Round & Robust: Exploring Uncial

2-Day (9+ hour) Workshop Available through June 1, 2022

Beginner – Advanced
Lettering

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Description

Uncial was the preeminent calligraphic style used in the first millennium for transcribing religious texts on parchment. Today this style endures with beautifully solid yet graceful letterforms, ideal for evoking not only antiquity and clarity, but also playfulness, fluidity and fun. Whether you are new to uncial or a seasoned “uncialist” in need of a brush up, this course is perfect for you. After a brief review of where uncial fits into the history of letterforms, we jump right in with the structure, spacing, variations and flourishing of the 26 letters. There is time for hands-on practice, and opportunities to sit back and observe demonstrations as well.

Supplies

PAPER

  • A good pad or ream of practice paper, whatever you like working on. The letterforms we will be creating are 3½ to 4 pen widths tall, and I’d suggest you PRE-RULE your paper if you are starting with plain unruled paper.
    If you are new to this and need some hand-holding, please contact me (see below).
  • If you don’t already have paper on hand, here are some suggestions.
  • Borden and Riley “Paris Paper for Pens” #234, 11×17 or 14×17.
  • Bienfang Calligraphy practice pad, #206
  • Staples bright white 28 pound (available in letter size…but get larger if you can)
  • Many like the John Neal practice pad: Item #P-21 at www.johnnealbooks.com
    This is primarily a lettering class and I encourage practice, practice, practice. But it is also important to apply your beautiful letterforms to something other than a practice pad, so if you want to work on a small project, consider having a sheet of some “nicer” paper at hand. Your choice: watercolor paper, Mi Tientes, or other art paper.

PENS

I would recommend:

  • Pilot Parallel Pen (the green cap 3.8 mm size or blue cap 6.0 mm size would be good to start). Be sure to get some refill cartridges!
  • If you prefer dip pens, use what you like working with: Brause, Mitchell, Speedball, even crisp new calligraphy markers will work.
    What size nibs to get? Every pen nib company has a different numbering system, so I cannot give a specific size. Consider a medium nib, something about 1/8” (4 mm) in width for practicing, and other sizes, both larger and smaller, if you want to work on a project.

INK/PAINT

INK

Some good practice ink is enough. Examples include: Higgins Eternal, Higgins Sepia, Walnut ink, etc. Ironically, I haven’t had very good experience with Higgins Calligraphy ink. But that’s just me.

PAINT

If you like working with gouache or acrylics or watercolors, be sure to have a water can, mixing palette, mixing brushes and some paper towels at hand.

DRAFTING AND NOTE-TAKING MATERIALS

Metal ruler or t-square big enough to rule lines across the paper you have.
Pencil (#2 or harder), and eraser
Pen/pencil and pad/notebook

SOURCE MATERIAL

A lyric, passage, poem, or short verse that you can use to create a final project. Keep it modest in size (a couple of sentences maximum).

Janet Takahashi

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WORKSHOP LINKS

YUKIMI ANNAND
Sequence: Journey of Experimental Calligraphy

SUZIE BERINGER
The Unconventional Pointed Pen

GEMMA BLACK
Drawing the Fibonacci Sequence

IVAN CASTRO
Basic Rudolf Koch:
Blackletter Und Neuland

ANNIE CICALE
Value Contrast: Exploring the Grey Areas
Word Meets Image on the Page

BARBARA CLOSE
Letters & Blossoms
Graphite Explorations

SUZANNE CUNNINGHAM
Beginning Copperplate Script

JUDY DETRICK
A Letter and a Rectangle

CAROL DUBOSCH
Ben Shahn Lettering

JESSIE FORA
(M) Handwritten: The Art of Tattoo Lettering

RISA GETTLER
(M) Painting Knotty Letters
Visigothic Versals

TAMER GHONEIM
Gothic Lettering Magic with Procreate
Blackletter Circles on Steroids

MIKE GOLD
Breaking the Rules
Spontaneous Creation
(M) Variations in A

HEATHER HELD
The Glittering Vine
Victorian Frames & Labels

NANCY HILLS
(M) Learning to Sketch Out Celtic Knots

THOMAS HOYER
Dynamic Textures
Ruling Pens Beyond the Rules
The Alchemist’s Magic

CARRIE IMAI
Playful Letters
(T) Mastering Italic

GINA JONAS
(M) A Meditative Calligraphy Technique

SALMAN KHATTAK
(M) Pen to Pixels
(M) Lines & Tines

MARTA MAPELLI
Expressive Pointed Italic
Pointed Brush

HEATHER MARTINEZ
(M) Learn to Sketchnote!

HOLLY MONROE
Decorated Letters
Italic Lettering - Basics & Beyond
(M) The Business of Calligraphy
(M) Lettering on Vellum

SUZANNE MOORE
In the Glow of Gouache
Page Dazzle: Patent Leaf Gilding

LORNA MULLIGAN
Loosening Up With Calligraphy & Paint

MICHELE NIDENOFF
(M) Decorative Borders w/Simple Tools
(M) Watercolor & Lettering with Masking Techniques

CORA PEARL
Monoline Lettering with a 'B' Nib
Monoline Lettering Techniques
(T) Foundation Tune-up Class

SALLY PENLEY
Sensational Sumi!
(M) Pastel Dusting Technique
(M) Pleated Scroll Book

JAN PICKETT
Creative Colour for All Occasions
Embossing with Extra Pizazz!
Letters Unlimited

ALI RICCARDO
Graffiti Writing - The New York Lesson
Rudolf Says

ROBBIE SASLOW
(M) Playing With Pens & Pencils
Round & Robust: Exploring Uncial
Simple & Semitic

LINDA SCHNEIDER
The Graceful Marker: Pointed Brush Script
Calligraphy on the Go!

CAROL MEASURES SCOTT
(M) Captivating Color in Calligraphy

MARINA SORIA
The Empty Space, Womb of Shape

JACQUELINE SULLIVAN
Cold Wax Calligraphic Abstracts
(M) Calligraphy & Mark Making with the Gel Plate
(M) Mini Book Madness

JANET TAKAHASHI
The Art of Miniature Painting & Lettering
Sketching Flowers with Watercolors & Ink

NINA TRAN
Flourishes Unraveled

ELMO VAN SLINGERLAND
Broad-edged pen: Roman Capitals

MARK VAN STONE
Versals
Versals & White Vine Decoration

JURGEN VERCAEMST
Colorful Lettering Composition

JULIE WILDMAN
Akim Variations and Long Compositions

ELEANOR WINTERS
Gothicized Italic