Ewan Clayton
Brighton, England
B09 — The Spirit of Invention
Four-Day Class, Monday, July 27 – Friday, July 31
Intermediate, Intermediate/Advanced, Advanced
Lettering
In this class I am offering a taster of a fascinating area of study. Following the Second World War German calligraphers turned to a variety of new directions. With pen and brush in hand, we will trace the different strategies and techniques adopted by a number of key individuals who changed the direction of contemporary calligraphy towards a more experimental approach. We hope to gain inspiration from their methods of work rather than imitate their forms. Among the many of those whose work we will look at are two important, but very different, influences — Karlgeorg Hoefer and Hans-Joachim Burgert. What I have discovered in teaching this workshop before is that people first discover permission to play and then the principles with which to analyze and organize their experimentation.
Supply List
- Layout Bond (not smaller than 11″ x 17″)
- Pencils
- Ruler
- A few pens in the size in which you like to work: either small, medium, or large
- Pointed watercolor brushes: various sizes are useful, so simply bring what you have. A pointed Chinese brush (any size will do).
- Your choice of gouache (at least two) and a plate/palette for mixing it
- Any non waterproof ink; your choice
- If you have a ruling pen, bring it along
- Eraser
- Pen wipe
- Water container
Ewan Clayton enjoys working with his fellow calligraphers whatever their level of experience from beginners to experts. He grew up near Ditchling, Sussex, home to the calligrapher Edward Johnston. An early friendship with Irene Wellington encouraged him to join the course at the Roehampton Institute run by Ann Camp for whom he then worked as a teaching assistant. Today Ewan is part-time Professor in Design at the University of Sunderland. He also makes commissions, curates exhibitions, and writes about calligraphy. In 2014 Counterpoint Press published his book The Golden Thread: The Story of Writing.