CLAS Festival of Calligraphy
The annual CLAS Festival of Calligraphy gives everyone a chance to indulge in letters and lettering. World class tutors teach a variety of courses in lettering and associated arts such as colour, bookbinding, manuscript illumination and so on. It is also a chance to meet like-minded people and make new friends. And, it is FUN!
Make sure that you're one of the first to apply by being a CLAS member.
Leamington Spa, 21st - 26th August 2010
Details of courses and tutorsWarwickshire College,Leamington Spa Campus, CV32 5JE
Leamington Spa Campus is a large modern college with brand new accommodation. Royal Leamington Spa, just 10 minutes walk away, has a fine Georgian town centre, a Spa in the Royal Pump Rooms and one of the finest local shopping centres. The historic towns of Warwick, Coventry, Kenilworth and Stratford are within easy reach. Leamington is a direct 90-minute train journey from the London Terminals, and 30 minutes from Birmingham International Airport.
Workshops
The workshops take place during two 2 1/2 day sessions with a free afternoon, Monday, in between. Registration is on Friday afternoon with tuition starting early on Saturday morning, after a meet-the-tutor session on Friday evening. Evening lectures and sales opportunities are also planned.Accommodation
Accommodation is in single student rooms with en-suite facilities. If you would like a ground floor room for medical reasons, please indicate this on the booking form. Tuition, all meals, tea and coffee are included in the residential price. Tuition, lunch, tea and coffee, plus dinner on Friday 20th August in the non-residential price.Booking
Early booking is recommended to secure the workshops of your choice and this enables the Society to place the necessary deposit to reserve the accommodation and classrooms. All bookings received on or before 1st September 2009, will be processed together (or two weeks after the mailing, whichever is later). Draws will take place for any workshops that are oversubscribed, but for any that are not, you are welcome to book later - check for availability.You are asked to indicate your first, second and third choice of workshop from the list of five, for each session. Please do not limit yourself to only one choice as we cannot guarantee your spot.
To book and reserve your workshop places, complete and return the booking form as soon as possible with your non-refundable deposit(s) of £50 for each person, and another cheque dated 1st May 2010 for the balance (overseas cheques to be made in Sterling and drawn on a London bank). All cheques should be made payable to CLAS. Do not send credit card details by email! Contact Kathy Sedar for instructions on how to use PayPal. Send the booking form and payment to:
Festival Directors, Kathy Sedar and Marlene Gray
78 Coventry Road, Burbage, Leicestershire LE10 2HR
(Kathy's address)
Tel 01455 610506 (Kathy), 0191 5266587 (Marlene)
Email
To reduce postage costs, email will be used for correspondence whenever possible.
Fees
RESIDENTIAL Includes 6 nights accommodation from Friday 20th August, tuition, all meals, teas and coffees.| CLAS members | £525 |
| Non-CLAS members | £560 |
| Non-participants (ie no tuition) | £400 |
NON-RESIDENTIAL Includes tuition, lunches, teas and coffees, and dinner on Friday August 20th.
| CLAS members | £350 |
| Non-CLAS members | £390 |
Cancellations: if notified to us before 1st May 2010 your post-dated cheque will be returned. Should you have to cancel, please notify us as soon as possible, in order that we may offer your place to another. We regret that cancellations after 1st May cannot be refunded, so you are advised to take out 'holiday' insurance to cover this possibility.
Printable booking forms
Details of courses and tutors
MARY NOBLE
Mary Noble, HFCLAS, loves both pen and brush in her hand, and enjoys encouraging others to try them too. Graphic design trained, she taught in
adult education for 20 years, runs private classes, works to commission and
has written and co-authored with Janet Mehigan several calligraphy books.
She is a past chairman of CLAS.
Session 1 FROM EXACT TO EXUBERANT - injecting life into your writing
Nothing beats a thorough grounding in basic principles, but then we yearn to
put sparkle into our neat-and-tidy writing. Liveliness, surprisingly, has a
discipline of its own. We will try enjoying unrestrained, vigorous strokes,
and then control them so they go where we want. We shall pay attention to
pen manipulation and its many subtle effects. These two techniques will put
energy and spirit into writing. Whilst Italic is the most adaptable script
for this treatment, we shall also look at how others merit an injection of
vitality, all the while keeping in mind the integrity of the whole alphabet.
Suitable for intermediate and advanced levels.
Session 2 EXPLORING THE EDGED BRUSH
The brush does all the things a pen doesn't like to do - it writes on rough
surfaces, makes really big marks, and excels in those fading-out graduations
that produce wonderful textural effects where strokes are overlaid at joins.
The edged brush is at its best when used with manipulation, creating
fabulously sensitive serifs and subtly waisted stem strokes. We shall explore
the versatility of the brush in adapting any calligraphic letterform, so
everyone can choose their favourite to work on for the duration of the
course. Finally we shall exploit the brush's tonal abilities by playing with
overlaid watercolours.
Suitable for intermediate and advanced levels.
MANNY LING
Manny Ling, HFCLAS, is the design editor for the EDGE and lecturer in design at Sunderland University. The duality of being a Chinese person practicing Western calligraphy has a profound influence on his work.
