Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters
I’m a big fan of this book. It’s a comprehensive guide to the art of hand lettering, written by a master calligrapher Sheila Waters with over 30 years of experience.
I am struck by the depth of knowledge and insight that Sheila shares. Every chapter provides detailed explanations of style and elements within calligraphy, covering aspects ranging from organizing your workspace to fundamental design principles, along with clear, concise instructions, beautiful illustrations, and step-by-step exercises.
I wouldn’t recommend this book for beginners, but when used alongside other resources, it can be an incredibly helpful tool for anyone looking to improve their calligraphy skills. The chapters cover topics like Foundations, Capitals, Blackletter, Gothic Cursives, Uncial and Half Uncial, Carolingian, Italics, and their variations, Analyzing Letterforms and Effective Practice, Design, and Layout.
What makes this book unique are the many small, helpful tips that Sheila shares throughout. I highly recommend this book to anyone keen on growing/honing their calligraphy.
Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy by Elenor Winters
Next up is Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy by Elenor Winters. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in copperplate calligraphy. It offers a step-by-step guide beginning with a brief but fascinating history of copperplate and moving quickly to an in-depth explanation of the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation.
I was particularly impressed by the book’s thorough explanation of how to write both minuscules and capitals. Plus, it covers letter connections and letter spacing, leaving almost no questions unanswered.
Apart from clear guidance on how to create them, this book offers advice on critiquing your work. Eleanor Winters gives detailed examples of mistakes to avoid and things to be mindful of when practising each basic stroke.
The book includes a detailed discussion of the essential tools, their advantages, and disadvantages, and contemporary examples of commercial and fine art calligraphy. It concludes with some great ideas for various projects and quotes. I found the writing prompts enjoyable and a great way to start exploring calligraphy.
The Art of Calligraphy” by David Harris
For someone who wants to learn traditional calligraphy scripts, I’d suggest this book.
David Harris is an internationally known teacher of calligraphy, and in his book, he shows the best examples of old and new writing styles, giving you ideas and motivation in a time when computer fonts are generated. The book covers popular writing styles like Roman, Caroline, Gothic, Renaissance, and Copperplate.
The book teaches you to learn about picking tools like brushes, pens, pencils, papers, and inks. It also explains the important parts of letters in detail and shows how to build each part of the letters in 26 different styles, step by step.
What makes this book unique are the lettering examples done in various colors, which highlight textures and style differences.
F. W. Tamblyn’s Home Instructor in Penmanship
Anyone interested in learning handwriting and other penmanship styles and techniques, I’d recommend this book. It provides complete, concise instructions on various penmanship styles and techniques, including Standard Alphabet, Business Writing, Artistic Writing (Spencerian), Engravers Script, Lettering and Engrossing, and Flourishing Techniques. It also includes other lettering style samples, including Fine Pen Roman, Gothic, and Old English. Each style is explained with step-by-step instructions and examples.
Whether you’re a teacher or a student, this book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning the art of penmanship.
Calligraphy by Barbara Calzoari
This instructional book is a treasure trove of knowledge for anyone interested in lettering with pencil, gel pen, pointed pen, and brush. The book covers various styles of calligraphy, including monoline Roman majuscules, monoline script, Copperplate, and Barbara’s brush script.
Barbara Calzolari, an experienced calligrapher, provides detailed instructions, including warm-up exercises and exemplar alphabets. The book starts with an illustrated history of calligraphy with many historical examples and ends with a gallery of 16 scribes and examples of their work.
I hope these recommendations help you find the perfect calligraphy book!
Feel free to share your thoughts on any other books that should have been included in this list.
Until the next time,
