Getting to Know Andrea Reno of AR Cakes-

What motivated you to learn calligraphy?


The fact that I could now perfect and grow in something that I had been doing since school (lettering) and make a career out of it.

What inspires you to create?

It actually feels innate. More than inspiration, nature. Like it is my nature to create something all the time in order to feel happy and accomplished. I find inspiration for my designs though, in museums, high fashion, nature, botanicals, ceramic art and other forms of art.

Writing on cakes is something clients ask for 95% of the time. It was only natural to do it in a beautiful manner given I am also a professional calligrapher.

How did you start your calligraphy journey?

It all started when one day my best friend, who was a stationer at the time, asked me to address envelopes for a party she was hosting, because she thought I had good hand writing. She introduced me to the term calligraphy and showed me envelopes she had received before. After that I purchased a book to learn and practice I never ever stopped.If you are like me and like to keep your glass pens sparkly clean, you can use toothpaste to clean your glass pen after every use to keep it in top state. This is totally optional. Even if there is some ink stuck on your glass pen, it won’t affect your writing at all.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in the Calligraphy world?

Being hired by people I am not familiar with to make pieces that will sit forever in the walls of their houses is what feels to me as my biggest accomplishments.

What was the inspiration behind your logo?

I am Honduran born and raised, and the macaw is our national bird. Since, I currently live in the US, I wanted for people to somehow know I am from Honduras and what better way than the beautiful macaw. The Scarlet Macaw is our national bird. They are magnificent, regal, affectionate and peaceful. I also wanted to showcase my calligraphy skills, so I wrote the letters in a combination of my two favorite hands (Trajan and Copperplate) and also displayed my painting skills in my logo.

Who were the people who encouraged you throughout your calligraphic journey?

My best girl-friends! my uncle and my husband have supported me throughout.

How do you feel Calligraphy has made an impact upon you?

It made me feel special. Not a lot of people in the world are calligraphers and to know that I am one of them makes me feel incredibly special. It has also kept me moving forward during difficult times and has enabled me to discover other skills I have and didn’t know I possessed.

What are your favourite tools?

My Yoke pen holder, mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser, an old brush, Rhodia paper, walnut ink, coliro arabic gold, and a flexible sharp nib (LPEF or some good vintage ones I own)It made me feel special. Not a lot of people in the world are calligraphers and to know that I am one of them makes me feel incredibly special. It has also kept me moving forward during difficult times and has enabled me to discover other skills I have and didn’t know I possessed.


What has been your favourite project to date?

A gift I made for my husband, in which I incorporated all the things I love: calligraphy, drawing, painting and gilding. I also love a few of the ornamental pensmanship pieces I made after a class with Harvest Crittenden.

What does Calligraphy mean to you?

Calligraphy means personal, peaceful time, my mark in the world and it gives me control of my mind and body.

How do you plan on expanding yourself as an artist and your brand?

Now that I know which route I wanna take in my calligraphy journey, I want to learn more of that and continue to grow in line quality and beautiful forms.

Which script is your favourite?

My whole career I have been doing copperplate but when I started learning Trajan, it became my favorite. I just do pointed pen styles more often because of client requests.

Do you enjoy working on different mediums besides paper?

I just started using canvas and I have used others for past projects but paper is still my favorite. I also do calligraphy on cakes.

Do separated baked desserts require separate ways of doing calligraphy?

More than ways, mediums. Cookies need royal icing, buttercream cakes buttercream or chocolate and fondant covered cakes also royal icing or edible paint.

Where can one learn how to do calligraphy on cakes?

With me! I have classes coming up soon on how to use those edible mediums, but you must be a calligrapher first and have the understanding of letters. For those who are not calligraphers yet I would recommend taking a calligraphy class first.

A big thank you to Andrea for answering my questions. You can find Andrea on her Instagram. Please let me know in the comments section, if you liked reading these kind of posts, and I will write more of those. I hope you enjoyed reading this. (Image Credits- Andrea Reno)

Lots of Love,

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