What Happens at a Calligraphy Workshop: What to Expect
So you’re interested in attending or hosting a calligraphy workshop! Hooray! This post is all about what happens at a calligraphy workshop and what to expect. Calligraphy workshops are a unique, out-of-the-box creative group experience perfect for a girls’ night, bachelorette party, bridal shower, birthday, corporate team-building event, and private parties of all kinds! Bonus: no handwriting skills required, I promise! 😉
Who Am I?
I’m Sarah, a calligrapher based out of Waukesha and serving southeastern Wisconsin! I love sharing my love of calligraphy with others through both public and private workshops. With over 8 years of teaching experience, I enjoy breaking down the art of calligraphy into simple steps that anyone can do! Aside from teaching calligraphy workshops, I also serve clients looking for envelope addressing, wedding signs, and other event needs. Additionally, I have a small, online product shop where I sell vinyl stickers, rubber stamps, art prints, and more! Learn more about me here.
Private vs. Public Workshops
I offer both public and private workshops – meaning, I host public workshops in the local community that are open to anyone to register, and I also host private workshops for people who hire me for a specific event. One of the pros of a private workshop is that the experience is fully customizable! There’s a lot more flexibility in how the night goes, and it’s also usually a smaller group, which gives everyone more hands-on teaching and practice time and makes the pace more relaxed. Public workshops are also amazing as it’s a great chance to get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, explore a new venue, AND learn a new skill!
Within both public and private workshops, I have two different types of workshops available, as I will outline next.
Types of Workshops
There are two main types of workshops that I provide. If you are looking to host a private workshop and don’t know where to start, I hope that this sparks some inspiration! If you need some assistance, please feel free to reach out and ask for guidance. I would love to help you narrow down your options and pick the right workshop for you and your event!
These workshops will take you step-by-step to creating specific projects. Project ideas include (but are not limited to): hand-lettered signs, holiday cards, party place settings, envelope addressing.
These workshops involve learning a certain skill that you can use to create your own projects in the future. Topics include (but are not limited to):
Pointed Pen Calligraphy
This is created with a pointed nib that is dipped in an inkwell. The thicks and thins of the letters are created based on pressure on the nib, allowing more or less ink to flow through.
Brush Calligraphy
This is created with a marker with a flexible brush tip. The thicks and thins of the letters are created based on pressure on the brush pen, allowing more or less of the brush to touch the page.
Faux Calligraphy
This can be created with any tool. The thicks and thins of the letters are manually filled in with just three simple steps.
What to Expect
During the workshop, you can sit back, relax, and be ready to learn! As I teach, there will be frequent pauses for hands-on practice. I’ll also spend time with each participant to make sure they understand each step and help them overcome any obstacles they may be facing.
There is no need to bring any supplies as I will be providing the calligraphy pens or markers, paper, worksheets, and other necessities for the lesson.
To help give you an idea of what the workshop will look like, the following is a sample schedule for a 2.5 hour skill-based workshop. A project-based workshop will be similar with possibly only one or two teaching sessions instead of two or three.
Teaching Session 1
I’ll start by introducing the art of calligraphy, going over what it is, how it is written,
and what tools are typically used. I’ll go more in-depth with the tool we will be using, and we will start by learning some basic strokes.
Practice Session 1
After this first lesson, we will have some hands-on practice time. Each participant will have the opportunity to put into practice what was taught. I’ll go around to each person to see how they are doing.
Teaching Session 2
In this next section of teaching, we will learn how to combine these basic strokes into letters and words. We will practice tricky letter combinations and finish with writing full words and phrases.
Practice Session 2
There will be another opportunity for hands-on practice, and I will continue working with each participant and answering any questions
Teaching/Practice Session 3
We will end with a final project – addressing an envelope with our new skills! I’ll briefly go over some tips and tricks, and then we will end with a final hands-on practice time.
After the workshop is over, you are welcome to take home all the supplies that have been provided to you! You are now ready to use your new skills in your own projects!
Interested in learning more?
I hope this has given you a closer look into what happens at a calligraphy workshop and what to expect! If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Want to learn how to make beautiful letters? I host public, private, and corporate calligraphy workshops in the greater Milwaukee area. Reach out to learn more! Upcoming public workshop: Brush Calligraphy 101 on May 21, 2022!
