This book is an ideal introduction to the traditional art of calligraphy.
Maureen Sullivan has produced a great handbook for helping you to develop and create your own original calligraphic style, and to enjoy the art of ‘beautiful writing’.The book begins with the historical background to calligraphy; the materials and equipment you need; and basic techniques, including ruling the paper, basic strokes, pen angles and basic letters.

The six most common writing styles (‘hands’) are explained clearly through step-by-step photographs – uncial, foundation, gothic, italic, sharpened italic and copperplate. Every letter of every hand is drawn out in stroke order and there is advice on letter and word spacing, all shown in clear, step-by-step photographs.

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm ; 96 pages

Start Calligraphy by Maureen Sullivan

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What a great title for a book!
Can you really learn the ancient art of calligraphy in just 24 hours?  This is a great book which ‘chunks down’ learning calligraphy into smaller manageable amounts.

Just get started on the first of the 24 one-hour lessons contained in this book, follow the suggestions for practicing your new skills at the end of one lesson before going on to the next, and then continue this process right through to the end. Calligraphy in 24 Hours is a carefully structured beginner’s course where readers will quickly learn the basic principles and then go on to learn beautiful calligraphy in a series of 24 one-hour tutorials.

Veiko Kespersaks is a professional calligrapher and seasoned teacher.

Calligraphy in 24, 1 Hour Lessons

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The Brause Introduction to Calligraphy Wallet of 9 classic lettering styles cards. For each alphabet, arrows show the order and direction of the pen strokes. A sketch indicates the correct pen angle required for each script.With these cards you can practice by tracing the letters on a range of papers including layout paper.The lettering styles are Carolingian Script, Modern Sans Serif, Gothic, Gothic Black Letter, Gothic Fraktur, Chancery Cursive, Italic Script, Roam Alphabet and Uncial.Brause Introduction to Calligraphy

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The A to Zig Calligraphy Book is a small 22 page book showing you how to produce a stylish Italic Alphabet with your Zig Calligraphy Pens. The guide shows you how to produce a capital and lower case letters.The second section shows examples of work using Zig Pens. The final section shows you how to blend colours and flourish letters.

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Copperplate, a calligraphic style popular in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, remains one of the most elegant and popular styles among calligraphers. This volume is a complete manual on the technique of writing with the pointed pen in roundhand, which is the American version of copperplate.You’ll find detailed step-by-step instructions for executing the straight stroke, variations on the straight stroke (heavy strokes, hairline), curved stroke, push stroke, shading, ligatures, and other components of the style. Mastery of these strokes will in turn enable you to form lower-case letters and variations, capitals, alternate forms of capitals, numerals, and more.The author has provided numerous sample letters in both upper and lower case, alphabet sentences, and two short compositions for use in learning to draw the letters properly. Also included are helpful suggestions on selection and care of a calligrapher’s tools: inks, nibs, paper.A model book as well as an instruction book, The Technique of Copperplate Calligraphy is completely written in roundhand. By carefully studying its elegant script and practicing the formation of letters according to the author’s expert advice, even beginning calligraphers can achieve a good standard of the influential and distinctive copperplate style.This is useful book to have in your collection. Along with ‘Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy’ this book will help you work out the order and directions of the penstrokes for both lower and upper case letters.Original Dover (1987) publication. Foreword. 48pp. 8″ x 11″. Paperbound.Scribblers Calligraphy Books

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BooksFew Calligraphy books give instructions on Copperplate writing. In many cases they only give a couple of examples of Copperplate and do not go into any great detail about how the letterforms are constructed.There are a few good Copperplate books around, but be aware of their limitations.

THE UNIVERSAL PENMANDover Publications. ISBN 0-486-20616-5This is a reprint of an 18th century work. There are pages upon pages of Copperplate examples. This is the book for all Copperplaters.

MASTERING COPPERPLATE by Eleanor Winters.Watson-Guptill Publications, NY. ISBN 0-8230-3022-9A very detailed book, with over 190 pages. This book gives good instructions on constructing Copperplate minuscule letters. Examples of bad letterforms are also included to help identify the most common mistakes. This book is not so good for Capital letters.

