stone carving
lettering
Expect five days filled with mountain air, forest, hands-on letter carving in stone, design on paper, and illustrated lectures related to the design and cutting of letters in stone. Each participant will have the opportunity to learn from the skills of one of the most respected masters of this art in the world. No previous experience necessary, and all tools and materials will be provided.
20–26 July 2026
with John Neilson
Bozhentsi village in Bulgaria
with John Neilson
Bozhentsi village in Bulgaria
John Neilson
United Kingdom · jneilson.co.uk
John Neilson is a lettercarver in stone, and lettering designer. He first trained as a calligrapher at Roehampton, London, then learned lettercarving in stone from Tom Perkins in Cambridgeshire. Since 1992 he has had his own workshop in north-east Wales.
Original lettering design is central to all his work, which ranges from memorials and tablets to more sculptural and architectural pieces using lettering, which is nearly always hand carved. Among his larger commissions is the huge lettering above the entrance to the Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh. John also undertakes some book design/typography.
A qualified teacher, he has taught lettering workshops and demonstrated in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, Lebanon and the USA. He teaches a summer course every year in Wales, and a 4-day module every other year at the City & Guilds of London Art School.
Since 2003 he has been editor of the lettering journal Forum, published by Letter Exchange, of which he has been an elected Member since 1996. He was an advisor on lettering to the Crafts Study Centre in Hampshire for 19 years until 2023. He has published numerous articles and reviews and has participated in over thirty exhibitions in the UK and overseas.
In 2021 his book The Inscriptions of Ralph Beyer was published by Lund Humphries and the Crafts Study Centre.
More about John Neilson
Original lettering design is central to all his work, which ranges from memorials and tablets to more sculptural and architectural pieces using lettering, which is nearly always hand carved. Among his larger commissions is the huge lettering above the entrance to the Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh. John also undertakes some book design/typography.
A qualified teacher, he has taught lettering workshops and demonstrated in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, Lebanon and the USA. He teaches a summer course every year in Wales, and a 4-day module every other year at the City & Guilds of London Art School.
Since 2003 he has been editor of the lettering journal Forum, published by Letter Exchange, of which he has been an elected Member since 1996. He was an advisor on lettering to the Crafts Study Centre in Hampshire for 19 years until 2023. He has published numerous articles and reviews and has participated in over thirty exhibitions in the UK and overseas.
In 2021 his book The Inscriptions of Ralph Beyer was published by Lund Humphries and the Crafts Study Centre.
More about John Neilson
mentor
John Neilson at his studio
The classes will include the following topics:
The program will be:
- History of analog and digital type.
- Writing with a broad and pointed pen.
- Sketching and features of the various glyphs.
- Digitization and curves quality.
- Vector and font file formats.
- Proportions, contrast and optical regularities.
- Working with components and overlaps.
- Rhythm, character spacing, metric, kerning and class kerning.
- MultipleMaster and variability of the styles.
- OpenType and other goodies.
- Rasterization, PS and TTF hinting.
- Production of OTF, TTF, WOFF and WOFF2.
The program will be:
- September 3–7, Tuesday–Saturday – Part One;
- September 8, Sunday – day off;
- September 9–13, Monday–Friday – Part Two.
program
Five days of total dedication
20–26 July 2026 · Offline event · In English
The workshop will be held in the Bozhentsi architectural reserve, near the city of Gabrovo. If you are traveling from abroad, it is possible to fly to both Sofia and Bucharest airports. We will assist you and meet you if necessary.
Accommodation and meals for each participant are provided at the Stranopriemnitsa hotel for an additional fee. After specifying the number of participants, we will discuss the exact price and menu. For now, please note that the price for an overnight stay is 30–40 euros per person with breakfast included. There is a possibility of accommodation in a private room or with a companion.
If the conditions are unacceptable for any of the participants, you can also arrange your own stay during the workshop. There are many houses in the Bozhentsi area that allow accommodation for families or larger companies. Write to us and we will help you choose! You can and it is even advisable to share this experience with your families, relatives and friends.
Accommodation and meals for each participant are provided at the Stranopriemnitsa hotel for an additional fee. After specifying the number of participants, we will discuss the exact price and menu. For now, please note that the price for an overnight stay is 30–40 euros per person with breakfast included. There is a possibility of accommodation in a private room or with a companion.
If the conditions are unacceptable for any of the participants, you can also arrange your own stay during the workshop. There are many houses in the Bozhentsi area that allow accommodation for families or larger companies. Write to us and we will help you choose! You can and it is even advisable to share this experience with your families, relatives and friends.
accomodation
Where to stay?
July 20th – 26th · Bozhentsi village
From abroad, you can most often fly to the Bulgarian airports of Sofia, Varna or Burgas. It is also possible to fly to Bucharest. From there, you can travel by bus or rental car to the town of Gabrovo. The village of Bozhentsi is very close to Gabrovo and once you have arrived in the area, you will be able to take a bus or taxi. The journey from the airports in Bulgaria to Bozhentsi takes about 3 hours.
Usually, the transport is shared between participants. If you are from abroad, do not worry and contact us. We will guide you to the best possible scenario and will assist you as much as possible by welcoming you and, if possible, accompanying you on the way to Bozhentsi.
Check-in must be no later than Monday, July 20, with earlier arrival possible. Departure will be on Sunday, July 26 or later.
Usually, the transport is shared between participants. If you are from abroad, do not worry and contact us. We will guide you to the best possible scenario and will assist you as much as possible by welcoming you and, if possible, accompanying you on the way to Bozhentsi.
Check-in must be no later than Monday, July 20, with earlier arrival possible. Departure will be on Sunday, July 26 or later.
travel
How to get there?
Sofia/Bucharest airports · Gabrovo · Bozhentsi
One of you can participate for free! Follow these five steps to try your luck:
You can participate with many designs without restrictions. Winner will be selected by John Neilson and announced before July 21st at Typofest social channels.
- Make a design of the word Typocamp 2026.
- Upload it to your social profiles before 23:59 hrs on May 31st.
- Write down why you want to participate.
- Add a reference to the website of the camp bit.ly/typocamp2026bozhentsi.
- Tag your post with #typobg, #typocamp and #typoclass.
You can participate with many designs without restrictions. Winner will be selected by John Neilson and announced before July 21st at Typofest social channels.
competition
One free entry
Before 23:59 cet on May 31st · No restrictions
Register below to participate in the camp! The price starts from 400 Euros and increases by 10 Euros with each registration.
Soon after registration you should receive a confirmation by email with details for payment. If you wish, an invoice can be sent. Only paid registrations are considered valid!
After filling the 12 places, the registration will be closed. If enough people gather, the workshop can be repeated.
Soon after registration you should receive a confirmation by email with details for payment. If you wish, an invoice can be sent. Only paid registrations are considered valid!
After filling the 12 places, the registration will be closed. If enough people gather, the workshop can be repeated.
If you would like to be a part of our future events, if you have any questions about Typoclass or just want to say hello, contact:
Boril Karaivanov
registration
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* If you don’t have a VAT number, additional 20% tax will be added. If you have a VAT number, the final price will remain unchanged.
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Limited to 12 participants ·