The Calligraphy Society of Ottawa

Paste paper had its origins about 450 years ago when book binders added paint to their paste and used it to make patterned paper, thus creating inexpensive decorated paper for end papers. Many of us first encountered paste paper in primary school where it is known as finger painting. More recently calligraphers realized that paste makes an excelle…

Have you:

• taken a beginner course but life happened and you haven't touched a pen in years?
• learnt a script but still confused about some letters?
• enjoyed a beginners course but don't know where to go next?

If the answer is yes to these or any other calligraphy questions, then this one day workshop is designed for you. This workshop…

Since the great German calligrapher/type designer Fritz Poppl started using ruling pens in the 1950s, the Ruling Pen (also folded pen, cola pen etc) has shown at least two personalities: a wonderful tool for:

1. careful drawing letters and graphics, including capitals and finished work, and
2. for expressive textural writing and mark making. …

We will start with normal alphabets and then squish and stretch them in different ways to create new misshapen letterfoms. These new shapes from your imagination can make a statement by themself or can be the center point of a calligraphy piece.

An existential question for calligraphers is whether theirs is an art or a craft; let us not look for answers, but instead embrace the question.

For the first day, you'll revisit the elements of design through the medium of the written letter with a series of structured but exciting visual exercises. Learn or revisit creative problem-solving st…