Not that you’d notice, but wedding season has been and gone, and with only a trickle of orders I’m twiddling my pens rather a lot these days. I’ve also taken back to my old habit of getting up at 5:30 to explore the countryside, and while I was exploring yesterday I thought it’d be fun … Read More
It’s a scarily big step to go from practising calligraphy at home to showing to people – and getting your first ‘wow’ from a friend or a client. One of my lovely calligraphy students just told me she has a 90 day goal of getting a first calligraphy client – which makes me so proud! … Read More
Almost a year ago I had an email from another calligrapher who’d seen my gold leaf name on Etsy. She asked how it was done – it’s tricky to add gilding to anything so fine. I’ll be teaching a calligraphy workshop in Coniston (in the Lake District) on the 21st of March and I decided … Read More
With less than nine weeks until Christmas, we’re busy making plans and stocking up (pun not intended!) on gift tags and calligraphy kits for the festive season! I’ve been working on some exercises for those of you learning calligraphy, and shared this Christmas card design on my social media. I love it because it’s deceptively easy … Read More
In my years as a professional calligrapher I’ve written hundreds of family trees – mainly via my Not On The High Street store, where I sell small format, modern family trees with hand calligraphy. These are wonderful Christmas gift ideas with a very special personal touch – it’s coming up to busy season and I … Read More
One of the best things about having a creative business is the opportunities to share and swap! I’ve been lucky to meet amazing creative people across Cumbria. Last week I went to see my friends Jen & Ed’s cafe Wolf & Us at Wolfhouse in Silverdale, and to write some signs and menus for them. … Read More
Chalkboards, blackboards – my memories from school are very different from the art I see on Pinterest and Insta nowadays! Not only has their name changed – is ‘chalkboard’ an American thing? a wedding thing? – but their purpose has too. Chalkboards now are for welcoming guests to your wedding, for displaying your seating plan … Read More
I wonder how many of us have a hobby we do for our own artistic pleasure, and which no one ever sees. In my online workshops I make a point of framing little pieces of work – it’s very much about celebrating every small victory and seeing your own progress – but I wonder if … Read More