Improve your handwriting and find your creative flow by training your hand to write in the beautiful, legible Italic script. We will study early examples of Italic and discuss its development, as well as Portland’s special place in Italic history. Students will gain familiarity with the letterforms and with the use of the broad-edged pen and will complete a simple project by the end of the term. This class is for beginners and anyone who wants to review the basics of Italic.

Eight weeks, January 15–March 5, 9:30 am–12:30 pm on Wednesdays. Taught at the Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland.

Time travel through the mists of history to the medieval British Isles! Discover the script used for one of the most famous books in the world, the Book of Kells. This magnificent manuscript was made around 800 AD and has fascinated scholars and modern-day scribes ever since. We’ll encounter other related manuscripts as you gain skills in writing in this style and begin making it your own.

Eight weeks, January 16–March 6, 9:30 am–12:30 pm on Thursdays. Taught at the Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland.

The Uncial hand is beautiful, simple to learn, and satisfying to write. Learn these letterforms with a broad-edged pen and explore their qualities with a flat brush, creating frameable calligraphic art.

Eight weeks, April 1–May 27, 6:00–8:30 pm on Tuesdays. Taught at the Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland.

Fraktur is a playful and inventive gothic blackletter script. Improve your broad-edged pen skills in this class and use Japanese stab binding to create a handmade calligraphic book.

Eight weeks, April 3–May 29, 9:30 am–12:30 pm on Thursdays. Taught at the Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland.

Admire the elves' flowing script in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings? Learn to write Tengwar, an invented language by the author. Gain proficiency in writing this script with a broad-edged nib while discovering how to remember this fascinating phonetic system with ease.

Four weeks, April 12–May 3, 10:00 am–noon on Saturdays. Taught at the Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland.