Calligraphy History And Origins

The history of calligraphy is as long as man has been putting ideas down in one form or another onto a surface. Written language originated as pictorial drawings and glyphs used around the world by various cultures. The Egyptians raised this to a detailed art with their hieroglyphic form of writing. The written alphabet was created by the Phoenicians, and later adopted by the Greeks and Etruscans. Alphabets continued to be passed from one culture to another. By the first century, the Romans were carving letters into stone, painting them on walls, and had developed a cursive form for daily use. Written language continued to flourish until the fall of Rome.

Calligraphy, literally translated, means "beautiful writing". During the Dark Ages, monks laboriously copied texts to reproduce and preserve literature, religious texts, and other manuscripts. Their work was carefully proofread by Elders and they were provided with distraction-free working environments to minimize mistakes. Calligraphy was used to create a uniform look to the manuscripts. Works from this period are well-known for their ornately illuminated calligraphy.

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century, while making book production easier, did not put a stop to the use of calligraphy. Carefully handwritten script was used for invitations, letters, and formal correspondence.

When copperplate engraving was invented in the 17th century, calligraphy went into a decline. By the 19th century, new forms of pens made the art of calligraphy almost impossible, as the rounded tips were not the right shape to draw the fine turns and curves required by calligraphic rules. William Morris, the British poet, re-introduced the flat-edged pen and brought back the art of calligraphy, founding a society in England in 1922 that promoted fine penmanship and calligraphic skills.

With the advent of the computer and the ease of use of graphic programs, it is easier than ever to print script. Calligraphy continues to flourish, however, with more societies devoted to the art than ever before. Today's calligraphic artist tries to convey the beauty of the words through the art of the lettering.

Calligraphy writing also enjoys a long history in Asia and the Middle East. Arabic and Asian calligraphy forms have long been appreciated as works of art and beauty. Calligraphic artists in the Asian and Arabic schools believe that the beauty of the word comes through the drawing of the character, and both forms have strict rules outlining how each character should be drawn that have been developed over thousands of years.

Sean McDowell writes extensively about all types of calligraphy products and runs a website about calligraphy pen sets. For more information visit http://www.calligraphypensets.com/ 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Mcdowell

Profiting From Learning How To Write Calligraphy

A post retirement hobby job can be very fulfilling for a person with time on his or her hands. Calligraphy as a profession can fill in hours and bring in money. Most people like the graceful calligraphy styled wording on invitations that lends it a more personal touch.

There are many classes for calligraphists at adult centers and in local community colleges. There are different styles of calligraphy like Arabian calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy, Japanese calligraphy and the different calligraphy fonts. After getting yourself a set of good calligraphy pens, you could at first try offering to do calligraphy for your friends before adopting calligraphy as a profession.

When you have the confidence to do a professional job you can leave fliers at bookshops, churches and coffee houses around town, about your professional calligraphy service. You will soon get jobs writing invitations, envelopes, and place cards. You will also get calls to write menus and verse on greeting cards.

You can charge by the hour or by the project. Dedication and delivery on time is the basis of the profession. You should be able to give the client all the invitations and envelopes before the event for which the greeting or invitation is given. You have to make a time schedule with your client as to how many days you will need for the completion of the project.

Calligraphy is a personalized service and requires sufficient time for completion. You can have a good after retirement income with calligraphy. Calligraphy will give you a sense of purpose and a means of making money.

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too, read the amazing, true story, in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imagine doubling your money every week with no or little risk! To discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you. Click the link below to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars at the easy corporate money program.

http://www.makeamilliondollarsayear.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Serena_Lewis

Using A Good Calligraphy Guide

Calligraphy is an art and it requires a lot of practice and hard work to master. However, whether you have mastered the art or are a complete beginner it is always good to use a calligraphy guide while working since it will show you the spacing of letters and the angles that should be created when practicing any style of calligraphy.

Though it is possible to create one's own calligraphy guide by keeping track of the letters meant for practice, it is also advisable to get a professional guide that will provide the best accuracy and consistency. It is easy to get this guide sheet from the internet by downloading it onto your system and then getting it printed.

If you are a beginner you may not be aware that there are many styles in calligraphy and hence many calligraphy guide sheets are available for the different styles. These guide sheets produce different angles and lines for each lettering type. These guide lines will teach you how to work on Theodoric style of the medieval period, Offenbach Chancery Font and Fiorenza Font of the renaissance period. With these styles you can place the angles of writing either to the right or use vertical and high lines.

Normally a calligraphy guide is used with a piece of tracing paper. The guide can be placed under the paper from where you can draw over the guide lines. For this purpose you should choose the right types of paper. For instance paper like heavy vellum is not favorable for this purpose as the parchment is very thick and you cannot see the guide lines through it. If you are using this paper you will have to make heavy lines with a pen over the guide before using it for calligraphy writing.

