Calligraphy Courses for Beginners & Beyond - 6 & 3 Weeks

6 Week Courses - Wednesday Evenings

Uncial, Gothic and Capitals – For Beginners
Dates: September 23, 30 Oct 7, 14, 21, 28
Wednesday: 6.30pm to 9.30pm Cost: $500.00
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THE ART OF BEAUTIFUL WRITING – For Beginners
Italic Calligraphy & Cursive Handwriting
Dates: Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9
Wednesdays: 6.30pm to 9.30pm Cost: $500.00
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6 Week Courses - Saturdays
Morning or Afternoon

Italic – Beginners & Beyond
October 24, 31, & Nov 7, 14, 21, 28
Saturday: 10am - 1pm Cost: $500.00
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Foundations of Calligraphy - Beginners
October 24, 31, & Nov 7, 14, 21, 28
Saturday: 2pm - 5pm Cost: $500.00
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Short Courses - 3 Weeks

Foundation Hand
Minuscules (Small Letters) & Creative Techniques
October 24, 31, & Nov 7
Saturday: 2pm to 5pm Cost: $290.00
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Foundation Hand
Majuscules (Capitals) & Design
November 14, 21, 28
Saturday: 2pm to 5pm Cost: $290.00
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Gothic & Capitals
November 21, 28, December 5
Saturday: 2pm to 5pm Cost: $290.00
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Materials Cost: $50 for starter kit - Pay at first lesson.
                          A materials list provided after booking
Address: 8 Allison Road, Elsternwick 3185

Lauchean teaches budding calligraphers everything needed to get a
great start on the basics of calligraphy. Be inspired by beautiful calligraphy, colour blending and decorative techniques. Learn how to create simple artworks and cards.
THE STUDIO: Small classes where each student has their own drawing board, in a good sized classroom with access to studio equipment.
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Uncial and Gentle Gothic

As a complete beginner you’ll learn the basics of the Uncial, Gothic minuscules and Gothic Capitals. Learn creative techniques and how to use your lettering skills to design interesting layouts.

Study in a mixed ability group where you’ll work at your own level sharing experiences with others as you all apply your learned skills create rewarding projects.​

Dates: September 23, 30, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28
Times: Wednesday Evenings: 6.30 – 9.30pm
Costs:  $500.00 includes some studio materials

FOUNDATION HAND & CAPITALS

Introduction to Calligraphy - Foundation Hand & Caoitals
Simplified modern versions of early historical beauties.
 
Foundation Hand is an ideal beginners hand and is also suitable for those with calligraphy experience wanting to build on their writing skills. Written with a broad edged pen, the rounded letter forms with their simple clarity make this 'book hand' a perfect foundation style.

Learn essential pen and ink techniques, basic letter and word spacing and how to create simple layouts. These skills provide a solid base for continuing development at home and give insights into options for further lettering studies.

  • Establishing the fundamental basics
  • Beginning with a Pilot Parallel Pen before moving onto pen and ink
  • Start drawing letters stroke by stroke
  • Learn the basic rules for letter and word spacing
  • Experiment with studio materials and tools in projects
  • Learn the essential skills of how to measure and rule lines
  • Create relevant line templates for any project
  • Experienced learners will add serifs and style variations
  • Learn how to apply mindful techniques to your practice

This short course is designed to teach students the fundamentals of calligraphy, how to vary the style and create successful layouts. Learning everything from setting up your workspace through to creating beautiful flourished lines. How to practice effectively and to create calligraphic artworks.

October 24, 31, & Nov 7, 14, 21, 28
Times: Saturday: 2pm - 5pm
Cost: $500

Italic – Beginners & Beyond 

Italic is an elegant calligraphic hand, with its origins in the Italian Renaissance Chancery style. This classic versatile writing style is taught with a fresh, contemporary approach.

Beginners are guided step by step through the essential Italic letterforms, developing consistency, rhythm and fluency. You'll explore inks, gouache, and colour techniques. Students will dip into flourishing and the foundations of layout for their projects. A little regular practice between classes will help your skills grow, building confidence and preparing you for each new lesson.

Students with previous experience can refresh and fine tune their Italic, explore variations in letterforms and learn how to develop contemporary and hybrid interpretations of the traditional hand.

Taught in a small group, the course allows for plenty of personalised guidance and individual development.

Available Sessions: Saturday Mornings or Wednesday Evenings
Times: Saturdays Mornings: 10am to 1pm
Dates: Saturdays October 24, 31, & Nov 7, 14, 21, 28

Times: Wednesdays: 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Dates: Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9

Costs: $500.00 includes some studio materials

The Art of Beautiful Writing

Italic Calligraphy & Cursive Handwriting
One Foundation. Two Pathways.
This course offers a thoughtful approach to learning beautiful writing by first developing an understanding of the letterforms, shapes and movements that underpin both Italic Calligraphy and Cursive Handwriting.

