The Gentle Penman

Home
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
The Gentle Penman

A gentle guy and calligraphy lover who strives to be both a gentleman and a great calligrapher.

For workshops and private classes, please contact [email protected]

23/10/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Designing with Flourishes
with Pat Blair 🌸

Pointed pen flourishes provide a lovely way to add grace and ornament to letters, as well as stand alone illustrations in so many ways! In this class with Pat Pat Blair , we will study them all!

First, we will take a close look at the flourish forms themselves, how to use the pressure of a pointed pen nib and the pull of the stroke to produce the simple but beautiful form. We will then learn how to add these elements to lower case letters, and how to use them to enhance your text. This will be followed by a study of capital forms, with variations of ascender, descender, beginning and exit strokes. We will learn to combine these forms into beautiful, cohesive designs, as one word focal points, or linking together as on an invitation.

Once we have this foundation, we will learn how and when to incorporate them into text. Using multiple line text samples, we will go from pencil draft to the final piece.

Rounding out the class will be a look at some stand alone illustrations, using the same pressure release technique as in our letter flourishes, that will blend beautifully with them to form a complete design.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/designing-with-flourishes

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

21/10/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Contemporary Pointed Pen
with Michael Kecseg ✍🏻

Step outside the boundaries of traditional pointed pen and explore a more unconventional approach to mark making and lettering.

In this class with Michael Mike Kecseg , students will challenge familiar forms and expectations, using the pointed pen not just for traditional scripts but as a versatile tool for creating modern, expressive styles.

We will begin by exploring how mark making can help you gain control over the pen and better understand its unique qualities. Gradually we will translate these marks into letterforms through a series of exercises. By breaking away from traditional pointed pen alphabets and established styles, students will uncover new possibilities for personal expression, stretch creative limits, embrace imperfections and redefine what a pointed pen can do.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/contemporary-pointed-pen

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

19/10/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

The Pointed Pen Renaissance Hand
with Cecilia Boschi ✍🏻

Long before fonts, there were scribes.

Humanistic Minuscule emerged during the Renaissance as a return to clarity, balance, and human-centered design. Its graceful forms became the blueprint for the lowercase letters that still fill our books, screens, and everyday lives.

In this course with Cecilia CeciliaBCalligraphy , students will learn the structure, rhythm, and proportions of Humanistic Minuscule using a pointed nib.

Through guided exercises, we will explore letter construction, spacing, and pen angle to develop a confident and consistent hand, as well as explore some fun variations.

Whether you are new to calligraphy or seeking to deepen your understanding of historical scripts, this class offers a practical and immersive introduction to one of the most influential letterforms in the Western tradition.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/the-pointed-pen-renaissance-hand

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

18/10/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📣

American Cursive 2026
with Michael Sull ✍🏻

Despite the prevalence of keyboarding and the ubiquitous practice of digital communication, good, legible handwriting is still an important skill for a person to have, whether as a child or as an adult. It is your visible language to anyone who may read it, including yourself! if you wish to improve your Cursive handwriting, then this program with Michael TakePrideInPenmanship is certainly for you.

American Cursive is the traditional form of American handwriting from approximately 1900-1970 and is based on Palmer Method Writing that originated during the last decade of the nineteenth century. The Palmer Method was itself based on Spencerian Script penmanship. We will begin our program with the introduction of the Spencerian concepts of Movement, Curvature, Contrast, and Variability, and how they are used in letter formation, letter spacing, slant, and letter size. Then we will cover the special guide sheets and training exercises, and how they should be used in daily practice. Lastly, we will focus on the important factor of how to improve your signature.

Every student will have the best opportunity to improve their own “visible language” into an attractive form of personal communication that is fun to write, and is a skill in which to feel a true sense of personal pride.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/american-cursive-2026

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

12/10/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Medieval Lettering
with Vivian Mungall ✍🏻

Looking for a lettering style that is both elegant and practical? Join us as we explore a beautiful Medieval-inspired hand developed by renowned calligrapher Stephen Ziller. After studying at the prestigious Zanerian College in Columbus, Ohio from 1930-32, under the legendary E. F. Lupfer, Ziller created this versatile text hand that is quick to letter and is easy to read.

Perfect for resolutions, diplomas, poems, citations, certificates, and decorative projects, this lettering style is adaptable to a wide variety of applications. In class, you will learn the foundational letterforms, discover useful variations, and gain confidence in creating consistent, attractive lettering.

As you practice, you will develop the skills needed for proper letter spacing and word spacing—two of the most important elements of beautiful calligraphy. By the end of the workshop, you will complete a finished piece that showcases your new lettering skills and serves as a reference for future projects.

Whether you are new to calligraphy or an experienced letterer looking to add a versatile hand to your repertoire, this class with Vivian Vivian Alber Mungall offers a fun and rewarding opportunity to learn a style with both historical roots and modern usefulness.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/medieval-lettering

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

13/09/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Illustrated Dinner Menus –
featuring hand-painted watercolor vegetables and fruits
with Jasmin Ryan 🌺🍋🥦

Inspired by summer gardens and alfresco dinner parties we will look at a 3-course meal and hand-paint our favourite ingredients in this workshop with Jasmin Jasmin Ryan . Think vegetables, fruit, edible flowers and others illustrated in watercolour.

After painting we will learn how to scan and digitise our artwork in Photoshop. These paintings will be the building blocks for our dinner menus and will hopefully be the inspiration to create your very own menus in the future.

We will finish the class by learning how to prepare our artwork for print and making little place cards to compliment our menus.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/illustrated-dinner-menus

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

12/09/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Leaves & Letters
with Barbara Close 🌿🍃🌱

This Leaves & Letters workshop with Barbara Barbara Close explores the essense of expressive botanical painting with hand lettering, creating artwork that is both personal and meaningful.

Each two-hour session will guide you through watercolor techniques for painting leaves with vibrant colors while introducing creative lettering that complements your artwork. Discover the beauty of watercolor as nature and the written word come together.

Whether you are new to watercolor or looking to expand your creative practice, this workshop offers a relaxed, encouraging environment where you can build your skills and enjoy the process of combining words with watercolors with confidence.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/leaves-and-letters

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

11/09/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📣

Radiant Medallions - Art of the Shamsa Motif
with Charlotte Dilley ✨

Within the traditional arts of manuscript illumination, textile design, metalwork and architecture, the shamsa has long served as a refined vessel for intricate decoration, functioning as an ornamental medallion that marks, honours and frames the most significant elements of a work. Derived from the Arabic word shams (“sun”), it is poetically described as a “sunburst” or “little sun”, reflecting the circular form and radiating energy of its design.

Across two sessions with Charlotte Charlotte Dilley , we will explore the geometric foundations of basic oval and circular forms through simple geometric construction using a ruler and drawing compass. Looking at historical examples, students will be guided through some of the floral motifs and traditional shapes used in shamsa designs.

By combining geometric and freehand approaches, we will then work towards a finished design, adding colour, shading and linework. Guidance on colours, paints and materials will be shared throughout, helping students build confidence to achieve satisfying detail and refinement in their own work.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/radiant-medallions-art-of-the-shamsa-motif

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

08/09/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📣

Fraktur & Flourishes 2026
with Nina Tran 💕

Fraktur is a 16th century German style of Blackletter which combines the dense vertical texture of Gothic Textura and the lively curves of Gothic Batarde hands. The name Fraktur, derived from the Latin word fractura (meaning “broken”), appropriately describes the distinctive fragmentation of joined and overlapped strokes.

This four-lesson workshop will begin with an undertaking of Gothic Textura Minuscules as a precursor to Fraktur and end with an exploration of flourishes and embellishments to liven up our Fraktur majuscules.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/fraktur-and-flourishes-2026

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

See you in class 🥰

29/08/2026

ENROLLMENT STILL OPEN 📢

Engrosser’s Script Academy - Spacing and Letter Connection (Part 3)
with Belinda Chim ✍🏻

A single stroke can carry both discipline and grace in Engrosser’s Script. Mastering it does take years of dedicated practice, but the right foundation makes all the difference. This 4-part series is designed to give you exactly that: a structured, supportive space to build your skills with clarity and intention.

Whether you’re a complete beginner feeling overwhelmed by where to start, or a self-taught practitioner looking to refine your technique, you’ll gain not just letterforms, but the critical thinking and self-diagnosing skills needed to continue honing your craft long after the class ends.

Spacing and Letter Connection (Part 3)
Having learned the individual letterforms, we now turn our attention to the spaces between them and the ability to execute them with consistency. This session will delve deep into the principles of visual spacing—the art of balancing white space. We will spend the class practicing letter connections to form seamless, flowing words.

Details of this online workshop can be found on our website 🌎:

https://www.thegentlepenman.com/engrossers-script-academy-part-3

This workshop is open worldwide for registration now. For any questions about the workshop, please email [email protected]

Address

Hong Kong

Telephone

+85268829928

Website

http://www.thegentlepenman.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Gentle Penman posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to The Gentle Penman:

Want your establishment to be the top-listed arts & entertainment in Hong Kong?