The Gentle Penman

The process of placing text on a page in a meaningful way can be a daunting leap for one who has never attempted to do so. This comprehensive studio work-shop is designed to introduce beginner and intermediate calligraphers to the process of creating a...

I always try to choose words that are meaningful when designing pieces for workshops, and after brainstorming for a while, I decided on the word “Hope” for this session.  We all have our own stories to tell, and our own battles to face,...

Historical Hands In keeping with our commitment to calligraphy education, the Gentle Penman is pleased to announce a new series of short workshops, which will serve as an introduction to a selection of styles of traditional calligraphy over the past 2000...

“The starting point is really the critical determinant of how an alphabet evolves.” Thomas Ingmire “Zheng Banqiao was fond of painting bamboo, rocks and orchids. He painted orchids like writing characters, and wrote characters like...

Unlock the beauty of ornamental borders in this comprehensive course. We'll start with a brief introduction to ornamental borders, covering their definition, characteristics, and various styles. Discover the decorative and practical applications of...

During this workshop, you will be introduced to Cloud motifs in art of Illumination (Tezhip). Cloud motifs are historically coming from China but it started to be used in the 15th Century in Turkish Illumination. During this course you will learn...

Lesson 1 Introduction to Engrosser's Script - Overview of Engrosser's script and its history - Understanding basic tools and materials needed - Introduction to letterforms: vertical strokes, ovals, and basic connections - Practice drills for foundational...

The workshop will show you how to create beautiful dinner menus with a hand-painted border and handwritten names to personalise each menu. The course will guide you through painting the flowers and fruits for your border in watercolour, show you how to...

In this workshop we will break down the skeleton of the Acanthus Leaf to better understand its structure.  Then we will take a look at how to present it in a border.  Just understanding the many facets of it and how it can be illustrated is a...

Enjoy the delicate painting technique for “flying flowers” enhanced with gold leaf to illuminate the winter season. Our inspiration is drawn from Medieval Manuscripts, but we will modernize their techniques with an intriguing colour palette...

Pointed pen scripts have become more popular in the last few years. It seems everyone enjoys doing modern scripts and personal variations yet fail to have a strong foundation on which to base their letterforms. This class will start with step-by-step...

Uncial was commonly used from the 4th to 8th centuries by Latin and Greek scribes, but it still is a relevant hand today for many projects. In this workshop Sue will cover the classic, upright letterforms, then introduce students to a fresh, italicized...

Calligraphy has long been paired with paintings, ornamental scroll work, and other pictorial elements to enhance visual impact. In this workshop, we will explore the relationship between ovals and curvatures, learning how to use them strategically to...

Dive into the elegant world of Chancery Script, starting from the techniques of Cresci’s Renaissance style to adapt to modern tools to make more contemporary shapes. We will begin with the roots of Chancery Script, exploring this style popular...

With my deep interest in marks and textures, I have been creating calligraphic marks and textures, and creating layering arts using different mediums and/or different kinds of paper like watercolor paper and thin Japanese paper. Furthermore, my recent...

This the season! Join us this festive season to enhance your creativity by combining elegant lettering with beautiful ornamental designs. In this two-session workshop, we will focus on creating a Christmas wreath using calligraphy cartouches...

The bright, glittery silvers and golds of winter look especially good when rendered on dark backgrounds. Using white and an assortment of glittery mica pigments, we will paint leaves, poinsettia, and other textures with the wedge brush. We will add some...

Historical Hands In keeping with our commitment to calligraphy education, the Gentle Penman is pleased to announce a new series of short workshops, which will serve as an introduction to a selection of styles of traditional calligraphy over the past 2000...

I am really excited to be invited back by the Gentle Penman to teach a Christmas/ Winter themed workshop.  So instead of designing and decorating words, I thought it would be nice for us to gild snowflake designs since the Christmas Holidays are a...

All of my life I’ve been ‘keeping’ Notebooks. in the course of years, simple notes shifted towards calligraphy. I explored what I could do with simple blank pages and a mechanical pencil 0,3 mm. I was not much of a big lay-out planner,...