The campus remains closed with all summer courses being conducted online and staff working remotely. Classes will resume on August 31, 2020 for the fall semester. For updates on campus operations, both virtual and in person, for the fall semester, please see the Fall 2020 Info Hub page.

Fundamentals of Flat Brush Lettering: Block Capitals & Condensed Casuals

Fundamentals of Flat Brush Lettering: Block Capitals & Condensed Casuals with John Downer

Fundamentals of Flat Brush Lettering: Block Capitals & Condensed Casuals with John Downer

Cost: $485.00

Saturday & Sunday, April 18 & 19, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

REGISTER NOW

Sign painters use styles that can be lettered efficiently with a flat brush. The shape of the brush itself leads to particular aesthetic qualities in the lettering. Strokes of the brush, when formed effectively, give the lettering a personality of its own.

Two staples of the vernacular American genre will be covered: single stroke block and single stroke casual.

No prior lettering experience is required, but students should have an interest in making orthodox letterforms. In addition, drawing aptitude is a bonus. 

Required Materials

  • soft lead pencil
  • eraser
  • apron or smock
  • unvarnished inexpensive wooden yardstick
  • $25 materials fee to cover the costs of lettering brushes, tempera paints, card stock, and assorted disposable supplies

Registration for this workshop will open on January 8th.

Course Code: 128698

Instructor(s): John Downer

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.