Italic originated Renaissance Italy. It is the mother of all handwriting models and the most versatile and flexible of the calligraphic hands.

We often look at a certain script or hand, like the italic, and think of it as a kind of recipe to be followed. Which is fine when we are starting out trying to learn something new. But the italic hand is almost infinitely variable, and can be made into a living and breathing script in many ways.

In this workshop we will look at the basic shape of italic letters as well as studying minuscule flourishes, ligatures and other ways of making text come alive. We will also look at ampersands, numerals and diacritics.

This will also give us the opportunity to discuss composition and the way space is activated by our strokes. 

The workshop is open for all levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced.