New
New
Letters Cali Style 2026 - Continuous Line Lettering - Amity Parks
Item #:
LCS26-Parks
More info: https://societyforcalligraphy.org/Conferences
Continuous Line Lettering : Construction and Color - Amity Parks
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
There are times when our lettering calls for a new way of working to achieve the effect we are looking for. Sometimes our traditional pens don’t work to create the forms we want or we are lettering on a surface that is not friendly to the pen. Other times we would like to use a medium that won’t flow through our pens. In these cases, it’s nice to have the skills for ‘drawing’ our lettering using a pointed brush. This tool allows unlimited freedom to produce any letterforms and to write on many surfaces.
In this class we will do exercises to familiarize ourselves and develop skills with using a pointed brush. We won’t be ‘writing’ with the brush as many calligraphers do, but rather drawing and painting with it. This is a slow and steady process that is a good skill to have in your tool kit. Once we are comfortable with the tools, we’ll explore a variety of letterforms that lend themselves well to these techniques focusing on a lively technique of using a continuous line to string letters and words together. This way of working allows you to invent forms and compositions that create lovely movement and counter shapes that lend themselves to our brushwork. I’ll offer some tips in how to transfer our designs onto surfaces using patterns, and then finishing our designs using our pointed brush and waterbased paints such as gouache, bister ink and/or watercolor.
SKILL LEVEL: All levels welcome
Supplies:
A couple of good quality small round pointed watercolor brushes. Windsor Newton Series 7,
Raphael Kaerell Short Handle Watercolor Brush, or similar, sizes 1 and 3, and any other small
pointed brushed you may have.
A few of your favorite pens and holders in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Tubes of gouache in black, white and several colors you like. A few FineTec Coliro metallic
watercolors if you have them. Bister or a few other colored inks you already have.
Palette or two with several small wells.
Mechanical Pencil (.3 or .5) and wooden pencils with H or HB lead and a small pencil style white
eraser. Regular block white eraser.
X-acto with sharp blade and/or scissors.
Ruler- see-thru plastic ruler or triangle for ruling lines (clear plastic with gridlines if you have it)
Paper- a few sheets of tracing paper. A few pieces of copy or bond paper for sketching ideas.
A few small pieces of a heavier (90#) hot press watercolor paper such as Arches HP, Fabriano
Artistico, Rives BFK or similar. All paper can be cut down to 11x14 or so.
Graphite transfer paper.
Small light box if you have room in your luggage.
Words/Texts that have meaning to you.
A short quote and a one or two word text.
Writing board (piece of Masonite or similar,
with a few sheets of paper taped to it for padding)
to work on that can be propped at a low slant and
something to prop it with.
Usual supplies: Water containers, paper towels,
notebook for notes, masking tape, apron.
Continuous Line Lettering : Construction and Color - Amity Parks
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
There are times when our lettering calls for a new way of working to achieve the effect we are looking for. Sometimes our traditional pens don’t work to create the forms we want or we are lettering on a surface that is not friendly to the pen. Other times we would like to use a medium that won’t flow through our pens. In these cases, it’s nice to have the skills for ‘drawing’ our lettering using a pointed brush. This tool allows unlimited freedom to produce any letterforms and to write on many surfaces.
In this class we will do exercises to familiarize ourselves and develop skills with using a pointed brush. We won’t be ‘writing’ with the brush as many calligraphers do, but rather drawing and painting with it. This is a slow and steady process that is a good skill to have in your tool kit. Once we are comfortable with the tools, we’ll explore a variety of letterforms that lend themselves well to these techniques focusing on a lively technique of using a continuous line to string letters and words together. This way of working allows you to invent forms and compositions that create lovely movement and counter shapes that lend themselves to our brushwork. I’ll offer some tips in how to transfer our designs onto surfaces using patterns, and then finishing our designs using our pointed brush and waterbased paints such as gouache, bister ink and/or watercolor.
SKILL LEVEL: All levels welcome
Supplies:
A couple of good quality small round pointed watercolor brushes. Windsor Newton Series 7,
Raphael Kaerell Short Handle Watercolor Brush, or similar, sizes 1 and 3, and any other small
pointed brushed you may have.
A few of your favorite pens and holders in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Tubes of gouache in black, white and several colors you like. A few FineTec Coliro metallic
watercolors if you have them. Bister or a few other colored inks you already have.
Palette or two with several small wells.
Mechanical Pencil (.3 or .5) and wooden pencils with H or HB lead and a small pencil style white
eraser. Regular block white eraser.
X-acto with sharp blade and/or scissors.
Ruler- see-thru plastic ruler or triangle for ruling lines (clear plastic with gridlines if you have it)
Paper- a few sheets of tracing paper. A few pieces of copy or bond paper for sketching ideas.
A few small pieces of a heavier (90#) hot press watercolor paper such as Arches HP, Fabriano
Artistico, Rives BFK or similar. All paper can be cut down to 11x14 or so.
Graphite transfer paper.
Small light box if you have room in your luggage.
Words/Texts that have meaning to you.
A short quote and a one or two word text.
Writing board (piece of Masonite or similar,
with a few sheets of paper taped to it for padding)
to work on that can be propped at a low slant and
something to prop it with.
Usual supplies: Water containers, paper towels,
notebook for notes, masking tape, apron.
