Fraktur, mon amour! (Thomas Hoyer: 2.5 day)

Level: Advanced beginner/Intermediate

When Blackletter blossoms… In the second half of the 15th century Blackletter evolved into lacy, flourished Fraktur. Some initials of that time appear as an arbour covered with wild proliferous vine. After learning the basic letterforms we will open the rich treasure box Fraktur has to offer:

• become creative with your letters: little variations in your letterforms enrich every text and make it look more vivid
• enjoy designing flourishes: voluptuous initials with overly flourished parts give your whole piece an aristocratic look
• you don’t want to be limited by the shape of the letter? Learn how to create spacious ornaments around your text to put it in a delicate texture. This is the one style where there is no such thing as “too much” in creative embellishmentand playful details!

Fraktur, mon amour–you will love it!

Supply List: Broad edged nibs, pointed nibs, several inks, grid paper, good paper, ruler and pencil.

About the instructor: Writing and creating letters has been a passion for Thomas Hoyer for more than 30 years. He studied graphics and calligraphy with Prof. Werner Eikel in Aachen, Germany (the home town of Charlemagne), and has been influenced by the thoughts of Hans-Joachim Burgert. Hoyer’s focus is the visualization of a text’s content and the conviction that every letter is only a definition with infinite possibilities of shape. He has worked for the Calligraphy Department of the Office of Foreign Affairs, and now works as a freelance lettering artist for design agencies, institutions, and private persons. His 18 years of teaching experience include workshops for Russian type designers in Moscow, and he teaches widely throughout the US and Canada.