April 7 Program – Vellum presented by Cheryl Jacobsen

April 2026 Program

Vellum & A Chance-made Book: Always an Adventure

Presented by Cheryl Jacobsen

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

6:30pm MT on Zoom

Members: free, Non-members: $10

Members need not register. Non-members please register below. A zoom link will be sent to current members and program registrants a few days before the program. This program will be recorded for future viewing until May 9, 2026. Please contact Jenny Allen with questions at ccgprograms@coloradocalligraphers.com.

Program Description
Vellum & A Chance-made Book: Always an Adventure

Join Cheryl as she talks about her experiences with Vellum, the substrate made from animal skins. After an initial 55-page book commission, vellum went from being an intimidating writing surface to a versatile, forgiving, enjoyable and sometimes challenging one. She will talk about some of the books she’s created with it, how she’s experienced the messy making of it, and how she now uses a book creation method that taps into the creativity of chance producing exciting unplanned for results. 

About Cheryl

Cheryl Jacobsen has been a working calligrapher and teacher of calligraphy for over thirty years. She is Adjunct Professor of Lettering at the University of Iowa Center for the Book where she leads several semester-long calligraphy classes as well as a hands-on history class analyzing medieval manuscripts. Her freelance work varies widely from design and lettering to assemblage & one-of-a kind books both modern and historical. With Madison Bennett, a vellum scholar and maker, she taught a class focusing on Vellum at the Roman Holiday Conference inn 2024. She is the author of “A Modern Scribe Views Scribes of the Past” in Scraped, Stroked, and Bound: Materially Engaged Readings of Medieval Manuscripts, Brepols 2013. Her work has been seen internationally in shows, lectures and publications including Letter Arts Review, Alphabet and Bound & Lettered.