January 30, 2008

Stick to the Script

Calligraphy Classes at Atelier Gargoyle

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Too bad you’re as handy with a Bic as you are with Excalibur.

Rediscover the lost art of handwriting at Atelier Gargoyle, a delightfully obscure calligraphy studio in the Mission.

Owners Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist lead black letter calligraphy classes one Saturday a month. You’ll be with doctors, BlackBerry junkies, and others with chicken scratch anxiety. Your thank-yous, checks, and wedding invites will never be the same.

Newbies can borrow ink grinding stones, pipettes, and nibs for the first session. You’ll want your own once you’re ready to commit.

Dunham also makes cassia- and vetiver-scented, nearly post office-proof sealing wax in a rainbow of colors, as well as bronze repros of 300-year-old seals, and sells ergonomically friendly fountain pens.

Write on.

Atelier Gargoyle, 1890 Bryant Street, suite 308, at Mariposa Street (415-864-2928 or ateliergargoyle.com). Next class is February 23, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.