Craft in Motion: Calligraphy: Techniques to Get You Started

Using the revolutionary Craft in Motion system of displaying movement on the page, Craft in Motion: Calligraphy makes understanding, learning and mastering the basics of this beautiful craft clear and simple. Using a variety of alphabets to create a series of visually appealing artwork, the book offers beginners and more accomplished artists ideas, inspiration and professional hints and tips. Craft in Motion: Calligraphy combines the variety and beauty of the ancient art of calligraphy with state-of-art photographic techniques to allow readers to see how letters are created in a variety of different alphabets. The book begins with expert advice on ideal tools and materials for beginners, and an introduction to the basic techniques of the craft such as making vertical diagonal and horizontal strokes to create basic letters, layout, colour and decoration. The core of the book consists of five alphabets, in each case showing how the letters are created. For ease of use, letters are grouped like for like, so that all the round letters are discussed together, followed by the diagonals and horizontals. Practical and easy-to-follow, Craft in Motion: Calligraphy will provide beginners and more practised artists with the techniques, skills and confidence they need to create satisfying and pleasing works of art.

About the Author :
After studying calligraphy at Adult Education, Maureen was accepted at Reigate College of Art and Design to study part-time. This led to full-time study at Roehampton Institute in London where she was fortunate to have some of Britain’s most eminent tutors, including Gaynor Goffe, Ewan Clayton and Margaret Daubney. After completing the Certificate in Calligraphy and Bookbinding, she went on to study for a degree and graduated with a BA (Honours) in Calligraphy and Bookbinding in 1997. After this Maureen went on the Society of Scribes and Illuminators’ Advanced Training Scheme, became an Associate of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society and has since been elected to Fellowship of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators. Maureen teaches workshops, has contributed work to calligraphy books and exhibits widely.

Review :
Mar 06 Tired of buying peel off and rubdown lettering, or relying on the computer? If your handwriting is less than perfect it might ruin that carefully crafted greetings card/invitation/poster you have been laboring over. A book on calligraphy might be just the thing… It is very comforting to open a book on calligraphy and see, not various expensive pens but a cheap and simple dip pen being used to great advantage. The most costly thing you might need to purchase here is a T-square, but you are at least likely to have it for a long time and be able to use it for many other crafts. Types of nib, paints and inks, papers and brushes are all discussed, and then it is on with the lettering; this is a book that does not mess about. Try your hand at italics, copperplate, gothic, uncial and foundational scripts and learn how to hold the pen, the right way your strokes should go and off you go to practice. This all seems beautifully simple, and I have seen quite a few books on calligraphy that are daunting in the sheer volume of what you need to know - or do you? It depends what you want to learn it for. This book is subtitled "techniques to get you started" and does not profess to be a guide for professionals or advanced calligraphers. If, like me, you just want to be able to write personal messages legibly in cards or letter an invitation without resorting to the impersonal methods mentioned in the first paragraph then this is more than good enough. You will probably be as delighted as I was that you could get away with a dip pen and start lettering right away. All beginners' books should be this simple and accessible.