Many years ago, people made paper out of parchments obtained from goatskin, calfskin or sheep skin for calligraphy writing. Though it was meant to be appealing then, today it does not find a place in the art of calligraphy writing. Paper like vellum, bond, linen and many other types of typing paper are used for this purpose. When buying paper you should experiment on each of them with your nib and ink to choose the right paper.

Calligraphy is an art of skill and neatness, not a contest of speed. Hence when practicing calligraphy one should make use of the calligraphy guide, spending much time going carefully and thoroughly through the various lines for the best results. By practicing slowly and carefully you can achieve perfection in time.

Edward Ashcroft-Hamilton is a passionate calligraphy teacher and artist. Click the following link for more great tips and advice on calligraphy guide

Also, for your FREE 10 DAY MINI CALLIGRAPHY COURSE, don't forget to visit www.calligraphywizard.com

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

Learn Japanese Calligraphy

The history of Japanese Calligraphy is found way back in the Chinese civilization and the creation of the Chinese writing system. Just about 4,500 years ago. Calligraphy had already been increase astronomically by the time it arrived in Japan sometime around the sixth century, it was around the same time that the Chinese system of writing (kanji) had also appeared on the seen.

When you are going to learn Japanese calligraphy it is good to know its roots. In Japanese, calligraphy is called shodou, or "the way of writing". Whereby in the Western, it is widely practiced by people of all ages and all walks of life in Japan. It is compulsory, that all Japanese children have to learn Japanese calligraphy as part of their elementary school education.

To learn Japanese calligraphy there are three basic writing styles

• Kaisho
  Kaisho literally means "correct writing." What this is saying plainly here, is the style in which each of the strokes are made are very deliberate, and clear creating a stylish form that is very similar to the printed version that one might see in a newspaper. This is the style that students that have to learn Japanese calligraphy study first, seeing that it is close to the written characters that they see everyday, to which they're already familiar with, This however creates a balance that gives them the opportunity to get used to using the brush (fude) correctly.

• Gyousho
  Gyousho literally means "traveling writing" and refers to the semi-cursive style of Japanese. Like cursive handwriting in English, this however will be the style that most people will usually use to write their notes. Furthermore, as with English cursive style, what is written as separated strokes in kaisho style flow together to form a more rounded gyousho. Text written in this style is usually been read by the majority of educated Japanese.

• Sousho
  Sousho means "grass writing" and refers to the flowing cursive style of Japanese. To learn Japanese calligraphy using this style it will be impotant to observe the readability, of a Japanese artist who rarely allows their brush to leave the paper, resulting in a graceful, swooping shapes. Only those trained in shodou are usually able to read this type of script.

Author Bio:
Learie Des Vignes is a language specialist that loves communicating and exploring new languages using different social networks and software such as rocket languages and you can also visit this link http://rocketlanguagesnews.blogspot.com/2010/07/rocket-languages.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Learie_Des_Vignes

History of Calligraphy

Calligraphy is an artistic style of lettering. Aesthetics of this stylish lettering system helped it earn its place among all visual art forms. The historic perspective of its evolution as a technique as well as skill also supports its categorization among the art forms. It was initially a vehicle of preserving religious texts. But today it is a means of designer lettering for invitation cards of events, nameplates, memorial documents, and certificates, inscriptions on various media like stone or metal plates, fine art pieces and also for designing logos.

It has been evolved on different parts of the globe in different manners. The conspicuous lines of evolutions have been distinguished as Western, Middle Eastern and Oriental. While Western calligraphy has maintained a singular dimension of evolution, Middle Eastern calligraphy has two branches, viz, Islamic or Arabic and Persian and Oriental calligraphy has evolved differently over discreet geographic regions as China and its imperial occupations in Japan and Korea, as South Asia comprising India, Nepal and Tibet. The shape, size and colors used in lettering vary in each of the three evolutionary trends; so varies the tools.

Basically the Latin writing system has evolved into Western calligraphy. Yet there are lesser involvement of Greek and Cyrillic alphabet writing styles, too. The first formed calligraphy for Book of Gospels was Carolingian. It gradually transformed into Gothic with sharply pointed letters and its rounder yet heavy looking variation was Rotunda. The later was a favorite in Italy and Spain while the former was a preference for the rest of the Europe. Gutenberg's bible used the Gothic style.

The Middle Eastern styles are two distinct evolutionary lines. The older Persian style is eminent for its nail shaped lettering in horizontal, vertical and diagonal directions. It was developed during 6th century BC and continued to be used in monument inscriptions. After a millennium, with the advent of Arabic style it merged into the path of evolution of Arabic calligraphy. Arabic form is better known as Islamic form as it unites works of Islamic artists all over the globe. This has mainly been used to decorate ceilings and walls of mosques.

