6 Mondays, 7:00 to 9:00 pm EST

Oct 28; Nov 4, 11, 18, 25; Dec 9, 2024
no class on Dec 2nd due to Thanksgiving busy-ness
Live online instruction via Zoom. Classes will be recorded.

We will be practicing our illumination skills during this 6-week class. Instead of using European manuscripts as our inspiration, we will be learning about and studying illustrated manuscripts from Africa. Students will need to have taken the Intro to Illumination or a similar course.

Just as my Intro to Illumination class is centered around learning a set of skills, this class will be doing that too. Each class will have a project designed to practice our skills. We will also be using a new tool, a ruling pen and a compass with a ruling pen. That will be an essential piece of equipment for the class.

One of my personal goals for this class is to better understand the whitewashed world we live in and do more study of the amazing accomplishments from communities of color that are too often ignored. I am not claiming to be an expert on manuscripts from Africa, (far from it!), rather consider me a guide. There is so much to learn by celebrating meaningful manuscripts, observing closely, studying examples, and mimicking forms, shapes, and colors.

Here is a rough syllabus for the 6 weeks:
Introduction to African manuscripts
Ruling Pen Basics
Simple borders
Secret Canon of manuscript layouts
Building Brush skills
Blending better
Reviewing the Order of Illumination
Push Pull of Painting-creating subtlety
Drawing circles
Strategies for patterns in circles
Painting faces
Designing a portrait

SUPPLY LIST:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L1dcEaB_mrftNg-oVuse6cELHl3U2Ux3KDnNCcweUB0/edit?usp=sharing

BOOKS for inspiration, optional
The Storied City by Charlie English
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
**The books by English and Hammer are the same theme, different approaches
The Garima Gospels: Early Illuminated Gospel Books from Ethiopia by Judith McKenzie and Francis Watson
The Treasures of Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Bodleian Library, Oxford by Jacopo Gnisci

CLASS $150
Handouts will be made available digitally before the class.

ETSY 
I am not using Etsy for this class

4 Payment options:

PayPal: Send money to calligraphydebby@icloud.com  Best to copy and paste the email address to avoid errors.  If it’s possible to send to a friend, that saves me some fees. No worries if that’s not possible. Add a note that clarifies money is for ILLUM Africa. The account will come up as Calligraphy Design Studio–that is me!

Credit Card: I can email you an invoice that allows you to pay with a credit card even if you don’t have a PayPal account.

Venmo: Debby-Calligraphy
Add a note that clarifies money is for ILLUM Africa.

Check: Payable to: Debby Reelitz
Mail to: 24 Silkey Road, North Granby CT 06060
Memo: Illum Africa

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Please contact me before registering to determine shipping logistics, cost, timing, etc.

ONLINE INFORMATION

The class will be recorded and made available to students.

TIME: Each 2-hour class is a diverse combination of learning about the art of illumination, learning skills, seeing samples, student lettering and creating projects. There will also be an assignment each week to practice the skill that was introduced. This return to illumination is a great way to create the fine motor skills necessary for illumination.

Each class also builds on the class before and does not repeat the same information.