In-Person Workshops

Copperplate is an elegant hand developed during the age of the great writing masters in the 18th century. A luscious, curvaceous hand, this script is used extensively for invitations and formal events in addition to artistic work.

We will introduce the use of the flexible pointed nib and learn the basic minuscule and majuscule letterforms with emphasis on seeing the underlying basic forms of this hand. With practice this course can be used as a springboard for further development of the Copperplate hand. 

Beginners and “refreshers” are welcome! 

Dates: 3 Sundays: November 15, 22, and Dec 6th, 2026
Time: 10am–4pm (New York time)
Price: $300
Member Price: $260
Max Enrollment: 15 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room TBD

Please note that registration will close on November 1st, 2026.

Cancellation policy: Cancellations are allowed at any time, however refunds will only be issued if there is a waitlisted student who will fill your place.

Sickness: If you are registered and need to miss one class due to sickness (we’d rather you stay home and rest!), you are welcome to sit in a future session of the same workshop as we will repeat these introductory classes.

Member pricing: Please use the code sent to your email at checkout. Can’t find it? Check out anyway and email us and we will refund the difference.

Want to take a stress free and fun workshop, then please join me to learn new techniques or revisit old ones that add a little sparkle to your calligraphic projects!

We will explore the use of pastel dust by cutting various shaped templates including your favorite stamps and blending the pastel colors to create background effects which are receptive to lettering. Different tools will be tried including blow pens, glitter, masking fluid, duo glue, and writing on Christmas ornaments and ceramic cups. We will be printing with leaves using gouache. We will be doing a little gilding with gold leaf.

There will be a short discussion about gel printing, cyanotype and eco printing techniques, but no demonstrations just samples of the finished results.

Two simple marbling techniques using shaving cream and pastels will be demonstrated and tried.

If you have any questions about tools or materials that you already use, please bring them. It may get messy, so wear old clothes.

There is a $10 supply fee, included in the cost.

Dates: November 7th & 8th 2026 (Saturday & Sunday)
Time: 10am-3pm (New York Time)
Price: $160
Member Price: $120
Max Enrollment: 12 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 702A

Supply List:

• Soft pastels not oil, your choice of colors (Rembrandt)

• Gouache, your choice, (Winsor Newton) mixing palette, and old brushes. Maybe 5 colors - red, yellow, blue, white and black

• X-acto knife and blades (#11 and #16)

• Zig markers in your favorite colors/sizes

• Your favorite stamps

• Dust mask

• Non waterproof Sumi ink

• Tweezers

In this intensive weekend workshop we will learn and practice copperplate calligraphy. 

Copperplate, a pointed-pen hand, was developed in 16th century England and has retained its popularity since. A variation of copperplate calligraphy can be seen in the body of the US Declaration of Independence. 

We will work with an oblique pen holder, pointed pen nib, ink, and practice paper with slant lines. Our main focus will be applying varying amounts of pressure to our pens to produce thick (shaded) and thin (hairline) strokes and we’ll learn how each letter and digit are constructed; stroke by stroke. We will begin our practice with minuscule letters on day 1 and majuscule letters on day 2. Letters will be grouped according to similar letterforms and not alphabetically. Feel free to bring in your favorite quote and/or project ideas for practice and/or discussion.

This class is open to beginners as well as calligraphers looking for a refresher. 

Dates: September 26/27th, 2026 OR October 17/18th, 2026
Time: 10am - 3pm (New York Time)
Price: $170 ($150 + $20 supply fee included)
Member Price: $130 ($110 + $20 supply fee included)
Max Enrollment: 15 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 703A

In an effort to reduce waste (shipping & packaging materials) the instructor will bring in all supplies needed for this class and the materials fee will be included in the class tuition.

