· Advice on pens, inks, papers, and techniques to learn and practice calligraphy · 12 step-by-step projects · Create beautiful cards, calendars, letterheads, and wall hangings · Contains 4 alphabets to practice various styles of calligraphy · Written by professional lettering artist Margaret Morgan

In an age of myriad computer fonts and instant communication, your handwriting style is increasingly a very personal creation. In this book, Margaret Shepherd, America's premier calligrapher, shows you that calligraphy is not simply a craft you can learn, but an elegant art form that you can make your own. Calligraphy remains perennially popular, often adorning wedding invitations, diplomas, and commercial signs. Whether it is Roman, Gothic, Celtic, Bookhand, or Italic style, calligraphy conveys class and elegance. Margaret Shepherd makes this ancient art form accessible in a completely hand-lettered technical guide that will: * Provide context for calligraphy as an art, exploring the rich tradition of hand-lettering and mapping the evolution of the most popular styles. * Give detailed technical advice on choosing pens, paper, and inks, setting up your workspace, mastering various pen angles, along with step-by-step illustrations to guide you as you practice. * Explain which alphabets are appropriate for different forms of writing. For example, the Roman alphabet works well for short, unpunctuated passages, while the Italic alphabet is more suited to informal everyday communication. * Encourage you to personalize your lettering by using variant strokes and interpreting how you would like the words to look on the page. * Inspire you with carefully chosen illustrations and examples, which bring letters to life. In Margaret Shepherd's own words, "Calligraphy trains not only your eye and hand, but your mind as well." Learn Calligraphy is the authoritative primer for this age-old craft, and will help develop a new appreciation for lettering as you discover your creative personality.

Absolute beginners can learn how to get started on the basic Italic hand in this practical guide. Detailed discussions cover spacing and connecting letters; forming words and sentences; drawing "swash" capitals; changing nibs; using color; making corrections; waterproofing; addressing envelopes, making invitations, and stationery, and transcribing special texts. Numerous black-and-white illustrations.

Kids everywhere will be grabbing their calligraphy pens, because this follow-up to the wildly successful Calligraphy for Kids offers them even more artful fun. Inside they'll find new alphabets--and new ways to render the alphabets they already know--as well as fresh techniques and projects. There's coverage of the basic rules of layout; a review of some of the fundamental skills; advice on changing the weight of italic letters and forming italic capitals; and an introduction to both Swing and Modern Gothic handwriting. With just a little practice, children can make eye-catching signs, design their own personal stationery, address colorful envelopes in elegant script, and create calligraphic pictures and other decorations to hang on the wall.

Practical guide teaches elegant 18th-century writing style. Each letterform demonstrated stroke by stroke with clear explanation. Write quotations, poems, invitations, more. Numerous black-and-white illus. Bibliography.