August/September 2018 Mono Linear Lettering: Cursive Crush & Open-Shaded Script 6-Week Online Course w/ Anne-Davnes Elser

7 Sessions | All Levels | Price: $200 ** | Min 4 Max 24 | Tues mornings from 10AM-12:30PM EDT Aug 14 - Sep 25 beginning w/ one optional 1-hour practice session on Aug 14 from 6-7PM.

This class or workshop is suitable for calligraphers, tweens, and all adults.

Class Schedule: We will meet Tuesday mornings from 6PM-8:30PM EDT for 7 weeks. Our first meeting is a brief intro and dry-run test call on Tue Aug 14 from 10-11am EDT. Course instruction officially begins the following Tuesday, Aug 21st and goes from 10am-12:30pm EDT.

This is a LIVE class, which is recorded for your enjoyment and review, then uploaded to a class folder on my Dropbox site each of our 6 weeks of class time together. If you ever have to miss a class, you can always check back later to watch what you missed abd 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.

When registration closes, I will email a permanent weblink to you. 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. And that's it! Google may ask you to download their software and if they do, just follow their prompts.

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

Here's the class schedule:

Week 0 • Tuesday Aug 14, 2018 ---> Google Hangout Dry Run Test Call (30 mins) 10-11AM EDT

Week 1 • Tuesday Aug 21, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Week 2 • Tuesday Aug 28, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Week 3 • Tuesday Sep 04, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Week 4 • Tuesday Sep 11, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Week 5 • Tuesday Sep 18, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Week 6 • Tuesday Sep 25, 2018, 10AM-12:30PM EDT

Shortly before our first class you will receive a 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 conveneince. This makes it easier for students to keep up with the class if you cannot participate live.

Note: these videos will take a day or two 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. Please allow for at least a day and a half after a class date before you go searching for any content of that class.

Week 1-3: Cursive Crush

The speed of digital communication today has gifted us with more time to pursue things we love. But somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten how good it feels to use a writing instrument to record our thoughts for ourselves and to those we love. Writing, and the time it takes to produce letterforms, is good for the body, mind, and spirit. It is also a gift to the recipient, who holds your elevated thoughts in their hands, literally, and with far more consideration and pause than through a text or email.

The child of Spencerian calligraphy, Cursive Handwriting is not forgotten, because we have made a table for you to come join us in one fun and joyous day of lettering. Students will learn (or re-learn!) capitals and lower case letterforms, through formal exercises in structure, rhythm and flow - all standards similar to those taught not that long ago.

Time is spent on spacing and lower case characters. Later we’ll dance with capitals and dive right into an envelope addressing/letter writing project.

Week 4-6: Open-Shaded Script

The second half of this class or workshop is spent on the construction of open-shaded letterforms based on principles of script writing done with pointed pen.

Using a mono linear tool to describe the contour of a shaded stroke offers insight into its construction with its native tools, the broad-edge, pointed pen, or paint brush. Drawing these letter forms is not only useful in sketching out and planning of larger projects to be later filled in with ink, I believe they are also valid and beautiful class of letter forms in and of themselves. Because these letter forms are drawn with tools more commonly used today, they are the style I use more frequently in my every day writing, and therefore, have become more useful and precious to me than anything created with a dip pen. I am constantly writing letters and notes, whether on a chalkboard for my students, wedding signage for clients, fabric labels, canvas bags, handkerchiefs, monograms, journal pages, letters to friends, and much more.

Rendering a shade with a contour line offers the artist another opportunity to love the letter and learn more about the letter, and deepen your understanding of its relationship with other forms and unique features. Expression of the universal line of beauty need not be restricted to our ability to carry a pointed pen and ink well around with us every day. We can, with any mono linear tool and at any moment, study and celebrate our love of these forms with a crayon on the back of a paper menu, a pencil at the top of a grocery list, a marker labeling a box of preserved memories or a bag of home-made treats for a friend, the inside label of our child’s school uniform, every page in our journal entries, letters to friends, notes to beloved partners, and even our fingers in the sand.

Supply List:

Paper for practice:

• Bienfang Graphics 360 9’’x12’’ 100% Rag Marker Pad OR Borden & Riley 9’’x12’’ 100s Smooth Cotton Comp Pad

Paper for envelopes and final projects: Pick at least one

or ALL if you’re wanting to try a variety.

• Strathmore Calligraphy Writing Paper Pad 8.5 x 11.

• Classic Crest Antique Gray 24 lb. Smooth Writing Paper. This comes in a ream of 500 8.5 x 11 sheets and works very well with fountain pen ink. Buy at www.neenahpaper.com.

• Southworth Resumé paper by Neenah. Office Supply stores sell this as well as amazon.com. Comes in white or ivory and has two weights: 24lb and 32 lb. I’ve used both for folding letters/envelopes.

• Optional Letter-writing paper or for practice:

Fidelity Onion Skin Paper. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff. Purchase at ThePaperMillStore.com. Item # ONSKN-N. It’s very thin and a delight to write on with a fountain pen and is VERY transparent. I use this for writing letters and for practice during class.

