Each of the following classes will require a blackboard or flip chart for group demonstration and ample table room for all members in addition to one table for the materials of the teacher. We will also need a sink.
Class One:
Facing Your Fantasy (Masks)
"no calligraphy experience needed"
Have you ever lettered on a curve? Would you like to have a plaster cast of your own face to incorporate into you artwork? In this class, we cast each other's faces and after twenty minutes remove the finished gauze cast which is then allowed to dry. It is then finished off to a rough or velvety smooth surface to write on. Acrylics, inks, texturizing medium and fabrics can be incorporated. Some people have made mask boxes to place books inside. All levels are welcome.
Class Two:
Adventures in
Unusual Materials
 In incorporating offbeat and unusual materials with our letterforms, we often find ways to challenge the viewer and pull them into our work from a distance. This class is full of stretching ideas to get students out of the rut-be prepared to experiment and use materials you never thought you would ! This course was designed after numerous requests from my peers on how I developed ways to use unique materials.
Class Three:
Black and White and Shades of Gray
 Students will examine regular spacing of letterforms and words to see how the written texture interplays with the writing surface to form variations of blackness. Layout and composition will be emphasized while we explore the area of contrast. In addition to the significance of white space in a piece
Class Four:
Colored Pencils
and Calligraphy
Students will be introduced to the varieties of colored pencils on the market and how each type works best- We will use both watercolor pencils and the wax -based type. After we are familiar with the tools, we will begin to use them with our backgrounds, foregrounds, and to embellish letterforms.
Class Five:
Color, Experimentation and Lettering
 How to incorporate color and its wide varieties with your letterforms will be covered in this class. Students will experiment with a wide range of materials to produce unusual backgrounds, colored letters and decorative elements within your page. Pastels, watercolors and information about gouache vs. ink will be included.
Class Six:
Brush Drawing
 Using both the pointed brush and a chisel-edged brush , we will develop rich textures and shapes which are different from what a pen can produce. We will use the brush to learn basic drawing skills and then enjoy the fluidity of line in drawing shapes which coordinate with our letters.
Class Seven:
Weeds and Wildflowers-In The Garden
 Using Automatic pens and chisel edged brushes, we will embark on the journey of drawing florals which can loosen us up as calligraphers and develop our skills at pen manipulation. This is my most requested class as these two techniques of pen drawn and brush florals and pen manipulation match the tool that does the lettering. Class will need to bring the automatic pens or we can order them prior to the class. No lettering is required so all levels are welcome.
My e-mail address
 frankfam@jps.net