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 …
Modern calligraphy lies somewhere between basic writing skills and art. We all learn to write from the age of 5 or so, and we’re also taught to handle a paintbrush and knock out a reasonable picture of a cat by the time we’re 7. Mastering either skill takes a little longer… Calligraphy is where writing …
Read more “How long does it take to learn modern calligraphy?”
I don’t think I was ever meant to follow a straight or conventional path through life. I was raised on adventure stories and grew up in the countryside as a bit of a free spirit. At school I loved languages while my friends studied art. Words were my thing from day one… My dad trained …
I’ve never been a fan of letter drills as a way to practice modern calligraphy. I find writing quotes so much more rewarding and fun! There’s something compelling about a block of writing. A chunk of text becomes a pattern – writing quotes is a great challenge, a confidence builder an a wonderful way to …
Read more “Calligraphy quotes and effective, creative layouts – a step by step guide”
Are you ready to take your calligraphy one step further and experiment with something really exciting? Gold leaf is a fabulous medium to explore and there are simple ways to learn about applying gold leaf to calligraphy which are affordable too! The paper It’s really important to have a smooth paper base if you want …
Do you have your heart set on learning a specific style of calligraphy? If so, you’re not alone. So many of the lovely people I’ve taught at my Manchester calligraphy workshops are there because they’ve seen a style of lettering they love, and want to learn to write exactly like that. The trendiest style of modern …
Read more “From basic modern calligraphy lettering to a loose, organic style”
1. What should I practice on? I’m kind of proud to inspire all my students to go home and practice straight away – always the first question in a calligraphy class is what kind of paper to buy. I use a premium printer paper – it has to be 100gsm or more, and if you …
Read more “Learning modern calligraphy – the top 3 questions & answers for beginners”
Welll… it was mental. And brilliant. And we got some amazing feedback! I think my feet have finally hit the ground… and now when friends ask how it all went at The Handmade Fair I can calmly say it was pretty amazing. For the second time I taught workshops of 100 people the very basics …