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 …
Sometimes I just like to play with my pens and inks, to write a practice piece simply because I enjoy the writing process, with no restrictions on size or letter style. This poem – always a favourite – is in a very straight (not slanted) calligraphy style. It’s ultra modern and trendy. The letters are …
Read more “Hope Is The Thing With Feathers – Emily Dickinson”
Alexandra and Christopher asked me to write their wedding invitations earlier this year: they were 100% handwritten, in black ink and a modern, elegant calligraphy style. Teamed with burgundy envelopes addressed in gold ink, they set the scene for a beautiful and elegant celebration. I was delighted to hear from Alexandra again a month before …
Last week was a bizarre and wonderful mix of calligraphy commissions – if anyone imagines the life of a calligrapher to be all wedding invitations, it couldn’t be further from the truth! It’s one of my favourite things about Etsy: the requests for bespoke calligraphy commissions which come from all over the world can be …
Read more “Something completely different! A memorial scholarship in calligraphy”
Way back in 2012 I first came across Cox & Cox‘s handmade place cards. They were beautiful, handmade paper with soft, torn edges. Cox & Cox advertised them as being ‘beautiful to write on’ – but the opposite was true! These were rough, fibrous and almost impossible to write on with a calligraphy nib and …
Read more “Are handmade papers suitable for modern calligraphy?”
This last week has been fairly light on calligraphy orders as I booked 3 days off for my birthday and to spend some time with my mum visiting my sister, her husband and our adorable little nephew. The in-between times were spent replying to email enquiries, writing family trees and posting calligraphy supplies to customers …
Read more “Behind the scenes – what a calligrapher actually does!”
I keep hearing that we should all be blogging more… and to be honest, I take so many pics of every commission and calligraphy project which leaves my studio, I should be kicking myself for not blogging and sharing them with you! Whether you’re learning calligraphy or just curious about what a calligrapher gets up …
I hate letter drills. Writing pages of a single letter isn’t for me – I think focusing to that extent is counter productive, to be honest. So I challenge myself to practise modern calligraphy in a fun way. I use colour – it brightens my desk and changes the look of my letters. Writing in …