sessions (or the full day).

We’re calling it “Beginners to Winners” modern calligraphy – if you’ve never tried your hand at calligraphy before it’s the perfect opportunity to learn a new craft. I’ll show you how to use a modern calligraphy pen, and we’ll learn a simple alphabet first of all. The morning session includes a little quote / greeting card for you to take home.

The afternoon session will be a chance to explore what you can achieve with your new found calligraphy skills! We’ll write our names in 22 carat gold leaf; we’ll have a go at beautiful flourishing, writing with colourful inks and more.

Image credit: Zehra Photography

Morning session tickets (& info) – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beginners-to-winners-modern-calligraphy-am-session-tickets-55649287517

Afternoon session tickets (& info) – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beginners-to-winners-modern-calligraphy-pm-session-tickets-55649511186

Full day tickets (& info) – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beginners-to-winners-modern-calligraphy-full-day-tickets-55650086908

Images by lovely Zehra Photography

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How to write your name in 22 carat gold calligraphy

Almost a year ago I had an email from another calligrapher who’d seen my gold leaf name on Etsy. She asked how it was done – it’s tricky to add gilding to anything so fine.

I’ll be teaching a calligraphy workshop in Coniston (in the Lake District) on the 21st of March and I decided this would be a lovely project to share with people. It’s deceptively easy with the right tools, and only takes a little patience to master!

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen this in my Stories – applying gold leaf is really satisfying to do – and to watch! I wanted to share a more detailed tutorial for you to follow if you’d like to try this at home.

You will need:

Kölner Miniatum Ink is basically a glue with an inky consistency so it flows relatively easily through a calligraphy nib. It doesn’t sink into paper so it gives a raised effect to your finished gilded letters.

Practice a couple of times with the ink on ordinary paper to get a feel for its consistency, as it is thicker than normal ink. You’ll need good light to see it on dark card, so sit near a window or have a table lamp to the side of you.

Write your name on the card and then quickly clean any glue / ink residue from your nib. Too slow and your nib will get all stuck together!

TIP: Clean your nib very, very regularly when writing with Kölner Miniatum Ink – at least every minute, but preferably every 30 seconds or so. It dries and sticks FAST!

Leave your calligraphy to dry for approximately 20 minutes, until all the pink bits have disappeared and the ‘ink’ is transparent. Don’t leave it too long though, as the ink should still be tacky for the gold leaf to adhere to it. As a general rule, apply the gold as soon as the ink is clear.

Take a piece of transfer gold leaf and place it onto the name you’ve written. Hold it still while you rub slowly, pressing with your finger around the edges of every letter and stroke so the gold covers even the thin hairlines of your calligraphy. You can do this twice to get a more thorough coverage of gold leaf.

Remove the transfer sheet and ‘tidy up’ all the loose bits of gold around the letters. Poke the edges and corners within each letter with the tip of your brush to remove the rough bits around the sides, and give your name a little polish with the brush so it shines!

There are still a handful of places left for the modern calligraphy workshop on the 21st of March. Click here for information and to book your (full day) ticket.

For morning (beginners) or afternoon session tickets visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/swallows-amp-artisans-16890265992