Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Calligraphic Flourishing Weekend Workshop MAR 4/5 & Other Spring Courses/Workshops


Flourishing with Anne Elser
2-Day Workshop

The definition of flourish is to flower. We all flower in our language, thoughts, hopes and dreams, body movements, voices, and in our relationships with each other and the beautiful big world we share. But most importantly, we flourish all by ourselves - our bodies do this automatically - we were built this way. Look at the branching of blood vessels in our bodies, how our fingers splay open or fan out like flowers, the growth pattern of the hair on our heads, all the many muscles in our face that produce a genuine smile. That’s flourishing.

Everyone can flourish, but it is a daunting task for so many of us to draw one on paper. This workshop is designed to create a sense of ease with the idea of flourishing. We will identify points of fear and anxiety in our approach to flourishing, that wobble our lines and tense up our bodies, and we will heal ourselves from these negative work habits that make any exploration, especially this one, an unpleasant task.

We’ll train the eye and awakening the body (fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders and breath) to align with each other. We’ll begin with identifying the unique capabilities of our joints and how they best function in relation to the kinds of strokes we are drawing, from the wrist, elbow, shoulder, and fingers. We will begin to train our bodies to capably reproduce the elements of flourishes that make them work and that our eyes have learned to identify: Ovals, Perpendicular Intersections, Intersecting Ovals, Parallel Strokes, Shade and Hairline Relationships, Accents, Textures, and MORE.
Working in pencil, straight/oblique pointed pens, and everyday pens (everything from felt tip, roller ball, gel pens, fountain pens, etc) we’ll memorize standard flourishing movements that have been around a long time, and how to adjust and vary their proportions to suit our needs. We’ll learn how to exaggerate ascenders and descenders, the crossing of t’s, and the endings of words. We’ll learn to curl these strokes around the graceful curve of an oval, so that our pens are never lost, our strokes finding their way back home, even through the most subtle of suggestions. We’ll make flourishes that stand alone, work with each other, and that accent a word.

And best of all, we’ll do this together.

More information: 
$5 Fee due to the instructor on the first day of class or workshop.
Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com

About Anne
After earning a BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduate studies in Graphic Design at The Portfolio Center, Anne Elser began her artistic career as a painter, bookbinder, designer, and calligrapher. With over 20 years teaching experience, her students often report how fulfilling the classroom experience is, prompting both personal and artistic transformations. Anne's classes are also FUN and full of laughter. Students find the sense of community she inspires enriching and entertaining.
She currently teaches private lessons from her home studio in Decatur, classes and workshops year round at Binder Art Supply in Buckhead and at their Ponce City Market location, as well as Thursday afternoon classes at The Spruill Center for the Arts, and classes and workshops at Aikido Decatur. She also travels in the states and abroad conducting workshops.

Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country, and for both private and corporate clients such as Tiffany&Co, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Paces Papers, Landor, Martha Stewart Weddings, Belk, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Clicquot Veauvé, World50, Ogilvy, and more.

Artist, calligrapher, teacher, mother, and friend, Anne believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all.

Please Note: Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com

Supply List:
Binders Art Supply (bindersart.com) is the best local spot to purchase supplies for this class and they will give you a 10% student discount. Anything that you can’t find there, can be purchased at John Neal Books (johnnealbooks.com) or Paper and Ink Arts (paperinkarts.com).

White Paper:
Transparent Marker Paper: Suggested brands below, but use whichever brands you’re comfortable with
• Bienfang Graphics 360 9’’x12’’ Marker Pad
or Borden & Riley 9’’x12’’ 100s Smooth Cotton Comp Pad

Black Paper: Any smooth paper that works well with Dr. Martin’s Bleedproof white. Suggested brand below
• Strathmore Artagain pad.
Colored or Ivory Cover Paper: Any ink-friendly paper that won’t bleed with the ink you are using. Cut to around 5 x 7.
• Canson cover weight papers

Envelopes: Ink-friendly high-quality envelopes, just a few in any size and color.
• Paper Source envelopes work very well with a variety of inks.

