
With the demise of subsidised adult education courses it has become increasingly difficult to acquire skill in writing with an edged pen. If you can find a course it may well be that you can learn the basics but it doesn’t offer you the opportunity to hone your writing skills and to learn how to design more complex work than cards or small pieces of ephemera.
The SSI is now offering an intensive, two weekend course on just this: writing and design. The course will run alongside the Advanced Training Scheme, but will be completely separate from it. There will be no need for selection: if you are quite well past the beginning stage, that is, you have a repertoire of at least two of the major scripts and are confident in your use of the pen, but would like to refine your writing and improve your design skills, you are eligible to apply. The course is not open to beginners. Places are limited to eight.
The two residential weekends will take place at the same venues as the ATS so participants will be able to mix with and see the work of more advanced students. There will be no obligation to apply for the ATS on completion of the course. It is also open to non-members of the Society.

Course content
For the course, you will be asked to choose up to two of the major scripts to concentrate on, from The Foundational Hand, Roman capitals, Italic, Italic capitals or Versals / constructed capitals. These are the most important scripts in the calligrapher’s repertoire for commissioned work and the most versatile for personal work. The first weekend will be spent on refining writing and exploring variations on your chosen scripts for interpretative work. The second will concentrate on layout and design. You will need to be willing to work between the two weekends.
Dates
Friday 14th – Sunday 16th April 2023 at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire EN11 8SG
September 2023 dates to be confirmed
Cost
The cost is £250 per residential weekend for SSI members and £280 for non-members.
Payment for the first weekend is required when you submit your application. You will be asked for the second payment before the second weekend.

The tutor
The course will be taught by Jilly Hazeldine, FSSI, author of Contemporary Calligraphy, published by Robert Hale in 2011 and co-author of and tutor on the SSI’s Correspondence Course.
More detailed information on what to bring will be provided on application. If you have any questions before applying, you are welcome to contact Jilly at education@calligraphyonline.org
Application
Applications need to be submitted by 31st January 2023.
Please follow one of the links below:
