Calligraphy Styles: Interview with Lianda
Ludwig

If you've ever wondered how to master calligraphy styles, you're not alone! Crafters of all ages and skill levels enjoy incorporating beautiful hand lettering into their projects.

The word calligraphy is derived from the Greek words "kallos" (beautiful) and "graphe" (to write). Even though desktop publishing software has made it possible to create a variety of sophisticated lettering effects, people still enjoy learning calligraphy today. From addressing wedding invitations and handmade greeting cards to creating unique scrapbook embellishments or artwork for your home, calligraphy is surprisingly versatile. Once they've gained the necessary experience, some crafters even manage to turn their love of calligraphy into a successful home-based business.

Recently, experienced calligrapher Lianda Ludwig took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about calligraphy for the readers of LoveToKnow Crafts.

What are some of the ways calligraphy styles can be incorporated into craft projects?

I have noticed that every home and even many business places have something that is written either on the wall or the refrigerator! Everyone loves seeing beautiful writing, and the words that are used are generally very meaningful to us or we wouldn’t have put them up to see!

What is your favorite part of doing calligraphy?

There are many things that I love about doing calligraphy. Most often people are asking me to commemorate a happy occasion. I love collaborating with people and getting them to stretch their creativity from just wanting black writing on cream colored paper to something that is colorful and uses decoration. I teach them how to imagine and then translate that into their project.

I love finding the subtext in the words, and putting emphasis on them, with either color, change in the style of the calligraphy word, capitalization, or placement. And, of course, I love hearing back from my happy clients who tell me that it was even better than they imagined. People feel good when they’ve been able to contribute to the design.

How did you become interested in learning calligraphy?

I actually always loved doodling from when I was a child. I also had a “thing” about collecting pens that I liked. I loved doing artwork as well. However, calligraphy really doesn’t have anything to do with what your handwriting is like. You learn how to create the shapes of the letters in various “hands”.

When my roommate from college who had handwriting similar to mine showed me what she could do after taking a calligraphy class, I thought to myself: “I can do that!” and started taking classes. It was a perfect fit for me. I was fortunate to live in NYC where there was a wealth of places to learn from the masters, and went on to study with many teachers for many years.

What tools does a crafter need to start learning calligraphy?

Although not a tool, you will need some good books, video or preferably a good teacher. There are so many more options now because of the Internet. However, if you don’t have a teacher, you need to have a good critical eye.

In regards to tools, depending upon how seriously you want to study calligraphy, you’ll need a decent calligraphy pen – preferably with a choice of sharp nibs in different sizes (always start larger so you can see all of the letters), a good opaque ink, paper that you can line with a “T square” ruler and patience! Anything worth doing well will take time to master.

In your opinion, are calligraphy styles more or less difficult to learn for left-handed crafters?

Life in general is tougher on lefties –because the world is made for right handed people. In most Western languages, we write from the left to the right. As a starter, the lefty is going to be dragging their hand over what they’ve written. If it’s wet, it gets smeared. Also, the slant is more difficult, with the exception of the styles done with a pointed pen called “Copperplate”. In this case, righties need a special pen!

That being said, lefties are said to be more creative because they actually are right brained and that’s the creative side of where our thoughts reside! My daughter Sarah is a lefty, and she learned italic writing as a child and was very capable – as most lefties will be!

How do you think the widespread availability of free calligraphy-style fonts has affected the demand for professional hand lettering?

I think people are generally more aware of the different styles of type, called fonts. They can choose a variety, and many people pick their favorite styles for all correspondence. Unfortunately, there are people who are selling machine done writing and will say they are doing “calligraphy” because they are actually using a computer or a machine that replicates the style of calligraphy. These people are lying, or at best being disingenuous. Some of this writing is really done well, but it has a stiff look like type. The way to tell if something is hand written or typed is by comparing individual letters. For example each letter “e” will look EXACTLY the same.

Again, it’s buyer beware. There is nothing as beautiful as hand written calligraphy in my opinion. It has a rhythm, it flows like a ribbon, and it is captivating.

Are there any other comments you wish to add?

If you are on this site, it is because you are a creative person, and art has an important place in your life. In the Asian cultures, calligraphy is considered to be one of the highest art forms. I feel that way because it actually “speaks” not only as art, but has a message as well. Calligraphy creates a combination of words to live by with art that enriches our lives on a daily basis. Consider calligraphy as a wonderful gift idea for any occasion. Visit Beautiful Calligraphy to see many examples, and feel free to leave your comments.

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