Collins Calligrapher’s Companion - Tapa dura

A comprehensive and practical guide to all aspects of the popular art of calligraphy.

Section One shows you how to assemble a basic kit of materials, analyzes basic letterforms and demonstrates how to put pen to paper.

Section Two is the book’s unique script identifier sets out over 100 different alphabets for the calligrapher and defines key points in each one to enable you to select the best one for the intended purpose.

Section Three looks at the aesthetics of calligraphy and introduces the calligrapher to ideas for adding colour and textured backgrounds, embellishments and illumination to their work.

Each of the 10 major calligraphic hands are reproduced as a complete alphabet with directional arrows to show order and direction of strokes. Ten variations are shown for each of the major hands.

This is a comprehensive and practical guide to all aspects of the popular art of calligraphy.

· What nib to choose and how to hold the pen
· How to understand the skeleton of a letter and how to render it
· How to add colour or decoration
· Using backgrounds
· Choosing a text

Section one tells you how to assemble a basic kit of materials, analyses basic letterforms and demonstrates how to put pen to paper.

Section two is the script identifier. This section enables the calligrapher to identify and compare 100 scripts and to select the most useful one for the intended purpose. Each of the ten major calligraphic hands are reproduced as a complete alphabet with directional arrows to show order and direction of strokes. Ten variations are supplied for each of the major hands. The differences that define these variations are highlighted. For all alphabets, pen angles and nib widths are supplied so you can easily re-create them.

The final section looks at the aesthetics of calligraphy and introduces the calligrapher to ideas for adding colour, textured backgrounds, embellishments and illumination.