The Calligraphy Podcast

Get ready to flourish! In this episode, we chat with Schin Loong, calligrapher and artist at Open Ink Stand about all things flourishing. Schin is known for her Madarasz-inspired writing and flourishing and is the author of Calligraphic Drawing. In this episode, we talk about the freedom flourishing gives and how to approach this calligraphic discipline in a digestible way – one stroke at a time! Follow Schin at @openinkstand on Instagram or check out her website, https://www.openinkstand.com.  

It's summertime, which means folks are making time for calligaphy. Maybe you're headed to a calligraphy class or conference or are on a vacation and are bringing your pens along for some "me" time with pen and ink. You could also be enjoying a quiet weekend at home and are putting time aside for calligraphy. Whether you're on a plane, in a car, on a walk, or at your desk, we hope you'll have an open mind today as we talk about how to stay teachable and get the most from classes.

The smell of sandalwood fills the air. A gentle scraping sound is heard from the other room. Everything turns black. No, the world isn't ending. We're just over here grinding our own sumi ink! In this immersive episode, we talk about the various forms of sumi ink and walk you through an audio demonstration as Christen grinds her own sumi ink on an inkstone. While she grinds enough ink for a small painting or calligraphy piece, Christen and Ajab have a little "ink chat" and share about some of their favorite inks, their first inks and the other joys of writing. Supplies:  Moon Palace Sumi Ink: https://www.paperinkarts.com/moonpa.html  Black ink stone: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/product/shakyo-ken-ink-stone   Black ink stick: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/product/akanegimo-ink-stick-30210  Color ink sticks: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/product/japanese-color-ink-sticks  Porcelain ink stone: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/product/suzuri-ink-stone    Sources:  https://www.britannica.com/art/suiboku-ga#:~:text=suiboku%2Dga%2C%20also%20called%20Sumi,in%20the%20mid%2D14th%20century.   https://www.sumi-e.it/en/what-is-sumi-e/  https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1903231709/#:~:text=The%20earliest%20human%2Dmade%20inksticks,Qin%20administrator%20in%20Hubei%20Province. 

For us (Ajab and Christen), calligraphy started out as a hobby. We know from experience, once calligraphy enters your life, it's hard to shake it! While both of us now work as professional calligraphers, we know how important it is to maintain that spirit of curosity, practice and joy in writing. In this episode, we talk about how calligraphy might play a role for hobbyists and professionals alike. We hope it inspires you to find new ways to practice and play with your script. Follow us on Instagram at @thecalligraphypodcast Listen and Subscribe: iTunes Spotify Google Play Stitcher

From the large tips on the Tombow dual pens to small point of a Pentel Brush Sign Pen, we're talking all things brush calligraphy. Detailed show notes to come.

Today, we welcome special gust Chantelle Hoffman of Bespoke Strokes. Chantelle shares about how she made the decision to step back from her calligraphy business for a season and what brought her back. You can follow Chantelle on Instagram at @bespokestrokes or visit her website, bespokestrokes.com.

Ever wonder what it's like to go to a calligraphy conference? In this episode we share clips from the 2019 IAMPETH conference and tell you all about what you can expect from a week with fellow pen and ink lovers.

In this episode, we talk about: how to learn a new script why keeping a Beginner's Mindset is the key to learning tips for beginners challenges faced by advanced calligraphers Recommended in this episode: Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

Nina is a calligraphy teacher and artist renowned for her Live sessions on Instagram and her incredible attention to detail. In this heartfelt chat, we talk about: The journey of a calligrapher- from apprentice to master Why basics matter What it means to 'Pay it Forward' The relationship between a Mentor and Mentee Nina's favorite tools Follow Nina on Instagram here.

One of the biggest streams of income for calligraphers is wedding envelope jobs. In this episode we talk about: how to set up a job, what to charge (yes! We talk real numbers!), tools of the trade and more! Your homework—time yourself! How long does it take you to write an envelope in calligraphy? Tell us your time for a traditional envelope or a modern style envelope.

