Calligraphy Guild Pittsburgh upcoming events

The Elegant Italic Hand (October 10, 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

The Elegant Italic Hand

Please join us for two days of Italic lettering exploration. This workshop is open to all levels from complete beginners to experienced calligraphers. Each attendee can work at their own pace to get the most out of the hands-on instruction.

Often times our Italic letters are perfectly fine but what if they could be more elegant, more dynamic, or more DRAMATIC?

In this workshop we will:

Review the basic strokes, letter families, and spacing
Share basic capital letters AND lovely swash capital letters
Demonstrate flourished ascenders and descenders
Provide personal feedback to elevate your Italic letter
Show lettering variations to switch up your style

Bring a phrase or quotation to layout as a final project on Sunday. Supply list will be provided upon registration confirmation.

Please note: Our featured online calligraphy instructor Sue Greenseth will be teaching Gothicized Italic in January 2027. She requests all students enrolling in the class have some Italic lettering experience.

Members $40 Non-members $60

Proceeds donated to Calligraphy Guild Pittsburgh for future

workshop instructor travel expenses

INSTRUCTOR: Karen Nordstrom Roberts

Karen began her calligraphy journey 30 years ago and has kept her pen wet ever since. She was a long-time student of Myrna Rosen at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. She enjoys classic historical calligraphy hands written with the broad-edge pen such as Roman, Italic, Uncial, and Blackletter but also loves to explore pointed pen writing styles including Copperplate and Modern Script. Karen loves to learn new styles and applications of calligraphy by attending live and zoom classes with instructors all over the world. She has taught calligraphy at several locations throughout Pittsburgh and online classes. Currently, she is teaching broad-edge calligraphy styles at the newly renamed Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media in Shadyside.

If you haven't already done so,

please register ASAP. Seats are limited.

Parking Information

This event will be held at Run Rabbit Gilding in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Address: 201 N Braddock Ave Suite 324, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Entrance is on Thomas Blvd.

Click HERE for a PDF map with address and parking instructions, as well as photos of the entrance.

There is free and plentiful off-street parking available. If you have any uncertainty about parking, please read the linked document.

COFFEE, TEA, AND LIGHT SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED

BUT PLAN TO BRING A BAGGED LUNCH WITH YOU.

The Elegant Italic Hand (October 11, 2026)

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

The Elegant Italic Hand

Often times our Italic letters are perfectly fine but what if they could be more elegant, more dynamic, or more DRAMATIC?

In this workshop we will:

Review the basic strokes, letter families, and spacing
Share basic capital letters AND lovely swash capital letters
Demonstrate flourished ascenders and descenders
Provide personal feedback to elevate your Italic letter
Show lettering variations to switch up your style

Bring a phrase or quotation to layout as a final project on Sunday. Supply list will be provided upon registration confirmation.

Members $40 Non-members $60

Proceeds donated to Calligraphy Guild Pittsburgh for future

workshop instructor travel expenses

INSTRUCTOR: Karen Nordstrom Roberts

If you haven't already done so,

please register ASAP. Seats are limited.

Parking Information

This event will be held at Run Rabbit Gilding in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Address: 201 N Braddock Ave Suite 324, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Entrance is on Thomas Blvd.

Click HERE for a PDF map with address and parking instructions, as well as photos of the entrance.

There is free and plentiful off-street parking available. If you have any uncertainty about parking, please read the linked document.

COFFEE, TEA, AND LIGHT SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED

BUT PLAN TO BRING A BAGGED LUNCH WITH YOU.

Bookbinding Play Day: Modified Drum Leaf Binding (November 08, 2026)

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Modified Drum Leaf Binding
Play Day

Join us at Run Rabbit Gilding on November 8th from 1-4:00 PM for a Bookbinding Play Day led by Lily Hoy.

Lily will guide us in creating our own notebooks using a modified drum leaf binding. These are great notebooks to have on hand throughout the year for notes, sketches, and ideas from guild events.

Front and back views:

ABOUT THE DRUM LEAF BINDING:

The drum leaf binding, which was invented by Timothy Ely, lies open flat and is popular among book artists due to the ability to design books in two-page spreads, allowing imagery to flow seamlessly across the gutter of the book.

The drum leaf consists of folios, or sheets of paper folded once, that are glued together along the spine edge and the fore-edge. This technique introduces the minimal amount of glue needed to adhere the folios together, which limits warping.

SUPPLIES TO BRING

Pencil & Eraser

Scissors

Bone Folder, if you have one

Paste Papers from our September play day, or any other heavy weight paper from your stash

We will have alternatives for those who do not have paste papers or another suitable cover weight paper

All other supplies will be provided

Members: Free to Attend • Non-Members: $10 registration fee

Parking Information

This event will be held at Run Rabbit Gilding in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Address: 201 N Braddock Ave Suite 324, Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Click HERE for a PDF map with address and parking instructions, as well as photos of the entrance.

There is free and plentiful off-street parking available. If you have any uncertainty about parking, please read the linked document.