Ruling pen calligraphy with Rachel Yallop and Michael Clark
Getting out of London for a ruling pen calligraphy workshop run by Rachel Yallop and Michael Clark, in the most wondrous UK setting of Cradley, near the Malvern Hills, was the perfect excuse for a little family weekend getaway this October. Even though I would be spending the majority of the weekend at the workshop, I still got to breathe the fresh air, spend some quiet time overlooking two horses with my daughter at our accommodation, The Ash, and have some lovely evening chill-out time with the fam and a friend somewhere far away from our London lounge room.
The course was held in Cradley Village Hall, a centuries-old building with all the charm needed for a group of 12 calligraphers.
Of course, being a relative newcomer to calligraphy, I felt a little out of my depth surrounded by such fantastic talent. However, armed with Paula Comparini's ruling pens, and charmed by Michael's gentle yet passionate will to teach what he has learned, I kept my humour and wielded my weapon as best I could.
Ruling pen example styles
When I say I was surrounded by fantastic talent, I'm not joking. My friends for the weekend were churning out inspiring, thoughtful and thought provoking pieces, mixing media and styles deftly. I have included some examples here with the artists' permission. As you can see, ruling pen applications are so diverse and unique as each person using it, and is a stark contrast against the regimented consistency of more formal scripts.
Thanks to Els van den Steen, Meg Chapman, Judith Porch, Janet Smith, Margaret Morgan and Tony Woodhams for their permission to use their pictures.
What happens a ruling pen calligraphy workshop?
This ain't Vegas, so I'm here to spill the beans. Imagine tea, ink, paper. Did I mention tea? And amazing locally supplied lunches. Over the course of the two days, Michael and Rachel guided us through ruling pen calligraphy demonstrations as a starting point but predominantly gave us plenty of time to experiment as they travelled around the room, patiently listening to our concepts and giving advice.
Day 1 focused on experimenting with the pens and seeing the range strokes you could create with them just by alterning which side you used or the angle it was on. We later moved into trying to capture the essence of words like 'angry' and 'gentle', using the ruling pen to reflect its meaning.
On day 2, our task was to work with a quote of our choice, developing not just layout but a design that, again, captured its meaning. It was impressive to see how my fellow calligraphers adapted their quotes to suit their style using different colour inks, strokes and textures.
Michael brought with him from the US two of his books filled with original ruling pen calligraphy designs from his commercial work that showed exactly how they looked on paper before it went digital. It was an invaluable resource to be able to see what was involved in his process. I admired the fact that he comes from a self taught, often uncoventional background, which he is proud of, defends and supports in others.
I could tell how prepared both Rachel and Michael were for this workshop, but they made it look effortless. I understand how much work goes into to teaching other people, and I appreciate that these two talented artists take that time to teach. I certainly felt very much the baby artist of the crew, but armed with a new folding pen from Tim Leigh, new skills and empowering messages from Michael, I'm excited about continuing to develop my calligraphic and lettering style.
Order your copy of Rachel and Michael's ruling pen book
If you missed Rachel and Michael's workshop, you still have the opportunity to buy their latest book collaboration, Thinking Outside the Box. The cost for UK shoppers is £14 (inc. postage).
You can pay Rachel by her PayPal web page or find out more and get in touch with any questions via Rachel's website or Facebook page.
A ruling pen workshop to rule them all
Join the ruling pen workshop
The key things you need to know about the upcoming ruling pen workshop with Rachel Yallop & Michael Clark:
- 15 & 16 October 2016, 9.30 - 4.30
- The Village Hall, Rectory Lane, Cradley, Malvern WR13 5LH
- £120 including lunches and evening reception on Friday 14 October
- Contact rachel.yallop@btopenworld.com to book your place
Rachel and Michael come from different calligraphic cultures/backgrounds yet ascribe to very similar beliefs about design, colour and order. This workshop is a challenge to break down your ideas to their basic components and then build them back up, based on the need to engage and educate the viewer. Michael and Rachel are capable of both the restrained and the outrageous, but in their joint designs, it sometimes requires one, or the other, to seek out the subtle while the other responds with the riotous. In this workshop there will be a thorough exploration of the ruling pen that each teacher has spent their careers trying to master: and their ability to paint different moods and emotions.
