The Society for Calligraphy & Handwriting (SCH) holds workshops twice a year, in the Fall and the Spring. View our resources page for a suggested basic kit to bring. Additional items to bring specific to the workshop will be listed in each workshop description or given after registration. For everyone’s comfort, please arrive in class fragrance free.
SCH offers scholarships for our workshops. Please see the SCH Scholarship application for more information.
The Poetic Pen: A Study in Italian Hand with Heather Victoria Held
Date: March 4, 11, 18, and 25 , 2023
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific
Location: Online via Zoom; Each session will be recorded and available for 2 months after the last date.
The study of Italian Hand is the key to unlocking all other script hands and will free your hand with the pointed pen. Described as playful, joyful, and exuberant by its early writing masters, Italian Hand reaches back to the first decade of the 1600’s and was prominently used until the mid 1860’s. This mercantile script is a narrow and graceful hand, made distinctive through its unusual use of shading. Often called “blob top or club top” lettering, this hand evolved out of italic hands and appears throughout history in various forms. Although it was historically marketed as the simplest of all script hands, it can look confusing until it is demystified. The lowercase forms are very simple to learn. The capitals are varied and can take the form of Standard Roundhand or the more complex reverse shaded letterforms.
Throughout The Poetic Pen class, we will simplify the capital forms while striving to perfect the shading on the lowercase forms. We will work on establishing a rhythm of writing and create a beautiful calligraphic handwriting. We will explore various European influences of the capital letters. The end goal of this class is not to copy a historic hand but to help unlock its mysteries and bring it forward into this century. The course will help you merge your pace of thinking with these beautifully whimsical letter forms. The practice of Italian Hand will help lighten your touch as you approach other script hands. This workshop welcomes any skill level from novice to advanced even if this is your first experience with a pointed pen hand.
Heather Victoria Held is a Canadian freelance-lettering artist who operates The Victorian Pen studio in St. George, Ontario. She has studied extensively with Master Penman Michael Sull and Master Penman Brian Walker. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Spencerian Heritage Award given through Michael Sull at the Spencerian Saga. She was a long time member of Master Penman Brian Walker’s Spencerian Review Study Group, CLAS, The Copperplate Special Interest Group, and a faculty member of several International Calligraphy Conferences.
For more information and to register please see the workshop flyer.
The Book of Kells with Gemma Black
Date: October 30th, November 1st and 3rd, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Pacific
Location: Online via Zoom
Mark your calendar! More details to come.
Mixed Media with Rebecca Wild
Date: March 23rd and 24th, 2024
Time: TBA
Location: In-person at the Titan Robotics Warehouse in Redmond, WA
Mark your calendar! More details to come.