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”
This poem almost had me in tears. If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, these words will resonate. Writing pieces like this in calligraphy is humbling. Every stroke of the pen has to be as perfect as I can possibly make it. To somehow do justice to this beautiful piece of poetry is a …
I lose myself in writing. Pen and paper is my happy place. Many of you will too – there is often a moment, halfway through a calligraphy workshop, where I’ll look around and see a calm has settled on the class. Calligraphy kind of needs concentration and the ability to drift off in equal measure. …
In my last blog post I explained about calligraphy pens, how they work and the different types. Today let’s have a look at the nib itself. Nibs are pointy little silver magic wands. A genius combination of design and gravity makes a pointed calligraphy nib one of my favourite inventions in the world. The curve …
Read more “How do calligraphy nibs work? A visual map to explain the magic… Part 2”
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 …
Calligraphers are generally serious, quietly academic types. Or were, in the days of formal lettering required to be a ‘proper businessman’. However, I’m blessed with a childish sense of humour I should have grown out of twenty years ago. Still. I’m going to take you on a journey from shaft to flange, via tips and …
Read more “How do calligraphy nibs work? A visual map to explain the magic… Part 1”