Category Archives: Program

October 25th: 1st WCS Saturday Drop-In session

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Mark your calendar and get ready to join us for our first Westcoast Calligraphy Society Saturday Drop-In session!  The Drop-In Saturdays are a one-size-fits-all event for beginners to experienced calligraphers. 

October Program: Get Your Jingle On!

Get a jump start on your Christmas Cards and Tags.  Join us in creating Snowflakes and other decorative elements using your Pilot Parallel Pen.

Date:           Saturday, October 25, 2025  
Time:           10:30am to 2:30pm
Location:     Surrey Library, Clayton Branch – located inside the Clayton Community Centre on the 2nd floor.
Address:      7155 187A Street, Surrey BC V4N 6L9 (Clayton Community Center is easily accessible from 72nd Street.)

RSVP will be required for these events, as space is limited. 
Member registration begins Sept 15, 2025
Non-Member/Guest registration begins Sept 25, 2025.

Membership has its privileges!  There will be no fee for members to attend!

Guests and Non-Members may attend one complimentary WCS event.  Contact Violet at seminars@westcoastcalligraphy.com to ensure we are prepared to welcome you to your complimentary first visit. There will be a nominal $5 drop-in fee for non-members to attend subsequent sessions.

Photo Credit: Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

October Program: Get Your Jingle On! [WCS October 2025 Drop in Days]

Supply List 

*Basic tag making supplies and ribbon will be provided.

  • Bond Paper
  • Pilot Parallel Pen – 6.00mm preferred (no smaller than 3.8mm)
  • Blue Ink, Metallic Ink
  • Small container for water
  • Paper towel

*optional

– tool kit: pencil, erasers, ruler

– Strathmore watercolour paper or similar card stock that will handle ink

Additional Details

  • The room can be located in the library on the upper floor.  There is an elevator just inside the entrance of the community centre.  When you exit the elevator, turn right, and the room is just down the hall.
  • Bathrooms are located right beside the room.
  • Brown Bag!  We will not be coordinating tea/coffee; however, you are welcome to bring along a bag lunch, snack, drink, or something to share.  There is a kettle, fridge, and microwave available for our use.  Please bring utensils, plates, mugs, etc., as they are not provided.
  • There is a shopping plaza a short drive away if you forget your lunch or need to grab a coffee.
  • Free parking & fully accessible location.

If all goes well, we will have a second gathering on Saturday, November 22nd, 2025!

Event Organizers & Hosts
Valerie Akkerman and Violet Smythe
If you have any questions or suggestions not covered here, please reach out to us: seminars@westcoastcalligraphy.com

We hope you join us!  It’s the perfect opportunity to brainstorm ideas, learn from others, and share in our love of letters!

Follow-Up Workshop on June 7th, 2025: Let’s Get Knotty! Round and Round we Go!! Celtic Knot workshop with Valerie Akkerman

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We had so much fun with Valerie Akkerman in February “getting knotty” that a Zoom workshop is now planned for June 7th!

>> REGISTRATION & Workshop Info here

Let's Get Knotty!

Let’s Get Knotty!

Explore the fascinating world of Celtic Knots in the round in this workshop! We will start by learning the step-by-step techniques to create a traditional Celtic weave in the round from scratch! We will follow that up by breaking down the mysteries of the Interlink Celtic Knot.

 

March 26, 2025 Program (In-Person): Folk Art and More! with Violet Smythe

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Folk Art and More! Pilot Parallel Pen Session With Violet Smythe

March 26, 2025  7:00-9:00pm Pacific
Location: Peace Church, 659 52 AVE E, Vancouver, BC V5X 1G8

**The link to the recording of Violet’s presentation, handout and demo sheets are available in the Members-only section as of March 28th, 2025 for a limited period.**

PROGRAM INFORMATION

In this fun session you will learn about pen manipulation and stroke work with a Folk
Art, Valentine and Floral theme in mind. The tool of choice… the Pilot Parallel Pen. The unique nib was designed specifically for calligraphy and lettering practice. The design allows the user to create thin lines or very thick strokes with just a flick of the wrist, and is the perfect tool not just for calligraphy but design work as well.

Are you new to the Westcoast Calligraphy Society? We warmly invite guests to attend one of our in-person meetings for a complimentary first visit! To ensure we’re prepared to welcome you, please email our membership chair in advance: membership@westcoastcalligraphy.com

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES

  • 6.0mm Pilot Parallel pen (or 4.5mm or 3.8mm)
  • Layout paper that takes your favourite ink (Violet will be working with a variety of inks including fountain pen ink)
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Compass
  • Watercolour
  • White gouache
  • Palette
  • Brush for loading
  • Water container
  • Paper towels

OPTIONAL

  • Cardstock and/or watercolour paper

HANDOUTS

  • The handouts for the session has been emailed to members and is also available for download in the members-only section of the website.

February 26, 2025 Program (via Zoom): Let’s Get Knotty! with Valerie Akkerman

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Let’s Get Knotty! with Valerie Akkerman

February 26, 2025  7:00-9:00pm Pacific
The recording is available on the Members-Only page until April 28th, 2025.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

In this class, we will discover the intricacies and versatility of the Celtic Knot. We will start with the basics of knot construction, progress through more complex traditional design, and then finish with techniques to incorporate these skills into modern freeform shapes. As time allows, we will also briefly cover various ways to embellish and colour your designs.

 

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES

  • Mechanical pencil
  • Eraser
  • Ruler
  • Graph paper
  • Sketch paper or printer paper
  • Fine-liner (Valerie uses Micron)

OPTIONAL TOOLS
Compass, Protractor or similar circle maker

Note: Valerie will be covering several ways to create knots, so you might get to use some other things in your studio! One of the nice things about Zoom meetings.

January 22, 2025 Program (via Zoom): Sketchy Stunt Roman Minuscules with Nina Tran

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Sketchy Stunt Roman Minuscules with Nina Tran

January 22, 2025  7:00-9:00pm Pacific
The recording is available on the Members-Only page until March 22nd 2025.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

When Ross F. George developed his Stunt Roman letters style in the 1920s, he had in mind the needs of showcard writers: punchy, flashy, easy-to-learn letters.  A hundred years later, calligraphers and lettering artists still need (and love) punchy, flashy, and easy-to-learn letters!

In this 2-hour program, we’ll learn just how easy it is to learn this style and how we can give it a sketchy 21st century vibe.

The Zoom login information will be emailed to members a few days before the event. If you have not received an email by January 20th, please send a message to our program coordinator at wcs.seminars1976@gmail.com.
** The session will be recorded and made available to members for 30 days. **

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES

  • Favorite ballpoint pen, gel pen, and/or fine liner (0.5 – 0.7 mm point)
  • Mechanical Pencil (0.3 – 0.5 mm)
  • Graph paper (good idea!) or marker layout paper (e.g. Borden & Riley, Canson XL, etc.)
  • 1 sheet of sketch paper or copy paper
  • Eraser
  • Ruler