New Calligraphy Classes Coming Up

I'm so excited to share with you a few new calligraphy classes! We are certainly keeping busy around here. Maybe it's the spring, but I've always enjoyed playing around with flex nibs and dip pens, and what better time than this new season to freshen up. Of course we continue to have classes for our Introduction to Calligraphy and Introduction to Pointed Pen - you can visit both of these links to see all available dates. We're thrilled to be getting such good use out of our new Wonder Pens Toronto Calligraphy Studio, which is just down the hall from our class. The separate space means teachers and students have room to stretch and to concentrate (or chat!) without distractions. Also, I've been spending some time there with the dog to get some "real work" done, although I am prone to distractions even when I'm alone in an empty room with a sleeping dog. All-Ages Calligraphy Class - Saturday, April 30th from 1:30-4:30 Coming up very soon (this Saturday!) is our first All-Ages calligraphy class. We've had a lot of questions about whether or not kids can attend the regular classes, and the short answer is no. There are a lot of reasons, and while it's mostly due to the speed of teaching, it's also the difference in development of fine motor skills between kids and adults, the comfort level of other adults in the class, and the need for teachers to work with individuals students in a balanced manner. But now, we're remedying this oversight by offering our first class where kids can attend with a parent or older sibling, or older kids can even attend on their own! It's an introductory class, so you can attend with zero prior experience, and all materials are provided. You can see more details online here. Intermediate Italics - Saturday, May 14th from 1:30-4:30 If you've taken one of our Introduction to Calligraphy Classes and are looking for the next step, this is it. Intermediate Italics covers this beautiful hand in more detail and depth, building on skills you've already learned or begun to practise. There is no official prerequisite, as in you don't have to have taken the Introduction to Calligraphy class with us, but the course will be taught assuming you've already had some introduction of the basics. Mark Lurz, head of the Calligraphic Arts Guild of Toronto, is teaching the class, and I cannot speak more highly of him, both as a calligrapher but also as a teacher. See more details and register here. Intermediate Copperplate Calligraphy - Saturday, June 11 from 10:30 to 5:00 Another big new class for us! Salman Khattak is now preparing for our upcoming Intermediate Copperplate Calligraphy Class. This 6-hour intensive, class will be a small class size and a focused exploration of copperplate calligraphy (with a break for lunch halfway through). You'll be covering the foundations of learning copperplate calligraphy. This is an intermediate class, meaning you will have had some basic knowledge of using dip pens and applying varying pressure. Rest assured, though, that Salman will be teaching you this beautiful style of writing from the ground up. For this class, you will likely already have your own oblique nib holder and tools to bring, but you have the option of purchasing an oblique nib holder from Salman if you don't already have one - selection from the drop down menu to register for the class as well as purchase materials (oblique nib holder, nibs + ink). Paper will be provided for everyone. You can see more details and register for this class here. Unfortunately these hand made wooden oblique nib holders will not be available for purchase outside of this class. Salman is offering these at a discounted price as part of registering for the class. If you would like a nib holder from Salman and are unable to attend this class, you can contact him directly here or see more of his work on his Instagram. We are hoping to hold another class on carving an oblique nib holder some time this summer, so stay tuned to our website for details on that. And! Introduction to Modern Calligraphy with Melissa Chan from Olive Branch & Co - Friday, May 20th from 7pm - 9:30pm OR Friday, May 27th from 7pm - 9:30 pm I am so crazy excited to share with you that we're going to be hosting a class with Melissa from Olive Branch & Co. She is a modern calligrapher, and offers custom wedding invitations and other custom work, as well as cards and prints. Melissa is currently based in Montreal, although en route for a big move to Vancouver, but will be spending a few weeks here in Toronto, and we're thrilled that she'll be teaching two classes here in our studio while she's in town! You can see more of her work on Instagram. These classes are already filling up fast, and be careful to see that they're on Friday night, and not on Saturdays, when most of our other classes are held. All materials are provided and this is an introductory class, so no prior experience is needed.  You can register and see more details here.

 ***

That's a lot of information! But it's really because we have so much going on here these days. What a blessing, although it feels like everything is just a million never ending loose ends waiting to be tied up. I'm in charge of doing most of the ordering and emailing with our vendors and manufacturers and distributors, and most days it seems like I can hardly keep up. Every once in a while Jon looks through the email and says, oh hey, did you see this email about this deadline that passed you know, like two weeks ago?? And I look away and try to pretend that Caleb is in need of attention. If it's a really old email, I pretend like Caleb is doing something to get into trouble. I just responded to a letter I found in a box by my desk from January. I think that might be a record low for me, but who's keeping track. The exciting news is that I only found the letter because I was sorting and re-sorting my stationery (you know, priorities) when I found this beautiful cabinet on Kijiji! The very next day it arrived through our doors, and it now houses some of my favourite things. One day I'm going to really organize and sort through everything, and maybe even do a blog post on the treasures of my new stationery cabinet, but for now, here's a photo I shared last week on Instagram.