COPPERPLATE CALLIGRAPHY by Dick JacksonMacmillan Publishing Inc. NY. ISBN 0-02-011710-8This book shows you what not to do as well as what to do. A bit prescriptive, saying you must do it like this.THE TECHNIQUE OF COPPERPLATE CALLIGRAPHY by Gordon Turner.Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-25512-3The whole of this small book (42 pages) is written in Copperplate. Unlike the other books, it does not go through the basic strokes that make up the lower case letters.Scribblers Copperplate books

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Illuminated Letters – a treasury of decorative calligraphy is a wonderful book about illumination. The book is split in to four sections.The first section is a very detailed section on tools and techniques. Many books breeze over the tools you will need – not this one. All tools and materials are covered in great detail. For example, detailed guidance is given on how to prepare your workstation, fit a reservoir to the nib, paper types, preparing vellum and making egg tempera paint. Finally there is detailed instruction on gilding and using gold leaf.Section two deals with a wide of topics about preparing to work, including; layout and design, planning your work, enlarging letters and details, and transferring designs are covered in this section.The third section of the book is an alphabet directory containing completed decorated alphabets and numbers based on six historic styles which range from 7th-century Celtic to 15th-century Renaissance. Within each historic style, detailed instruction is given on how to create an illuminated letter. Each alphabet sections is followed by a selection of scripts suitable for writing out accompanying text.The final section of this book is a contemporary gallery showing examples of work from some contemporary calligraphers. The work not only reflects the historical development of the craft, but also shows something of calligraphy and illumination’s exciting present.Scribblers Calligraphy Books

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If you are seeking ideas for your projects, look no further. We have just added two new Celtic Design Source books to our range of books. These stylised illustrations of designs inspired by Celtic art and craft will help you create original pieces of work to be proud of.The Celtic Borders & Motifs book and the Celtic Knotwork Designs books are both beautifully illustrated photocopiable collection of decorative Celtic patterns. They contain classic illustrations that will inspire calligraphers and artists in creating ideas and projects.Celtic Books

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The Encyclopedia of Colour Calligraphy is written by Mary Noble and Adrian Waddington.The use of colour in calligraphy can produce stunning results. For example, using Autumnal golds, browns and olives will give extra emphasis to a seasonal invitation; fiery reds and purples will add drama to a composition.The Encyclopedia of Colour Calligraphy begins with an in-depth analysis of colour relationships and examines the range of media available. Clear step-by-step photographs and instructions describe the techniques used to apply colour. This book is divided into five easy-to-use sections: lettering, backgrounds, how to combine the two, borders and images, and gilding. Each technique is demonstrated in different colour combinations, from subtle hues to bold swathes of pigment, to help you visualise the many effects which can be created. Step-by-step photographs show how to apply colour to lettering and backgrounds, how to combine the two, and how to enhance a composition with borders, images and gilding examines the fundamental principles of colour and demonstrates each application technique in a striking range of colour variations.Finally, a gallery of colourful works from leading calligraphers will inspire you to even greater heights of achievement.This is a great reference book for any calligrapher wishing to experiment with colour, from subtle shading to vibrant textural splashes.Scribblers Calligraphy Books

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The Encyclopedia of Calligraphy and Illumination is written by Janet Mehigan and Mary Noble, two very experienced calligraphers.The book is split in to 5 parts;Part 1 covers all the materials and equipment you will need for both calligraphy and illumination. There is also a nice section explaining good preparation, like how to prepare a new nib and avoiding ink spillages!Part 2 deals with basic penmanship; describing the characteristics of a range of lettering styles, tips on accurate ruling-up, mixing colours and layout principles.Part 3 explains in detail how to produce letters in many different styles including; Foundational Hand, Roman Capitals, Uncials, Carolingian, Gothic, Italics, Flourished Italics and Versals.Part 4 is Illumination. A wide range of topics are covered including designing illuminated letters and using and apply gold leaf. Both flat and raised gilding techniques are covered in depth. Many styles of Illumination are covered including Celtic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Modern.Finally Part 5 is the gallery section where a wide range of calligraphy works (formal, informal and gilding) are displayed. They will inspire you – feast your eyes!Scribblers Calligraphy Books

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