Modern Calligraphy & Lettering issue 2

PASSION FOR

CRAFT

8 FREEE PULL-OUT

ARTCARDS PAGE 65

IN LOVE

with

LETTERS

Easy-to-follow guides to modern calligraphy basics PASSION FOR CRAFT 013 PRINTED IN THE UK • £9.99

CRAFTED CALLIGRAPHY

Pretty projects with quick results!

EXPERTISE& INSPIRATION

From Kirsten Burke • Bien Fait Calligraphy • Letters by Julia & many more

Designer profiles

Brush lettering

Cute gift ideas

Nib calligraphy

24

20

48 techniques

Learn the secrets of nib calligraphy and brush lettering

COVER IMAGE Title calligraphy

by Kirsten Burke, brush artwork by Becki Clark

8 FREEE PULL-OUT

projects

Simple craft ideas to showcase your modern calligraphy skills

08 THE PERSONAL TOUCH Be inspired by calligraphy’s possibilities

20 SHARE THE LOVE Use your covergift to letter a card

16 GET STARTED The basics of modern calligraphy

65 PULL-OUT ARTCARDS Create your own gorgeous artwork

24 PERFECT PROPORTION Get great lettering every time

72 EXPRESS YOURSELF Combine calligraphy with watercolour

30 SWEET SPACING Use your skills to decorate a favour

75 SOFT TOUCH Make a funky lettered pencil case

36 ULTIMATE ELEGANCE Have a go at traditional Copperplate

78 FRENCH FANCIES Calligraphy, stitchy style!

48 SHINING OUT Taking your lettering to the next level

80 INITIALLY GORGEOUS Create beautiful monograms

56 KEEP IN TOUCH Practise strokes and proportion

87 LIGHT IT UP! A gorgeous upcycled bottle lamp

62 FINISH WITH A FLOURISH Learn how to add accents

90 LET THEM EAT CAKE Afternoon tea with the wow factor

ARTCARDS

93 GREAT OUTDOORS Personalise a set of enamel mugs

PAGE 65

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CONTENTS

40

90

75 inspiration

Ideas and images to help you get the most from your lettering 12 NEWS The latest events and products from the world of modern calligraphy 34 INSTAGRAM GALLERY: NIB Ten gorgeous images from modern nib calligraphers 45 PUTTING PEN TO PAPER We talk to six experts about the products they love 60 INSTAGRAM GALLERY: BRUSH Inspiring images from brush letterers around the world 96 TEMPLATES All you need to make the projects in this issue

profiles

We talk to three inspiring modern calligraphers 40 JOI HUNT Joi from Bien Fait Calligraphy tells us how she turned her desire to write pretty Christmas cards into a full-time business 52 TINA PATEL Running calligraphy company Teeny Letters alongside her job as a teacher, check out Tina’s tips for improving your lettering and selling your work 82 JULIA BROUGHTON The owner of Letters by Julia and an Ambassador for The Modern Calligraphy Co, Julia shares her secrets of brush, nib and digital lettering

COPYRIGHT The copyright of the artwork in this magazine remains with the individual artists. You are welcome to photocopy the practice pages for your own use, but please do not create artwork to sell or for other commercial uses that is based on artwork in the magazine.

Thank you.

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Turn to page 52 to read our interview with Tina Patel and see more of her distinctive lettering

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MODERN CALLIGRAPHY & LETTERING

TECHNIQUE

Perfect proportion How do you get your lettering to look great every time?

Kirsten Burke shares the basics for nib and brush When you put pen to paper, your letters can vary in proportion of width and height. In traditional calligraphy, every letter sits along a baseline (B) and the waistline (W) gives you the height of the lowercase letters – not including the ascenders and descenders. In modern calligraphy these guides play a role, but the forms are encouraged to ‘dance’ between the lines. If the waistline and

baseline are moved further away from each other, your calligraphy becomes bigger and of course, if moved closer together, smaller. Adjusting width also alters proportion – tall and thin give a ‘spiky’ feel, with rounder shapes giving a ‘softer’ look.

The letterforms of modern calligraphy should hold a similar ‘body’ (see the pink circles below) but don’t need to be identical every time, have fun!

A W B D

Nib alphabet

Brush alphabet

The guide circles on these nib and brush examples are actually the same, but because the brush pen is bigger than the nib, the letters are larger and thicker on the brush set.

