The Voice of FLIGHT 2.0 Mon PM SPNG-SMMR '26 - Mar 02-Jun 215

Draw NEW birds with confidence, incorporating flourishing, Open-Shaded Script, Cursive Crush, and Forest Script - with watercolor pencils.

🕊The Voice of Flight v 2.0

A Calligraphic Journey: Growing Letters, Florals, Flourishes, and Birds

SPNG-SMMR |Mon PM | 16 SESSIONS | ALL levels | No Prerequisites | 6pM-8:30PM Eastern US time :::: MAR 02-JUN 15 | $448-$560

Draw new birds with confidence, incorporating flourishing, Open-Shaded Script, Cursive Crush, and Forest Script - all with watercolor pencils.

❤️❤️ Early Bird 20% discount through Feb 1 2026. ❤️❤️

👉🏻 Go to www.AnneElserClasses.Eventbrite.com to register.

If you loved the Voice of Flight 1, then you'll love this second version, too! This class is also suitable for those new to The Voice of Flight - ALL are welcome.

You'll recieve the exemplars from the 1st version, and we'll build upon those birds, review some as the class requests, and draw NEW birds also at your request! A very interactive class.

This is a continuation of Flora & Francis, although not a prerequisite. I've arranged the content to be beginner friendly and we'll work at a pace that is comfortable for all.

This time we'll dive into more florals AND the fascinating possibilities of birds as metaphor for personal growth. We'll be using photos for reference of several species of our feathered messengers, as well as new flowers.

Each family of bird exhibits different behaviors, which we can also find in ourselves. Nature is in constant contact with us and in this course we'll tell that story with imagery, discussion, and personal growth.

If you've taken this course before, we are continuing our journey! If not, you are in for a TREAT! Hang on tight for 16 weeks of love, laughter, and magic.

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This is a LIVE class, then uploaded to a class folder on my Dropbox site each of our 16 weeks of class time together. If you ever have to miss a class, you can always check back later to watch what you missed and practice at your own pace. I really enjoy the live format, and meeting so many people all over the world each week in my home. Live classes allow the student to interact with me and each other for specific feedback.

IMPORTANT: When you purchase a ticket, Eventbrite will send you an order confirmation email with your ticket. WITHIN that email, scroll down beneath the ticket to see the links to our online classroom, supply list, and Dropbox folder where exemplars and class recordings will be stored for viewing. This will be our virtual classroom for every time we meet. When the link and intro email is sent to you, click the link, which will open a web page in your web browser.

It's easiest to use Google CHROME browser if you're joining the class via your computer. If you're joining via your ipad or phone, you'll download Google's Meet app and join that way. You do not need to have a gmail address.

Please read technical notes way down at the bottom for details about participating in an online class via Google Meet.

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Here's the class schedule:

Class 01 - MAR 02 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 02 - MAR 09 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 03 - MAR 16 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 04 - MAR 23 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 05 - MAR 30 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 06 - APR 06 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 07 - APR 13 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 08 - APR 20 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 09 - APR 27 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 10 - MAY 04 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 11 - MAY 11 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 12 - MAY 18 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 13 - MAY 25 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 14 - JUN 01 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 15 - JUN 08 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

Class 16 - JUN 15 Mon 6PM-8.30 PM

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Upon registration you will receive a ticket within welcome email containing:

• PDF link to exemplar packet.

• Link to our Online Classroom.

• Link to Online folders where class recordings are kept.

After each live class, I’ll upload either a full-length recording of my demonstrations during the class OR a 20-minute review of the pages we worked on (and snapshots of those pages) for you to later download at your convenience. This makes it easier for students to keep up with the class if you cannot participate live.

Note: these videos will take a a few hours to appear in the class notes folder, as they are very large and take a long time for them to fully upload onto my Dropbox account.

Want to keep your class recordings FOREVER??

Then you need to DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN COPY within ONE WEEK after our last class. After that week, all files will be put in cold storage. You will not be able to stream them. If for any reason something happens to your copy in the future - simply send me an email and I'll see what I can do for you.

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Welcome to The Voice of Flight!

(Previously Flora & Francis Take Flight.)

This course is for calligraphers, lettering artists, and all creatives who want to get comfortable drawing & painting birds, exploring their signifigance, and incorporating them with florals, flourishes, and letters as growing, living things.

We use watercolor pencils and watercolors to ease our way into exploring these marvelous creatures in a way that is pleasurable and exciting, putting to flight our skills by making meaningful work beyond the letterform.

SUPPLY LIST

SAM FLAX is the best local spot to purchase supplies for this class. Anything that you canít find there, can be purchased online at amazon.com, John Neal Books (johnnealbooks.com) or Paper and Ink Arts (paperinkarts.com).

PAPER----------------------------

Get at least one of these and if youíre feeling frisky, all.

Any Hot Press (smooth) watercolor paper will perform very well. Below are brands Iíve used and liked. Youíll want to have at least ten 8.5 x 11 sheets of any of these. If you already have a watercolor paper you love or have, please donít feel obligated to purchase any of the below.

ï Arches or Fabriano Artistico 140 lb Hot Press Watercolor Paper cut down to 8.5 x 11 or smaller.

ï Craneís Lettra by Crane & Co. Fine Cotton 100% Rag. 32 lb. Writing in Pearl White. This comes in a 250 sheet ream and is WONDERFUL to draw and paint on, also luxurious to fold into envelopes. However, itís terrible for pointed pen. I buy this from The Paper Mill Store. com

ï Southworth Resume paper. 100% cotton, 32 lb. in white or ivory. This is made by Neenah paper and is sold in reams of 100. Office Supply stores sell it, as well as Walmart and Amazon. Pointed Pen works well on this stock as well as watercolor, etc. Great for envelopes, too.

PENCILS-------------------------

Watercolor Pencils: I use 3 brands for different purposes. Please note that you DO NOT HAVE TO BUY ALL OF THESE. If you take a look at the swatch samples I have, you can see some colors that are quite similar. One or the other will do just fine. You can also rely on your watercolor palette to provide and change colors you may not have in the pencil versions.

ï Derwent Graphitint Watercolor Pencils: These are soft and creamy neutrals. Get the whole set if you can.

Colors I use most frequently are:

Port (01) Steel Blue (06)

Aubergine (03) Ivy (11)

Autumn Brown (17) Cool Brown (15)

Chestnut (13) Dark Indigo (04) Meadow (10)

Other colors nice to have and that come in the complete full set:

Green Grey (09) Sage (12)

Slate Green (08) Shadow (05)

Ocean Blue (07) Steele Blue (06)

Russet (14) Cocoa (16) Storm (18) Mtn. Grey (21)

Cloud Grey (22) Cool Grey (23)

Juniper (02) Warm Grey (19)

ï Faber-Castell Albrect Durer Watercolor Pencils

These are a harder and waxier pencil that I like because they make crisp, sharp detailed strokes. They keep a finer point and have a really gorgeous selection vivid colors. Refer to the swatches I built so you can choose between colors you find similar. Get the whole set if you can, but below are my recommendations:

Colors I use frequently:

Dark Naples Ochre (184) Light Magenta (119)

Rose Carmine (124) Dark Red (225)

Manganese Violet (160) Burnt Umber (280)

Venetian Red (190) Deep Scarlet Red (219)

Light Phthalo Blue (145) Juniper Green (165)

Chrome Oxide Green Fiery (276)

Raw Umber (180) Pine Green (267) Phthalo Green (161) Cream (102) Dark Cadmium Yellow (108) Walnut Brown (177) Blue Violet (137) Indanthrene Blue (247) Fuchsia (123) Madder (142) Middle Cadmium Red (217) Deep Red (223) Light Cadmium Red (117) Salmon (130) Ivory (103)

Cadmium Yellow Lemon (205) Earth Green (172)

Beige Red (132) PermntGreenOlive (167)

May Green (170)

Olive Green Yellowish (173) Light Red Violet (135) Dark Cadm Orange (115) Rose Carmine (124) Coral (131)

ï Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils

These babies are INTENSE, soft, and V I B R A N T. You donít HAVE to buy the whole set, but these are colors Iíve enjoyed using. Again - please refer to the swatches I built so you can choose between colors you find similar.

