Modern Calligraphy Workshops

Modern Calligraphy Workshops

So many of you have been asking how can they learn to write beautiful calligraphy so I thought I would write in my journal to answer your questions.

What is Modern Calligraphy?

Modern calligraphy is a beautiful style of writing.  It is usually created with a dip pen but can also be created with other pens and pencil tools.  The roots of modern calligraphy stem from traditional styles of calligraphy of which there are many.  Some traditional styles of calligraphy are Copperplate, Spencerian, Engrossers and English Roundhand.  All styles of traditional calligraphy have had and continue to have an influence on more modern styles.  If you would like to learn more about one of the traditional styles of calligraphy I mentioned above, I would highly recommend researching online and in books are there are so many out there.  One of the books that I know a lot of calligraphers have found very useful including myself is Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy (Lettering, Calligraphy, Typography) by Eleanor Winters.  I have included a link where you can buy this book on Amazon.  During the first few months and years of learning and writing calligraphy I found researching and practising extremely important and if you are interested in learning a style of calligraphy I would recommend you do the same.

What I found quite refreshing about modern calligraphy is that it is fairly easy to pick up and the rules required to write such a style of calligraphy are limited compared to the more formal and traditional styles of calligraphy.  Therefore with lots of dedicated practice and experimentation one can start to see results fairly soon.

What is a Modern Calligraphy Workshop?

Modern calligraphy workshops are held by various calligraphers or teaching institutes all over the country and world.  The art of modern calligraphy is taught during the workshop to a group of students.  Calligraphy teachers tend to be practising calligraphers who run businesses offering calligraphy or educational services.  The workshops are usually run in private venues, rented spaces or calligraphy studios.

The workshops tend to be quite short in length, around 2-3 hours long and therefore as the class title suggests, these are more introductory workshops.  This means that whilst attendees will be introduced thoroughly into the world of modern calligraphy and this beautiful art, the workshop is not to be seen as a comprehensive class.  The main areas that are usually covered in your typical modern calligraphy workshop may include:

• Calligraphy equipment needed to write modern calligraphy and how to use it all
• Introduction to modern calligraphy by writing some basic strokes
• How to write the letterforms covering the lowercase and capitals
• How to connect one letter to another and make a word and sentence

As workshop time length and group sizes will vary, there will only be a limited time focused on each of these areas.  The main thing to remember is that practice makes perfect!  Most workshop places include a calligraphy kit and worksheets that you will use and then take home with you.  So try and keep up with practising what you learnt during the workshop.  I found it useful to take a small notebook with me when I first started to learn and would write down any little useful tips and tricks the teacher shared.

Babooche Calligraphy Workshops

I have been running modern calligraphy workshops since summer 2017 and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one of them.  My class sizes are fairly small with a maximum 6 people.  I find this is great amount of people to teach at one time and it means there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to ask questions and for everyone to receive a bit of help during the workshop from me.

These workshops are a great way to break away from your normal routine and gives you an opportunity to learn a new creative skill.  Don’t worry if you have never done anything like this before as my workshops are fully put together with the beginner in mind with worksheets and instructions on how to create your calligraphy.

I have taught many people over the past 3 years and I have found a lot of my students have mentioned they always wanted to learn this art but had put it off for one reason of another.  Once they started, they pretty much wished they had start to learn sooner!  So why not give it today and find your nearest class by researching online.