Classes

I am offering Part Three of a 3 part series on Pointed Brush Lettering sometime next year. If you are interested in joining it, please let me know.

The Advanced Pointed Brush Class – will run on Zoom Tuesday mornings from 9:30 am to 12 pm MT. In this class we will work on more challenging possibilities and variations with the aim of making it your own.

The class size will be limited to 12. Participation in the Intermediate Pointed Brush Class is a requirement for the Advanced Pointed Brush Class.

The class will be recorded.

Advanced Pointed Brush Class

For more information, a course outline and to register click here to contact Elizabeth

Paste Paper

Paste paper had its origins about 450 years ago when printers, wanting a less expensive decorative paper than marbled paper for end papers, in their books, added paint to their paste and made patterns in the paste with the tools at hand – often with their fingers. Many of us were first introduced to paste paper in primary school where it is known as finger painting. More recently calligraphers realized that paste makes an excellent surface on which to letter.

I offered an Online Paste Paper Workshop October 1st 2022. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing access to the YouTube video plus the handouts OR if you would like me to offer another online class.

Time: 9:30 am to 12:30 pm MDT with a 15 minute break in the middle

Cost: $25 USD Payable by check or bank transfer – Zelle, Venmo or Interac

In this on-line demonstration/mini workshop students are introduced to 14 techniques for pasting paper while creating pages for a reference book.  We will work on sheets of Arches Text Wove paper that are cut down or torn into pieces that are approximately 12.25” x 5” (31 cm x 12 cm) so that those who wish to work along with Elizabeth during the presentation can do so.

Once dry these can be assembled into drum leaf bound reference books for further exploration.

Each participant will receive:

  1. A list of supplies to be gathered before the workshop
  2. Set of directions for mixing paste and for pasting
  3. List of techniques being demonstrated.
  4. Simple drum leaf binding directions
  5. Much encouragement
The class will be recorded and available on YouTube to all the students indefinitely.
 
For my own paste paper work I almost always make pages with multiple layers so I tend to use transparent colors. See https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/paste-paper
 
But layers are too fussy in this kind of a class. So all of the methods that I show except the first 2 use one layer of paste with two to three colors of paint. 
 
In the past I have taught groups for 2 to 5 days in large spaces. It would take days to do the prep and days for me to recover but all my students had a good time. Then I was asked to teach a large group – about 40 people – and I gave some thought to teaching online. This three hour class was the result. It was mostly a success though some people thought it was a bit fast. But really speed is a useful tool for this as it keeps the students from overworking the paste and ending up with mud.
 
Three really good reasons for taking this online class are:
 
1. The students learn how to make their own paste and are confident to try it again on their own.
 
2. When the class is over the paste paper set-up is still there and people tend to carry on pasting for the next couple days – or week.
 
3. The YouTube video is there to refer to if something isn’t working and you can’t figure out why.