Do wine, beer or beetles go into inks? Why do metallic inks need to be stirred frequently? Is Iron Gall ink actually bad for your nibs? Are chemical reactions part of ink-making? What kind of ink should we use if we want to create something for our great-great-great-great-great-grandkids? We bring Mr. Fox of Fox & Quills on the show to answer all these questions, and lots more! New ink announcements: Fox & Quills Check out Fox & Quills' ink collection. Codex Sinaiticus Bible Sign-up for summer workshops: Christen's Summer of Script Intro to Copperplate Michael Sull's Spencerian Saga by Washington Calligrapher's Guild

In this episode: How you can OWN your calligraphy journey What makes calligraphy worth pursuing How you can determine if calligraphy will become your career If being a calligrapher means being the best How to deal with judgment Plus, Christen asks a bold question and Ajab shares her vulnerabilities. Books recommended: Think Again by Adam Grant Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield The One Thing by Gary Keller

In the last episode of season 2, we recap the past year of the podcast, share some BIG news and end with two rounds of rapid fire questions. Thanks to all of our wonderful listeners for your support these last few years. We will be taking a few months off to enjoy the holidays and plan for season 3, coming spring 2021.  

At one point or another, we all get asked to create a commissioned piece for a client. In this episode, we break down all the steps from inquiry to delivery and share how we handle projects like this. Watch Martina Flor's Adobe Max presentation – Christen mentioned it when discussing sketches.

*Disclaimer: This episode is not legal advice. We share about copyrights, the public domain and plagiarism in this episode. Consult a legal professional if you have questions about this topic.* In this episode, we talk about plagiarism, copyrights and the public domain. We hope our heart behind this episode comes through–we want to honor and respect fellow artists and those we learn from.  An article we liked about the public domain and copyrights: https://lifehacker.com/these-1924-copyrighted-works-enter-the-public-domain-in-1839612665 A good resources about the public domain: https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain  The difference between copying and learning: https://might-could.com/essays/inspiration-vs-imitation-how-to-copy-as-an-artist/  

In today's episode, we interview Sarah Richardson of Sarah Script. Sarah specializes in Copperplate and Engrosser's Script, in fact, she wrote the book on it! We talk with Sarah about her book and how she overcomes self doubt. Check out Sarah's Instagram Visit Sarah's Website Sign up for Sarah's Classically Copperplate class Buy Sarah's book, Copperplate Calligraphy from A to Z Sign up for Christen's Holiday class

While the coronavirus has us holed up at home, the calligraphy community has adapted and taken to the internet to provide a plethora of online classes. This episode is all about how to plan for and teach a calligraphy workshop online. If you're not a teacher, this episode will put into perspective all the hard work teachers put in to make classes accessible to students across the world.

We use the famous words of Brian Walker, shared by Heather Held, to format today's episode. We talk about resources to study from, tools to practice with, and asked our listeners to reflect on their own experiences and offer up advice to new broad edge calligraphers. Below are the resources we mentioned: Books: Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters  The Speedball Textbook  Pen Lettering by Ann Camp  Writing & Illuminating & Lettering by Edward Johnston   Calligraphy for Kids by Eleanor Winters  Calligraphy Studio by Christopher Calderhead  The Art of Calligraphy: A Practical Guide to the Skills and Techniques by  David Harris (also has a nice bit about the history of each script with a generous number of colour pictures)  Calligraphy Made Easy: a Complete Beginners Guide by Gaynor Goffe  Websites: Calligraphy-skills.com  Jakerainis.com – blackletter trishiba.com – various manuals Tools: Pilot parallel pen  Speedball nibs  Automatic pens  Mitchell nibs:  Carpenter pencils  Brause nibs  Papers: Cotton Comp, Bond Layout, Gilbert Bond

In part one of our broad edge series, we talk about the basics of broad edge calligraphy–tools, how to get an x height, how it relates to and differs from pointed pen, and more.

What do government certificates, tied ribbon, Punjab and Hebrew calligraphy, and the public domain have in common? All of these topics are covered in a single episode. This week, we posted an "Ask Us Anything" question on Instagram and you truly did ask us everything! We answer a bunch of questions. We hope this episode makes you feel like you are sitting next to us, catching up over tea and talking about everything under the calligraphy sun.   This episode is sponsored by Paper and Ink Arts. Use code TCP2020 at paperinkarts.com for 5% off your online order. Discount does not apply towards shipping fee. One coupon code per order. Some exclusions apply see paperinkarts.com for full details on promotions.