FIRST...A note from Ken

There is a lot of information, beginning here, about the Engraving Workshops we've been teaching since 2001. It is as complete as I know how to present it.  

 

I've tried to anticipate EVERY possible question you may have about the validity and success that can come from learning this amazing skilL. Your handwriting doesn't matter.  Your lack of artistic talent is no concern. If you're fortunate to have either, or both of those, you WILL learn faster...but they certainly are not required.

 

People who have taken this class have all levels of success; that largely depends on the individual.  Almost 100% of what I engrave is a GIFT for someone. It will be the same for you.  No matter where you live or how many other engraving stores or other engravers may be in your area, you will be   

 

Earning at a rate of $100 to $300. per hour for a 10 minute engraving job is COMMON! If you're truly interested in learning this highly productive skill, you'll gain answers to most of your questions in all the info and photographs below this •••LEARN ENGRAVING••• link you clicked.  I welcome your questions.  I'm low-pressure and here to fill in the blanks, so don't hesitate to call me if you got to here and continue to read more and still have questions.

​

Coming up will be the first organized groups for online teaching and learning.  No matter where you live, you can learn this on your kitchen table.

​

I hope to hear from you...wanting to enroll, or to have your questions answered.

​

-Ken Brown

McKinney, TX

214.250.6958

  

     In January, 2019, the woman pictured above called me and sounded as though she could have been across the street.  She told me she had researched the idea of learning Calligraphy with a drill, throughout this site, and decided she HAD to learn my hand-engraving method.  I told her we had openings in an upcoming class in the Texas hotel we've used for years.  "No, I cannot come to Texas," she said.  "I'm in Lagos, Nigeria on the west coast of the African continent.  I'm 6744 miles from you, so can you please teach me online?"

​

     Like most other challenges I've tackled in decades of doing and teaching my skill, my reply was, "Yes, I'm sure we can blaze this new trail together!"  She was delighted. I did the research and found that zoom.us seemed to offer a way to do it easily.  Within a couple of weeks we were set to begin.  We started in February and had about 15 'hookups,' as we called them, until Ethel was engraving bottles!  And other things as well.  

 

    In each visit, she saw my hand forming the practice letters on her laptop... and, eventually, I saw her practice and forming the letters on my desktop after she got a special camera that made all the difference. 

 

She went through the practice with markers on our special practice sheets.  Then, she ordered her equipment, and within a couple of months, she had her system so she could begin to use the drill.  She practiced the letters on flat glass with proper guideline sheets glued to the back of the glass sheets.  IT WORKED!

 

     By the time she had done many sheets of flat glass, she was ready to tackle a wine bottle.  Then she engraved her letters into other objects. With the zoom setup, I could see and critique her work as though she was standing at my side.  It was the same for her, as I did my work under a special HoverCam professional presentation camera.  She had the same camera and setup on her end.  It was simply amazing how we could communicate so well, so clearly, in both audio and video, across the planet from each other.

​

Here, in Ethel's own words.....

​

MY TESTIMONIAL 

Ethel in Lagos, Nigeria

 

As cliche' as this phrase sounds, it was love at first sight to me, as I stared at the bottle and imagined what was used in creating the beautiful inscriptions cut into the glass.

 

My name is Ethel and I run a luxury gift service firm in Lagos-Nigeria (Aurelia’s Basket). 

 

I was searching for ways to improve our existing breakfast trays and introduce something new to our product line when I stumbled on the image of a bottle that had the words “Happy Birthday “ beautifully written across the side of the bottle.  It stole my heart and attention, and my search for bottle engraving began.

 

I did a lot of research over the internet and stumbled across various options, from laser machines which were really expensive to my business, for now, to inexpensive electric engraving pens which really didn’t fit the purpose as the cuts on the bottles were too light.

 

I did some further research and stumbled upon a video that showed a man writing on a bottle with something I thought was an advanced electric pen.  As I went through the comments of that video,  hoping someone would have dropped the name of the pen that was used, I found none of that, but rather a comment that said “that is Ken Brown, master engraver using a dental drill!"

 

Who is Ken Brown ?

 

I hurriedly Googled Ken Brown engraving and found his website.  One click led to another as I scrolled through a lot of beautiful lettering on bottles, glass and metal.  I said to myself,  "I HAVE to reach the genius behind all of this, even though I was 6,744 miles away from Ken Brown! I held on to the slightest hope that there might be a way to learn these beautiful letters and how he makes them.

 

I sent Ken an email and got a response two days later.  I was thrilled!  We sent several messages back and forth about how we were going to make this work, exploring all possible options. Soon, we talked on the phone.  After about two months, we finally had our first online class and a couple of others followed.  It wasn’t an easy sail as we had the challenges of time zone difference, internet connectivity, and getting the right camera to show my work.  We were both focused and determined on this task and it was wonderfully successful.

 

Ken Brown is an amazing tutor.  I have never met him in person, but through this whole process, it has felt like he held my hand each day through learning every letter.

 

The benefits of my classes and experience have been amazing!  My new skill is generating income far faster and greater than I ever dreamed.

 

I can confidently say  that I can do beautiful lettering now, even though they are not perfect yet.  But they are beautiful....my customers tell me so every day!  Learning how to put beautiful Calligraphy on bottles has been a plus to my business and led to a great increase in sales. 

​

In Lagos, Nigeria, where I live, I was contacted by Moët Hennessy Nigeria, to engrave on some of their Champagne bottles for special events.  We are looking at building a long lasting relationship.  My work greatly enhances their bottles.  Personalization raises the importance of any gift....especially a celebratory bottle of Champagne!

​

Apart from the great earning potential this skill has brought to my table,  It has also taught me, personally, that anything is possible once you put your mind to it and remain focused.  Determination and consistency are the essential ingredients required to succeed.

 

I never dreamed I could learn this skill since I'm outside the United States Of America. This absolute proof anyone...anywhere...can learn the productive and beautiful skill.

 

If you are like me and you are thousands of miles away, or perhaps you cannot travel to Texas for Ken's Workshop, don’t worry, this is still possible from wherever you are!  Let the master engraver walk you through.  It was one of my best business decisions ever!

 

Thank you for reading my success story.  I wish you all the best as you begin your new journey in being taught Calligraphy by Ken Brown!

​

-ETHEL

Ken Brown Engraving Student 

Spring, 2019

​

                              Below are some of the pictures of bottles I have done so far.  

                              I'm improving a bit every day and my customers love them!