Tooting Calligraphy Class at South Thames: 6 Weeks for £120

Most London calligraphy classes cluster in Bloomsbury and Covent Garden, so south Londoners often overlook the evening course a few steps from Tooting Broadway. South Thames College teaches Calligraphy at its Tooting Centre, 71 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0TQ, on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm. The next six-week run starts on 4 November 2026 and ends on 9 December 2026, with a fee of £120 for learners aged 19 and over. At about £20 a week, it is one of the best-value tutor-led calligraphy courses in the capital.

The course is taught by Ivo Grantins, and his college profile is worth reading before you book. He holds a diploma in Calligraphy with Design studies from Sunderland University, earned in 2013, has taught calligraphy since 2012 and has taught at South Thames College since 2014. He has studied with internationally acclaimed calligraphers in Britain and abroad, worked at two of London's busiest calligraphy studios and has freelanced since 2015. Since 2014 he has also worked as a calligrapher in the film industry, for productions including BBC and HBO, both on set and off.

According to the course page, the class teaches the basic pen and brush skills you need to create beautiful calligraphy, and which tools and materials to use for different effects, including Italic and Foundational hands. It introduces Western calligraphy and the historical context of each style, then gives technical instruction in handling calligraphic pens and brushes to draw complete alphabets. Expect step-by-step demonstrations and practice with pencil, broad-edge and pointed nib pens, so by week six you will have tried several instruments rather than just one.

The stated learning outcomes are practical. By the end, students should be able to use pens and brushes for a range of effects, understand the design principles behind invitations, poetry, prose, greeting cards and decorative plaques, and lay out pieces that look balanced on the page. The course finishes with a final project that combines the techniques, design principles and personal style you have developed. That focus on finished work makes the class a good choice if you have a specific goal in mind, such as lettering your own wedding stationery or a framed poem.

Kit requirements are refreshingly low. For the first session, the college asks you to bring an HB pencil, a notebook and an A3 portfolio or project folder for storing your work. It suggests a simple project bag, which can be bought from KK Stationers on Mitcham Road, a few minutes' walk from the college. Additional calligraphy equipment is discussed during the first class, so do not rush out and buy expensive nibs or inks beforehand. That approach keeps costs down and stops beginners ending up with tools that do not suit Italic or Foundational.

There are no entry requirements for the course. The page describes it as suitable for complete beginners as well as people who want to refresh or develop existing calligraphy skills, so mixed-ability groups are normal. The listed fee of £120 applies to learners aged 19 and over. The college also states that if you are on a low wage, unemployed or claiming benefits, you may qualify for a reduction, so it is worth asking before you pay the full amount. Enrolment is online, using the course code TCRX591FC for the November start.

A single afternoon workshop teaches you what a broad-edge pen feels like, but it rarely makes the letters stick. Meeting every Wednesday for six weeks gives you time to practise at home between sessions and bring back questions about spacing, pen angle or ink flow. Mistakes spotted in week two can be corrected by week three, before they become habits. Evening classes also suit people who work daytime jobs in south London and would rather not cross the river at the weekend for a lesson.

If the autumn dates do not suit you, the next Wednesday evening run is listed with the course code TCRX592FC, starting on 3 February 2027, again at £120 for learners aged 19 and over. Because the November course has already been moved once, keep an eye on the confirmation email for any further changes. The college suggests progression by enrolling for the next term to keep developing your skills, or by taking one of its start-a-small-business courses if you want to sell your lettering, cards or commissions.

The course page and college contact details point you to Tooting Broadway on the Northern line, the nearest Tube station, which is a short walk from the Tooting Centre along Tooting High Street. Plenty of bus routes also run along the high street towards Balham, Wimbledon and central London. On a dark winter evening the high street is busy and well lit, which makes the walk to and from the station straightforward after class.

Tooting is known for its South Asian restaurants and sweet shops along Upper Tooting Road, so an early dinner before a 6:30pm class is easy to arrange. Tooting Market and Broadway Market, two covered markets off the high street, have food stalls, bars and small independent traders worth browsing on a free evening. On a weekend, Tooting Common offers a long walk and, in warmer months, the open-air Tooting Bec Lido. All of it makes this one of the more satisfying neighbourhoods in London to pair with a weekly class.

Venue: South Thames College, Tooting Centre, 71 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0TQ. Course: Calligraphy, six Wednesdays from 4 November 2026 to 9 December 2026, from 6:30pm, code TCRX591FC. Fee: £120 for learners aged 19 and over, reductions possible for low-income learners. Next run: from 3 February 2027, code TCRX592FC, £120. Bring: HB pencil, notebook, A3 portfolio. Entry: no requirements. Want a curry spot near Tooting Broadway before class? Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP.