‘Calligraphy is a skill I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life’
Andrea Stordy, from Ipswich, spends her work life on spreadsheets, but by learning calligraphy, she hopes to reconnect with the power of the pen.
When I was young, I always had a pen and paper to hand, doodling or writing letters. There’s something about the act of watching words appear on the page that I find really satisfying. However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve found fewer opportunities to write. Working as a business support co-ordinator for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Services, I spend my days mostly playing with spreadsheets. I really enjoy it, but it does mean hours in front of a screen, and I often feel I’m in need of a creative outlet. I believe it’s never too late to learn a new skill; over the years, I’ve tried crochet, sewing and even ballroom and Latin dancing.
My interest in calligraphy classes was piqued when my daughter got married in 2016. As my handwriting is naturally fairly neat, she asked me if I’d write out her wedding place settings, which I did, but I found myself wishing I could make them look better. A couple of my colleagues have gorgeous, looping, swirly handwriting, and I’ve always been jealous of their skills. So when I saw the opportunity in Good Housekeeping to try a new activity, calligraphy was top of my list!
Before the session, I was very nervous. I had no idea what to expect, but my calligraphy tutor, Emily Dawe, was full of smiles and warmth, which immediately put me at ease. She handed me a kit in a box that had my name across it in beautiful letters, and an instruction sheet so that, after the workshop, I could go back over what we’d learned in my own time.
During our two-hour session, Emily taught me how to create thick and thin lines using a calligraphy pen. It’s a bit like an old-fashioned quill. To write, you dip the nib in ink, being careful not to smudge it. You can use the same pen for the thin and thick lines but there are different types of nibs that fit in the base, depending on the effect you want to create. I learned that it’s all about how much pressure you apply when you write.
We went through each letter of the alphabet, practising different flourishes. Emily explained that, just like our handwriting, each person’s style of calligraphy is unique, which is why some people have problems copying the letters from the practice sheet, as they are not used to writing them in that particular way.
Emily showed me how to hold the pen to the paper to draw the lines, sometimes turning the paper to get the desired effect. Reassured to know there was no such thing as ‘doing it wrong’, I spent some time playing around with styles, varying how far up or down I held the pen and the pressure. I think it will take some time before I fully get the hang of it, but I enjoyed trying out different techniques, writing the different letters of the alphabet, my name, and different phrases.
Emily hasn’t just given me a lesson, she’s given me a skill that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I’m already thinking about how I can use my new calligraphy knowledge. I want to label all my storage boxes to make them look pretty. I’ve already started making my own gift bags in a bid to be more environmentally friendly, so to be able to write the labels on them, and addresses on envelopes, in swirling calligraphy would be the cherry on the cake.
For kits and workshop dates, visit emilydawe.com.
For Emily’s craft subscription boxes, visit ohhello maker.com