Modern Calligraphy - Map It! NEW! Online Class
Sunday, September 25, 1-3:30pm MT
Instructor: Gale Nation
Limit: 15 students. Includes class kit + shipping
To receive your kit in time for the class, register by Sept 18.

Choose from 3 different map styles to receive with your class kit.

Modern calligraphy is a looser, natural style of calligraphy that’s become popular because it’s quick to learn and less formal than the traditional scripts. The beauty of the modern version is that any kind of pen or writing instrument can be used - even chalk or crayons or markers! Hand lettering artist Gale Nation covers the basics of modern calligraphy in this introductory class. There are no grids and no lines. In fact, she talks about not writing in a straight line.

Gale starts class by showing basic hand movements and having you write out the alphabet in different styles. She then demonstrates how to connect individual letters to form words and how to create interest with simple embellishments and flourishes. The middle part of the class focuses on how to mix styles and on layout - centering, positioning, and fitting things together. Play! Have fun! Use a pencil and copy paper to try out different ways of displaying your chosen word or phrase. Finally, write it in ink on a Cavallini printed map and start dreaming of faraway places. Your finished map is suitable for framing or hanging.

Gale’s enthusiasm for handwriting, fonts, and words is infectious. Watching people get excited when they discover what they can do is the reason she teaches. Her goal is for everyone to go beyond the basics and develop a personal style. As she says, everyone’s writing is beautiful in its own way!

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 10 days after the class.

Class Materials:

Please bring the following materials:

Regular printer or other paper for practice
Optional: a favorite word or short phrase (sample words/quotes are provided in class).
Optional: apron and either baby wipes or a damp rag to keep hands clean.

Class Kit Includes:

Sharpie fine point pen
Black Micon pens 05 and 08
Pencil & eraser
Carbon paper
Vintage-style map
Calligraphy practice sheets
Sample words & quotes

We ship class kits approximately 2 weeks before the class via USPS Priority Mail. You will receive a tracking number (check your spam folder) once your kit ships. Kits can only be shipped within the USA. If you’re outside the USA and would like to take the class, please contact us for information.

Zoom Info

Be sure to look for an email with class details sent out the Monday before the class. The email includes a Zoom link to login, the class agenda, a materials list, and information on any pre-class prep. You’ll also receive a reminder email the day before the class. If you don’t see the class email from us check your spam folder. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered. It's on your order confirmation. If there's still an issue, contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com.

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy

For cancellation made 3 weeks before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We deduct the price of the class kit plus shipping if we’ve already shipped the kit, and we retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 3 weeks before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Gale Nation is a hand-lettering (and more!) artist with a home studio in Shawnee, Kansas. She loves penmanship, painting, drawing and has been doodling all her life, even when she’s supposed to be paying attention. Actually, doodling helps her pay attention. Her teachers didn't believe it and the doodling drives her husband crazy, but it's true! Her husband is an accountant by day and moonlights as her carpenter and painter while loading the occasional U-Haul headed for a show.

Gale sells her hand-lettered goodness at stores throughout the USA. All her work is lettered by hand - no vinyl, stencils, or machines. And yes, it's ALL her own handwriting. She self-admittedly hates to cook, clean, or do math, so amazing penmanship is pretty much her stock in trade. She does, however, make a mean margarita and is an expert at making salsa. After all, a gal has to be able to "cook" something!

She teaches classes and does shows and markets across the Midwest. She also teaches virtual classes from her home studio and in-person workshops in the Kansas City area. Her love of embroidery and stitching is big, so it’s no surprise that she has classes that feature her lettering in stitched designs as well. Color is fun and she embraces it wholeheartedly.

In her "spare" time, she rearranges the furniture in her house, stitches and embroiders up a storm, gardens, reads voraciously, plays the piano, and consumes way too much caffeine. Gale believes that words matter, that love matters, and that life is better when you're laughing. She's happiest when sharing her talents with the world, and she hopes that everything you learn in one of her classes brings you joy and helps you mark the sweetest memories ever.

Follow her on Instagram at @galenation for the latest!

Online and In-Store Classes

Modern Calligraphy - Map It! NEW! Online Class Sept 25