Category: learn calligraphy and lettering

Winter 2019 Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering Class Dates

We are excited to roll out Winter 2019 dates for modern calligraphy and hand lettering classes in Seattle! We purposely curated classes that haven’t been on the roster for a while and selected a few that are back by request!

Winter 2019 Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering Classes in Seattle by Lark Lettering
This will give you an idea of the tools we use for each class and what the finished project looks like!

First up: Pointed Pen Calligraphy where we use nib and ink, the same tools that have been used for millennia, to learn calligraphy. Happening this Saturday, January 12 from 11am to 2pm at Sweetgrass Food Co. Beginners welcome!

Pointed Pen Calligraphy – Saturday, January 12

Secondly, Hand Lettering and Design. We will learn 3 hand lettered alphabets — cursive, serif and sans serif — and primarily use pencil and pen to draw letters and simple illustrations. We will spend the second half of lass to work on a project, so think of a short phrase of 3 to 5 words that you would like to letter. Most of our classes are suitable for beginners, though we recommend having a little background in calligraphy or design before taking this class as it is nearly twice as long and moves rather quickly. This will be on Saturday, January 19 at Fran’s Chocolatesin Georgetown from 11am to 4pm-ish.

Hand Lettering and Design – Saturday, January 19

Third up, Urban Lettering is a loose, casual script font and sans serif font using a round paintbrush and watercolor ink. You’ll see this style used frequently in cookbooks and in social media. This class will be at Sweetgrass on Saturday, February 2 from 11am to 2pm.

Urban Lettering – Saturday, February 2

Come letter with us! We have a blast in class (as our students will attest) and we keep our classes small so everyone receives personalized feedback.

Happy New Year!

Hi, 2019. Nice to meet you, let’s be friends.

We’re excited to turn the page and embrace fresh beginnings. Join us for some exciting winter events in the coming weeks, including a meetup and our first classes of the year:

  • Type Treatment calligraphy meetup this Saturday, January 5 at 10am at Fran’s Chocolates. This is a great way to meet like minded creatives — BYO art supplies!
  • Intro to Pointed Pen Calligraphy on Saturday, January 12 at 11am at Sweetgrass Food Co. Using the pen, nib, and ink that have been used for millennia in calligraphy, we will explore modern calligraphy using the dip pen. This is a great way for beginners to get introduced to the art form!
  • Intro to Hand Lettering and Design on Saturday, January 19 from 11am to 4ish pm at Fran’s Chocolates. This class will introduce you to several different hand lettered alphabets and involves drawing letters rather than using modern calligraphy pressurized techniques to get the thin and thick lines. After the alphabet introduction, we’ll lean into design fundamentals and learn different methods for integrating design and illustration into your composition. While we have had beginners attend this class, we recommend a background in lettering and design.
  • Urban Lettering on Saturday, February 2 from 11am to 2pm at Sweetgrass Food Co. This class utilizes a paintbrush and watercolors and you’ll be introduced to a loose urban alphabet in both a printed and cursive font. This style of lettering is what you see frequently in cookbooks and is all the rage!

What are your new years resolutions for 2019? Comment below!

Watercolor Lettering Demo + Workshop at Daniel Smith Fine Art Supply Store

This holiday season, we’re excited to bring you a series of events at the Daniel Smith Fine Art Supply Store in Seattle. If you haven’t had the pleasure of going to Daniel Smith yet, this will be a real treat for you! It’s a warehouse full of art supplies and the kindest human beings, making it my go-to for art supplies in town. Their watercolors are simply sumptuous.

Watercolors are my favorite medium to letter with — they give you so much freedom, the color combinations are limitless, and the texture has a certain je ne se quois that is unparalleled.

On Sunday, November 18 from 11am to 12:30pm, we’ll be leading a free Watercolor Lettering demo, introducing you to our favorite watercolor supplies — paper, brushes, and paints — and demonstrate how they work to create a lovely finished project.

Watercolor Lettering – Saturday, December 1 from 10:30am to 2:30pm at Daniel Smith Fine Art Supplies

Then on Saturday, December 1 from 10:30 – 2:30pm, we’re going to teach a Watercolor Lettering workshop. During the class, you’ll learn how to mix watercolor paints with water and blending colors together to achieve your favorite colors. Then we’ll explore modern calligraphy techniques and spend the rest of the class learning a playful brush lettering alphabet using paint brush and watercolors. Since this class is one hour longer than usual, you’ll have extra time to work on a lettering project with your newfound watercolor lettering skills!

These will be our last public lettering events of the year, so we hope you’ll join us! Find details and register here for the free Watercolor Lettering demo and Watercolor Lettering workshop.

Save on Spring Lettering Workshops

For those of you who have been asking about spring classes, our next Lettering Workshop is on Saturday, April 7 at Fran’s Chocolates and will be all about brush lettering. This is a beginner level class (stay tuned for more intermediate classes!) and we will be learning lettering techniques with brush markers. We will go through the lowercase alphabet together. To celebrate the arrival of spring, you can save 15% off spring classes through Sunday, March 25! We also have a watercolor lettering class in May. Details and registration here!

