Learning About Calligraphy

Hello everyone! This week, I wanted to dive into researching calligraphy so that I could learn and share with you all of my findings, and also make decisions about the particular style of writing I was interested in learning. 

First, I'm sure we have all seen and can acknowledge that there are different styles that exist within calligraphy, but did you know that there are actually just THREE main types? They are: Western, Arabic, and Eastern. Western calligraphy focuses on the Roman alphabet, Arabic focuses on the Arabic alphabet, and Eastern calligraphy uses either the Korean, Chinese, or Japanese alphabet. Within each style, comes many different variations called scripts, which have been developed over time and adapted depending on the different style of writing utensil used. I have also learned  that referring to the style of writing as scripts is a very important distinction, as the term 'font' refers to computers and other technology. The more you know!

Speaking of writing utensils, let's talk about those next. For this genius project, I will be focusing on the Western calligraphy style, which is made up of four scripts: broad edge, pointed pen, faux, and modern. I am most interested in the modern and faux scripts which you can check out below. Modern calligraphy is usually used with brush style pens or markers and involves applying different pressures to create thick and thin lines. Faux calligraphy somewhat tries to resemble modern while being a bit more structured and allows for calligraphy to be written using a variety of tools that are more rigid such as pens. I like the creative aspect to modern calligraphy, and also feel using colour is a bit more fun!

Max (n.d.) HOW TO DO MODERN CALLIGRAPHY – 3 POPULAR STYLES. Lettering Daily (photographs). Retrieved from https://www.lettering-daily.com/modern-calligraphy/

Now that I had done some research and had picked a script style, I needed to find some online resources to help me actually learn to write. I was initially having some trouble finding a site that I felt would meet my beginner needs, but then I stumbled upon "The Happy Ever Crafter" website where a Canadian woman (even better an Ontarian) has free resources available to get people started on their calligraphy journeys. Her new writing course starts on Monday January 24th, so I highly recommend signing up as I did to begin learning the basic strokes! She suggested purchasing brush markers, and I managed to find a large pack with a variety of colours and double-sided tips for about $20! I will link her free course and the markers below in case anyone is interested! 

I have learned a lot through my calligraphy research this week, and now that I have acquired some markers and have the course starting Monday, I feel even more excited. 

My new markers!

Before my next genius hour post, I plan on actually picking up the marker and beginning to practice the nine basic strokes that will eventually turn into letters and then words. One question I have is will I be able to learn the strokes without tracing. I believe I will be able to - but the only way for me to find out will be once I start writing and can assess how close I am to the strokes on my computer screen. 

That's all for now. Next time we talk I will have some exciting updates for you so stay tuned! 

Yours in writing, 

Jacqueline

Link to my markers:    https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078MQSBFX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Link to the online course: https://www.thehappyevercrafter.com/courses/

Research References 

Courtice, B. (2020). Faux Calligraphy vs. Brush Calligraphy. The Happy Ever Crafter. Retrieved from https://www.thehappyevercrafter.com/blog/faux-calligraphy/

(n.d.). Types of Calligraphy Starting from Zero Knowledge. Scribbler Planet. Retrieved from https://scribblerplanet.com/types-of-calligraphy-starting-from-zero-knowledge/