In this three-hour workshop, we will manifest personally significant phrases and ideas into uniquely crafted letter art. Our main focus will be to paint the words, following technical guidelines while prioritizing creativity and autonomy and allowing the canvas to serve as a safe space to vocalize thoughts. During class, we will discover a brief history of lettering styles originally from Perú, discuss the use of fluorescent colors, and the motifs found in this style of lettering. We will observe phrases used in contemporary lettering -- a variety of colloquial, funny, sarcastic lines -- that showcase how people express their ideas through this artform to heal themselves from the constant oppression of their lives. 
 
While practicing making strokes to gain technical comfort, we will learn how to handle brushes with acrylic paint in an elevated hand position and straight posture. After choosing your words or phrases of personal significance, you will be guided to release them from your mind into a physical form. For the purpose of our projects, you will be asked to think about a word or a phrase of no more than two lines. I will show examples from my work to introduce ideas. 
 
The words will be painted in white first, opening space to individuality. Each student will then choose two inside colors from a provided palette of 7 colors: purple, magenta, cyan, red, yellow, green, and orange, plus one for the shading. Lettering is an art form that offers flexibility, and it can be done on any kind of surface. For canvas, I will bring a mix of cardboard and other objects, with the intention of consuming less and mainly recycling what is already there. Brushes and paint, specifically for lettering, will be supplied to obtain a well-finished artwork. At the end of class, you will take with you a finished painted phrase or word(s), ready to be displayed.
 
Jessica Robles is a Peruvian graphic designer and lettering artist in Central Vermont. She graduated in 2023 with a master of fine arts degree in Graphic Design from Vermont College of Fine Arts, using lettering as a tool to express being an artist and a mother. She is currently working hard to build her graphic design studio, Sumak Kawsay, to service a variety of local businesses that cater to the growing multicultural community in Vermont. https://jessicarobles.myportfolio.com/
 
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