Here’s a sneak peak at Fran’s Chocolates headquarters in Georgetown: 

Class will be held at the grand table below:


In other news, I spent 10 minutes at DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials yesterday (my local go-to for art supplies) looking for the perfect yellow brush marker. Apparently it’s hard to translate yellow into a marker, but much easier to capture in a paint. In case you’re wondering, it’s Faber-Castell USA Dark Chrome Yellow 109.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts for the Letterer on Your List

Christmas is a mere week away and if you have a letterer on your list, here are a few of my favorite things that work for last minute gifts — and for every budget! Links are included for speedy shopping and delivery.

$ – Calligraphy + Lettering Stocking Stuffers

Paint supplies

Do you have an aspiring watercolor lettering artist on your list? Here’s a few gifts they’ll love!

A tube of Daniel Smith fine watercolor

Paint palette

Princeton Snap paintbrushes – The 4 round is my go-to brush for brush lettering, or you can buy the whole 4-pack.

Markers

Tombow Beginning Lettering Marker Set – Nicely packaged, this kit gathers all the basics together for a beginner. Even people who have been lettering for a while will appreciate fresh supplies.

Tombow N00 for blending – Using this blender, you can create a watercolor-like blend between two or more colors.

Tombow Pastel Markers – These pastel colors can be tough to find in stores, so nab a kit online!

Speedball Textbook – This is a terrific resource with a variety of fonts and mini tutorials. Plus, it’s on its 24th Edition, so you can’t go wrong.

$$ – Calligraphy and Lettering Gifts that Wow

Light box for tracing. Don’t underestimate the power of tracing on aiding in artistic development!

Lettering / Art books:

Modern Calligraphy Workshop – I regularly reference the alphabets that are contained in this book.

Hand Lettering A to Z – This book has a ton of playful hand lettered alphabets.

Modern Florals by Alli Koch – If you like the look of florals drawn with thin line art, you’ll love this.

Everyday Watercolor by Mon Voir – A great foundation for watercolor technique and color theory. Plus a few of us from the Lark Lettering community took her workshop in Seattle and she’s a total gem.

Intro to Brush Lettering Workbook by yours truly! – The framework for the Lark Lettering in-person Brush Lettering workshop, this workbook will lead the reader through the process to develop lovely letters. Plus, it’s on sale through the holidays!

$$$ – Calligraphy and Lettering Gifts to Knock their Socks Off!

Subscription to Skillshare – Many of the world’s leading artists have workshops offered on Skillshare, including renown letterers Timothy Goodwin and Gemma O’Brien.

Annual subscription to Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud – For folks who want to get into digitizing their lettering, Photoshop is a must-have.

Workshop with Lark Lettering. What better way to start off the new year than learning a skill and meeting new friends? We like to create an experience at our workshops and keep our classes intimate so you receive personalized feedback from your instructor. Upcoming workshops in January include Urban Lettering and Hand Lettering and Design.

For an extra special experience, find some butcher’s paper and paint or marker to create your own personalized gift wrapping. Your gifts will stand out under the tree!

Don’t forget to treat yourself this holiday season, so if you see something you like, why wait? Gift it to yourself! What’s on your wish list this year?

Seattle Holiday Lettering Workshops

We have a great lineup of events happening in Seattle to get you geared up for the holidays! Here’s a list of events that you can plug into:

Brush Lettering Basics – Free Demo
Saturday, November 18 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Daniel Smith Art Supplies: 4150 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134

In this complimentary demo, you’ll learn about the originals of modern calligraphy and fundamentals such as how to hold your pen and warm-ups. We’ll even show you a few fun ways to add depth to your lettering art!

Intro to Modern Calligraphy: Pointed Pen
Saturday, December 2 from 11:00am to 2:00pm
Seattle

Pointed Pen Calligraphy hearkens back to the foundations of Modern Calligraphy where you dip a pen into ink to write.

Intro to Modern Calligraphy: Uppercase Letterforms 
Saturday, December 2 from 3:00 – 6:00pm
Seattle

This class can be taken with either pointed pen or brush marker, depending on your preference. Let us know in the check-out what you prefer.

Holiday Lettering: Make Your Own Holiday Cards 
Sunday, December 3 from 5:00 to 7:00pm
Jujubeet Cafe, 10246 Main St A, Bellevue, WA 98004

We only host this once a year! You’ll get a crash course in hand lettering, then you’ll design a unique holiday card and make liners for envelopes for the people on your Christmas card list this year.

Brush Lettering Basics
Saturday, December 9 from 10am to 1pm
Daniel Smith Art Supplies: 4150 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134

If you were at the Brush Lettering Demo, this is a great next step in your lettering journey! In this workshop we’ll go through Lark Lettering’s modern calligraphy alphabet, then we’ll explore a few fun ways to add depth in your lettering practice.

For details and registration, visit our Workshops page.