Fraktur Calligraphy Workshop

About the course

This live online workshop (via Zoom) explores the beauty of Fraktur, a blackletter style known for its refinement and expressiveness. Over three sessions, you’ll build a strong foundation in the essentials, then move into advanced techniques and subtle variations, opening the way to develop your own style within this historical script. Recordings are included after each lesson, so you can revisit anytime or learn at your own pace.

Experience: The class is suitable for both beginners and more experienced calligraphers.

Language: The class will be conducted entirely in English.

Schedule: Tuesdays, October 21, October 28, November 4.

All sessions start at 6 PM (Warsaw Time) and last for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

A Note on Time: Europe ends Daylight Saving Time on October 27 (between sessions 1 and 2), which may affect your local time. You can use this converter to confirm your local time for each date. I’ll send a reminder before session 2 to avoid any confusion.

Recordings: I’ll provide recordings of each session, available for your review for three months, allowing you to learn at your own pace and revisit key concepts as needed.

Course Outline:

Day 1: A brief historical introduction and overview of inspirations, followed by style basics, fundamental strokes, letterforms, and spacing. We will practice minuscule while addressing unique challenges within each group of letters.

Day 2: In the second lesson, we will focus on Fraktur capitals, analyzing their structure, features, and variations. The session will also include a discussion on the modularity of capital letterforms.

Day 3: At the start of lesson three, you will learn about diacritics, ligatures, numbers, and punctuation marks. Then, we will explore possible style variations that will enrich your calligraphy and inspire further practice.

Homework & Feedback: After completing the first and second classes, I will assign you homework to submit for my review.

Comprehensive Handouts: Throughout the workshop, I'll provide detailed handouts filled with exemplars, letterform variations, exercises, helpful hints, and more.

Supply list (not included in workshop fee):

• Broad-Edge Nibs & Penholders: I recommend 3–4 mm for the main part of the class. During class 3, I'll also use smaller and larger sizes. My favourite nibs for Fraktur are Brause Bandzug or Speedball C, but any suitable broad-edge nib will work.
• Alternative: Pilot Parallel Pen (3.8 mm)
• Ink/Gouache: Use a good quality, black, non-waterproof ink or fine gouache (Schminke, Winsor & Newton, and Talens).
• Practice Paper: A3 paper pads suitable for drills – not too heavy so you can see guidelines through. Examples: Fabriano Schizzi, Daler Rowney Fine Grain, Canson Marker.
• Tools: Pencil, ruler, eraser for notes and guidelines.
• Accessories: Rag, containers for water/paint, and a small brush for ink loading.

Class size:

Maximum attendees: 35

If you have any questions about the workshop or registration, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. The contact info is available below the workshop description.

About me

I’m a designer, letter artist, and calligrapher based in Katowice, Poland. I’m also an academic teacher at the Graphic Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. In 2022 I earned my Ph.D. for the work on methodology and visual systems for teaching calligraphy to graphic design students.

I conducted numerous live calligraphy workshops in Poland and elsewhere in places like Helsinki, Bratislava, Zaragoza, and Zlin, to name a few. In addition, since 2016, I have run regular calligraphy workshops for the Academy’s students. I’ve been successfully running online classes for two years now, having the opportunity to work with students from all over the world.