Please note: This workshop will take place online. Take a look at our Zoom Guidelines well in advance of the program if you need to become familiar with this platform.

This workshop will take place on 2 consecutive Saturdays; Oct 24 and Oct 31 from 11AM - 3:30PM both days. There will be a short break each day at 1PM. During the week in between, the instructors will be available for feedback and Q&A.

Please be sure you can attend BOTH sessions before reserving your spot.

This workshop is open for registration! Visit Our Store to purchase your seat!

Once you have purchased your spot you will receive links to attend on the Zoom platform.

Morphing Monograms

Creating Calligraphic Pinwheels by Hand and by Scan

In this workshop we will celebrate the power of the pen and our imaginations to create dazzling calligrams. These pinwheel-like monograms are produced by rotating a letter any number of times, and incorporates fundamental principles of graphic design.

After we become comfortable with the concept and with working on layers of tracing paper, we proceed to work with two letters in combination. The result is a more complex, sometimes abstract design. We’ll then extract a part of the image to form a border to encase the monogram, to make a completely organic design.

For the second part of the class we’ll scan our designs, and be introduced to the exciting use of Adobe Photoshop filters and special effects. The results will be fireworks of all sorts, with some designs going into the realm of the truly abstract, almost impossible to create by the pen and hand alone.

Finally, we’ll consider a range of decorative possibilities that can be applied by hand to the printed design. Some familiarity with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is desirable, and students should have competence with several traditional alphabets.

Supply list:

Your preferred basic calligraphy tools such as: felt-tip broad-edged markers OR Parallel pens OR broad-edged dip pens

Black ink (your preferred brand),

Pencil

Tracing paper

Good layout bond paper

Several single letters you have created (you will receive more information regarding this, once you are registered)

Laptop computer with any version of Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is a must.

If you do not have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements there is a 30-day free trial available for download at www.adobe.com. We recommend doing this a few days before the class starts to familiarize yourself with the program.

Marcia Friedman has been a professional graphic designer and calligrapher for over 40 years. A graduate of the California College of Arts & Crafts, she has designed numerous publications including the Friends of Calligraphy Alphabet), brochures, corporate identity programs, etc. through her design business, Visual Solutions. Marcia has taught graphic design and typography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, as well as a variety of computer, calligraphy, and paper craft classes in the Bay Area. She is a recovering director of two international calligraphy conferences, and co-author (with Barry Morentz) of Morphing Monograms, published in 2018.

Barry Morentz is a free-lance lettering and book artist, and box-maker from New York City. Initially self-taught, he began his formal calligraphic studies, mainly with Sheila Waters, and eventually with Gottfried Pott, Hermann Zapf, and many other renowned calligraphers. He has taught numerous workshops throughout the US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and at five international Calligraphy Conferences. In his midtown studio he slaves away primarily for Columbia University, Estee Lauder Companies, Cartier, Gucci, and The Museum of Modern Art. His day-to-day work includes illuminated resolutions, award design, headings, book and portfolio design, and the eternal envelope.