‘Wear something old’ warned the email, things can get pretty messy. Well for some people. It’s funny how six women on the Modern Calligraphy Course managed to stay unblemished while I had to use my body weight in baby wipes.
Calligraphy is an ancient art perfected by medieval monks and performed by scribes in Victorian offices but – as a modern past-time – it’s not for the fancy-sleeved.
It’s something I have been wanting to do for months having seen all the beautiful cards and pictures in craft shops which bear the calligraphy ‘fonts’ and real-life art work by clever people like our course leader Alison Kelsall of Mint Green Callligraphy.
Alison is a self-confessed ‘handwriting obsessive and stationery addict.’
“Whenever I brought work home from school my mum would laugh – every week I changed my handwriting style,” she laughs.
“When we began writing cursive in Year Six – I was hooked. Now my favourite way to spend a day is surrounded by paper; pen in my hand and ink stains on my fingers.”
Ah, so Alison has her messy moments too. However, it’s true to say I am the original Mrs Messy. I’d like to bet that if my husband clapped eyes on all the sets of work emanating from Alison’s successful modern calligraphy course – he’d still be able to identify mine. It looked as though I’d flicked ink at the page rather than delicately etched it.
Alison’s courses take place at the Small Print Company on Friary Street, Derby; the sort of venue that must have been picked by location scouts, it’s so perfect. Moreover, it’s small and they do printing – and the good folk beaver away with their printing blocks in the workshop while Alison teaches her art in the front workroom. It’s ‘cosy’ enough to get ink and creative juices flowing alike.
It was fascinating to find out why the other people (all women as it happened) were on the course. Jane Eaton, who runs Cachepot Brocante on Etsy, was there to learn how to add creative flourish to the labels on her vintage finds. My other table-mate was Angela Dyson, a talented amateur card maker, who’s lofty ambition was to make her daughters wedding invites.
“I’ve got a year to learn how calligraphy,” she laughed.
“Although I can see I am going to struggle with the letter ‘F’ – perhaps I’ll just have to strike all the Freds and Fredas off the wedding list.”
As for me; I was there because I cannot write. I mean, I can scrawl but after twenty-odd years doing shorthand I could a doctor a run for her money in terms of illegibility. An elephant dipping its foot in ink and walking across the page could make more sensible shapes than my scribblings.
I wasn’t the only participant to be a little ashamed of her handwriting although Alison says a beautiful cursive script is not essential.
“Don’t think you’ll struggle if you have terrible handwriting,” she soothes.
“It’s a very different technique. Calligraphy is much more like painting.”
She’s right. The art of calligraphy is very different from writing with a ball point. We begin with gentle warm-up exercises in pencil – trying to master the art of adding flourishes to our letters (I called them ‘the flick’) and putting thick strokes (hard pencil pressure) through the down-strokes and the lightest of touches on the up. It all sound very simple when you put it like this – but you try getting the perfect ‘b’ ‘d’ and ‘f’.
The one thing a real-life teacher would give her collection of ‘favourite teacher mug’ for is the atmosphere of absolute concentration and determination which fell on the room. As one of life’s chatterboxes – once I get warmed up – I thought I’d spend the session nattering but we really did recreate a monk’s cell of reverential calm and silent application.
“It’s very therapeutic – pure escapism,” Jane, my other-table mate, says when we come up for air and flapjacks.
Alison then introduced the group to their pens; think Harry Potter getting matched to his wand if you want to imagine excitement levels. As for getting to stick on a shiny nib and dip it in Japanese ink (sounds fancy but it’s vegetable oil soot; ideal for calligraphy); heaven.
“Don’t worry about pressing too hard – the nibs are relatively cheap and hard to break,” Alison consoles when Jane and I admit we making seemingly horrific scratching sounds on the paper.
“Is that a challenge?” someone jokes.
The next hour and half passes in what I can only describe as a serene bubble of scribbling. We drill and drill the outlines of our letters, we all shudder slightly at the more challenging outlines, but we don’t let up on the practice.
“That’s what you need to do – practice,” Alison reassures someone who admits she is disappointed at some of her letters.
“I am very lucky because I have never had anyone who cannot do it on the course but it takes hours and hours to master. You’ve all been at it for two at the most.”
In what seems minutes, Alison says it is time for our final exercise. To pool everything we have learned – pressure on the downward stroke, light upwards and getting the angle of the pen ‘just so’ – to attempt a few joined up sentences.
“It’s taken me right back to being at school and learning how to write,” says Angela with obvious delight.
“I think I have a better ‘F’ so Fred is back on the guest list but I must say my hand does need a bit of a rest. But I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a craft session more…I cannot wait to go home and do some more.”
My efforts aren’t nearly so good and I am very, very ink-stained; “Baby wipes will become your best friends,” Alison laughs as she passes me a bumper packet.
When I finally get home I dive straight in – to a bottle of wine; I am not that much of a girly swat. But later, when my hubby is watching the footy, I do get my lined paper out and my pencil – there’s no way hubby would let Mrs Messy near a white sofa with ink – and start to do some more outline.
And here’s a thing. The following day I was asked to do a report for work in handwriting. This would normally challenge me; never mind the reader (I have resorted to getting my son to write envelopes for me) and my writing was so much better and almost legible.
Now that, my friends, is a real achievement – especially for Mrs Messy.
Alison runs Mint Green; a calligraphy business and workshops. For details visit her website.
If you would like a fabulous course in the Nottingham area, try Polly & Me, based in Arnold.
For a truly informative and entertaining read on getting started in calligraphy try;-
Calligraphy: Fonts, Pens, Worksheets And History
