INTERESTED IN BOOKING A WORKSHOP OR PRIVATE / SEMI PRIVATE CLASS?
My hand lettering, modern calligraphy, card making, and floral illustration classes are perfect for ticketed events at your venue or brewery, teen-to-adult birthday parties, a team building activity for your office, an activation for corporate events and conferences, or as a private lesson for you or a loved one interested in learning the ropes. (Gift certificates also available so you can gift one for the holidays!)
Classes can range from 1 to 3 hours and include all necessary supplies (illustration tools, fine art paper or blank greeting cards, and a packet of tips and tricks for each guest). Pricing depends on class location, day of the week, number of guests, and desired class length. Class format can be in-person in the Richmond, VA / Washington, DC area, or virtually via Zoom or Google Meet.
For a quote, please email me at: howdy@billieclaire.com
CLASS OFFERINGS:
HAND LETTERING / MODERN CALLIGRAPHY - LAYOUT & POSTER DESIGN
During this two hour workshop, I will take you from start to finish on how to create your very own hand lettered design. Starting with a catchy phrase, students will learn to organize their text for the best visual emphasis; and will then practice a variety of hand drawn fonts. From there, I will walk you through my three favorite composition strategies for creating a well-formed lettering design. Each student will get one-on-one guidance on how to achieve the best layout for their piece, and then they can begin sketching in their creative fonts! The class will top everything off with a lesson on adding key embellishments to finalize your unique design. Everyone will leave with a completed (or almost completed) piece, a selection of my favorite illustration tools, and a packet of practice grids and creative fonts to use in their next project.
This hand lettering class is less of a formal calligraphy class and more of an 'embrace your own writing style' class! We will focus more on creating a cohesive lettering design with several different fonts and lettering styles; so if you are looking to learn brush lettering or formal metal nib calligraphy - this may not be the one for you. If you're up for embracing your own handwriting, learning how to build some new fonts, and putting together a lettered phrase - this is the space for you. This class is open to all skill levels - no prior hand lettering experience required.
LETTERING LAYOUT - LEVEL TWO
Lettering Layout is a level two hand lettering course with a focus on layout, design, and composition! It picks right up where my "Hand Lettering: Layout and Poster Design" class left off, so it is perfect for those who are interested in continuing their hand lettering practice and design skills. It is not required to have taken the first course, but recommended that you have some basic experience in hand lettering - whether it's calligraphy, designing letterforms, or using composition grids for your lettering layout.
This hand lettering class is less of a formal calligraphy class, and more of a: how do we put these words together on a page to create a visually pleasing and cohesive design, where every word fits together using layout strategies and creative fonts. Our focus will be on using various composition grids and several design challenges to help hone your skills in building layout designs for your work. Each student will receive one-on-one help with design tips and feedback, and you will walk away with several pieces that you can use as greeting cards, wall art, or window signs!
FLORAL BANNER ILLUSTRATION
Floral Banner Illustration is a botanical illustration class with a focus on combining hand drawn florals and botanical stems with a flowing banner featuring hand lettered text of your choice. After you choose your basic banner shape, I will walk you through how to draw a myriad of different botanical stems and plants - from prickly pear cacti and wildflowers to ferns and assorted greenery. Each student will receive one-on-one help with design tips and feedback to help you create a well-balanced and cohesive structure for your design. You will then get to use some of my favorite illustration tools to ink in your drawing, and you will have several options for adding color, if that's your cup of tea. Last but not least, you'll get to choose a phrase to fill your banner - sassiness encouraged but not required. You will take home a finished illustration, a few of my favorite illustration tools, and a packet of go-to botanical designs to use in your next project! This class is open to all skill levels - no prior floral illustration experience required.
CARD MAKING CLASS
This card making class is perfect for Mother’s Day, holidays, or really, any time of the year! In this workshop I will walk you from start to finish on how to hand letter a bold, fun, and 'wow'-worthy design for the front of your greeting card, how to artfully address envelopes, and as a bonus - can even instruct on how to build sweet surprise pop-ups for the interior of the cards! Guests will learn the basics of hand lettering fonts, modern calligraphy, how to build a cohesive layout for their design, and how to address envelopes to be impressive but also guarantee their arrival via post. Guests will take home a finished greeting card and envelope, a few of my favorite illustration tools, and a packet of go-to hand lettering tips for use on their next project! This class is open to all skill levels - no prior hand lettering experience required.
