Calligraphy for Beginners - Arnold Library - Adult Learning

About this course

This course is for absolute beginners to the art of calligraphy. You will be taught the Foundational Script and the Roman Capital script as well as easy border designs. We use Calligraphy Markers (and not dip ink pens) which are easy to use for either right- or left-handed writers. You’ll learn how to hold the pen to get the nib angle correct and basic exercises to help you achieve the thick and thin strokes. The Foundational script is ideal for beginners and there’s plenty of individual demonstrations and feedback from your tutor as well as worksheets to help you.

What will learners achieve by the end of the course?

• Hold the pen nib at 30 and 45 degrees.

• Create straight and curved strokes.

• Form the letters in the family groups 1 and 2.

• Form the letters in the family groups 3, 4 and 5.

• Form majuscules (capital letters).

• Plan and complete a small project using calligraphy skills.

What you will need to bring to the course:

Clairefontaine Goldline Layout Pad, A4, 50 gsm, 80 Sheets – or equivalent

Calligraphy Marker Pen (this is a double-ended pen with a 2mm and a 3.5mm nib)

Pencil and eraser

30cm (12 inch) ruler

Protractor

Paperclips/bulldog clip or a clipboard

Booking your place and fee information

If you receive certain benefits you will be offered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which may prevent you from enrolling on the course, please visit our funding page for further information.

Residency in England

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must be living in England permanently and live outside of the devolved areas listed below or live within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) devolved area (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire).

• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield 

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

• Greater London

• Greater Manchester

• Liverpool City Region

• Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland

• Tees Valley

• West of England

• West Midlands

• West Yorkshire

Residency Eligibility – other criteria

If you are living in the UK on a visa we will require evidence of this in order to be funded for the course, you can upload this evidence when you apply for the course. (completion of a questionnaire will be required).

Some exceptions may apply for example

• Your visa expiry date must be beyond the end of your course

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office

• You are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014

Any learner who is not funded, full cost fees would apply to these courses.