Pens:

• My ultimate favorite mono linear tool is a fine-nib fountain pen. Mine is a MontBlanc LaGrande Meisterstuck. I’ve had students who have taken this course tell me that once they invested in a fountain pen, they set aside all the pens they had been using at home because a fountain pen is luxurious to write with as it glides across paper and as the wet ink dries and pools at the end of a stroke. You don’t need an expensive one. Start with a Lamy on the low end (Amazon and jetpens.com are both great places to look.) For ink, my faves are transparent grey inks: MontBlanc/Oyster Grey and Kiri-Same/Iroshizuku. These come in bottles and you’ll have to make sure you get a converter for your fountain pen instead of a box of cartridges, so you can fill your pen with bottled ink (more economical but a little more high-maintenance.)

• A variety of ultra fine, fine, and medium point pens (for wide markers make sure to get bullet point and not chisel). These need to be your favorites. Listed below are pens I’ve loved and used in the past.

• Pentel Slicci 025 pen (Super ultra tiny, smooth and can be scratchy if you press too hard. Wonderful for precise and tiny lettering.)

• Pentel Hybrid Technica pen

• Sakura Gel Pens. My faves are the Black Glaze and white (the white looks pretty boss on black paper).

Misc:

• Mechanical Pencil (for drawing guides.)

• Eraser

• Metal ruler

• Scissors

• Decorative Washi Tape (for envelopes.)

• Bone Folder (for envelopes.)

• Postage Stamps (for envelopes.)

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Google Hangout Technical Notes:

For the Google Hangout to work, you'll need to be using a set of headphones during demo time to plug into your computer. During instruction, your microphones should be muted, but cameras on. This cuts down on background noise while I am demonstrating. However, when we begin introductions, and for class discussion after each exercise is completes, you should be unmuted so we can all have a lively disucssion! So please purchase a pair of earbuds if you don't already have a set.

Click here to read what Google has to say about participating in a Google Hangout. From my experience, here are some things you can do to improve your online experience and some trouble shooting if any technical issues come up.

• Quit all other open applications on your device that are actively using the internet.

• Ask other members of your household not to use the internet/wifi while you're streaming the class

• Make sure you're as close as you can get to your router (that box that has all the wires and gives you wifi). You can still have a good connection to your router of it's in a different room in your home, but large mirrors and other large devices can interfere with reception. Note that you may have great success even without taking these measures - this is just my practice here at home.

• If your connection isn't the greatest (poor image or no sound/video), hang up the call and return. Upon returning, if it hasn't improved, quit your browser and restart your computer. That ALWAYS helps.

• If your camera suddenly goes blank, use the camera icon at the top of your screen to toggle it off and on again.

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More information:

• Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com

About Anne

After earning a BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduate studies in Graphic Design at The Portfolio Center, Anne Elser began her artistic career as a painter, bookbinder, designer, and calligrapher. With over 20 years teaching experience, her students often report how fulfilling the classroom experience is, prompting both personal and artistic transformations. Anne's classes are also FUN and full of laughter. Students find the sense of community she inspires enriching and entertaining.

She currently teaches private lessons in person and on-line from her home studio in Decatur, classes and workshops year round at Binder Art Supply in Buckhead and at their Ponce City Market location, occasional workshops at The Spruill Center for the Arts, and classes and workshops at Aikido Decatur. She also travels in the states and abroad conducting workshops.

Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country, and for both private and corporate clients such as Tiffany&Co, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Paces Papers, Landor, Martha Stewart Weddings, Belk, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Clicquot Veauvé, World50, Ogilvy, and more.

Artist, calligrapher, teacher, mother, and friend, Anne believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all.

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FAQs

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

This is an adult class. Childrens classes coming soon!

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

This is an online class.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Send Anne an email to: PenKitten@Anne Elser.com

What's the refund policy?

Refunds are not available at this time.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No.

Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?

No.

Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends?

Yes. If you purchased this class or workshop as a gift, please let me know the name of the person taking the class when you register.

If this is an online class and I can't be there live, how do I participate?

Every single class is live so that we can all interact with each other. I record EVERY class and upload this file immediately after class ends. You may stream the recording and you may also download and keep it. I record my classes so that students can still participate if they can't attend because of illness, time zone differences, or other issues. If in the event a recording malfunction occurs, I upload a brief review of the class, using the notes and pages I already created. I also upload images of my pages for you to view and keep for your personal use. If you can't be there.

How do I participate in the envelope exchange at the end of the class?

You must be in the live class to participate int he weekly envelope exchange. You must also add your mailing address to the dropbox file we create during our first intro meeting. You can leave your mailing address as a comment. Please be sure to cover up a portion of the envelope addres if you'd like to share your work via social media.

How do I receive feedback on my homework?

You may upload your homework and share on social media but if you'd like me to see it, you need to TAG ME. (@anneelser) on Instagram or Anne-Davnes Elser on Facebook. This is a wonderful way to keep in touch with the progress of your classmates and with me! If you'd rather be more private, go ahead and email me your work and we can correspond that way.

How soon after a class ends, will I be able to view it online?

It generally takes 12-24 hours for a class recording to fully upload.