Beginning with monoline writing using sharp pencils and fine-line pens, you’ll learn the essential forms of Cursive Italic. You’ll get to know letter families whilst developing muscle memory, rhythm and an eye for spacing. With these core skills in place, you’ll be ready to take your writing into one of two pathways: Italic Calligraphy or Cursive Handwriting

Italic Calligraphy 
Moving from the fine-line pen onto using pen & ink, learn how to handle the nibs broad-edge, the pen angle & continue writing your basic letter forms. Developing an "eye" and learning "how to see" the white spaces against the inked lines. A brilliant discovery!!

Building your consistency, flow, rhythm and spacing.  As your skills develop, you’ll explore flourishing, colour and ink techniques, gouache, and the basics of layout and composition.
 
Cursive Handwriting
For those learning hand writing you'll be staying with the monoline pen, where you will develop a fluent and individual handwriting style based on the principles of Cursive Italic and American Cursive handwriting. Using monoline and fountain pens, you’ll work towards writing that is comfortable, rhythmic, legible and beautiful.

Whichever pathway you choose, you’ll continue to strengthen the foundations of letterform, spacing, movement and rhythm while developing greater confidence and fluency in your writing. Suitable for complete beginners as hand writers or budding calligraphers, and anyone wishing to refresh, improve or refine their existing writing skills.

THE ART OF BEAUTIFUL WRITING – For Beginners
Italic Calligraphy & Cursive Handwriting
Dates: Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9
Wednesdays: 6.30pm to 9.30pm Cost: $500.00

Gothicised Cursive & Gothic Capitals - 3 Week Course

Introduction To Calligraphy with Gothic Cursive or Pointed Gothic
An introduction  to Gothicised Italic with step by step instructions.
Gothicized Italic – Pointed Gothic Miniscule (small Letters)

A short 3 lesson course where you’ll discover the beauty of gothic cursives and adapt “Gothic” for modern use. Examine historical exemplars and learn from it, then adapt that for use in our own modern context. This course is designed to inspire a passion of beautiful lettering for beginners and intermediate students.
 
Getting started with an introduction to your tools. Learn pen angles and warm up exercises then move onto the anatomy of letterforms. Through step by step instructions move through the construction of the lowercase Gothic Cursive alphabet including basic proportions, shapes and counters. Learn the general rules of letter spacing, word, line, texture and margins. From a self-critique checklist discover how to improve on your calligraphy practice as you continue to learn.
 
Gothic Cursive capitals
As with italic, gothic cursive hand lends itself to flourished lines. Develop your decorative skills and apply them to simple Gothic Cursive capitals to design elegant decorative capitals. Learn how to draw double strokes and flourishes, adding extensions and flourishes to create a powerful composition.
 
This workshop has been created as an introduction to gothic calligraphy to give you the confidence, knowledge and inspiration to develop your lettering skills.
You'll learn about all the tools and materials you'll need to get started and continue your lettering journey - inks, pens, papers and more.

Dates: TBA 2027
Saturday: 2pm to 5pm Cost: $290.00
A Six Week Course structured for Mixed Ability Groups.
The program will be structured for beginner level together with experienced students.  
Course choices vary throughout the year - stanards choices are as follows:
Beginners: Roman Hands which will consist of Uncial and Foundational Hands. Gothic minuscule and Gothic Capitals are a perfect next step following the voluptuous elegance of Uncial.
Beginners and experienced: Italic Script

Following on from her tutoring of the 2 Year Calligraphy Course at RMIT University, where Lauchean's class groups consisted of students mixed ability, she has continued to teach across slightly varying levels & subjects.

Each course program will include:
Getting started: How to set up a desk & work space.
General Pen Care: Maintenance and Cleaning.
Build Your Skills: Exercises with patterns & forming letters stroke by stroke
Calligraphy Styles: Both the Lowercase (minuscule) & Capitals (majuscules)
Style Characteristics: The anatomy of letterforms.
About The Style: Historical and contemporary references.
Info About Materials and Tools: Inks, gouache, metallic inks, papers, pens, nibs. The variety and suitability available, how to use them.
Spacing: letters, words, interline spacing, margins, textures.
Line Ruling: How to measure and rule your guidelines for any style.
Self Critique: How to analyze your writing and improve your own work.
Design: From basic composition techniques to more complex layout methods.
Applied Skills: Homework between lessons. Create a calligraphic project
Research: Developing a future file. Reference containing stuff you like, designs, styles etc

What will be supplied & things to Bring:

Materials that will be supplied in the studio:
  • The use of studio drawing boards, coloured inks, gouaches, gold inks & many varied tools to experiment with in class.
  • Take home - A3 paper, Course Booklet, your starter kit, cost $30.
  • There's a Coffee machine, Teas and snacks.
What Materials to bring:
  • Your own calligraphy materials if you have them.
  • A list of basic art and calligraphy materials to bring each week will be supplied.

Location

Contact Us

8 Allison Road,
Elsternwick 3185, Victoria
​Email:       [email protected]
Mobile:     (0417) 326 406

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