Learn the secrets of historical typography with this hands-on workshop on Art Deco lettering. Popular in the roaring 20s and 30s, this style embodies the glamour, luxury, and exuberance of the Great Gatsby Era.
This four-hour class will quickly cover the foundations of lettering and briskly segue into dramatic uppercase letterforms, unexpected ligatures, geometric scripts, and ornamentation. We'll cover three Art Deco hand lettering styles to prepare you for your final project: a postcard for a 1920/30s jazz club.
You'll leave the workshop with:
A limited-edition 30-page workbook I designed and wrote for the workshop, printed in two-color risograph, plus a 52-page matching sketchbook.
A lettering piece that is both contemporary and historically-inspired and ready for its Instagram closeup.
Several rounds of one-on-one feedback during the workshop.
Access to my curated list of resources to continue learning about Art Deco typography and design.
Continued feedback and reference material via a private Facebook group for the class.
A frame-worthy, Riso-printed certificate of completion.
All materials are included; scroll down to learn more.
UPCOMING DATES
Select a city for details and to sign up
There are no dates currently scheduled.
If you’re organization would like to make this workshop happen in your city, I’d love to hear from you!
MATERIALS
All materials are included in ticket price. In addition to the workbook and sketchbook detailed below, you'll be given a mechanical pencil, eraser, Sharpie, and some other goodies. Just bring yourself!
THE 2nd edition WORKBOOK
By signing up to the workshop, you'll get a limited-edition workbook I designed and wrote for the occasion. The workbook is a 30-page booklet that opens with an essay giving you some historical context and features three hand-lettered, Art Deco alphabets as well as lettering instructions and tips. This edition also includes additional sections on lettering as well as sections on patterns and ornaments.
Printed in 2 color Risograph on natural white Cougar paper by Perfectly Acceptable in Chicago, IL.
THE SKEtCHBOOK
In addition to the workbook, you'll also receive a matching Art Deco sketchbook I designed inside and out. It has 52 pages with a subtle, fine dot-grid pattern (which I find to be the perfect spacing and darkness for lettering). The pages are the same uncoated, acid-free, natural white paper color as the workbook. The moderately heavy 100gsm weight as well as the generous 7"x10" size make it perfect for sketching. It also features red thread stitched binding.
Student work
a note on BUYING THE MATERIALS
I've gotten many requests to purchase these materials without attending a workshop. Both the first and second editions have been printed in very small runs and have already sold out. But fear not, I’m working on a third edition that will include even more information and samples! In addition, I’m also working on an brand new Art Nouveau Lettering workbook that will (hopefully) be released by mid-2019. Be sure to check my Instagram account or subscribe to my mailing list to stay up to date!
