full_sign_pages
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amity Parks
Missoula, MT

A39 — A Sharp Pencil and a Keen Eye
One-Day Class, Sunday, July 26
All Levels
Design, Lettering

sharp-pencil-keen-eye-1
sharp-pencil-keen-eye-2
sharp-pencil-keen-eye-3
In this one-day class, the humble pencil becomes a powerful tool in recording ideas and developing designs. With the simple partnership of pencil, eraser, and sketchbook, we will explore the many benefits to be gained from drawing letters and arranging words.

Starting with basic drawing and design principles like line quality and shading, we will learn what sort of marks our pencils can produce. We will then move on to drawing letters and designing word groups. The process of drawing letters forces us to slow down and relate more organically to the forms we are creating. You will find that drawing letterforms with care and thoughtfulness does wonders for your design and lettering skills and allows for more refined vision through a keener eye.

We all know that our best ideas do not always come while we are sitting at the drawing table. We will talk about strategies to develop the habit of always having your sketchbook, pencil, and eraser nearby. Whether you are interested in these tools to develop and record your ideas or as a means to create finished artworks, there is no question that they are some of the most flexible and versatile tools in your kit.

Supply List

  • Mechanical pencil: 0.5 or 0.3 and leads
  • A few drawing pencils in various hardness’ (4B, 2B, HB, 2H) or whatever you have already
  • Grey kneaded eraser
  • White eraser stick: Tombow MonoZero or Papermate Tuff Stuff
  • X-acto knife or small pencil sharpener (no motors please)
  • Small C-thru ruler
  • A short quote or words you like: 4 – 10 words long
  • Drawing board/slant board if you work on one at home
  • Sketchbook: I highly recommend the Moleskine soft cover notebook, 7.5″ x 10″ plain (no lines)
  • A few sheets of Strathmore 400 series drawing paper or or any other smooth, good paper (9″ x 12″)
amity_parksAmity Parks is an artist and calligrapher living in Missoula, Montana. For some years she has been studying calligraphy in weeklong and private tuition classes with internationally renowned instructors. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tulsa, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana. Her work has been featured in national and regional exhibits. She has been a long-term active member and teacher in her local and state calligraphy guilds and was on the faculty of the 2014 International Calligraphy Conference. An article on her artwork was published in the February 2014 issue of Bound and Lettered magazine. She spends many hours in her studio on her personal and creative work, finding a balance between her teaching commitments, her business and her own busy family life. More information and artwork can be found on her website, www.amityparks.com.

Go to Next One-Day Class