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Flourish 2027 Faculty

Nina Tran

Beautiful letters begin with tradition. Extraordinary letters begin with curiosity.

For Los Angeles-based calligrapher and instructor Nina Tran, learning the rules is only the beginning of the adventure.

What started as a casual exploration of calligraphy in 2015 became a lifelong fascination with letters, artistic expression, and the endless possibilities of a creative life.

Register for Flourish 2027 See the workshops
October 13–17, 2027 Calgary Italic · Oct 14 & 15 Copperplate Capitals · Oct 16 & 17
Los Angeles calligrapher and instructor Nina Tran

Meet Nina Tran

Know the rules. Then play.

Plenty of room for discovery, experimentation, and the occasional happy accident.

Nina brings a wonderfully curious spirit to her work. She studies traditional letterforms, explores their underlying structures, and then asks the question that makes everything more interesting:

What else could this become?

By stretching proportions, bending conventions, combining lettering styles, and experimenting with unexpected details, she gives familiar scripts a fresh and distinctly contemporary personality.

Her approach is rooted in a respect for classical calligraphy, but there’s plenty of room for discovery, experimentation, and the occasional happy accident.

As an instructor, Nina brings that same sense of exploration to her students, helping them develop strong technical foundations while encouraging them to find their own artistic voice.

Whether you’re picking up a broad-edged pen for the first time or looking for new ways to bring personality to your Copperplate capitals, Nina’s workshops are an invitation to learn, experiment, and discover just how exciting lettering can be.

Because the most interesting things often happen when you know the rules well enough to play with them.

Nina’s Workshops

Two workshops. Two days each.

October 14 & 15 Italic calligraphy by Nina Tran, Introduction to Italic workshop

Workshop One · October 14 & 15, 2027

Introduction to Italic

Some letters never go out of style.

Beginner to intermediate

There’s a reason Italic has been turning heads for 500 years.
Elegant. Rhythmic. Beautifully balanced.

Five centuries after it emerged in the Renaissance, Italic still feels remarkably fresh. And it’s one of the most rewarding places to begin your broad-edged pen journey.

Nina will take you from the fundamentals of broad-edged pen technique to the graceful forms and distinctive rhythm that make Italic so appealing.

Day One: Build Your FoundationPen angle, thick and thin strokes, the underlying rules of Italic and the complete lowercase alphabet.
Day Two: Bring Your Letters to LifeItalic capitals, their structure and proportions, and simple decorative details that make your writing your own.

What you’ll learn:

  • The essential techniques of working with a broad-edged pen
  • How pen angle, proportions, and rhythm shape beautiful Italic lettering
  • How to create elegant, balanced Italic capitals
  • The principles of spacing and consistency that bring harmony to your writing
  • A strong technical foundation you can apply to other broad-edged scripts

You don’t need years of calligraphy experience to create beautiful Italic. You need a good foundation, a little patience, and a teacher who can show you how all the pieces fit together.

Come discover why this Renaissance classic still has so much to teach us.

Register for Flourish 2027

October 16 & 17 Copperplate capitals by Nina Tran, Captivating Copperplate Capitals workshop

Workshop Two · October 16 & 17, 2027

Captivating Copperplate Capitals

Your Copperplate capitals are about to get a personality upgrade.

Intermediate to advanced

You know those capital letters that make you stop scrolling?

The ones with impossibly graceful curves, unexpected flourishes, and just enough drama to make an ordinary word look extraordinary? There’s more to them than a talented hand and a lucky flourish. There’s structure. There’s intention. And there’s a wonderful amount of room to play.

Nina starts with the pointed pen foundations and the classical rules and proportions of Copperplate capitals. Because before you can confidently stretch a curve or introduce an unexpected flourish, you need to understand what makes the original beautiful.

Then the fun begins.

What you’ll explore:

  • The classical rules, proportions, and structure of Copperplate capitals
  • How to analyze letterforms and understand what makes them visually successful
  • Ways to experiment with proportions, curves, and decorative elements
  • Techniques for adding personality and elegance without sacrificing balance
  • How to develop more confident, expressive capital letters

The goal isn’t to make your capitals look exactly like Nina’s. It’s to give you the tools, understanding, and confidence to make them look like yours.

Previous Copperplate experience is highly recommended. Bring your curiosity, your pointed pen, and your willingness to try something new.

Let’s make some capitals worth looking at twice.

Register for Flourish 2027

The full Nina experience

Four days with Nina

Start with Italic on the broad-edged pen, then turn to the pointed pen for Copperplate capitals. Take one workshop, or both for four days of learning the rules and playing with them.

Register for the festival, and you’ll get a link to choose your workshops right after you pay.

Register for Flourish 2027 ← Back to Flourish 2027
← Back to Flourish 2027

Flourish 2027 Faculty

Nina Tran

Beautiful letters begin with tradition. Extraordinary letters begin with curiosity.

For Los Angeles-based calligrapher and instructor Nina Tran, learning the rules is only the beginning of the adventure.

What started as a casual exploration of calligraphy in 2015 became a lifelong fascination with letters, artistic expression, and the endless possibilities of a creative life.

Register for Flourish 2027 See the workshops
October 13–17, 2027 Calgary Italic · Oct 14 & 15 Copperplate · Oct 16 & 17
Los Angeles calligrapher and instructor Nina Tran

Meet Nina Tran

Know the rules. Then play.

Plenty of room for discovery, experimentation, and the occasional happy accident.

Nina brings a wonderfully curious spirit to her work. She studies traditional letterforms, explores their underlying structures, and then asks the question that makes everything more interesting:

What else could this become?

By stretching proportions, bending conventions, combining lettering styles, and experimenting with unexpected details, she gives familiar scripts a fresh and distinctly contemporary personality.

Her approach is rooted in a respect for classical calligraphy, but there’s plenty of room for discovery, experimentation, and the occasional happy accident.

As an instructor, Nina brings that same sense of exploration to her students, helping them develop strong technical foundations while encouraging them to find their own artistic voice.

Whether you’re picking up a broad-edged pen for the first time or looking for new ways to bring personality to your Copperplate capitals, Nina’s workshops are an invitation to learn, experiment, and discover just how exciting lettering can be.

Because the most interesting things often happen when you know the rules well enough to play with them.

Nina’s Workshops

Two workshops. Two days each.

The full Nina experience

Four days with Nina

Take one workshop, or both for four days of learning the rules and playing with them.

Register for the festival, and you’ll get a link to choose your workshops right after you pay.

Register for Flourish 2027 ← Back to Flourish 2027