The Oriental Calligraphy has historically been dominated by Chinese forms. The evolutionary history of this art is rooted in ancient bone inscriptions with Jiaguwen characters whose brush-drawn counterparts sank into oblivion. Through the unification of the vast landmass, since pre-Christian era, different Chinese rulers attempted to regularize single Calligraphic form and styles all over the territory. But the culturally variant political unit spread over the vast landmass kept on practising local forms, even informally.

Indian Calligraphy was initiated during the 2nd Century BC, during the reign of Asoka by introduction of Brahmi and Kharoshi scripts. They were chiefly used in stone inscriptions. Nepalese style is a much younger than other styles over the globe. It started with the spread of Mahayana and Bajrayana sects of Buddhism. But the original style has been derived into many forms which later on migrated to distant parts of South and South-east Asia. Tibetan Calligraphy inherited India scripts. They are evidently found on Buddhist prayer wheels even today.

Tools differs widely between Western and oriental world. While Western world has chosen pens of flat and round nibs and occasionally brushes, the Oriental practitioners preferred to use brushes of different kinds of hairs. The later creates variations in outputs using different bases. However, both the schools subscribed to ink as the sole medium. Contemporary western world is empowered with pens of ink cartridges.

Please visit Private Art Museum at art gallery Mumbai to read more on Calligraphy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_B_Berg

You Can Do Calligraphy Course

1. eBook Versions Which You Can Run on Your Computer Even When You're Not Connected to the Internet.

2. Access to the Member's Only Areas Where You Can Work on the Internet. The content is exactly the same as the e-books.

3. Lesson Guides which outline the course and explain how to derive the maximum benefit from the lessons.

4. Unlimited email consultations and snail-mail critiques.

Because of the scope of the course, the download version is available in two parts. Part 1 will get you started with the Italic alphabet and a fountain pen. It will show you all the basics. Part 2 will teach you 4 additional alphabets plus how to design posters, maps, awards, etc.

Enrol now click here

Jim Bennett (Bennecelli)
Artist, Calligrapher, Teacher

Learn Chinese Calligraphy

You have seen it everyplace. The pleasurable strokes in jet black brushed on a canvas. Meaning something, but were unsure what. You see it in tattoos left on the skin to declare deep significance to the wearer, and often out of curiosity we ask what it signifies. It is a peaceful mystery, we are drawn to it naturally. The infamy of Chinese calligraphy has become an art to be understood and learned. Not only do we want it on our walls and skin, we want to become even more personal with it. You can discover Chinese calligraphy, and earn the same pleasurable words as do the masters.

Chinese calligraphy began in 213 B.C. by Prime Minister Li Szu who made over 3000 characters to be used by the Chinese scholars. The five different types, zhuan-shu, li-shu, kai-shu,xing-shu, and cao-shu, are all forms employed in calligraphy. One word can be written in various ways reckoning on the style and the execution of that style. The expression can be liquid, formal, precise, whimsical...it all is in the hand of the applying and unique individual deliverance of the strokes. Many masters from the beginning of origin to now have left their help us to savor as art right now. When you start to study calligraphy, you will adopt a style which is characteristic to you and perfect the strokes as your own form of self expression. The artistic value of Chinese calligraphy is in the skill and method is exclusive to the particular creative ability delivering it. When well done, the words interpretations are more leaning to abstract art, then anything else.

As you learn Chinese calligraphy, you will notice that traditionally certain materials are used in a specific way to produce the eloquent results. The Chinese use special brushes made of rabbit hair or sheep. One brush is for sharpness in line drawing, and the other for rhythm and depth all equaling to the subject's inner self. Also employed in calligraphy, is a thick ground ink mixed with water and applied to Chinese paper (also called rice paper) or silk. This form shows depth, contrast, density and texture and creates a rhythmic balance. When the Chinese apply color to this art form, it is to show the subject's characteristics or moods. Another unique quality to Chinese calligraphy is the poetry inscribed within it. It becomes the artist's signature or inscription exclusive to them.

Chinese Calligraphy minimizes the application of space, occasionally leaving a canvas almost blank, with just more than one brushstrokes leaving a word to contemplate on. The types of this writing don't embrace crowding compositions with overmuch and badly placed brushstrokes. The rules behind studying Chinese calligraphy are to invite simplicity, balance, beauty, and originality of style. You ought to possess graceful execution and represent the depth of meaning of each stroke, whether using a brush or ink. The concept behind Chinese calligraphy is to find understanding and beauty is simple delivery of your position as the artist and what you are projecting as meaning with the picked out style adopted.

When you learn Chinese calligraphy, it is easy to turn into infatuated with the art form and easy to be immersed entirely into cultural richness that has been alive for in excess of a 1000 years.

Find out more about the author in: bath shower curtains black and white curtains Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gene_Wilder