The Calligrapher's Business Handbook is a guide to best business practices and pricing strategies for calligraphers and lettering artists. Whether you're starting out in creative freelancing, transitioning from a different profession, or running a lettering business that just needs a boost, you will welcome the invaluable ideas in this handbook. Award-winning graphic designer, renowned calligrapher, and bestselling author of Modern Calligraphy, Molly Suber Thorpe shares her hard-earned insights to answer your most pressing business questions. Molly has packed these pages with advice you won't find anywhere else, covering a range of topics for freelance calligraphers and hand lettering artists: How professional calligraphers charge for their services Whether to charge flat rates or hourly rates When - and how - to offer discounts or freebies How to charge for commercial work, such as logo designs How to get the most bang for your advertising budget What goes into a fair project contract How to navigate copyright licensing and know your rights!

A perfect gift for anyone who wants to learn the "write" way to craft calligraphy. Calligraphy is about creating something uniquely beautiful, whether to celebrate a special occasion like marriage or to use every day in the form of stationery. Author Molly Suber Thorpe, an award-winning wedding invitation designer and calligrapher based in Los Angeles, works closely with her international clients to give them the distinctive products they're looking for. In Modern Calligraphy, you can learn from this experienced expert how to master this fresh modern lettering style. The first book to teach this bold new style breaks the calligraphy process down into simple steps so anyone can learn to create their own stunning wedding invitations, thank you cards, gift tags, and more. Starting with an overview of the supplies—from paper to ink to pens—you will learn how to form letters, words, and then phrases by following Molly's clear step-by-step instructions, and by practicing with the provided templates. After mastering letter forms using a pointed pen and ink you can take it to the next level by learning how to use watercolor and gouache, or how to digitize your calligraphy. The twenty projects in the book provide lots of inspiration for making your own and are grouped into three sections: weddings, entertainment, and personal stationery. With loads of ideas, practice exercises, and helpful tips, soon you will be turning out gorgeous script calligraphy pieces like the ones featured in wedding magazines and popular websites like Pinterest.

Mastering Modern Calligraphy is a comprehensive guide to taking your pointed pen calligraphy skills to the next level and developing your very own modern style. Following up and building on Molly’s popular beginner's guide, Modern Calligraphy, Mastering Modern Calligraphy is the perfect companion for pointed pen and digital calligraphers alike. It is aimed at those with some calligraphy experience, presenting more than 2,700 letterforms and ligatures, targeted exercises, stroke drills, flourishes, and phrases, which emphasize experimentation and fun, rather than rigid uniformity. This beautiful, in-depth guide to modern calligraphy emphasizes experimentation and fun, rather than rigid uniformity. With targeted exercises and lessons aimed at pushing you out of your calligraphy comfort zone, Mastering Modern Calligraphy will not only help you master tricks of the trade, but develop your very own modern calligraphy style, too.

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.

"Beginner's guide to materials and techniques for learning to do calligraphy. Includes instructional DVD-ROM"--Provided by publisher.

Discusses the elements of layout and suggests a variety of methods for designing the layout of formal and informal calligraphic texts.

A comprehensive textbook of the early Arabic Kufic script, written as a complete reference book for calligraphers, designers, and students of art history and the history of Arabic language and scripts. This beautiful and powerful script was derived from the earlier Hijazi Mashq style of Mecca and Medina, which was invented by early Muslim scribes to record the Quran. Today, the many historical manuscripts displayed in numerous museums around the world can attest to development and evolution of this remarkable and versatile script. Authored by master calligrapher, Mousavi Jazayeri, this book is the only book written in English that is solely dedicated to the study, learning and revival of the fascinating script behind the first mature Arabic calligraphic style, which was the official script of the Islamic Near East for centuries, before being replaced by the modern Naskh style. In this handbook, Mousavi Jazayeri who had discovered the lost art of cutting the qalam (pen) for early Kufic more than twenty years ago, explains with detailed, clear illustrations how to write early Kufic using a calligraphic pen and even a regular pen. He guides students patiently through the process involved in creating amazing, modern monograms. With clear, ample examples taken from the old Quranic manuscripts, art history students, font designers, and scholars of the history of the Arabic language and scripts can use this reference book to learn the key aspects of the early Kufic script as a writing system. Mr. Mousavi Jazayeri is joined by two co-authors, Perette E. Michelli, a multi-disciplinary historian of medieval and later art, and Saad D. Abulhab, a known Arabic type designer and independent scholar of the history of Arabic language and scripts. The two co-authors are members of the first international group dedicated to the study and revival of the early Kufic script, Kuficpedia, which was formed a few years ago around the historical achievements of Mr. Mousavi.

Transform ordinary handwritten pieces into unique, artistic keepsakes, Calligraphy Magic makes the art of decorative lettering fun and achievable—even if you're a beginner. Take it one simple pen-stroke at a time. Following Cari Buziak's clear visual instruction, you'll learn how to embellish every project with beautifully hand-lettered words, logos and decorative illustrations. Detailed demonstrations include: A precise list of the tools and materials you'll need Colorful illustrations that show how to form every stroke 15 complete alphabets—from basic to fancy—such as Italic, Gothic and Versal Step-by-step instruction for adding exciting decorative touches such as Celtic knotwork, gold leafing and eye-popping colors 12 step-by-step projects that show how to create gorgeous calligraphic treatments for wedding invitations, greeting cards, thank you notes, awards, certificates and much more Plus, a full chapter that walks you through using a computer to create your own calligraphy fonts There are even pre-printed practice pages you can photocopy to help you perfect every stroke. It's all here in Calligraphy Magic. Take your decorative lettering to new heights to precision and beauty, and create timeless pieces for family and friends to treasure and admire.

Thanks to the guidance of an experienced calligraphy teacher, anyone can add a touch of elegance to invitations, handwritten poems, and a variety of surfaces. Annie Cicale provides a complete, easy-to-follow course in the art of beautiful writing and an attractive resource filled with breathtaking images. She'll guide your pen as you master broad-pen alphabets, including classic uncial, Roman, and italic caps, as well as playful, invented styles with added variations. Seventeen projects include a traditional certificate with decorative contrasts and flourishes; journals, scrapbooks, and even a colorful silk-screened pillow.