The proportions of your lettering can also be varied by increasing only the height of the ascender or descender. Turn the page to start practising!

wit hin t he Keep your letterforms look! circle for a consistent 24

MODERN CALLIGRAPHY & LETTERING

TECHNIQUE

NEXT ISSUE!

Kirsten shares the secrets of adding bounce!

25

MODERN CALLIGRAPHY & LETTERING

PROFILE

“A big lightbulb went off in my head!”

Julia Broughton started out as a greetings card designer for Hallmark and Moonpig, but discovered modern calligraphy six years ago and never looked back. She now runs her own business, Letters by Julia, creating work using brush and nib as well as digital commissions. Julia has created pieces for companies including Buzzfeed and Caffè Nero, and her work has appeared in numerous books and magazines.

What initially attracted you to lettering and calligraphy?

In 2014 a member of my team at Moonpig asked if I was interested in going to a calligraphy class. After some um-ing and ahh-ing I decided to treat myself and I’m so glad I did!

That Sunday morning literally changed my life. A big lightbulb went off in my head and I knew it was what I was supposed to be doing with me life. I was instantly obsessed!

Right: This digitally lettered piece showcases Julia’s bold and fun style

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When did you go full time with Letters by Julia?

Letters by Julia was officially my full-time job on 1st January 2017.

I was really pleased I could time leaving my role as a senior designer to the end of 2016 as it was extremely satisfying to start the new year completely fresh!

How would you describe your style?

I work in many different lettering

PHOTO: Nikki van der Molen

From attending a calligraphy class to now teaching them herself, Julia Broughton has made lettering her full-time business

Above: Book covers are Julia’s favourite commissions – she’s worked on both fiction and non-fiction Left: Julia is as comfortable with a brush pen as a nib or digital pencil

“I like lettering to feel friendly and I think all my styles achieve that” styles but they’re all tied together by the fact that they’re all quite bold and fun. I like lettering to feel friendly and I think all my styles achieve that.

You work with nib, brush and digital – which do you find is the most popular for commissions?

I love that I get to work in such a diverse way for all my projects but I do find that when it comes to commissions, brush lettering is the most popular. There’s something so tactile about brush strokes that really highlights the hand-made nature of

the work. If a project has a really tight turnaround, though, you can’t beat digital lettering. My iPad Pro has been a life saver!

What’s been your favourite commission to date?

I don’t have a single favourite commission, but my favourite type is always book covers. There’s just something so permanent about seeing your work on a bookshelf and your name credited on the cover. No matter how many I receive I’m always excited. It’s a lovely reminder of how much I love this career I’ve carved for myself.

And what would be your dream commission?

Food packaging. I’m a big fan of food! I just love the idea of my work being on the supermarket shelf and being an integral part of people’s

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everyday life. I had the idea a few years back and I haven’t been able to shake it. One of these days it’ll happen! Seeing my work on billboards would also be amazing.

I’d love to walk down the street and see my creations staring back at me!

What are your favourite products for creating your designs?

I love Brause 361 nibs, my custommade pen from Tom’s Studio and my Pentel Aquash brush pen. For my digital work I start in Procreate on my iPad Pro with my Apple pencil and then finesse it in Photoshop to finish. I must stress, however, that beginners do not need expensive iPads to start lettering! A lot of people now think they’re necessary, but they aren’t. Lettering on an iPad actually makes you lazier so your real-life skills will suffer! I use digital purely to speed up my process for deadlines.

ARTWORK

Quotes & affirmations Create beautiful artwork for your home or a gift with our pull-out artcards – just follow the pencil lines on each right-hand page using your nib or brush.

You’ll see the original for reference on the left-hand page

ds to r a c t s o p Bonus keep! + cut out

ORIGINAL BRUSH CALLIGR APHY BY KIRSTEN BURKE

MODERN CALLIGRAPHY & LETTERING

LETTERING

Soft touch Hayley Chapman shows you how to create your own accessories with velvet textured calligraphy – what’s not to like?

LETTERIN LETTERING NG

TEMPLATE on page 96

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BRUSH

Let them eat cake With this icing project, Kirsten Burke demonstrates that you really can use your lettering skills on any medium!

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Free

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covergift is subject to changea

IMPROVE YOUR CALLIGRAPHY

Introducing a brand-new magazine, packed full of inspiration for creating your own lettering, with advice from leading calligraphers and creative project ideas.

JUST £9.99!

Inc free UK P&P

8 PULL-OUT ART CARDS ● EXPERT GUIDES ● STEP-BY-STEPS ● EASY PROJECTS

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