Carl Rohrs - Modern Pen Madness: Extensive Pen Techniques - Oct 7, 14, 28

This workshop is all about all the ways of getting the most from a flat pen. A heightened awareness of pen-angle choices in unexpected places, the most tasteful and powerful ways to use manipulation and the gigantic new world of possibilities open to calligraphers when the pen begins to lift off of the paper.  A finer awareness of pen angle can give us a greater range of feel and weight. Pen manipulation is a technique that can bring a lovely fluidity and richness of line-weight subtitles, but can be a dangerous move that shifts weight to the wrong parts of a letter if not utilized with conscious intent, so we’ll explore that. Finally, a more delicate sense of the contact between pen and paper and the control of the bead of ink that is in-between opens a box of myriad possibilities: using & losing contact with the paper for unusual stroke shape and a controlled ragged line. The four basic lifts and flicks for the edges of our letters and the many ways of combining them for unlimited control. There is a different sense of delicacy about your writing when the full width of the pen doesn’t get a chance to make its mark, and a more powerful kind of contrast when a full contact stroke is combined with pen corner details. Put simply, we’re trying to show you everything in the bag of tricks: bounce, angularity, rhythm, compression, ragged edges, rocking, strokes that taper, and new ways of thinking about terminals. Split letters with split pens & split letters with normal pens. Appreciating the full & hidden potential of flat calligraphy pens for modern as well as classic work, including the full range from thick-&-thin to monoline, with the power to use every stop in between. Feeling the paper through the pen.

Modern Pen Madness: Extensive Pen Techniques
Carl Rohrs, Hosted By Portland Society for Calligraphy

10/7/23, 10/14/23, 10/28/2023

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific

Registration Contact Email:workshops@portlandsocietyforcalligraphy.org