Skills + Techniques

• Letter with varying amounts of pressure to produce hairline and bold strokes

• Learn and practice the construction of copperplate letterforms stroke by stroke

• Learn how to letter using a pointed pen nib, oblique pen holder, and ink 

• Instruction on how to create copperplate guidelines to assist in keeping your lettering uniform and straight

This workshop will introduce the student to the fundamentals of the Italic Alphabet. The basic letterforms for the upper and lower case will be demonstrated and discussed. Variations will also be demonstrated in order to expand the student’s repertoire. The do’s and don’ts of flourishing will be examined. The basic elements of design will be reviewed if time permits. There will also be discussions about papers, pens/pen angles, gouaches and ink. Bring lots of questions. Intermediate level students who wish to refine their letterforms are also welcomed.

Dates: October 11th & 18th 2026 (2 Sundays)
Time: 10am-3pm (New York Time)
Price: $150
Member Price: $110
Max Enrollment: 12 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 702A

Supply List:

Many of these can be purchased from Dick Blick, but you can also order online from Paper and Ink Arts or John Neal for more specialized calligraphy supplies. Order in advance to account for shipping times!

• Speedball C-2 or equivalent in Mitchell/Rexel or Brause nibs.

• Pen holder

• Black ink (non water proof) like Higgins Eternal

• Bond paper - Capital Bond Practice, Canson Pro layout pad or Boris layout pad

• T-square, ruler, pencil and pen and paper for note taking

One Sheet Book, a fun and stress free workshop!! Using 1 sheet of paper which we will fold and cut, to create different book structures - square, rectangular, triangular and hexagonal shaped books with pockets. Signatures can be sewn into the sections and the pockets can be filled with notes, pictures, etc. Different papers can be connected to create unique books. Weaving strips into the sections will also be explored.

Dates: October 25, 2026 (Sunday)
Time: 10am - 3pm
Price: $60 ($10 supply fee included)
Max Enrollment: 12 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 701A

Supply List:

• decorative, origami and colored papers similar in weight to copy paper

• Elmer’s extra strength glue stick

• X-acto knife with number eleven blade

• ruler, pencil, bone folder, small binder clips

• small cutting board or heavy card board, 8.5" by 12”

• (Instructor will bring different papers.)

Unlike most other slanted “Round” scripts in Europe, Ronde (or “round” in French) is one of a kind script with heavy strokes and nearly upright letterform. Growing from Gothic cursive and Italian Renaissance script “Rotunda”, Ronde made it step in France and soon became a stylish hand popularized by writing masters, including Louis Barbedor. The adoption of cursive hands in French writing world produced such elegant form of Ronde that we have seen since 18th century. Ronde can be also be found in many French past colonial countries’ scribes of the French Ministry of Finance or in education.

In this workshop we will learn how to write Ronde using a classic tool, dip pen with broad edge nib and dark ink.

This class is open to all levels.

Dates: October 24th & 25th, 2026 (Saturday & Sunday)
Time: 10am - 4pm (New York Time)
Price: $150
Member Price: $110
Max Enrollment: 12 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 703A

Materials for class:

• Small Broad edge nib (Speedball C4 or Brause 2mm) or Pilot Parallel 2 or 2.4mm or any broad edge nib fountain pen

• Straight pen holder

• Your preferred dark ink

• Paper, ruler, pencil, eraser

Edward Johnston, who was responsible for the calligraphic renaissance in the 20th century, developed this alphabet, which is both a training hand for other alphabets and a book hand for manuscript writing. The skeletal forms, proportions, spacing, and various serif systems will be examined for the lower and upper case letters. By mastering these fundamentals, the calligrapher will be able, after making slight adjustments in the pen angle and proportions, to develop other alphabets. Pressure and built-up techniques will be examined.

This class is open to beginner and intermediate levels.

Dates: September 20th & 27th, 2026 (two Sundays)
Time: 10am - 4pm (New York Time)
Price: $170
Member Price: $130
Max Enrollment: 12 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 703A

Materials:

• Speedball C-2 or larger or the equivalent in other pen nibs.

• Black ink (non-water proof) like Higgins Eternal.

• Bond paper - Canson Mix Media, Borden & Riley layout Bond, or Bienfang Graphics 360,

• Notebook for note taking.

• I will bring ruled paper. You can bring a T-square/ruler for ruling your own paper.

Join acclaimed former White House Calligrapher Rick Paulus for an immersive Society of Scribes workshop designed to strengthen your calligraphy and design skills through a thoughtful blend of online and in-person instruction. The program begins with a two-hour Zoom session focused on design concepts, planning, and the creative process, followed by a two-day in-person workshop in NYC dedicated to materials, layout, and guided studio exercises. Students will then continue developing a single design through independent work, culminating in a final in-person review and critique. Participants are asked to bring 2-3 design concepts or layouts to the first class, making this a highly engaging experience for intermediate to advanced calligraphy students.

This multifaceted workshop offers a complete learning arc: early discussion and concept development, hands-on exploration of tools and techniques, individual project work, and a concluding critique session. The format is intentionally structured to help students refine one design from initial ideas to a finished piece, opportunities for one-on-one Zoom mentoring are available for those who want additional guidance. To deepen skills further, students can also look into related Society of Scribes classes that complement this workshop’s emphasis on design, execution, and refinement.

This class is open to intermediate to advanced students.

Dates:

Zoom – September 23, 2026 2 hours
In-person (NYC) – October 3 & 4, 2026 (10am-4pm)
Zoom tutoring – on your own
In-person (NYC) – November 8, 2026

Time: 10am - 4pm (New York Time)
Price: $240
Member Price: $200
Max Enrollment: 10 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 703A

Cynthia Dantzic studied color under Josef Albers — the Bauhaus legend and "Father of Color Interaction" — at Yale, and has been teaching his renowned course at LIU for over 50 years.

Albers' aim was simple: "to open eyes" — to help us see color more fully. In this class, Cynthia will guide you through a series of hands-on studies using cut colored papers, presented just as Albers did.

You'll explore fascinating color illusions, including:

• 1=2 — making one color appear as two completely different colors

• 2=1 — making two unrelated colors appear identical

• Creating the illusion of transparency

• Making colors appear to vibrate at their edges

• Making a color seem to melt into its neighbor

Whether you're a calligrapher looking to incorporate color into your work or simply curious about how we perceive the world around us, this class will change the way you see color — forever.

Dates: November 15, 22, & Dec 6th, 2026
Time: 10am - 3pm (New York Time)
Price: $200
Member Price: $160
Max Enrollment: 15 students
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room TBD

Class List

• Color Aid paper, ideally a 6” x 9” package, but smaller will be fine

• 1 can or jar of Rubber Cement, with brush in cap.

• 1 X-acto pencil knife.

• 1 steel 6” or 12” ruler, without cork underneath.

• 1 steel right angle, smallest available.

• 1 pencil, plus sharpener and eraser.

• Up to 12 cardboards for mounting studies, preferable gray, 8” x 10” or 6” x 8” approximately, but all the same size, so you will have a consistent set of studies at the end of the workshop.

• 1 container for all of the above!

Learn the stroke components, and through rhythmic warm ups and practice to build consistent shapes and counters, while freely maintaining your own style. 

Suitable for beginner and intermediate students.

Dates: TBD, but Spring 2027
Time: 10am–4pm
Price: $150
Max enrollment: 15
Location: SVA Annex, 214 E. 21st Street, Room 703A, NYC

MATERIALS LIST

Many of these can be purchased from Dick Blick, but you can also order online from Paper and Ink Arts or John Neal for more specialized calligraphy supplies. You can also order from Amazon. Order in advance to account for shipping times!

• Pentel Refillable Pocket Brush Pen - with 6 Black Ink Cartridges. Orange Bumper Pack from Etsy: $16.52. Or, Amazon – with 2 ink cartridges. Black: $7.00. If from Amazon, need to buy extra cartridges for $8.75. Pack of 12, or can purchase individual from teacher at $1.00 apiece. 

• Pentel Color Brush Pen, Black (GFLBP101). Amazon Prime: $8.36

• Tombow Dual Brush Pen, Black (66621) Pack of 6 pcs. Amazon Prime: $13.49. Can purchase individual from teacher at $2.75 apiece. 

• Bienfang Graphics 360 Marker Pad, 11x14 inch. Amazon Prime: $15.49