Friends of Calligraphy

10/20/2026

This month we remember our former member, Friedrich Neugebauer.

Austrian Friedrich Neugebauer, who first studied with Rudolf von Larisch, adopted a wholistic approach to the craft of lettering. After a long post-World War II career as a calligrapher, artist, graphic designer, author, printer, and teacher, Neugebauer became known to Friends of Calligraphy members through an exhibit and lecture at the San Francisco Public Library in 1976.

You can read more about Friedrich Neugebauer in Don Moy’s Spring 1977 article in FOC Newsletter Vol 3, No 3, and in Georgianna Greenwood’s report, in Newsletter Vol 4, No 2, Winter 1979; both are available in Special Collections, San Francisco Public Library. Georgianna's report covers the class that eleven US calligraphers, seven from the Bay Area, took in Salzburg in 1978, based on Friedrich Neugebauer’s masterclass in calligraphy and book design at the University for Artistic and Industrial Design, Linz.

Rather than further details about Neugebauer's life and work—there is also much online—we thought you'd enjoy some quotes from his 1976 lecture and the 1978 masterclass:

"First you see clearly, then you write beautifully."

"Start with your idea of block letters. Letter shapes and spacing are essential to calligraphy; they are best learned through block lettering."

"Too much light should not come in." The Neugebauer concept of space, which was often referred to as "light," soon began to seem almost three-dimensional to Georgianna.

"We have now reached the place where you will look forward to the round shapes because you won't have to do the serifs." Fredrich's son Michael's translation of Friedrich's introduction to Roman Capitals.

"The words form the letters and the letters form the word? If that symbiotic relationship does not exist, why bother to write it?"

"Put next to your hearts: write only what you approve of!"

This piece and more can be seen in the Richard Harrison Collection of Calligraphy & Lettering, Book Arts and Special Collections (), on the sixth floor of the SF Main Library.

10/15/2026

What do you always keep within reach when you are writing calligraphy?

Artwork by

10/12/2026

This quarter’s Alphabet is dedicated to Julian Waters.
Alphabet, Friend of Calligraphy’s quarterly journal, is edited by Carl Rohrs.
Issues of Alphabet for the current membership year are offered only through membership until the beginning of the next membership year on July 1. On July 1 any copies that are left become available as back issues. For further information, go to the FOC Publications page
(https://friendsofcalligraphy.org/pages/publications.html)
.1

10/11/2026

Washington Calligraphers’ Guild - Gemma Black on October 20th

Gemma Black will speak about her enduring fascination with versals and what it means to practice calligraphy from the other side of the world, on Tuesday, October 20, 7:15-9:00 pm ET via Zoom (Gemma's program begins at 7:30 pm ET). The WCG at 50 program series honors the guild's 50th anniversary.

10/11/2026

Our featured member of October is Cheryl Jacobson:

Cheryl Jacobsen, adjunct Professor of Lettering at the University of Iowa, Center for the Book, is a calligrapher and assemblage artist and has been teaching calligraphy for over thirty years.
Valentine’s Day Card with wired-on heart
Title Nine Text on butcher paper: The first layer of a large-scale collaboration with a painter honoring Christine Grant and Title Nine
I know he does: Detail from chance made book “Have a Talk with God” text by Stevie Wonder now in the Harrison Collection of the San Francisco Public Library
Kokila’s Certificate: Certificate with gold leaf feather and individualized quote picked by the recipient
Wear Eye Protection: Detail from a large banner warning of the dangers of lacquer thinner
Happy Birthday Jody

10/10/2026

Julie Wildman - Every Letter is a Jewel

✨ Every Letter Is a Jewel ✨
What if your letters could sparkle like tiny jewels?
Join us for a playful two-day workshop exploring drawn and painted letterforms—and get inspired to create your own unique holiday cards!
We’ll work in a 3" × 3" format, experimenting with gouache, watercolor, metallic watercolors, dry pigments, paint pens, gesso, masking-fluid resist, and more.
We’ll also explore the magic of working on both white and black papers to create different effects and discover just how expressive a single letter can be.
🎨 All Levels Welcome
💻 Live on Zoom
📅 Saturday, October 31 & Sunday, November 1, 2026
⏰ 9:00am–3:30pm Pacific Time
$130 USD
Sign up at www.imaginariumartstudio.com
Come play with color, texture, pattern, and shape—and turn your letters into little works of art. ✨
Come make some letters sparkle!

10/07/2026

Friends of Calligraphy is pleased to present:
Cut It Out
with Dorothy Yuki

A two day In-Person Workshop

Transforming the alphabet from 2D to 3D!
Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2026
Two 6-hour sessions with lunch break
10:00am – 4:00pm
All levels of experience welcome but some background knowledge of calligraphy will be helpful.

Letterform Archive
2325 Third St. Floor - 4R, San Francisco, CA 94107
$175 for members | $200 for non-members

Materials: An additional $20 fee will be paid to Dorothy on the first day for materials she provides. A material list will be provided to participants who sign up.

We are accepting online payments only. Workshop fees are refundable until October 19, 2026.
To register
Click on the link in our profile, click on Classes and scroll to Cut It Out for the two-day workshop.
https://www.friendsofcalligraphy.org/pages/classes.html
Click Pay Now

To join FOC, go to the link in our profile, click on Membership/Join/Sign-In and select Become a Member. Membership starts at $40 annually.
https://www.friendsofcalligraphy.org/pages/mbrsignup.html

Questions? Contact Claudia Kruse at [email protected].

10/05/2026

Keep the conversation going! Here are a
few great responses we got from September's
"Tell us about your favorite paper."

Featured responses from IG: ,
,
If you go back to our post from September 15th, you can find
even more of the conversation.

10/03/2026

In August, Rick Paulus () taught his class Versals Old & New online for Friends of Calligraphy. Each week covered a different kind of versal—from the roman, to the split versal, white vine, and modern!

“Rick did the top two best things for any class: taught us information, and helped us put it into practice. I was delighted to learn about several different incarnations of versals over the centuries and also to create some myself.” —Joan Passarelli

Homework in order:
Roman versals by Clara Tuan (.tuan )
Split versal by Joan Johnston
White vine versal by Margaret Makaltses
Modern versals by Joan Passarelli (.calligraphy)