Online calligraphy classes for artists, by artists
Welcome to Sandia Workshops, an online training site offering courses on calligraphy and mixed media. Our classes are prerecorded and professionally edited. You can buy any time and watch the lessons immediately!
Classes produced by Sandia Workshops start as soon as your payment is processed – and they do not expire!
If you are enrolled in a class, log in to watch lessons on our Courses Site (look for the Sign In link in the top-right).
Two pointed pen calligraphy classes from Barbara Close are available (see below) either individually or as a Series bundle.
Sandia Workshops is also the original home for Randall Hasson’s Writing with a Bent Nib Series and his Romitalic class. These are now hosted at Hasson Studio. If you purchased these classes from Sandia Workshops, they continue to be available on our Courses Site. New students will be redirected to Hasson Studio.
See our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page for more details, and contact us below if you still have questions!
The following classes are available now:
Barbara Close is an internationally renowned calligrapher, designer and instructor with a passion for creativity and a love of lettering. She encourages her students to create appealing calligraphic art using a wide variety of mixed-media techniques.
Class 1: Copperplate Essentials
Learn the elegant formal Copperplate script with Barbara’s easy-to-follow method. Using a pointed, flexible nib, you’ll start by learning the basic strokes that are the building blocks for the entire alphabet. By practicing lowercase and capital letters in groups of related forms, you’ll soon be connecting letters and writing words with confidence. Copperplate calligraphy is perfect for creating graceful invitations, addressing envelopes, name cards, poetry and quotations.
Available now. Price $80. English Subtitles.
Click Learn more to view sample videos and the course curriculum.
Class 2: Contemporary Variations
Whether you’re a new or seasoned calligrapher, take your pointed pen script beyond the formal with Barbara’s lively variations. You’ll learn a variety of alternate characters for every letter of the alphabet, explore myriad options for capitals, then combine these variations with traditional forms as you practice words from ornate to funky. Barbara also shares valuable tips and techniques for improving your layout and design in an extensive gallery section (watch preview).
Available now. Price $80. English Subtitles.
Click Learn More to view sample videos and the course curriculum.
Sign up for the Pointed Pen Possibilities List
As a thank you, you’ll receive a free PDF copy of Attitude Is Everything, Barbara Close’s enchanting handmade book. It features her signature contemporary pointed pen calligraphy, illustrating inspirational quotes with lively abstract designs that will get your creative juices flowing.
Online Classes from Randall M. Hasson and Hasson Studio
From vintage styles of the early 1900s to contemporary calligraphic work, the bent nib has amazing possibilities. In this five-part series, you will fall in love with the square, round and oval-shaped pen nibs as you learn to create lettering of all types – from elegant monoline scripts and italics and bold display faces, to blunt-edged and playful roman forms.
Online Classes from Randall M. Hasson
Note that these classes are now hosted at Hasson Studio. The links below will redirect you to the appropriate pages.
Writing with a Bent Nib is a five-part series of online classes from Randall M. Hasson that will make you fall in love with the square, round and oval-shaped Speedball bent nibs.
All five classes in the Writing with a Bent Nib series can be purchased separately or you can enroll in the Series at a special price:
- Vintage Lettering Styles
- The Speedball A Series Nib
- The Speedball B Series Nib
- The Speedball D Series Nib
- Contemporary Styles
Classes start as soon as your payment is processed, they run on your schedule!
Hasson Studio offers 2 years of extended access for individual courses; 3 years for multiple class bundles.
Students are invited to Randall’s private Facebook Group where you can share your progress and meet your fellow students.
More from Randall Hasson
Romitalic from Randall M. Hasson
Note that this class is now hosted at Hasson Studio. The link below will redirect you to the appropriate pages.
Join Randall Hasson on his journey of discovery and come away with a new lettering style as well as valuable ideas on how you can analyze a letterform you like and create something specific to your hand.
The lettering on a book cover provided the first spark of inspiration, while an advertisement from the 1920s set in motion the process of developing this new personalized letterform. Following a flurry of research into traditional Italic and Roman forms – as well as show card lettering styles of the early twentieth century – a soft, rounded, lyrical Italic hand evolved that Randall calls Romitalic.
Watch Romitalic now! Price $125.
Note that new students enrolling in any Randall Hasson class will be redirected to Hasson Studio.
View sample videos and the course curriculum.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
For a detailed overview of how our classes work and how to enroll, please see our FAQ page.
When can I register for a class?
Once a class is open for enrollment, you can sign up at any time – there is no deadline and no limit on the number of students.
How do I watch a class I’ve purchased?
Our classes are streamed on our sister site (powered by New Zenler software). When you select the Courses Site tab above, the sister site will open in a new tab.
When you Enroll in a class (using your email address), you will be asked to create a password. After you check out, you can watch the class immediately. The process is automated and does not require human intervention!
We suggest you bookmark the class page on our sister site after purchase. Anytime you want to watch your class, visit that page and (if you are not logged in), Sign In (top right corner) and enter your email and password. You will then see a page called My Courses. If you forget to bookmark your class page, visit the Courses Site and Sign In.
If you have any problems with your log in credentials, please contact us. We can look up the email you used to register, and reset your password if necessary.
How long do I have to watch the class?
Classes purchased through Sandia Workshops have lifetime access. As soon as you register, you will have immediate access to the entire class. You can watch the movies at your own pace as your schedule allows. (Practicing calligraphy should be fun – we don’t believe in deadlines!) Classes purchased through Hasson Studio include 2 years of extended access for individual courses; 3 years for multiple class bundles.
What if I find a class is not for me?
We are producing our classes to a very high standard and believe our classes will be a great value, but if you don’t agree (for whatever reason), we offer a 100% money-back guarantee within 30 days for classes purchased through Sandia Workshops.
Blog Posts
Working Small with Barbara Close
Barbara Close creates handmade books filled with small pages of calligraphic art. By creating individual pages, she can easily curate and assemble her favorite pages into a book. If you’re afraid of writing in a blank book(!), check out these three easy bookbinding techniques.