Fall 2016 West Coast Modern Calligraphy Workshops

After months of planning, I am beyond excited to announce four West Coast TPK modern calligraphy workshops for beginners! Two will take place in Portland this September, and two will take place in Berkeley in October. All four will provide you with high-quality supplies, individual feedback, and lots of learning!

TPK stands out in the modern calligraphy community for one main reason: I remember what it’s like to be a beginner. I can relate to making calligraphy pieces that you don’t consider top-notch, being confused about what supplies to buy, and wondering how to use the supplies once you have them. It’s hard to teach if you can’t put yourself in a student’s shoes, and, trust me, I’ve been there!

For that reason, all TPK calligraphy workshops are completely beginner-friendly. We’ll start by using a writing instrument that you’re familiar with — a ballpoint pen. Just like in the TPK worksheets and video courses, we’ll go over the key principles of faux calligraphy to get a feel for letter formations and downstroke positioning. Next, we’ll work with a brush pen to get a feel for pressure exertion. Finally, we’ll work with both straight and oblique dip pens to form a solid calligraphy foundation that you can build upon in the months that follow the workshop!

One thing I have noticed about a lot of modern calligraphy workshops is a lack of quality supplies. You absolutely won’t find any sub-par tools in TPK calligraphy workshops. Instead, you will use — and go home with — supplies that I, personally, use, including:

• Ballpoint Pen (for faux calligraphy/letter formation practice)
• Brush Pen (for practicing pressure exertion)
• Manuscript Straight Calligraphy Pen with Universal Insert
• Hand-Turned Wooden Oblique Calligraphy Pen
• Nikko G Nib
• Brause EF66 Nib
• 2.25 oz. Yasutomo Sumi Ink
• Workshop-Exclusive TPK Worksheet Set
• 6” x 8.25” Rhodia Pad

Each workshop is three hours long in total, with a fifteen minute break in the middle. Light refreshments will be provided because, as I have often maintained, calligraphy is even more enjoyable when there’s food involved! Come in comfortable clothing, and don’t be shy about arriving alone: you’ll love everyone else in the workshop because they all are just as creative and eager to learn as you are! On top of that, I’m pretty pumped to meet you, too.

My favorite thing about TPK calligraphy workshops is having the opportunity to give personal critiques and instructions. Oftentimes, learners aren’t quite sure about pressure exertion, how to keep the tines of a nib even on the paper, and how to grip a calligraphy pen. I’ll be watching to help with those issues as well as other common calligraphy obstacles! I make it a point to give everyone personal attention, and I’m always available to answer questions. If you follow TPK on social media, you know that I love giveaways, and workshops are no exception. At the end of the workshop, we’ll do a raffle of a package of calligraphy goodies valued at $50.00!

Workshop Sign-Ups

If you will be in the Portland or Berkeley area soon, it would be my pleasure to see you at one of the workshops! Everyone is welcome — that means you, too, lefties. 🙂 Here are the dates and locations of the workshops, plus links to get more information and sign up:

• Portland | Saturday, September 24th | Centrl Office (1355 NW Everett St., Suite 100) | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Sign up here
• Portland | Sunday, September 25th | Centrl Office (1355 NW Everett St., Suite 100) | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Sign up here
• Berkeley | Saturday, October 15th | Twig & Fig (2110 Vine St.) | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Sign up here
• Berkeley | Sunday, October 16th | Twig & Fig (2110 Vine St.) | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Sign up here

Workshops are $245 per person, but if you purchase at least three weeks in advance, you can use coupon code PORTLAND30 to get $30.00 off your Portland workshop fees (total cost: $215), or BERKELEY30 to get $30.00 off your Berkeley workshop fees (total cost: $215). The coupon codes will expire exactly three weeks before the date of each respective workshop. If the slot you want is no longer available, please contact me, and I will be happy to put you on the waiting list!

If you have any questions about the workshops, please feel free to ask! Otherwise, I hope to meet you either next month or in October. 🙂 As for those who are not geographically able to attend, there will be another Colorado Springs workshop in October or November, and a Tampa workshop in December. No matter where you are in the world, thanks very much for reading TPK, and have a wonderful day!

Warmly,

PS – Workshop photos in this post were taken by Noel Dolan at a Colorado Springs workshop earlier this year. Thanks, Noel!