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Calligraphy

24 years ago

I would love to learn calligraphy, can this be self taught or is it best to take a class? I went to a CM party last month and one of the gals wrote a paragraph in about 2 min. and it looked great, I tried a couple of words and well ummm

never mind. Maybe just lots of practice??? TIA

Pam

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Comments (7)

Kerrikay
24 years ago
Check your community newsletters for classes. I took a 5-day class about 6 years ago when I was getting continuing education credits and within those 5 days my calligraphy looked great! I highly recommend learning from someone, because they will critique your lettering. Hope you find a good class!
Penny
24 years ago
Pam, At one time I used to have a calligraphy book and showed you exactly which way to draw each letter and in which direction. I think you could pratice with a book like that for a while. I would love to learn how also. Penny
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I've been doing calligraphy for over 30 years, both as a practitioner and a teacher. My suggestion is to go to a local crafts store and pick up a beginning book, the ones by Ken Brown are adequate for a beginner. His books teach a simple italic hand which is an excellent start. After all you must learn to walk before you run! I tried to teach myself calligraphy from a book all those years ago, but to be honest I found it impossible. The craft store or local community college should offer a calligraphy class, invest in that experience. Calligraphy is a visual art but many of the concepts become crystal clear with an instructor. The class was invaluable to me. I went on to do some study under Tim Botts, who is a well-known calligrapher who has made a career with a religious publishing company. His work is spectacular. It's alot of fun and has provided me with many hours of enjoyment and at points in my life it also provided an income. The secret is practice, practice, practice. All the shapes and strokes will become second nature after awhile. The felt tip calligraphy pens are good for practice but nothing can beat the old pen and ink for drama and crispness. Good luck. Let us know how you do.
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I suppose I should have said, other pieces that distract the eye from the bird lithographs. I'm not saying the other pieces aren't good in their own right, but they are not your prized lithos. The lithos are small and need to be seen as a more compact unit. Because birds are your theme, I still think the other birds (which don't compliment, even though they do relate to the prints,) should be sprinkled around the room. Kind of like sprinkling your accent color throughout a room; the same goes for any themed collections. For example in a display cabinet, you usually place the major matching group together as a focal unit and then judiciously arrange other individual pieces more randomly. Here are some examples of how much attention a tighter grouping demands. If you are unable to square up your lithos without more of them, you might consider where you could hang them vertically like the last photo. Then hang a really large bird print over your sofa to set the theme.
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Just a little update: I wrote the letters in calligraphy, in the size I need for the mat. I was unsure of one them, which can vary in width depending on whether it's used in a noun or a verb. I photographed my letters and emailed the image to a temple in a neighboring county. The next day I received a response from a helpful rabbi who told me what I needed to change. When I finish hooking the mat I'll post a picture at the KT. But this will take a while. Meanwhile, thanks again!
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Patti in NH
24 years ago
I used to be able to write quite well in caligraphy, but it's been so long since I've used it that I've forgotten most of the techniques. I learned from a kit I had bought that included a fountain pen, instructional book, and paper. This was about 15 years ago, but I'm sure such kits still exist.

I can still do it to some extent, but mostly with small print. When I try to write big for titles, it looks horrible.

Maybe I'll re-teach myself!! THanks for the idea! :)
Mary
24 years ago
I recently dropped and broke my camera.The cost of repair made me decide to replace the camera instead.I thought I would go to the experts and see if you all could tell me which cameras you like,love cant live without, and the ones you arent too crazy about.I rally need some help!!!TIA
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Kelly M
24 years ago
You don't need a 5 day class to learn creative handwriting in your scrapbooks. There are lots of good books out there - The ABC's of Creative Lettering, LMNOP, etc. If you live near Knoxville, TN I can give you info on a shop that teaches these kinds of classes (one coming up in May/June).

Kelly M
Prissy LA
24 years ago
I taught myself from a kit also...many years ago. Since then, I've done wedding invitations, envelopes, etc. for $$$. Don't do it much anymore, but it has come in handy for some of my scrapbook pages - 'specially the ones where I use victorian layouts, weddings, etc.

Learn! It's really fun!
Penny
24 years ago
Pam,
It's not calligaraphy but some cross stich books have some great ideas for different styles of alphabets. Penny

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