Next meeting: Saturday, February 14; 10 am

Location: Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, 800 N. New Road, Waco, Texas

Morning Program Demo:
Gelli Printing Without Tears

Did you know that filter paper is great for printing? What does baby oil have to do with the gel plate? Cindy Boney will answer those questions and more! She will demonstrate how you can use your calligraphy practice sheets without smearing, along with a variety of step-by-step techniques for printing, tips for gel plate care, which papers work well with the plate, and even making your own impression plates with supplies you probably already have! Supplies are not needed for the morning program, but if you plan to stay for the afternoon workshop, you will be able to use what was demonstrated during the program to create your own prints and materials for   making your own tools!

Afternoon Workshop:
Time to gelli print! ($25 fee)

In this afternoon workshop, Cindy will be on hand to assist members while they create their own gel prints, make a variety of impression plates, and model ways to incorporate calligraphy in collages. She will have handouts, a packet of various papers for each participant to experiment with, and loads of supplies to make your own masks and impression plates. If you want to make a collage, bring either mat gel medium, Mod Podge, or UHU glue stick as well as an old brush or palette knife to help with gluing. And…bring your calligraphy practice sheets. Cindy will have the materials on hand to keep your calligraphy from smearing. By the end of the workshop, you will have new ways, and materials, to help you create beautiful papers! Sign up at the morning meeting with Suzi Ickles.

Supplies to Bring:

o    your own gel plate, 

o   brayer,

o    favorite paints

o    stencils

o    papers or journal to roll off paint

o    baby wipes

o    copy paper and/or deli paper

o    an apron

o    scissors

 Intro to Flow and Flourish:

Letting the Hand Lead 

Roxanne Glaser, also known as SuperDoodleGirl, will lead us with a fun artistic exercise for the morning program. This one-hour, free program introduces automatic drawing and lettering as a simple, repeatable daily practice. Using examples from 100 Days of Zen to show how small, consistent mark-making sessions can naturally evolve over time.

Working with black pens or markers on their own paper, participants will explore movement-based prompts that encourage calligraphic and expressive marks without planning or judgment. The emphasis is on showing up, noticing change, and building trust with the hand, rather than creating finished work.

 

The 100-day work is shared as a container for this practice— illustrating rhythm, variation, and growth through repetition — not as an expectation or commitment.

Participants leave with:

        ·        A clear understanding of how a daily practice can look and feel

          ·        Low-pressure ideas they can return to anytime

          ·       Permission to begin again each day

 

Supplies (participants bring):

·         Black pens and/or markers

·         Their own paper or journal

If you want to add color to your art, plan to stay for the afternoon workshop from 1-4 pm. Details below.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP:
Flow & Flourish: A Meditative Journaling Practice 

Experience a meditative journaling practice that weaves calligraphic marks, watercolor, and intuitive drawing. In this immersive workshop, you’ll move from blank page to finished work, responding to the page and letting the process unfold naturally.

In this extended workshop after the meeting from 1 to 4 pm, participants explore Creative Meditative Flow in depth — beginning with automatic, calligraphic mark-making and expanding into layered color, line, and response. Guidance unfolds slowly, supporting curiosity and presence rather than performance.

The $25 session ($35 for non members) concludes by folding the completed work into a meander (accordion) book, transforming the piece into a tactile, unfolding journal object.

Roxanne will provide the paper. Bring some of your favorite supplies and get ready to play! Suzi Ickles will take sign-ups and payment at the morning meeting. 

Required

·         Black Waterproof ink or markers you LOVE creating with and bring one that works for larger paper (14x17)

·         Watercolor paints (liquid or pan)

·         Small and large watercolor brushes

·         Water cup

Optional / Personal Favorites

·           Sparkly gel pens or metallic paint pens

·         Additional journaling tools participants love and trust

·         Sketchbook for notetaking

 Saturday, December 13, 2025

10 a.m.

WCG Christmas Brunch

All members invited.

Details will be sent out to members' email.

Next meeting: Saturday, November 9, 2025

 at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, 10 am

Learn Copperplate Calligraphy

For our November program Francis Stoppiello will be teaching the basics of Copperplate lettering. Copperplate calligraphy is a script style known for its flowing, elegant loops and varying line thicknesses. Starting with a pencil we will learn some warmup strokes and progress into the lower-case letters. Since we only have an hour, we will move quickly into pen and ink. Morning program is free.

Supply list for both the program and afternoon workshop:

         *  Ink that can produce fine lines, I like using Walnut ink for practice. Paul Antonio has a specific ink for pointed pens that works great. Higgins Internal Ink is also a great black ink.

         *  Paper - I use 28 lb paper, Rhodia paper is great also. I will provide the lines. Please make sure the paper will not bleed and that you can see the lines through it. You can also use a light pad to see the lines. 

        *  Oblique pen holder or a straight holder.

         *  Nibs - Any pointed nib you like. Nibs stiffer for beginners are Nikko G, Gillott 1068A Hunt 22A; flexible for others are Leonardo, Principal Zebra G, Gillott 303. I do have some if you need to purchase some.

         *  Pencil 

         *  Paper clips or tape to adhere your lines and paper together

For the afternoon workshop:

Supply list same as the morning. We will continue working on our Copperplate journey and work on the Majuscules letters. If time permits, we will write a short quote and work on some numbers also. Workshop fee is $25 and can be paid at the morning meeting.

If you have any questions on supplies, please contact Francis at needlesandnibs@hotmail.com