I have been teaching beginners brush and brush pen calligraphy workshops for a few years now, and I still haven’t gotten the hang of remembering to take photos. That’s why this time I asked my talented friends Sab and Sam to come capture the day for these workshops in April.
Awesome video from Sam; photos below from Sabrina
The past year or so I’ve been holding workshops at Paper Mountain, a Perth artist run initiative based on Northbridge. It’s such a lovely creative space, and has gorgeous natural light that’s just right to write by.
Calligraphy is something that really takes a lot of concentration, especially when you’re just starting out and getting the hang of how to control the pen or brush. I like to think that makes it easier to get into a flow state, which is why I find it relaxing even when it’s frustrating! My students were definitely in extreme focus mode whilst working through the worksheets, and the time really flew by. 
I asked Sabrina to try and take some photos of me, because I can’t take those when it’s just me – but I make some pretty weird faces whilst talking and waving around pens.
The Brush Basics workshop is a lot longer than the Brush Pen Basics one, as it takes a bit longer to get the hang of a paintbrush and ink as opposed to a brush pen. It gets a bit messy and unpredictable, but that’s what I like about it! There’s a lot of potential for creativity here especially, with coloured inks and watercolours opening up options.
As always, it was awesome seeing people who say they’re “not very creative” or “have terrible handwriting” have a go and progress dramatically through the course. I always try to get students to compare the first page of their worksheet to the last page – even over the space of an hour or so, there’s an obvious improvement in confidence.
I’m currently taking expressions of interest for an August/September workshop – put your name down if you’re keen!
All photos by Sabrina
