How I became a calligrapher – my story

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 …

Modern Romantic Wedding at Brympton House {portfolio}

Lovely London wedding photographer Anneli Marinovich took such wonderful of Charlotte and Oliver’s Brympton House wedding, which was featured on Style Me Pretty a few days ago. Charlotte was such a lovely customer to work with! She asked me to write simple place names in modern calligraphy using gold ink on soft grey card. I think …

Easy gold leaf for calligraphy beginners

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 …

How to order bespoke calligraphy wedding stationery – a step by step guide

Ordering handwritten wedding invitations from a calligrapher is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. If you’re wondering where to start, this little guide should help you navigate every step of the process from your initial enquiry through to receiving your final calligraphy order a couple of weeks before your big day! Prices for handwritten calligraphy items depend on wordings and …

Soft greys and printed olive branch bespoke calligraphy for Torie & Rob’s wedding

Torie and Rob booked me early in 2017 for their summer wedding. We worked together on an affordable bespoke suite combining printed stationery with handwritten personalised details. Inks were hand mixed to a soft, dove grey. Lettering was organic in style, slanted and flowing. A simple olive branch was added to key pieces for decoration. …

Modern calligraphy – an ever-evolving art

Trends in calligraphy change as often as the seasons. In one of last month’s blogs I talked about learning a loose, organic lettering style – all by changing the joining strokes and flow of a basic modern calligraphy script. Organic lettering has been hugely popular in 2017 – but I know from experience that next year …

Learning modern calligraphy – the top 3 questions & answers for beginners

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 …

Natural calligraphy for a wildly romantic beach shoot in France

Organic calligraphy in soft tones for a styled wedding shoot on the French coast – dreamy inspiration captured beautifully by Amanda Karen Photography early in 2017. “Over the years, these shores have become film sets or playgrounds for the rich and famous. Their beauty has also inspired artists such as Picasso and iconic writers. So, …