Online Workshop

Free-range writing: moving away from traditional forms with Margaret Morgan

This topic Free Range Writing will not be a conventional “learn a new script or technique” series of workshops! Although it begins by using your handwriting, the exercises modify it into a wilder, looser incarnation that moves around, above and below the normal writing line, but it will end with something completely different and unique to each individual.

You’ll be given examples of unusual marks from a wide variety of sources from which to extract letter-like shapes to collect into your own unique, coded alphabet. You can then start to use your newly designed selection of letterforms in calligraphic compositions of single or multiple lines that will intrigue the viewer.

You may find the transition from “normal” writing to something akin to a code tricky to deal with at the beginning, the forms being unfamiliar even to you, their creator! You need to look hard at the source material, and think hard about the shapes you start to pull out as new letterforms for your unique alphabet, without being too obviously close to the usual 26 letters. Ultimately it’s a fun journey to a whole new way of writing. 

The instruction will be via demonstrations and presentation of images from the tutor’s own experiments, along with a series of worksheets to download and print out.

Are you ready to join the journey?

Classes will be held online in English via Zoom. Live sessions will be recorded for online viewing until November 23, 2023.

In the week between each live session, students will have time to practice, ask questions on the class forum, and submit assignments.

MATERIALS LIST

Please note: Not all items will be needed for every session, but most are probably standard items for all calligraphers, so you’ll probably have most already, or similar.

Paper:

• Lots of white (or off-white) drawing paper, approx 17 x 12 inches (or similar) around 75lbs weight (120gsm)

• Tracing paper

• Some coloured paper (eg. Ingres or Canson mi-teintes)

Inks, Paints:

• Black, non-waterproof ink, eg Moon Palace sumi, or similar

• One or two tubes of good quality gouache (whatever brand is your favourite), black and a colour of your choice

• Dr Martin’s bleedproof white gouache

Pens, Pencils, etc.:

• Rollerball pens with fine point (eg. Uniball Eye micro). Medium and broad-tipped pens would also be useful, if you have them

• Cola pen, or any folding ruling pen, Automatic pens or Pilot Parallel pens—these (and the brush pens) will give a variety of marks and textures to choose from for your new alphabet

• Speedball C-series nibs 1 - 5, if you have them

• A brush pen or two (eg Pentel Aquabrush, so you can use any color you choose, Pentel Color Brush, ready-filled with colored ink - or something similar) or just a good sable brush plus black gouache.

Extras:

• Long ruler (around 18inches, to rule lines)

• Soft eraser

• Palettes or saucers for mixing paint, water pots and rags/paper towels

• Brushes - cheap ones for mixing gouache; size 2 or 3 better quality pointed ones (synthetic bristles are probably best) for lettering, if you don’t have Pentel Color Brushes or Aquabrushes

Easy no-sew binding: (with thanks to Yukimi Annand for her original instructions)

• To make your practice sheets & ‘alphabet directory’ pages into a neat book for future reference, you’ll need a bone folder for scoring and folding the paper, two small clips to hold the block of pages together, a glue stick and a sheet of coloured paper (about the same weight as drawing paper, or slightly heavier) to make a cover.

• There will be a demonstration of how to do this in the last session.