Michael Sull, master penman, is a gentle soul with a fine smile and patience like a monument. He arrived in Minneapolis with gifts for all at his Friday night presentation as well as bringing magnificent masterpieces for people to study. His generosity of spirit was enriching and uplifting for all the class participants and program - it was not to be missed.

From attendee, Linda K.:

I learned many technical things in this class. An example is don’t retrace strokes in Spencerian script. But I think my biggest take-away was watching the instructor design and compose a name plate “on the fly”. I always draft, redraft, and redraft again before completing my final piece. I was in awe of his ability to let the piece evolve and his ability to describe his process as he was doing it. This gave me both the knowledge and the courage to try this on my own.

I am attaching a piece I completed yesterday using the skills I developed in this class and the practice I’ve done since then. I did draft this piece before inking the final copy but the process went much quicker and with more confidence than in the past. Note: this piece was created with metallic ink/watercolors although the scan doesn’t capture the sheen well.

Thanks to The Colleagues for arranging this wonderful learning experience.

From attendee, Anne R:

This was my first workshop with Michael Sull and it was such a thrill to see how effortlessly he adds flourishes to his letters and designs. He was inspirational -- and kind and helpful in his comments on our efforts. I am still processing what I learned in this workshop and hope to master some of these techniques.

Reminder: Our Reviews are in blog format, so you can always visit and add your comments on your experience in the comments section below.

From attendee, Chris M:

What a unique and wonderful experience to hear from and learn under a master of his area of expertise, especially a person so gracious, humble, and passionate about his field! I felt thankful, blessed, and filled up after my weekend at Michael Sull’s Spencerian workshop. We also enjoyed delightful camaraderie amongst all the participants and with Michael.

I learned the copperplate hand over 30 years ago and have not used the pointed pen too many times since, so rusty would be an understatement! However, I was eager to dust off my skills and try again!

I found the lowercase work to seem quite familiar, as italic is my go-to style, and this seemed similar in shape and slant. However, I truly met my match with the flourished capitals and flourished designs. I will need much work and time to find some comfort with these! Nothing worthwhile comes easy, right? However, I am very thankful to have wonderful and helpful resources in the handouts and the practice tips Michael shared.

I loved the mix of relaxed storytelling and fascinating historical background along with solid instruction and practice time. Many thanks to Anne and Dawn and others who helped make this workshop possible!

Reminder: Our Reviews are in blog format, so you can always visit and add your comments on your experience in the comments section below.