Date: Saturday, October 16, 2021
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, sign in starts at 9:45 am
Location: Online Zoom invite will be sent to members, no registration required and no cost to current paid members.

Course description:  Capitalis Rustica with flat brush study of historical shapes, use of the flat brush, compositions and patterns with letter shape.

Based in Turin, Italy, Massimo Polello has worked as a calligraphic artist for over fifteen years. Through his study and practice, Massimo has explored classical and contemporary applications of calligraphy in art and graphic design. These include packaging design and logos for companies, museums and individuals, as well as applying his designs to walls and for interior design.

In recent years, Massimo has taken part in major competitions of world standing, given workshops and training on calligraphy, and displayed his work in collective and solo national and international exhibitions.
Massimo combines classic calligraphic techniques with stylistic experimentations which are embellished by the use of innovative materials such as resins, varnishes, and unconventional media. Moving away from the stereotyped use of paper and canvases, he is always on the look-out for recycled materials to which he likes to confer a new identity.
In Massimo’s works, the alphabet transcends the typical functionality of the written language, and its relative symbolic and abstract value by becoming an image that confers value to the shape and gesture of the sign.
Massimo sums up his approach to calligraphy best, “…letters become a means to exist outside myself… going beyond the letters, captured by a sole need to see. They become signs, images, evocations, urgent needs, emotions.”

Check out Massimo’s website at http://www.lacalligrafia.com/

Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Online Zoom invite will be sent to members, no registration required and no cost to current paid members. If you are joining us for the first time as a guest, please contact fcszoom@gmail.com for the meeting link in advance.

Course description:  We will be taking the 18th century, traditional pointed pen script to another level. We will focus on keeping an “up-right” touch for this style and explore beyond the slant. It’s got that “contemporary-but elegant” look for our modern times without being illegible. It’s exciting to learn new techniques and make the script your own.

Download link for more info

Date: April 13, 2021
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: Online Zoom invite will be sent to members, no registration required and no cost to current paid members. If you are joining us for the first time as a guest, please contact fcszoom@gmail.com for the meeting link in advance.

In this workshop you will:

– Learn about the colours that were available to the European Medieval illuminator and how to make your illuminations more Medieval by using this restricted palette.

– Learn about the significance of, and common themes in, Medieval marginalia and make up your own marginal creature.

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Date: Saturdays, February 20 and 27 Time: 10 am-12 pm Location: Online Zoom invite will be sent to members, no registration required and no cost to current paid members

Carolingian Bookhand provides an excellent basis for learning calligraphy. This script is an extremely legible hand and many of our familiar typefaces have their roots in this alphabet. We will concentrate on basic letterform construction, proportion and spacing and look at some historical examples for inspiration. All levels welcome

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Date: November 10th, 2020 Time: 6:30 -9:00 pm Location: Online Zoom invite will be sent to members, no registration required

Whether you’re new to Italic or have some experience, you’re sure to get something from this class!  It might be the basics of pen angle and proportions or it might be a tweak that will help move your Italic to the next level. In this whirlwind class, we’ll concentrate on the minuscules.  If you’re a beginner, consider using one of the markers recommended below.  It will give you a nice kick start without the worry of pen and ink challenges!

Date: March 10th, 2020 Time: 7-9pm Location: Knox Presbyterian Church Using “found” materials, Janis will be demonstrating how many fun calligraphy tools can be made and everyone will have time to invent their own unique tools!  Once the tools (see photo attachment) have been made/demonstrated, the fun continues … experimentation with inks and paints and chatting about the various effects they make.  Some supplies will be provided but please bring: – Rice Paper (sheets or roll) – Sumi (or drawing) ink – Bulldog clip (medium size) – Dental floss – and if you them them, please bring: wooden clothespin, yarn or embroidery thread.

  Date: Postponed Time: 9 am-12pm Location: McTavish Academy of Art, 1720 McTavish Road Registration opens February 1, 2020 This four week class will introduce the basic form and style of the Uncial hand….but then move into a whole range of possibilities with colour and tools.   You will learn how to slant the letters into a running style; change the weight and height of the letters and how you can use different tools to create monoline Uncials.   It is a great hand for beginners as there is just one set of letters to learn but it offers opportunities to “grow a garden” of variations. Click here for registration form  

Date: February 11, 2020 Location: Knox Presbyterian Church  7-9 pm The Canadian Books of Remembrance honour more than 120,000 Canadians who have given their lives serving our country.  Much has been written on the history and significance of these manuscripts recognized as national treasures.  This presentation will focus on the Books from the view of a calligrapher.  We will explore the design, layout, script, materials and bindings of the Books with explanations and hands on displays.  There will be a question and answer session at the end.

Date: February 8 and 9, 2020 Location: Vancouver Island School of Art, Second Floor, 950 Kings Road. We are delighted that Renée is coming to teach for the Fairbank Society!  She received rave reviews when she taught this workshop for Warmland Calligraphers. Italic is very versatile and can be changed to fit your calligraphic meaning.   It can be light and airy or as flourished like Copperplate.   Renee will explain how you can examine the components of the script and how it can be altered and still be considered Italic. Download Registration form  

Date: November 12, 7-9 pm

Location: Knox Presbyterian Church, 2964 Richmond Road, Victoria

During the European Middle Ages, most book pages were made not from paper, but from parchment: specially-treated animal skin. As a general rule, this creamy smooth substrate was highly prized; yet not all parchment was created equal. Following an overview of medieval parchment-making techniques, this talk—illustrated with documents from the University of Victoria’s Special Collections as well as much further afield—will consider parchment’s natural variability, with particular attention to how manufacturing processes and biochemical factors gave rise to ‘offcuts’ (flaw-ridden parchment scraps or ‘seconds’), as well as where and why medieval scribes used this lower quality form of writing support.

Biography: Stephanie J. Lahey is a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria, and Editorial Assistant of Early Middle English. A recent Guest Researcher at the University of Leiden, she has presented her research in Canada, the USA, and Europe; published in Florilegium and Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities; and been cited and consulted in The Wall Street Journal. Her doctoral dissertation, jointly supervised by Dr. Iain Macleod Higgins (Victoria) and Dr. Erik Kwakkel (UBC iSchool) analyses the use of parchment offcuts in manuscripts produced in later medieval England.

Photo credit: University of Victoria, McPherson Library, Special Collections,​ Ms.Lat.6, f. 90r