From Sold Out In-Person Workshops to An Online Lettering Course for Beginners, Chicago Lettering Artist is Committed to Sharing Her Passion for Lettering

From 2016-2019, Chelsie Tamms taught hand lettering basics workshops in Peoria, Illinois, the hometown of Lettering Works. It all began after Morgan Mullen and Angie Ostaszewski requested that Chelsie put together a workshop to teach the basics of lettering. Chelsie partnered with another local artist and business owner, Jessica Ball of the Art Garage where the lettering workshops were hosted monthly for about two years. Once the Art Garage closed to allow Jessica to focus more on her own art practice, Chelsie started teaching the workshops out of the Nest Coworking where she was a member. These workshops were incredibly popular and sold out most months.

In 2019, when Lettering Works relocated to Chicago, the workshops were put on hold. Chelsie hadn’t found the perfect space to host recurring workshops and instead focused on both wholesale (selling to the Field Museum and many independent shops throughout Chicago) as well as custom branding. The pandemic hit and requests for virtual lettering workshops started to come in.

Fast forward to 2022, and Chelsie decided to bring the popular lettering workshops back in a new, more accessible format: an online course. This course officially launched online in March 2022 and contains roughly 20 videos across six lettering lessons so attendees can learn about aspects of lettering including the creative process, how to draw letters, faux calligraphy, how to embellish letters, lettering tools, and more.

The pandemic forced many small businesses online in new ways. Many brick and mortar locations upgraded to more robust eCommerce sites. Businesses like Lettering Works were given an opportunity to bring their educational components online to have a greater impact and reach. Accessibility is important to Lettering Works and the world slowing down a bit allowed for more time to create work for and about new communities. During the pandemic, Lettering Works launched passion projects around Disability Pride and Mental Health.

Lettering Works launched the first online course, Self-Made Artist Academy - a six week business program for artists looking to go from aspiring to established - alongside The Power of Passion Projects and Are You on Brand? which are mini courses included in the SMAA program and available for purchase separately.

Learn Lettering with Chelsie Tamms is Lettering Works’ fourth online course and launched with 25 founding members who helped provide feedback on the course name and content as Chelsie worked to adapt it from the popular workshop. The course is now available for purchase and is recommended for beginners who would like to learn lettering as a hobby but also artists who would like to incorporate lettering into their existing art practices.

One previous attendee shared in a Google review "I have taken two workshops with Chelsie and each time she was knowledgeable, friendly, and very talented. Her lettering workshop was fun and informative. I had done some calligraphy in the past but Chelsie’s method is quite different (which is how she is able to create unique and amazing work."

Chelsie is known for her passion for lettering and inspiring and empowering others through art. Since founding Lettering Works in 2016, after graduating from Bradley University where she won $10,000 in startup funding, she has been an active member of the creative and entrepreneurial communities in both Central Illinois and Chicago.

You can learn more and enroll in the Learn Lettering with Chelsie Tamms online course here.