The ruling pen, for us, is the most expressive tool we have at hand. Unlike many of the tools in our arsenal that have specific purposes, the ruling pen requires you to determine what it will ultimately produce. The results can be as idiosyncratic as the wielder. It is capable of everything from explosive and brutal to delicate and subtle, traditional or contemporary. In our case we have always treated words done with the ruling pen as a process, both directed intentions, and skeletal forms that can be amended. The exciting thing is that success is nothing more than a string of failures that finally pay off. If you look at lettering in this fashion, always with your eyes on the process and not the finished product, fear disappears and learning begins. With the ruling pen this is extremely important. Each venture provides valuable insight into its potential.
This class will explore the myriad possibilities of the ruling pen’s “line” and begin with familiarising the student with the tool(s). We will move on to honing handling skills and then to working with expressive “words”. From there the class will work with word groups and alphabetic compositions and ultimately page texture experiments. A group project will be incorporated into the workshop ... a collaborative effort to ‘affect a phrase’; this exercise will bring home the concept that first stroke down informs all subsequent decisions. This class is about experimentation and learning without judgment. The ruling pen is we think the most individualistic tool available.
About your teachers
Rachel and Michael have many years teaching experience, both internationally and at home. Rachel Yallop has pursued a freelance career specialising in creative and expressive calligraphy for 30 years. Her love of letters stems from a lifelong passion for drawing, with her original works exploring form, space, tension and freedom of line. Rachel is a Founder Member and past Chairman of Letter Exchange and an Honoured Fellow of CLAS.
Michael Clark is a commercial lettering artist and font designer who resides in Virginia, USA. Two of his fonts won international awards and he has been featured twice in Letter Arts Review. His work is a mix of traditional and contemporary lettering for book covers, logos, CD covers and titling for magazines and printed ephemera and the web.
The venue: The Village Hall, Malvern
The Village Hall is a beautiful 16th century building close to the church in the picturesque village of Cradley. It lies to the west of the stunning Malvern Hills and is just five miles from the spa town of Malvern itself. Malvern can be reached easily by road and rail.
For booking and accommodation information contact Rachel at rachel.yallop@btopenworld.com
Hand lettering workshop with sign painter Mike Meyer
It’s the end of two long days of intense, but satisfying, lettering learning put on by Better Letters at Trackside London. Led by Mike Meyer, travelling sign painter extraordinaire from Minnesota, US, and supported by local awesome sign painter, Mark Josling of Spectrum Signs, about 20 predominantly amateur students took to the easels, newsprint, enamel paint and palettes with certain trepidation and gusto.
Focusing on three lettering styles over the weekend: Gothic, Casual, and Script, we had Mike and Mark on hand to first show us their exemplar stylings, which we would then attempt to replicate as they moved around and guided us on any specifics we were having trouble with. I had to often remind myself, in fits of frustration, and as they made it look so easy, that this was my first ever attempt at this style or format of lettering.
After solidly practising one script for a block of hours, quite unperfected, it was nice to move on to another only to come back again and see that the muscle memory was forming and the progress was happening.
The workshop format was relaxed and informative, albeit a little overwhelming on the enamel fumes at day’s end, and really allowed for pretty significant progress over two days. All materials were included in the cost of the workshop, as was lunch — locally made artisan bread much like my favourite Swiss style that I can find nowhere outside of Switzerland — and refreshments (mmm, so many McVities Digestives and Celebrations). It was excellent to meet other students, particularly my lettering partners, Annabel, and Suzy from Muddy Creek Sign Painting.
Learn calligraphy with Keith and Amanda Adams
Nothing sounds more peaceful and soothing to me than a six-day calligraphy workshop in the stunning Lake District, UK, learning from masters Keith and Amanda Adams. Both Keith and Amanda are these days based predominantly in Spain, and this is a wonderful rare opportunity to learn from them here in the UK, hosted by Laya Point Permaculture.
You will be initiated into the beautiful Catalan interpretation of Charlemagne’s [or Alcuino’s] elegant minuscule, the first script to have both a capital and a small letter, and the most legible historical calligraphic letter form to our modern eyes.
Calligraphy course specifics
What: learn calligraphy with Keith and Amanda Adams
When: July 17 - July 22
Cost: £400 (includes materials and lunch)
Where: The Old School, Ulpha, LA206DT
Notes: Visit the Layapoint website for full course details
Learn calligraphy in the Lake District
Hand lettering workshops in the UK and Europe
I love the internet. Oh, the places we go. You know where I mean, don't you? Sometimes, you're off on a Sunday stroll for hours of fun to see the stupidly addictive Bored Shorts TV, and other times, you're whipped out of your reverie and on the most wonderful wild hunt with your goals and aspirations in tow. I can't even tell you the intricacies of my online journey to where we are now, but here we are.
