We have been collaborating with professional Calligrapher Angela Reed over the past few months to help customers learn more about the traditional handwriting art of Calligraphy. The latest guest post from Angela talks us through the different Calligraphy styles.
There are many forms of calligraphy out there and it can be daunting for beginners. But don’t feel you have to master everything! I tend to dabble in more traditional styles, with Copperplate being my favourite.
The first script I introduce people to when they come along to my workshops is foundational hand, which is quite rounded and widely spaced. Developed at the beginning of the 20th century by Edward Johnston, it is based on the circle and vertical straight line. I usually pair its lower case alphabet with Roman capitals, a script based on the lettering from the stone inscriptions of Ancient Rome.
Uncial is also a good hand for beginners to get to grips with. Like the foundational, it has roundness to it and round shapes are easier to form. The script itself is traditionally a formal book hand used from the 4th to 8th centuries, but there are many variations.
Italic was developed during the Renaissance in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, hence its name, and was used for papal documents. It is flowing and rhythmical, with springing arches, a forward slope, compressed forms and relatively steep pen angle. Italic capitals are narrower than Roman capitals, based on an oval rather than a circle, and are often elegantly flourished.
Copperplate, or English round hand, was prevalent in the 19th century. It is written with a pointed nib, rather than a broad-edged one, with the thickness of the stroke determined by the pressure applied when writing. It is a sound basis for anyone wanting to go on to explore modern calligraphy, which is less rigid than more traditional styles.
The best thing to do is try a few styles and see which one suits you. Eventually, you’ll end up developing your own variation of a style, just like handwriting!
We have been collaborating very closely with Angela over the past few months, you may recall her Question and Answer session where we took the opportunity to learn more about Angela and her passion for Calligraphy. In another guest post, Angela explored the different Calligraphy Pens and Sets we offer. In her last blog Angela looked at How to get started in Calligraphy.
If you want to learn more about Angela and the services she can provide then head over to her website at Creative Calligraphy and socially you can connect with Angela on Twitter or Facebook. If you are inspired by Angela’s story and you too want to get started with Calligraphy then we have a curated selection of pens to help you.
