The Miami Pen Show · October 16 and 17

put ink on paper

Ink Your World

Leave with a journal page you'll actually love. No art skills needed.

Four sessions, Oct 16 and 17 Marlin Room · Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina @itsquynhvu

The invitation

What if your fountain pens could do more than write?

In this relaxed, beginner friendly workshop you'll turn everyday moments into expressive journal pages using simple sketching and playful lettering. No art experience required. Think of it as a creative pause, a chance to slow down, unplug, and enjoy your pens in a more personal way. Just bring your favorite pen and start inking your world.

Pick your session

four times, same class

All four run in the Marlin Room at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, 1881 SE 17th St.

Friday

October 16

12:15 to 1:45 pm

$85

Register

Friday

October 16

1:45 to 3:15 pm

$85

Register

Saturday

October 17

12:00 to 1:30 pm

$85

Register

Saturday

October 17

1:30 to 3:00 pm

$85

Register

$85 per seat

Thirty seats per session. Registration and payment are handled by the Miami Pen Show.

Register

Book your seat

Seats are sold by the Miami Pen Show. Their checkout is right here, so you don’t have to go anywhere else.

Quynh’s sessions, on the Miami Pen Show checkout $85 a seat. Opens right here, nothing leaves this page. Show tickets

Prefer their site? Open the ticket page in a new tab.

your everyday, on paper

Turn a moment into a page

A latte before it gets cold. The plant on your desk. We start with simple shapes and build up, so an ordinary scene becomes a page you'll want to keep.

  • Begin from real life, never a blank stare at the paper.
  • Loose linework first, then a soft wash of color.
  • Leave with a finished page that's all yours.

Ink is the fun part

Play with color and line

Fountain pens do things a ballpoint can't. Line that swells and tapers, ink that shades and pools. We'll mix colors, lay down swatches, and let the ink carry some of the work.

  • Test and compare inks side by side.
  • Find the colors that feel like you.
words, with character

Letters that feel like you

A title, a date, a few honest words about your day. We'll play with simple lettering styles that give plain handwriting personality, no calligraphy background needed.

  • Easy styles you can actually reuse.
  • Make your handwriting part of the art.
straight from her journals

A peek at the pages

View on Instagram
kind words

What people are saying

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Good to know

Where

The Marlin Room at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, 1881 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316. Give yourself a few minutes to find the room.

What to bring

Your favorite fountain pen. Bring a journal or notebook if you have one you love. Everything else is provided.

Who it's for

Anyone who loves fountain pens, whether you are brand new to sketching or already journal every day. No art background required.

How long

Ninety minutes, with thirty seats per session. All four cover the same material, so pick whichever time fits your show schedule.

What you leave with

A finished journal page you made yourself, plus the techniques to keep going when you get home.

Registering

Seats are sold through the Miami Pen Show, not through this site. $85 a seat.

Questions

Do I need to know how to draw?

No. This is built for total beginners. We work with simple shapes and lines, no pressure and no perfection.

What should I bring?

Your favorite fountain pen, and a journal or notebook if you have one. We will guide you through the techniques from there.

Do the four sessions cover different things?

No, all four are the same class. Pick the one that fits your schedule at the show. You are welcome to book more than one if you want the extra practice.

Do I need a pen show ticket to attend?

The workshop is run by the Miami Pen Show and sold through their site. Check their ticket page for what your registration includes and whether you need a separate show pass.

How much is it?

$85 a seat, for any of the four sessions.

Where do I register?

On the Miami Pen Show ticket page. Look for the four sessions named Ink Your World under Friday and Saturday Workshops. Payment is handled entirely on their site, not here.

Something not covered here? Message Quynh on Instagram.

About

Quynh Vu

Quynh Vu (@itsquynhvu) is an illustrator, urban sketcher and journaling artist in San Diego. She has been keeping illustrated journals since 2016, using them as a visual time capsule for the ordinary stuff: daily observations, the price of groceries, her morning coffee, the pens she currently has inked. She leads the Urban Sketchers San Diego chapter. She also journals under the strict supervision of her two Chartreux cats, which might explain the ink in her collection named Cat General.

Quynh Vu

“Getting back into this brought me so much joy. I love documenting my travels and my day-to-day life, sketching the small moments I never used to slow down and appreciate. It was the first time in years I felt really excited about something, and I’d completely lose track of time.”

“It’s so common to feel like you can’t draw, that’s exactly how I felt when I started, and it’s easy to compare yourself to everyone else. But it’s actually really fun to look back on the pages you made. There’s no wrong way to document your day. My advice? Just start.”

“What finally helped me stop being so precious about a nice journal is simple: I just love buying stationery and notebooks. The more I use my stuff, the easier it is to justify buying more. So if you mess up a page, congratulations, that’s your excuse to go shopping for the next one.”

Quynh

Previously

Past workshops