Spring Green (1550) Felt Green (1530)

Light Olive (1540) Fern (1560)

Leaf Green (1600) Ionian Green (1320)

Violet (800) Mauve (740)

Thistle (720) Fuchsia (700)

Red Violet (610) Carmine Pink (520)

Sicilian Yellow (220) Mustard (1700)

Amber (1710) Tan (1720)

Willow (1900) Sienna Gold (240)

Tangerine (300) Mid Vermillion (310)

Scarlet Pink (320) Poppy Red (400)

Hot Red (410) Chili Red (500)

Cherry (510) Crimson (530)

Shiraz (600) Deep Rose (710)

Dusky Purple (730) Deep Violet (760)

Iron Blue (840) Navy Blue (830)

Iris Blue (900) Dark Aquamarine (1210)

Green Aquamarine (1220) Teal Green (1300)

Iron Green (1310) Field Green (1500)

Hookerís Green (1520) Oak (1730)

Saddle Brown (1740) Baked Earth (1800)

Madder Brown (1920) Neutral Grey (2120)

Ink Black (2200)

PAINT----------------------------

White Ink:

ï Titanium white watercolor or gouache. Put a little dab of this in the corners of your mixing palette to create soft buttery light versions of any of your darker more intense colors.

Watercolor Pan Set: (NOTE - IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE YOU LIKE, FEEL FREE TO USE IT INSTEAD OF ANY OF THE BELOW!)

ï Winsor & Newton Professional OR Cotman (student-grade) Watercolors Compact Set with 14 half pans. There IS a price difference between professional ($75) and student grade ($20). Iíve been using the student grade just fine. Iíll upgrade to professional in the near future.

If youíre thirsting for more watercolors, below are some Iíve loved and use. You donít need to get ANY of these, but Iíve listed them in case you want to expand your collection.

ï Iíve recently discovered ShinHan Extra Fine Watercolors. They come in tubes and are SUBLIME and rich - many of them are densely opaque like gouache.

I purchase empty half pans from Amazon that come with little magnets you can stick to the bottom of them before filling - then arrange them any way you like in a metal pan.

Colors I have and love are:

Pyrrole Red (813)

Bright Violet (948)

Umber (973)

Phthalo Blue (RedShade) (924)

Payneís Grey (987)

Cobalt Blue (922)

Purple Grey (946)

Lilac (944(

Brilliant Pink (823)

Jaune Brilliant (866)

Davyís Grey (989)

Turquoise Blue (904)

Jaune Brilliant (865)

Yellow Ochre (970)

Permanent green (875)

Horizon Blue (913)

Green Pale (892)

Cobalt Green (901)

Shell Pink (825)

Another beloved brand is Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors. I donít have very many of these, but I love the ones I have here. The two I use most are Buff Titanium and Duochrome Oceanic.

Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet

Quinacridone Deep Gold

Jadeite Green

Duochrome Oceanic

Buff Titanium

Sap Green

Cobalt Turquoise

Finetec metallic pans are also fab.

Make sure youíve got a warm metallic (like a gold)

and a cool metallic (like a silver.)

The other color besides gold and silver I use frequently is the Blue Pearl - it shifts from a warm silver to an electric blue in different lighting.

Neon Watercolors whether they come in pans or tubes, are (believe it or not) REALLY valuable to have. I like using them as a final touch to quietly layer dabs of the stuff on top of my work. Theyíre transparent and really do add a rich vibration that nothing else can. I find them most successful when used sparingly for a subtle glowing effect.

BRUSH----------------------------

ï Pentel Aquash Water Brush - FINE. This is the cheapest and bestest most fabulous brush I have. I donít fill it with water, just love that itís sharp and snappy, keeps a point and can be protected by itís cap. GET the fine - it works best. And donít rely on other brands to do as good a job. This one really is the best.

MISCELLANEOUS---------------

ï Mechanical pencil to line paper

ï Soft pencil that is dark enough to sketch without creasing paper and can be erased easily. My fave is a Blaclwing 602

ï White eraser

ï Kneaded eraser (I buy 2 and smush them together.)

ï Tombow Mono Sand and Rubber Eraser 510A

ï Ruler

ï Water container

ï Paper towels or towel

ï Washi Tape, bone folder, and postage stamps for envelopes

ï Pencil Sharpener (I have an electric Bostitch but it doesnít easily fit all of my pencils. Many students have expressed satisfaction with these two brands: Quiet Sharp Classroom Electric Pencil Sharpener and X-Acto School Pro or Teacher Pro Electric Pencil Sharpener

ïDo I get to keep the recordings forever?

YES! But you must download them. Two weeks after the class ends, Iíll be putting your files to bed in cold storage, so make sure to download your own copies.