Decorated Letter 1 class

This class teaches you an EXTENSIVE variety of fun, generally easy decorative techniques to enhance calligraphy projects and other types of visual art.
Topics to be covered include drop shadows, borders, stand-alone ornaments, two-tone letters, double-stroke letters, leaf-and-vine designs, Lombardic capitals, Celtic knots, insular decoration (the decorative style used in the Book of Kells), Sickels lettering style (a simple blocky style), and traditional white vine … and more!
The Decorated Letter 1, Decorated Letter 2, and Decorated Letter 3 courses are all what could be called “taste-testing” classes, which offer you an opportunity to try out each artistic technique for a week or so at a relatively easy level, and then move on to a new technique. You will build on what you have learned already throughout the course. If you like the technique of the week, you can then go on and study it in greater depth later, at your leisure, and if the technique isn’t to your taste, you don’t have to spend any more time on it. You may begin with ANY of the three Decorated Letter courses; they are independent and do NOT have to be taken in order.
We will focus more on simplified drawing/painting/tracing than on lettering, so you can get full value from the class even with minimal calligraphy experience. The techniques will be a mix between those which are more specific to calligraphy/lettering, and those which can be used with other types of graphic arts creations as well (painted borders, for example). Both traditional and contemporary techniques are included.
Many of the photos accompanying this listing are of homework projects created by students in this class.
WHO: This class is designed for adults and mature adolescents.
PREREQUISITE: Any in-depth calligraphy class, the equivalent in independent study, OR a strong art background.
WHERE: Online via Zoom. This will be a small-group live interactive online class, so each student can have their questions answered and get individual feedback as needed.
RECORDINGS: After each class lesson, the recording of it will be available for you to save to your own computer to review at your leisure forever (assuming technology cooperates).
WHEN: This class includes ELEVEN weekly lessons , on Mondays, August 21 through November 13, 2023 ( NO class on September 4 or September 11), from 1:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern Time.
SUPPLIES: The supply list may be found here: Supply list for Decorated Letter 1 class
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to More details and check out all of the classes taught by this instructor. You may also sign up for regular updates on all of her upcoming classes by emailing her at calligraphics@yahoo.com
FOR QUESTIONS, email the instructor, Cheryl Tefft, at calligraphics@yahoo.com
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Cheryl Tefft of Calligraphics has been a professional calligrapher for over a quarter of a century and teaches about 200 calligraphy/decoration classes per year. She specializes in calligraphy for weddings and one-of-a-kind highly decorated documents, working with both traditional and contemporary lettering styles and techniques. More of her work may be seen at Calligraphics on Facebook and in various issues of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.