Workshops | penstrokedesign

Creative Lettering Exploration

Suzie Beringer teaches a myriad of workshop topics which encourage students to take their lettering to a new level of creative expression.
Workshop ability levels are appropriate for beginning students to seasoned scribes.
Workshops range from 1 to 5-days of instruction in both online and in-person formats. All workshops can be tailored to the needs of your group.

Workshop Offerings

CASCADING CAPITALS

We will begin by looking at mono-line Roman Capitals – working through their basic shapes and proportions. We will then with a series of carefully planned exercises take these capitals for a ride by taking off their training wheels (guidelines) and letting them fly! The end result will be a visual texture created by the cascading, trickling and scattering of letters – based on your design.
2-3 day workshop – all levels welcome.

Pressurized Roman Capital Letters Workshop sample by Suzie Beringer

PLAYFUL PRESSURIZED LETTERFORMS

Come learn how to make letterforms that will almost dance off the page.
In this workshop Suzie will show you the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of pressurized letterforms. The beauty of this technique is that you can incorporate this into many different hands. We will also be working with different products and papers. While we will mostly be working with pencil, Suzie will also demonstrate some pointed pen techniques for those who are interested.
2 day workshop – all levels welcome.

THE MAGIC OF THE PARALLEL PEN…beyond letters

Come and learn what an amazing tool the Pilot Parallel Pen truly is! Many of us know what a great lettering tool the Parallel Pen is, but in this workshop you will discover how easily it is to manipulate this pen making it a great design tool as well. We will explore different ways of color blending and use different mediums, some which you probably already own, and some you may not. Foliage and mandalas will be addressed. This workshop will be lively, full of color and show you the versatility of this amazing tool.
2-3 day workshop – all levels welcome.

JOURNALING EXPLORATIONS

Just how does one go about creating a beautiful and interesting journal? This workshop is full of exercises to get you jumpstarted. Layout and design will be addressed as well as ‘capturing the essence’ of a photo and getting it into your journal. Suzie will share with you her many tips and tricks as she has been journaling for many years.
2-3 day – all levels welcome.

FABRIC EXPLORATIONS
(In-Person only)

This is an opportunity to explore the exciting world of fabric and its many possibilities. You will learn how to combine strong, simple illustrations that beg to be enhanced with agents and textures with lettering. Surface design will be addressed as well as layout and design. Lettering with different tools will also be addressed.
3-5 day – all levels welcome.

CALLIGRAPHIC DIRDS

These little quirky calligraphic birds were developed as another way to use your lettering skills – but they are fun to make….flapping wings, bases on springs etc…..also, they make great gifts.
There are many ways to display them which is part of the fun….the possibilities are endless.
1 day workshop – all levels welcome.

ONCE UPON A CIRCLE

Writing in the round – ‘Suzie Style’……Working with different tools I will demonstrate the basics of writing around circles and spirals – BUT – that is only the beginning – we will then take off our training wheels and ride round and round with different tools and techniques – making everything work cohesively. Free writing will be addressed.

2-3 day workshop – all levels welcome

THE UNCONVENTIONAL POINTED PEN

Creating tiny and delicate foundational letterforms using the versatile pointed pen is the focus of this workshop. There will also be an overview of capitals. We will be working small and creating delicate letterforms then changing it up by adding variations.

2 day workshop – all levels welcome

PEELING BACK THE LAYERS

Unravel the mysteries of creating depth in your art with the use of polyester film. Writing and design on the film will be addressed and Suzie will show you how to ‘jazz up’ your layouts and create art that your viewers will want to dive into.