Inanageofmyriadcomputerfontsandinstantcommunication,yourhandwritingstyleisincreasinglyaverypersonalcreation.Inthisbook,MargaretShepherd,America'spremiercalligrapher,showsyouthatcalligraphyisnotsimplyacraftyoucanlearn,butanelegantartformthatyoucanmakeyourown.
Calligraphyremainsperenniallypopular,oftenadorningweddinginvitations,diplomas,andcommercialsigns.WhetheritisRoman,Gothic,Celtic,Bookhand,orItalicstyle,calligraphyconveysclassandelegance.MargaretShepherdmakesthisancientartformaccessibleinacompletelyhand-letteredtechnicalguidethatwill:
*Providecontextforcalligraphyasanart,exploringtherichtraditionofhand-letteringandmappingtheevolutionofthemostpopularstyles.
*Givedetailedtechnicaladviceonchoosingpens,paper,andinks,settingupyourworkspace,masteringvariouspenangles,alongwithstep-by-stepillustrationstoguideyouasyoupractice.
*Explainwhichalphabetsareappropriatefordifferentformsofwriting.Forexample,theRomanalphabetworkswellforshort,unpunctuatedpassages,whiletheItalicalphabetismoresuitedtoinformaleverydaycommunication.
*Encourageyoutopersonalizeyourletteringbyusingvariantstrokesandinterpretinghowyouwouldlikethewordstolookonthepage.
*Inspireyouwithcarefullychosenillustrationsandexamples,whichbringletterstolife.
InMargaretShepherd'sownwords,"Calligraphytrainsnotonlyyoureyeandhand,butyourmindaswell."LearnCalligraphyistheauthoritativeprimerforthisage-oldcraft,andwillhelpdevelopanewappreciationforletteringasyoudiscoveryourcreativepersonality.