Better Letters: fun, creative hand lettering workshops
Sign writing? Hand lettering? Yes, please. Better Letters has confirmed workshops (selling out quick) throughout Europe and UK that are designed to inspire and shake the intimidation of creating something as glorious as what seems like the lost art of hand lettering.
We show you the benefit of what we've wrestled with for in some cases up to 20 – 30 years. And hopefully that little bit of advice will help you overcome the problems and hurdles we've had a little bit quicker.
Quote via Hand Lettering Workshop London February 2014 (YouTube). See how I fared learning lettering with Mike Meyer at this year's April 2015 workshop.
I had a quick chat via email with Better Letters founder, Sam Roberts, and my typographical journey took a swift jaunt down a side street.
Ghostsigns: Tours of London's best ghostsigns
Sam started Ghostsigns to promote the art of hand lettering, especially sign writing. So, in addition to a suddenly, wonderfully accessible world of hand crafted lettering learning available on my doorstep via Better Letters, I now see that I can go wandering about this awesome city of London looking at painted signs, fading on walls: ghostsigns. Sign me up!
If like me, you're feeling a little intimidated by all this big school, old school stuff, then just listen to Sam:
What I have learned is that everyone is a teacher, and always willing to share knowledge. I've never met such a group of people more welcoming and keen to pass on their skills and passion. Embrace it!
So, that's what I'm going to do. Time to start this hand lettering journey. Who's with me? Book your local workshop, or a London ghostsigns tour!
Photo — Norman Hayes, Waste Studio in Nottingham
Calligraphy at the Writing Equipment Show
The London Writing Equipment Show was heaving. My first visit and it was interesting. The majority of stalls were for fountain pen collectors and repairers, but a couple of tables caught this little calligrapher's eye.
What I bought at the London WES
I was drawn to some hot coral coloured Lamy fountain pens at The Writing Desk's table because my pink Safari had just run out of ink. Time to buy some refills.
I then noticed that they stocked Dr Atramentis (and on special for the show), which is one I've been trying to find in the UK for months. I bought two document inks in blue and fuchsia, and a black archive ink.
Before I could stop spending any more money on inks, I saw this gorgeous bottle with its blood red innards staring up at me, willing me to take it home. Oh alright, beautiful. It's J.Herbin anniversary edition, "1670", in Rouge Hematite.
I stopped by Joy Daniels table (from Northampton Calligraphy Studio) and asked her to try my new ink out. She said it was a nice to write with as it looked.
What I did not buy at the London WES
These really ridiculously good looking collectible dip pens. But I did buy the book about collectible dip pens by Jim Marshall :)
It was intriguing to bear witness to London's underbelly of fountain pen (and other minority writing equipment) connoisseurs, and great to see Joy showcasing her beautiful copperplate calligraphy.
Calligraphy at The Handmade Fair 2014, London
I found out about the Handmade Fair because Claire Gould, calligrapher and owner of Calligraphy for Weddings, was running a workshop. She lives in the Lake District, so it was a rare chance to meet her in London.
I won't lie, I'm not a crafter, so felt very out of place among the knitting needles and fat quarters (whatever that means). So overwhelmed that I didn't even take photos of my day, mostly.
I fortunately did find some things a little more my artistic style:
- Anna Wright designs (I bought two of the book she illustrated, "How the Birds Started an Orchestra")
- FabFunky Dictionary Prints (amazing prints!)
For my calligraphy inspiration, I stumbled upon a medium I thought would be cool to try: chalk paint. Mainly attracting up-cyclers looking to renovate furniture, I saw a brilliant example of what you could do with American Decor and Annie Sloane chalk paint.
I tried it out on some tile offcuts, but I think I need some kind of glaze to finish it off.
By the time 2.30pm rolled around, when it was time for my calligraphy workshop with Claire, I had:
- stopped off for ice cream at 10.30am
- watched two people battle it out for 45mins on stage to transform a white cotton t-shirt into something (a somewhat surreal scenario in which they were on stage and I was in an audience filled with enthusiastic card waving crafty lady fiends!)
- learn the art of creating the perfect bow with Jane Means
Calligraphy workshop with Claire Gould
I said my quick 'hi' to Claire before she got started, and got settled in with the others in the class. I really enjoyed seeing people pick up a calligraphy nib for the first time, and listening to the kinds of things that they said about it. Check out Claire's wrap up of the fair. She did a brilliant session, and I was trying not to be too much of crazy fan girl especially while she was so busy setting up and packing up.
