Course Content
Preparing an inkwell
Make your own ink pots using a traditional Ottoman technique with silk and soot ink.
Dot practice
Train your hand to write with a broad-nibbed reed pen and an inkwell.
Rabbi Yassir demo
Take the first step to mastery - imitation. The teacher will demonstrate how to write the famous ‘Rabbi Yassir’ composition with instruction on fundamental components of a good composition including dot proportions, pen angles, spacing and contours.
Rabbi Yassir practice
Learn by doing. Apply your observations from the teacher demo to practice the composition yourself with the your new pen and inkwell, including guided help from the teacher.
Through it you develop patience, focus and an artistic eye for detail.
Ahar paper sizing
Students will learn how to size fine art paper with wheat starch and egg to make their own traditional ahar paper.
Practice & individual feedback
Grasp the bread and butter of your calligraphy journey - repetition and feedback. Refine your hand through regular practice on the same composition and individual feedback from the teacher.
Traditionally a student would present a single composition 40 times to his teacher, before the teacher moves him onto the next lesson. But don’t worry, you won’t be kept that long!
Demo - Rabbi Yassir
Observe a second class demonstration to measure your own progress. See how much more acutely you can now recognise the subtleties of a fine composition.
Individual pen cutting demonstrations
Observe how to cut a reed pen yourself using a knife and ‘muqta’ (cutting plate). Even have a go yourself if you’re brave enough!
Demo - Individual Letters of the Arabic alphabet
The teacher demonstrate how to write some of the individual letters of the alphabet (or 'abjadiyyah') for students to begin practising, according to the principles of the Thuluth script.
Practice & individual feedback
As above.
Brief historical presentation
Gain a brief insight into the development of the pedagogy of Islamic calligraphy from the time of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), through to Iraq and the rest of the Islamic world. This includes a focus on the Ottoman calligraphic tradition, seen by many as the tradition that perfected the art.
Tracing demonstration & practice
Learn transfer techniques to plan a design for a final piece.
Tracing onto decorated papers
Transfer your design onto beautiful decorated papers for a final piece, learning how to make traditional carbon paper.
Practice & individual feedback
As above.
Tracing onto decorated papers with light box and Ahar paper
Prepare another final piece on traditional egg-coated ‘ahar’ paper with another transfer technique using a light box.
