For the Love of Birds
with Heather Held
Join Heather Held 26&27 Sep 2026 to explore the delightful realm of bird illustration.
Class Description
Enjoy the magic of drawing and painting sweet songbirds in a foliate heart setting.
This class is designed especially for pointed pen enthusiasts who want to augment their painting and illustration skills. Throughout the class, we learn how to design, ink and paint a seasonal heart design for our Blue Birds or Warblers.
Once you understand how to draw these darling birds, a whole world of possibilities will open for you. We will observe the patterns and details of the birds while stylizing the features to create sweet expressions. The branching florals and foliates are pen etched before delicate watercolour layers are applied.
This course will enhance your design, inking and painting techniques as we work together on a finished project. There is so much joy in the process of creating these designs, and you will be able to explore the ideas presented here for years to come with any birds you choose.
All skill levels are welcome.
Class Schedule
Class 1 26 Sep 2026
4pm-6.30pm (Ontario, CA EDT)
Class 2 27 Sep 2026
4pm-6.30pm (Ontario, CA EDT)
To note
When joining this class you have access to
5hr of instruction provided live and recorded for catch up
join classes live via Zoom at the designated time
catch up for 60 days via private link
handouts from the teacher provided up to two days prior to class
Sales close on 24 Sep 2026
Materials
Practice drawing paper or sketch book, mechanical pencil, eraser
Optional Light Pad or Tracing paper to transfer your artwork
140 lb Hot Press watercolour paper cut to 7”x7” (a second piece of watercolour paper is helpful to test techniques)
Waterproof Brown ink such as Ziller Buffalo Brown or McCaffery Brown (Copic 0.3 Sepia Multiliner may be used if the ink is unavailable)
Medium Flexible Pointed pen in straight holder (such as Zebra G)
Your favourite watercolours. Suggested colours are Payne’s Grey, Quinacridone Lilac, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Coral, Sap Green, Undersea Green French Ultramarine Blue, Sepia and Burnt Sienna and Titanium White
Small Pointed Round Watercolour Brushes such as Daler D77 Sizes O and 1
Small white porcelain paint for palette
Water dish and kitchen towel
Optional Embellishments: Green Soft Pastel, Metallic Watercolours or gilding supplies such as
Miniatum Ink and 23K Transfer Gold
About your teacher
Heather Victoria Held is a Canadian freelance-lettering artist who operates The Victorian Pen studio in St. George, Ontario. She has studied extensively with Master Penman Michael Sull and Master Penman Brian Walker. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Spencerian Heritage Award given through Michael Sull at the Spencerian Saga.
She was a long time member of Master Penman Brian Walker’s Spencerian Review Study Group, CLAS, The Copperplate Special Interest Group, and a faculty member of several International Calligraphy Conferences.
During 2013-2014 she served as the President of IAMPETH and continues to support IAMPETH on the Board of Directors as an advisor and as an instructor for the conferences. Her teaching style is gentle and encouraging while helping students to achieve the next level in their skill sets.
Her work in promoting handwriting skills has attracted television, magazine and radio coverage in Canada. She conducts intensive workshops in Offhand Flourishing, Decorative Lettering and Ornamental Penmanship world-wide.
Her art work is in private collections around the world and has been featured in Pen World, Bound and Lettered, Calligrafia, Somerset Studio, Romantic Homes, The Penman’s Journal, The Spencerian Review, 1000 Handmade Cards. The Speedball Textbook, The Copperplate Manual and Good Mail Day. She and her husband Chris create hand dyed or painted Held Pens, which are highly sought after and in the hands of artists throughout the world.
Refund Policy
Your place is secured once your payment has been processed. As the workshop recordings will be made available to students for a limited time after the event, no refunds will be offered for non-attendance.
In the event that the course must be cancelled, we will provide a refund minus any ticket processing fees. Please note that your bank may charge additional, separate fees when converting currencies.
Contacts
Email: info@pointedpencollective.com (managed by Kate)
Instagram: @learnpointedpen (managed by Cecilia)