Inkspots Guild Meeting

A Most Unexpected Hand: Hobbit-Inspired Calligraphy

with Victoria Choules

Thursday, September 18, 2025

6:30pm - 8:30pm

CWI:  Boise Campus  

1360 S. Eagle Flight Way, Boise, ID 83709

Room:  APIN 1302

TOPIC:

September marks the birthday of our beloved Bilbo Baggins, and in honor of Hobbit Day we’ll be celebrating with a special lettering class! Join us as we learn this whimsical uncial-inspired script, designed to look like the handwriting you might find in a hobbit’s journal or a wizard’s scroll.

In this class, you’ll learn the strokes and letterforms of this Hobbit-hand, explore creative variations, and practice writing phrases that could have been penned right in the Shire. This style is approachable for beginners, yet full of character for seasoned calligraphers to play with.

Bring your favorite pens and a sense of adventure—we’ll provide the inspiration (and maybe a touch of second breakfast, too).

Whether you’re a Tolkien fan or just looking for a new script to add to your calligraphy toolkit, this class is sure to be “a party of special magnificence.”

*This class will be available via Zoom, starting at 7pm. Please register if you plan on attending remotely, and we will provide instructions for the zoom link*

SUPPLIES:

Paper 

Ruler for guidelines

Broad edge nib and penholder -or- pilot parallel pen

Favorite Ink - the more colorful, the better

Sue Greenseth

Evening presentation

"How to add a graphic element to your calligraphy"

Friday, October 3, 7pm-9pm

Location:
Meridian Technical Charter High School
3800 N Locust Grove Rd, Meridian, ID 83646

Join us for an evening presentation and hands on portion with Sue Greenseth before our fall workshop.

Discover how illustration and lettering can work together to elevate your calligraphy. In this inspiring presentation, you’ll see an abundance examples of ways to incorporate graphic elements into your work—from simple flourishes to fully integrated designs. This talk offers fresh ideas and creative possibilities for calligraphers of all levels. A hands-on portion will follow for those who’d like to try out the concepts themselves.

Supply List:
Postage stamps (cancelled stamps are fine)
Paper
Writing tools – pens, markers, pencil, whatever the participant chooses
Glue (only a tiny amount is needed)

Sue Greenseth is a calligrapher and lettering artist in Portland, Oregon. In the 1970s, she moved from Central Illinois to Corvallis, Oregon, and found herself in the middle of a calligraphic renaissance. She has a broad range of create pursuits. Early in her career, she taught calligraphy and freelanced as a commercial lettering artist for world-renowned clients. These days, Sue continues to teach calligraphy as well as practice as a full-time artist. She loves breathing life into letterforms and animating words with a pen.

Follow Sue on Instagram

Idaho Inkspots Workshop with Sue Greenseth:
Mid-Century Pen Moves

Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, 2025
9am-5pm each day

Location:
Meridian Technical Charter High School
3800 N Locust Grove Rd
Meridian, ID 83646

Registration for current members: $140
Registration for non-members: $160

We are excited to be hosting our fall workshop with Sue Greenseth!

Get ready to travel back several decades and learn these unique and whimsical alphabets that became popular in the 1970s. These hands greatly influenced many calligraphers at the time, but they are just as relevant today as they were then.

In this workshop, the focus will be to move the pen angle to create interesting letter strokes. Two alphabet variations will be introduced, and students will have time to practice letter spacing. Through study and writing these unique shapes, students may be inspired to take their own lettering to a new level.

The hand requires many steep pen-turns, but even those who are inexperienced in pen manipulations seem to catch on and have lots of fun.

Supply List:

8-1/2 x 11” or 11 x 17” bond paper that takes ink well, e.g., Capitol Bond from John Neal

6mm Pilot Parallel Pen, inked up and ready to go

Larger dip pens such as Automatic or Horizon for practice (optional)

Ink for larger dip pens

Pencil and eraser

Ruler

A clean rag

1-2 paperclips for securing ruled lines to writing paper

Follow Sue on Instagram

Cancellation/Refund Policy: If you need to withdraw, a full refund will be issued 14 days before the class begins. Otherwise the tuition fee is forfeited unless a wait-listed student can take your place.