Take your calligraphy and lettering skills to new heights and mediums by working with chalk and a chalkboard! Learn how to go from concept to sketch and refined chalk art, and get nice n' dusty while you're at it. We'll put our personal spins on the project by highlighting a favorite local restaurant and our most beloved dishes in the design! Chalk is fun to work with because it's so versatile and easy to edit, unlike ink. Enjoy the flexibility this old fashioned medium has to offer.

Topics Covered

• From concept to final chalkboard design
• Refining layout ideas into tight thumbnail sketches
• Lettering vs. Calligraphy
• Typography basics 
• Chalk art best practices
• Guideline set up

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed

• Pack of thin chalk
• Ruler (preferably T-square), or a level
• Any size Chalk board -contact paper form, typical board, ...

If you think painting with watercolor, acrylic, or oil-based paints is fun, wait until you try painting with walnut ink. It's a beautiful medium to work with and so versatile.

Topics Covered

• Making walnut ink from walnut ink crystals
• Various ink painting techniques
• Painting a simple landscape 
• Painting a flower
• Creative ways to write with walnut ink 

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

 Materials Needed

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• variety of round paintbrushes, small to medium size
• small paint palate or small plates or bowls
• walnut ink
• watercolor paints, optional
• pencil
• two glasses of water
• paper towel
• watercolor paper- size of your choice

Homework Challenge

Want to see our students homework? Search the hashtag #kcawalnutink on Instagram to see samples from this week's homework. Our students who participate in this...

In this class, you’ll learn:

• Preferred supplies for glass lettering,
• Two methods for achieving a high quality design from a sketch,
• How to best use a paint pen on a slick surface,
• Purposes and uses for glass letting projects. 

After joining in on this class, you’ll be well equipped to beautifully create glass signage for your own personal needs, a sweet personalized gift, or even for your business or special event!

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed:

• Glass (can be any kind: window, picture frame, mirror, etc.)
• Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pen
• White China Marker (found in craft sections and also used to mark on butcher paper)
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Grid paper
• Tape
• Glass cleaner (Windex or something similar)
• Paper towels (one for washing, one for removing China marker)
• Optional: Acetone (nail polish remover) for mistakes or to erase your writing

Do you have a creative passion or dream? Do you feel overwhelmed wondering where and how to start bringing it to reality? Or do you need help pinpointing what sort of goal you'd like to achieve in the first place?

Using tried and true methods that helped me create the business off my dreams, we will build a road map and vision board together to get you going down the right path towards successfully achieving your goal with clarity, confidence and calligraphy, too.

Note: Your goal doesn't have to be big and exciting. No goal is too small!

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

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Materials:

• Notebook/ journal
• Pencil, Pen or Markers of Choice
• Calligraphy tool of choice
• Small pieces of paper for calligraphy/ lettering quotes
• Magazines, Pinterest photos or beloved ephemera
• Scissors
• Washi or regular tape
• Bulletin board or firm paper for vision board backing

Suggested...

There is nothing like taking your copperplate majuscules to the next level. In this class you will learn how to take a few of the foundational copperplate majuscule strokes, twist them just a little, and begin creating your own modern script.

Topics Covered

• Copperplate majuscule review
• Modern variations 
• Instruction on self critique

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

 Materials Needed

• Pointed Pen Nib holder
• Nib
• Pen or pencil
• Ink
• Paper
• The guidelines in our KCA handout for students

Homework Challenge

Want to see our students homework? Search the hashtag #kcaabcrelays on Instagram to see samples from this week's homework. Our students who participate in this challenge get entered into a drawing to win prizes.

Instructor: Regenia Paige

Instagram: @regeniapaigecalligraphy

Website: www.nibcritique.com

In this class, you’ll learn:

• Basic digital lettering skills and functions of Procreate on the iPad,
• How to import Procreate brushes from a file,
• Tips for successful Procreate lettering projects,
• How to use your own lettering to create a coloring page for any occasion.

After joining in on this class, you’ll be well equipped to create fun and stress relieving coloring sheets for your own personal enjoyment, a sweet personalized gift, or even for your business needs!

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed:

(Please note that while this is a course geared toward digital lettering, you are by NO means expected to make costly purchases to participate. You are welcome to complete this project using monoline pens or markers and paper!)

• iPad with Apple Pencil capability (I personally have an iPad Air 3rd generation with 64 GB and WiFi only. This iPad...

Got mail to send? Have you thought about decorating the front (and back) of that envelope? How many times have you seen a beautifully decorated envelope and thought to yourself, "That's gorgeous!" but stopped because it either looked too difficult or time consuming? Well, envelope art can be as simple as putting some creative lettering on the front or complex with intricate flourishes and designs. This class is about finding that middle ground with floral borders that you can easily create a handful at a time and have envelopes ready to address and mail!

Topics Covered

• Examples 
• Finding inspiration from what is inside the envelope
• How to decant watercolors from your pans to a palette
• A large loose floral element on one corner (front and back) and outlining it to make it pop
• Using a masking tape to create a border
• How to use a wedge brush and a round brush for each floral element
• How to create a floral border with just paint and another with outlines and a last one without...

Sending old fashioned letters through the mail is a beautiful way to use your calligraphy. It brings joy to the receiver, and is relatively inexpensive! It can be so much fun, but you can't necessarily just stick any stamp on any envelope... different ink requires different postage amounts as does different weights, sizes, and even lumpiness! Then what do you actually put into the letter? It may be easy to write a page (or four!) to your best friend, but what if you want to send mail to someone you don't know well (like in the KCA Snail Mail Database)? I have you covered in this class.

Topics Covered

• Postage- how much it costs to mail a letter and what costs extra
• What to put inside the envelope, especially if you don't know the recipient well
• Some formal etiquette do's and don'ts
• How to make an envelope liner

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed

Snail...

In this class you'll learn to design your very own hand painted and embellished postcard using gold leaf, watercolors and a little ancient history.  You'll get a quick background on the menorah motif, as well as a thorough tutorial on gold leaf application and some beginner watercolor techniques. Calligraph a short message on the back of your postcard and ship it off to a loved one who celebrates the Festival of Lights to illuminate their day! 

Topics Covered:

• Gold leaf for illustrative elements & calligraphy
• Wet on dry watercolor technique
• Ancient art history context 
• Appropriate holiday greetings

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed:

• Artificial gold leaf & adhesive size
• Link to The Israel Museum's virtual Menorah Exhibit
• Strathmore Watercolor Postcards or Watercolor paper
• Pencil and Eraser
• Watercolor paints
• Watercolor...

Nothing says Christmas or the Holidays like a beautifully flourished snowflake. In this lesson you will learn fun ways to flourish and design decorative and festive elements so you can create beautiful snowflakes to write on your holiday cards and envelopes. There's also a fun bonus lesson at the end, so stay tuned!

Topics Covered: 

• How to create a radial flourish
• How to use watercolors for pointed pen calligraphy 

Materials Needed:

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• ink of your choice
• pen or pencil
• ruler
• water
• eye dropper
• pearlescent watercolor, colored inks, or gouache
• watercolor paper or practice paper

Bonus Session Materials:

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• watercolors, colored inks, or gouache
• festive cookie cutter or traceable object
• pencil and eraser
• water and eyedropper 

Homework Challenge

Want to see our students homework? Search the hashtag #kcasnowflake on Instagram to see samples from this week's homework. Our...