Wednesday 8 September 2010

Choosing Your First Calligraphy Writing Set

Calligraphy is known to all as the art of creating beautiful and decorative writing, especially for special occasions like wedding invitations, logo designs, memorials, maps and even graphic design. This art is used almost exclusively for such special occasions, as the beauty of calligraphy adds to the occasion.

Calligraphy in Greek means 'kallos' and 'graphe'. These two words together are today known as calligraphy or 'beautiful writing'. This art was derived from the Greek alphabet way back in the 4th century B.C. Today to learn calligraphy all you need is a good calligraphy set and good instructions.

It is very easy to get a calligraphy set from any store in your area as they are widely available. They are very cheap - not more than $20 - and very useful, comprising a bottle of ink, a pen holder and a limited number of nibs sized differently for different styles. This set is meant for Western calligraphy. For a beginner it is best to choose this type of calligraphy set instead of getting many pen holders with many nibs.

After leaving the beginner stage and entering the expert level you will definitely want more than a dozen different types of nibs to change with your pen holder. By doing this you will get used to holding one pen and will get the comfort and control that you require. If you change pens each time you need a new nib, it will be difficult to get used to the grip and feel of different pens.

The choice of nibs in a calligraphy set varies. The very small nibs can be used for making swirls, fine tails and drawings that require delicate strokes. This becomes useful when making invitations or important announcements. For bold strokes you will require a medium sized nib. If you are interested in poster drawing you will require an oversized nib that would make a bold impression on the paper. Most medium-sized and over-sized nibs are meant for flyers and posters.

As you progress in your hobby, you will find that an East Asian calligraphy set will not have pens but rather brushes of various sizes with different types of hair at the tips. Along with this the set would have a water cistern and an ink stick and ink stone to prepare your own ink. The relevance of this style of calligraphy is in the making of your own customized ink which was introduced before the 1st century. Though there are no parchments available to prove this point, records do prove that it existed much earlier than the Greek version. However, many archeological carvings prove that East Asian calligraphy did exist in stone tablets with a combination of Greek alphabets as well.

A calligraphy set will give you immense pleasure as you go about creating beautiful letters for special occasions. Calligraphy is an art just like music or painting and requires enough practice and immense dedication to achieve the best results. Even if you are left-handed, here are calligraphy sets in stores as well as books catering especially for you.

Edward Ashcroft-Hamilton is a professional calligraphy teacher with over 25 years experience. For more great tips and advice on buying a Calligraphy Set visit http://www.calligraphywizard.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Ashcroft-Hamilton

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