Thanks for asking “Who are my favorite calligraphers?”, and “Where do I go for instruction and inspiration?” As a lettering and watercolor workshop teacher, I encourage in-person learning over any book or online video. There is nothing that equals learning a new skill with a good teacher and in the company of other curious creatives. NOTHING!! And after you’ve done that, it’s fun to continue your practice at home with authors and online videos.
Let me tell tell you about four calligraphers I consider pioneers in the world of modern calligraphy. What I mean is that they created a steady volume of gorgeous lettering and shared it most generously. Lindsey Bugbee and Molly Suber Thorpe blazed beautiful trails of pointed pen scripted letters using nib and ink.
Lindsey burst onto the social media scene as The Postmans Knock. She has had a blog since I first heard of the word “blog” and in it she shares her expertise and techniques. I love that she is transparent about the time it takes to learn this artform, the time it takes to prepare your paper by adding guidelines and measuring if necessary, and the exact steps needed for you to be successful.
In her hardcover debut book published by none other than DK Publishing/Penquin Random House, she is giving it ALL to you on a lovely silver platter. It is honestly a combination of gorgeous reference book plus workbook! And her project photographs are swoon worthy. If you need an all-inclusive pass to pointed pen calligraphy, this is it. I love my friends, but this book isn’t getting loaned out 😉
Next up, Molly Suber Thorpe released “Modern Calligraphy” in 2013 which was wildly popular followed by 8 other calligraphy books she produced. The paperback spine is broken on my treasured copy because I’ve highlighted, underlined and dog-eared lovingly throughout! She walks you step-by-step through papers, inks, upstrokes, downstrokes, uppercase and lowercase letters and then VOILA connecting letters to make words! If you’re challenged by a certain way to letter your capital “D,” she’s showing you 19 other ways to try it!
Her project pages are so inspiring and so approachable. The author doesn’t claim this book is easy when it’s not. Her lettering projects are clearly taught and photographed, and I admit to most of mine being successful. (Hint: yours will be too!). She has sparked ideas for my personalized shower invitations, place cards, envelopes, and buffet signage. The best part is that making calligraphy with her is as fun as sharing it with my special people!
These same skills for pointed pen calligraphy translate into brush pen calligraphy. It’s all about light pen pressure to make upstrokes and slightly more pen pressure to make downstrokes therefore creating alternating thin and thick lines. Modern calligraphy differs from handwriting because we create individual strokes that combine to form letters. The pace of creating those strokes is slow, not like the rapid signing of a check.
There is a current leaning towards slow art, meditative moving of hands to make something, a desire to slip into a flow state and lose track of time and demands. I can attest to my breathing slowing down just after ten minutes of warm up calligraphy strokes. Slow breathes lead to lower heart rate, a more relaxed posture, and an overwhelming feeling of calm. If I can linger longer at my lettering, I can experience a state of flow and happily lose track of time.
Two other modern calligraphy artists who have taught me so much are Peggy Dean, the author of “The Ultimate Brush Lettering Guide,” and Becca Courtice, known as The Happy Ever Crafter. Peggy’s high energy approach to lettering is contagious! Her book is jammed with everything you wanted to know and more. She organizes it into “stuff to know, stuff to use, and stuff to do.” Even her language is encouraging and casual. I remember her grabbing my attention with “bouncy” letters, some sit on the baseline and some rise above and dipbelow. How whimsical and fun is that? I knew I had to add that approach to my line of greeting cards and art prints. Peggy is also well known for her classes on Skillshare, a creativity platform for just about EVERYthing. Finally, Becca Courtice is The Happy Ever Crafter, a gal near and dear to my art heart. She’s not only hosting a great YouTube channel but she has fantastic online courses available on her website. Her specialty is modern calligraphy and her fonts are as casual and fun as she is. And wait until She’ll show you how to calligraphy with a pencil, a brush pen, chalk, and acrylic markers on windows. The volume of content she is offering blows my mind, and I have sought her out as my launching pad into many projects. Not inspired, and don’t know what to letter? Becca has you covered!
Holiday Lettering Workshop