His PhD 'Calligraphy Across Boundaries' explores the influences of East Asian approaches and the impact of digital media on Western calligraphy. He teaches workshops and curates calligraphy exhibitions around the world.
Session 1 COLA PENS
Participants will learn how to create their own 'Cola' pens (similar to a folded ruling pen) using a soft drink's can and a coffee stirrer. Using this writing implement, an energetic and free approach to letterform making will be practiced. Through this workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of design and layout, bodily posture and movement, the sense of being and the 'flow' of writing.
Suitable for all levels.
Session 2 INFORMAL ROMAN CAPITALS
From this workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of the plasticity of western letter shapes and to explore the potentials of the linear graphic.
Participants will be introduced to an informal and spontaneous approach to writing Roman Capitals using normal graphite and watercolour pencils. The structure and the inter-connections between letterforms will be analysed and practiced, and the qualities of the 'linear graphic' will be explored. The mantra to this workshop is "anything goes, as long as it looks good!" so willingness to experiment with an open mind is required for this course.
Suitable for all levels.
IAN GARRETT
Retiring from 30 years as a research scientist, Ian followed his interest in calligraphy and completed the Roehampton Certificate course in 1995. He was elected to Fellowship of the SSI in 1997 and of CLAS in 1998. He graduated in Graphic Design in 2005, and is now a website designer and teaches calligraphy.
Session 1 GOTHIC FOR TEXTURE AND IMPACT
Suitable for those who have done little or no Gothic or who want to tune up their script and learn some variations. We will start by developing a strong rhythm and texture appropriate to Gothic, and then practising a basic minuscule alphabet and a set of basic capitals. Then we will develop some variations of both minuscules and capitals and see how our Gothic script
can be used for impact as a part of a piece of calligraphy, or in a mass as an overall texture.
Suitable for all levels, but basic pen skills are required.
Session 2 DESIGNING A MANUSCRIPT BOOK
Making a successful manuscript book usually requires careful design and a series of compromises. In this workshop, you will learn techniques for exploring compromises and for developing designs that work, appropriate to the subject matter of the text. The Tschichold Grid and the one-third/two-thirds rules will be explained as starting points. You will design and make a
single-opening book or a single-section book. Please note that this is not a bookbinding workshop, and the binding techniques that you will use
will be basic.
Suitable for all levels, but you will need to be familiar with at least one script.
LIN KERR
Lin Kerr is passionate about art with words in it - words that sing a song, reflected in the whole,
with every aspect harmonious. Lin studied Fine Arts and teaching in South Africa and the UK
and has been here for 10 years pursuing gilding, bookbinding, water colour, printing, mixed media
and sacred geometry.
Session 1 POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
What if you went on holiday with only the basics of your calligraphy equipment and a box of watercolours? We will use stacked texts, your own handwriting, calligraphy and interesting backgrounds, to create a series of postcards. These will have an edge to them in that they will have unusual layouts and designs. Start collecting some interesting stamps and art quotations for our central theme which will enable us to hone in on line, shape, tone, texture and colour. Working with accessible watercolour techniques, you will end up with a series of mini-masterpieces!
Suitable for all levels.
Session 2 PAINTING WORDS AND WRITING PICTURES
If you can do calligraphy, you can draw! Learning how to look, and enabling the right side of the brain can awaken drawing skills. We will produce some exciting finished pieces of work combining monoline calligraphy and drawing using interesting tools, ink droppers, sticks and ink.
The less experience you have with drawing, the more you will enjoy this workshop!
Suitable for all levels.
CLARE WHITTAKER
Originally from South Africa, Clare now lives in the north of England where she works as a freelance calligrapher, lettering artist and teacher. She loves teaching and tries to encourage students to enjoy being adventurous and creative. She gained CLAS Fellowship in 2006.
Session 1 PAINT, PAPER AND PASSION
The excitement of paint and the sensuality of paper inspire endless possibilities for amazing and creative calligraphic work. By experimenting in a variety of creative and unusual ways, we shall better understand the mysteries of paint and colour. By considering paper as more than just a flat surface, we shall explore ways to enhance our work and produce interesting designs. We shall experiment, explore, be adventurous and enjoy. Our aim will be to excite the eye and the mind, producing work that is meaningful and expressive.
Suitable for all levels.
VIVIEN LUNNISS
Vivien Lunniss, FCLAS, taught calligraphy since 1987 until being made redundant in 2006 and taking up a new career as an Adult Basic Skills tutor. Vivien was one of the first CLAS Accredited Tutors and became a Fellow in 2006. She developed a passion for all things Uncial whilst writing 'Celtic Calligraphy'. Her calligraphy however is not redundant; she continues to undertake commissions and recent work is based on writing developed from Uncial roots.
Session 2 UNCIALS UNLEASHED
Using an 8th century Uncial as a basis, we will explore processes to modify and adapt the letterforms to create a more personalised style of writing for contemporary use, yet still retain the essential character and charm of the original script. Uncial variations are extremely versatile and can be used for free and rhythmic expression, to create texture and pattern, and different variations can be used together to create tension and contrast. We will also look at other, less well known, historical examples. You should find that the process of creating variations can also be used with other scripts.
Suitable for all levels.
The Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society, 54 Boileau Road, London SW13 9BL England