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November 27, 2007 11:08 PM

Where can I begin to learn or practice calligraphy in Southern California?

I've always been fascinated by certain forms of script/cursive writing and would like to begin lessons or a class to learn calligraphy of a certain sort. What would be my first step towards pursuing this? Recommendations for courses or instructors welcome (located in Southern California).

posted by Asherah to grab bag (2 comments total)

Try the Society for Calligraphy.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:33 PM on November 27, 2007

I taught calligraphy for 10 years or so at an adult ed class offered by the local public school district. You can usually find the booklets/brochures for adult classes (everything from swing dance to word processing to calligraphy) at the public library. Otherwise, try contacting the office of your local superintendant of schools. Most districts offer these types of night classes for adults. A six or eight week course will give you most of the basic skills you'll need, and from there it's all a matter of practice. And more practice.

In the meantime, if you haven't already bought a calligraphy marker or two (not a fountain pen, but a chisel-tipped felt marker), I would suggest getting them, along with a pad of graph paper. Practice holding your pen at the one o'clock position (look at the tip of your marker and you'll see that it is a straight line with a "point" on each end. When you hold your marker, one of those points should always be pointing at the one o'clock position) and practice some basic letters using the lines on the grid paper. You'll notice that when you "push" the pen horizontally it makes a thick line, and when you "pull" it towards you vertically, it makes a thin line. That tells you that you're holding your pen in the correct position. Try making a lower case Chancery Cursive "a" using the horizontal and vertical lines on your paper as a guide. Best of luck - calligraphy can be a lot of fun!
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:56 AM on November 28, 2007 [1 favorite]