Sarah Capel spends the weekend learning the ancient art of calligraphy
If there is a particular piece of written work that you want to look impressive, such as your family tree, then that is the workshop for you. In one day you can learn a calligraphic style and complete a subject-led project over a weekend. This is a chance to load your pen with black ink and glorious colour to explore the art of lettering in the lovely rural surroundings of England's secret county, Herefordshire. The groups are small, enabling the tutor, Christine Oxley, to give lots of individual attention and the projects are set with ability in mind, so there is no need to feel out of your depth.
I arrived the night before at a homely B&B tucked away in the beautiful county of Herefordshire.
Thankfully, the next day I managed to orientate myself quite easily through the quiet farm lanes to the old village school where the workshop was to be held. I was welcomed in and met with the other participants. Christine began by giving a brief history of lettering, showing us the development of the alphabet. We saw how the tools and materials influence the marks and lettershapes. It was interesting to see the variety of things we could use, such as quill brushes, even lolly sticks! She patiently encouraged us to make our first marks upon the page. I had tried before to learn from books but found that with hands-on directions, it was a lot easier to follow. We were soon able to get the ink to flow and improve on our first scratchy marks. I began to enjoy the sensation of the nib on the paper. Lots of individual demonstrations led us through the alphabet and gave us confidence to write whole words. .
Over a hearty lunch, I asked fellow students their reasons for coming on the course. The lady sitting next to me decided to learn a new skill whilst her husband enjoyed the day fishing. Oliver was a stone mason and had an interest in letters, Jo, who also enjoyed card making, wanted to be able to write verses inside her greetings. Her husband was on a trek to the nearby towns of Ludlow and Leominster.
The afternoon flew by, whilst we wrote in colour, as well as being introduced to spacing and capital letters. We even had a go at short quotations, which gave us a real sense of achievement. Some participants were coming back tomorrow to build on what we had learned, in a workshop devoted to using calligraphy with plant illustrations. By the end of the day I felt fully equipped to continue at home, having had practical guidance. I now understood the pleasure of conveying the English language in a beautiful way.
(Extract from 'Crafts Beautiful' magazine)
2008 Workshop Cost: £60 per person per day including refreshments and a light lunch. Materials will cost approximately £5.