The best thing take away from the session for me was Claire's advice to not think of calligraphy writing as you would with a normal ballpoint pen, but rather to consider that you're moving ink around the page. That's a brilliant way to describe it. My other takeaway is that if you're carrying a nibbed pen in a plastic bag, be careful where you put that bag. I put it under my butt, and that nib ripped a hold in my jeans and gouged its way straight into my flesh.
Apart from the show, I really loved visiting another new cool place in London: Hampton Court. I mean, would you look at this place!
I even got to see Kirstie Alsopp in the flesh!
The Pen Museum, Birmingham UK
I came home from work one Friday night, and JW was quietly working away on his laptop. Suddenly, he pronounced that he had found cheap train tickets to and accommodation in Birmingham (we live in London). I wasn't expecting a weekend away, so I was a little bit hesitant, but I got involved and started investigating "things to do in Birmingham".
There, ranked 13th on the list of Birmingham attractions, was The Pen Museum. I suddenly couldn't wait to go, and also didn't really care what else we did in the city (although the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery and the Barber Institute of Fine Art were calling my name, too). I was a kid on Christmas eve: "TO THE PEN MUSEUM". It did not disappoint.
A handsome gent welcomed us in, inviting us to take a look around before he would show us the nib-making machines that were used in the booming business of the time, when Birmingham produced 75% of the world's pen nibs.
Step by step, he took us through five of the 17 steps in the nib-making process: "blanking", "piercing", "marking", "raising", and "slitting" (thanks to C Brandauer & Co blog for the process details). I'd come across as the ultra nerd I am if I tried to explain how awesome it was to do that, so, suffice it to say that it was good fun for a calligrapher.
The nib-making process
Blanking
Piercing
Marking
Raising
Slitting
JW got to have his time in the sun when we sat ourselves at old-school school desks and tried out the nibs they had on display. To be fair, they had been pretty trashed by the unseasoned calligraphers, but I think it's more important for people to be able to feel and see and have the technique become more accessible in that way than keeping them locked up.
Naturally, when surrounded by boxes and boxes of nibs at 25p a pop, there was no doubt that I would leave with a fair selection. I bought 10 different nibs The Pen Museum; four were perfect for copperplate.
I also bought 1 gross (144 nibs) pack, Victor Series Exhibition Pen, for a fiver. I had no idea if that boxed set of nibs was going to be any good for copperplate, but they were vintage, and a great price so worth the risk. I'm glad I did, because they're lovely.
- John Heath's Golden Coated
- Victor Series Exhibition Pen
- John Heath's First Class Selected
- British Pens Co. 5005
- University School Pen
I'm so super excited to have found The Pen Museum, and looking forward to visiting again. Run by volunteers, the museum relies on donations and support. You can support in lots of ways:
- donate a couple of quid every time you visit
- support them with an online donation
- become a member
- shop online (the nibs I've noted aren't listed in the shop, but get in touch with them; I'm sure they'll be happy to help).
Take a look also at this blog post from Tiger Pens, which gives more detailed information about the history and venue details of The Pen Museum.
So, where's your favourite calligraphy spot?
Event | UK calligraphy at The Handmade Fair
In my search for UK calligraphers to herald, Claire Gould, from Calligraphy for Weddings, was the first I was recommended to contact. Her work is beautiful, and I was excited to hear that she's doing a calligraphy skill workshop at Kirstie Allsop's Handmade Fair, 19–21 September 2014. So I bought myself a ticket to the Fair.
I'll admit that I'm boasting a weird sense of satisfaction today about my soon to be masterful gift wrapping skills, and how I will be a knowledgable espouser of the values of Etsy — additional sessions that I get to attend for the cost of my £29 ticket (plus booking fee).
You can, of course, just go along to the fair and bathe yourself in its crafty glory for £12.50 (plus booking fee). I'll be there on Sunday 21st September, so let me know if you'll be about. We can catch up over origami tulips.
Event | London Writing Equipment Show
What's your stationery addiction: fountain pens, beautiful card stock, journals? I just received the Summer Edition of The Special Copperplate Interest Group (contact Joy Daniels via Facebook or email joydaniels[at]ntlworld[dot].com for more information) and saw an upcoming event:
- The London Writing Equipment Show 5 October 2014 Holiday Inn Bloomsbury Coram Street London WC1N 1HT
Tickets: £5 on the door
I'll be heading along to the show, and would love to meet some other pen and paper lovers. Let me know in the comments if you'll be in London.
Banner image: Mainzer's Cats by Emma Paperclip is licenced under CC BY 2.0