Have you been using calligraphy markers or cartridge pens to study and practice your calligraphy, and found dip pens to be intimidating? This class will help you move toward wielding those dip pens with ease and confidence much faster than you could on your own!

This class is the third in a series of four courses in calligraphy designed to take complete novices from terrified to terrific! If you have already taken the instructor's Beginning Calligraphy I (uncial) and Beginning Calligraphy II (italic) classes, then you are ready for Mastering Dip Pens.

In the first two courses of the beginner sequence (uncial and italic), students use Parallel Pens (cartridge pens), because they are a relatively easy calligraphy tool to use. Parallel Pens are great in many respects, but they have their limitations, so to get the best possible appearance and options with your calligraphy practice, it is necessary to transition to using using dip pens, the favored tools of professional calligraphers. This class is intended to help you to make that transition as quickly as possible.

In this class you will be using the broad-edge lettering style(s) you have already learned (uncial and/or italic, for most students) and simply concentrating on becoming comfortable with using a different kind of writing tool and different inks. This is a necessary step for calligraphy students to advance in general (less-precise tools will hold you back in your learning process, just like a music student who only has a poor-quality instrument for practice). You will also need to learn to work with dip pens if you want to do calligraphy using metallic inks, or to learn pointed-pen styles such as copperplate, Spencerian, or some versions of modern calligraphy.

Learning to use dip pens is highly recommended for smaller lettering (such as for addressing), and it opens up a whole world of possibilities in tools and inks and materials, many of which will be discussed/used in this class. (This course covers broad-edge dip pens only; pointed pen use is covered in the next course: Beginning Copperplate. You'll be quite busy enough without starting on the pointed pen yet!) There will also be a bonus lesson on how to correct your mistakes.

WHO: This class is designed for adults and mature adolescents.

PREREQUISITE: Beginning Calligraphy I (uncial) and Beginning Calligraphy II (italic), from this instructor, OR any other two comprehensive broad-edge calligraphy courses (or the equivalent in independent study).

WHERE: Online via Webex (quite similar to 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. You will receive further information about getting set up with Webex when you enroll. The link to attend the class online will be emailed to you shortly before the first lesson.

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 SIX weekly lessons, on Wednesdays, August 17 through September 28, 2022, from noon to 2:00 pm Central Time. (No class September 7.) (Eventbrite may not show the complete listing of dates/times in the summary of information on the class.)

SUPPLIES: The supply list may be found here: Supply list for Mastering Dip Pens class NOTE: The supply lists for the Mastering Dip Pens class and the Beginning Copperplate class have been combined because there is so much overlap between them. The list is divided into three sections (both classes, Mastering Dip Pens class only, Beginning Copperplate class only), with each one marked clearly.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to More details and check out the spreadsheets and Word document with details about all of the classes taught by this instructor (each upcoming year's schedule is posted sometime in November and then updated regularly). You may also sign up for her email newsletter, which includes calligraphy-related tidbits of information along with 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 160 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 numerous issues of national bridal magazines, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, and The Knot.