Ink:
Dark Ink: Any dark ink that shows up on white practice paper
• Sumi, Higgens Eternal, Mcaffrey’s, Walnut, etc.
Accenting Ink Colors and metallic inks: Suggested brands below
• Metallic Pan (cake) inks: Finetec metallics and other brands.
• PearlEx powder pigments mixed with water and gum arabic (try starting with equal parts of each.)
• Colored inks of your choosing that won’t bleed. (My favorites are gouache/water/gum arabic mixtures).

White Ink:
• Dr. Martin’s Bleedproof White (water based that is thinned to your taste with water.)

Pens/Pencils:
• Your favorite pencil/eraser and markers/gel pens.
• A variety of your favorite ultra fine, fine, and medium point pens (for markers bullet point and not chisel).
These pens come in a variety of thicknesses. You’ll want to have variety and choose something that writes very fine like the Slicci and have a slightly thicker width pen to see what feels right for you.
• Your favorite/preferred pens from home. Can be fine or medium point or bullet point. Ballpoint, felt tip, roller ball, gel pens, Sharpies, etc. Fountain pens are also wonderful. All are welcome and suitable for this class.

Stationary:
• Envelopes and stationary paper at least 5-10 envelopes/sheets
• Feel free to bring in embellishments like stickers and stamps!

Misc.:
• Ruler
• Glitter Glue, gems, etc., for accents.
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Other classes and workshops this March & April: 


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Description
The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. Its generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. This is the hand that Shakespeare used to pen his masterpieces!

Italic is less about pretty handwriting, but more about DRAWING each and every letter. It’s about establishing a pacing and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.

During this course or workshop,
students will be given exemplars, learning the intricate details of  the minuscules and majuscules. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. More importantly will discover the connection between mind and body, practicing good habits and movement, thusly finding our flow and allowing the body to take charge, automatically producing the heart’s musings in a spirit of openness, adventure, and wonder.

Supply List at the bottom of this message.

More information: 
$5 Fee due to the instructor on the first day of class or workshop.
Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com

About Anne
After earning a BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduate studies in Graphic Design at The Portfolio Center, Anne Elser began her artistic career as a painter, bookbinder, designer, and calligrapher. With over 20 years teaching experience, her students often report how fulfilling the classroom experience is, prompting both personal and artistic transformations. Anne's classes are also FUN and full of laughter. Students find the sense of community she inspires enriching and entertaining.

She currently teaches private lessons from her home studio in Decatur, classes and workshops year round at Binder Art Supply in Buckhead and at their Ponce City Market location, as well as Thursday afternoon classes at The Spruill Center for the Arts, and classes and workshops at Aikido Decatur. She also travels in the states and abroad conducting workshops.

Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country, and for both private and corporate clients such as Tiffany&Co, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Paces Papers, Landor, Martha Stewart Weddings, Belk, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Clicquot VeauvĂ©, World50, Ogilvy, and more. 

Artist, calligrapher, teacher, mother, and friend, Anne believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all.
Please Note: Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com
More information: $5 Fee due to the instructor on the first day of class or workshop.


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Description
This is an introductory look at Copperplate, an elegant and elastic hand frequently used for formal invitations, documents and bridal events. Completely enchanting, the dramatic thick and thins of this delicate hand will make you swoon.

Copperplate is less about pretty handwriting, but more about DRAWING each and every letter. It’s about establishing a pacing and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.

During the six-week course or workshop, students will be given exemplars, learning the intricate details of  the minuscules and majuscules. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. More importantly will discover the connection between mind and body, practicing good habits and movement, thusly finding our flow and allowing the body to take charge, automatically producing the heart’s musings in a spirit of openness, adventure, and wonder.

More information: 
$5 Fee due to the instructor on the first day of class or workshop.
Anne Will be bringing her dog to this class. If you have an allergy or phobia that she needs to be aware of, please email Anne directly. Penkitten@anneelser.com