South London Letter Association regularly hosts events for its members. From social events, exhibitions, and other outings, to workshops and courses our events are a great opportunity to get together and share creative ideas about lettering. Most events are free for members, so join SLLA today.
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November 2021
Tim Noad: The Istanbul Illuminations, inspiration from Islamic Art
In his talk Tim Noad will show how Islamic lettering and illumination, encountered in museums and exhibitions as well as trips to Istanbul, have proved inspirational for his work over the years. They include the decoration of a Royal Charter and more recently the layout of a poem. He has also tried out Arabic lettering and learnt authentic techniques of gilding and illumination. Members: Free Non-members: £ 3
Find out more »February 2022
Pencil Gothics with Gwyneth Hibbett
This workshop takes a familiar tool – the pencil – to practice and create gothic lettershapes and use them in combination with a variety of different artistic effects. The versatility of pencils and their range of “hardnesses” give the calligrapher scope for shading and many different textures, which can take your lettering in different directions. Soft graphite greys give a subtlety that the sometimes the harsh black ink of ‘blackletter’ doesn’t, and the ease of adding some pencil embellishment can…
Find out more »Members’ joint project
Members’ joint project – Jigsaw puzzle and wall hanging of calligraphic map of the London Boroughs, led by Sue Shocket Calligraphy Quiz – devised by Eva Driskell .
Find out more »March 2022
Pointed Pen Uncials with Joy Daniels
A chance to explore the Uncial alphabet written with a pointed nib, giving a light, modern and elegant twist to the hand. The basic uncial alphabet is changed in appearance when written with a flexible pointed nib and the resulting open and delicate texture will add a further option to your calligraphy skill-set. Joy will cover the key strokes in the first session – the different angles of the pen and how the letters are constructed with some simple words.…
Find out more »Illuminated Addresses with John P. Wilson
John Wilson will describe what illuminated addresses are, explain his fascination with them and why he has written a book “Beauty in Letters” about them and provide a number of examples and the stories behind them.
Find out more »April 2022
Archie Proudfoot
Archie Proudfoot is an artist and sign writer whose work utilises the techniques and the aesthetics of traditional signage to explore the relationship with language. He now splits his time between creating bespoke signage for businesses across London and creating his own personal pieces. Members will probably be familiar with his work, including his Alphabet mugs, which are sold by the Tate.
Find out more »May 2022
Make the Letters Do the Work with Mary Noble
Mary is a well known calligrapher, teacher and co-author of many books. Ever since discovering, post-graphic design training, that she could make letters by hand, Mary has spurned other forms of expression other than a bit of colouring-in or vague suggestions of backgrounds. Letters are so expressive in themselves, who needs pictures?
Find out more »Neuland Script Uncovered with Mark L’Argent
In this workshop we will be learning and experimenting with the typeface NEULAND (meaning New Territory) and its origins in hand lettering, and looking at some of the variations of Neuland that have evolved since. This interesting alphabet was designed to be a type of Modern Gothic by Rudolph Koch in 1923. Workshop Fee £30: SLLA members £35: non-members We welcome everyone to join our workshops, but offer priority booking for our members until 8 weeks prior to the…
Find out more »June 2022
Robert Dunn City Walk – Coffee Houses
Robert explores the eastern side of the City and tells how several of the City’s financial institutions started in the 17th century coffee houses.
Find out more »French Ronde Roundels with Gwyneth Hibbett
This workshop starts by looking at the French Ronde script, giving some time to work on this for those who have not tackled this hand before and space for those who would like to practice a bit. The characteristics of this decorative script enable the letterforms to be used to create decorative shapes and patterns. In the second half of the workshop we will be using some simple design techniques to create some “Ronde Roundel” designs Workshop Fee £30: SLLA…
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