Sketchbook Sunday: Calligraphy Edition

I've wanted to learn calligraphy since I was in high school. I remember taking notes in class and the teacher's voice would fade into classic Charlie Brown adult-white-noise while I added wild flourishes to my favorite letters. I grew up keeping a journal and I used to practice improving my handwriting long after it was required for homework.

When I studied interior design in college, my favorite part was learning architectural hand lettering. I was about average at drawing and perspective renderings but I will (not-so-humbly) admit that I really excelled at penmanship. I should've just quit while I was ahead that first semester— left all the designing and drafting behind to study calligraphy and typography.


I've always been happiest doodling quotes and poems into my journals and looking back now— it just seems so obvious that I would someday become a calligraphy-obsessed bookmaker. If only I had the clarity I have now 8 years ago. . . But without the domino effect after realizing I didn't want to be an interior designer— who knows if I would've found and fallen in love with bookmaking?!

Anyway, I'm not a soothsayer so I'm gonna stop speculating before I trigger an existential crisis in one of us. All we need to focus on now is the fact that I finally took a calligraphy class and I am now completely obsessed.


I don't think I have ever had so much fun with something so challenging before. Scratching out letter forms is surprisingly rhythmic and peaceful— even when you're messing up. It's all just practice for me at this point, so as soon as I make a wrong turn or stroke then I simply move over a quarter inch and try again. It's exciting to see all the slow changes and small improvements within each letter.

I have tons to learn and a lot of daily practicing to keep up with, but for now, I am quite happy to just sit, write, and repeat. I love how anything written with a calligraphy pen automatically has more character and grace to it. It's easy to pick out the flaws and mistakes in every letter but I know it's more valuable to focus on the improvements I've made since I took the class barely a week ago.


I can't wait to see where this new hobby takes me. I would love to incorporate calligraphy into my handmade books and I have a swiftly growing lists of words and quotes I want to letter. Everything pictured here is my practice from in class and then various attempts at home. I even played with some colored drawing inks but I prefer the look of classic black right now.

For any locals interested, the class I took was "Traditional and Modern Calligraphy" taught by Molly Margaret, who owns Esque Script. Her work is beautiful and she is a wonderful person and teacher. Both Elizabeth and I took the class together and we had the best time! Elizabeth said she had a total Jane Austen moment but I may have been thinking about Harry Potter and quills and parchment the entire time ;)


I know these aren't technically excerpts from my sketchbook because they are on random pages but I just couldn't resist sharing! I'm gonna try and make a special sketchbook for calligraphy practice so in the future it might truly be "Sketchbook Sunday" how it was intended. I'm even thinking about doing a weekly/daily calligraphy project once I'm a little faster and more comfortable with the basics— eep!


Is there any skill you're planning on picking up soon? I learned to use a sewing machine last year and I can't believe I waited so long to do that, too. Between these two new hobbies and my books I should be pretty busy making stuff for a long time— and that's just how I like it!