A Calligraphy Workshop with London Calligraphy

On the last evening  before Lockdown Mark II began I found myself leaving the tube and walking through Holborn in central London.  The streets hummed with last minute shoppers, revellers and those escaping the city.  There was a sense of Christmas panic, although of course without the Christmas.   I was making my way towards an evening of calligraphy at the beautiful Gradidge Room at The Art Workers Guild on Queen Square.

For my birthday, I had been given a calligraphy pen and a gift voucher for a beginners class to Modern Calligraphy with London Calligraphy.  My birthday had been at the height of lockdown so I had no chance to use it at the time, and I felt especially thankful I had just managed to squeeze it in as the latest lockdown was about to hit.

The evening began as all lovely evenings do with the pop of a cork as Katie Noakes the founder of London Calligraphy and our teacher for the evening offered us all a glass of prosecco.  Tea and coffee were also on offer but with the knowledge that this was likely to be a last evening doing anything away from home for some time, everyone sensibly opted for fizz.

The large table in the room was set out with beautifully curated calligraphy place settings and everything we needed for the evening, including a cream rose with a label we would later write on, and a lovely place name penned by Katie.

Before we picked up our pens.  Katie gave us some fascinating insight into her calligraphy journey.  How she began as a 14 year old girl learning copperplate with her neighbour, to a career in fashion before making the leap into full time calligraphy and forming her company London Calligraphy.  London Calligraphy now has some seriously luxurious brands as their clients including Tiffany, Claridges and even The Royal Family.  Picking up a calligraphy pen all those years ago has clearly led Katie on a incredible journey.  It was this enthusiasm entwined with gentle encouragement which formed the basis on which this peaceful evening began.

Attending any kind of creative class as a beginner has the potential to feel a little nerve wracking, but this did not feel like that at all.  In total we were 7 women, two twos and the rest of us had come on our own.  There was minimal previous experience in the group which perhaps helped our confidence.

We were given a work book which began with basic strokes to practice, which would go on to form the base of letters.  This was a good way of loosening up and getting a feel for the way the nib of the pen responded to pressure. It was particularly important in teaching us at what angle to position our pen and our paper.  I found myself throughout the evening having to regularly readjust my naturally lazy posture to get the best from my pen!

Working our way through the lower and upper case alphabet came next.  Much concentration was required as  my sometimes scratchy, occasionally splodgy and regularly wobbly letters began to fill the page.  Loopy G’s and squirly E’s, followed by surprisingly trick r’s.  Time flew by as we all became absorbed in forming letters.  When so much concentration is required, to produce letters along the correct lines  which also look vaguely uniform, it is hard to think about much else.  We paused only to sip prosecco and nibble on the Victoria sponge we had been given as part of the light refreshments.

I didn’t finish the alphabet but was happy to move onto trying to form words. as we  were taken through how to make letters look joined up and add flourishes and twists.  We were also encouraged to write on the label attached to the rose we were given.  I decided to write my husbands name, which I did reasonably competently, only to almost instantly smudge it.  Katie encouraged me to write another one.  In the end I decided not to, accepting that my smudged label was probably fairly representative of me and knowing my husband would agree!

All to soon the 2 hours were over and it was time to gather our things, including the pen, ink, paper and work book we had been given.  It had been a blissful evening and a lovely way of gathering some calm to store up and take away into London’s busy streets and the uncertain weeks ahead.

I had dabbled with calligraphy momentarily some years ago but had never attained any kind of skill or natural flow.  I am optimistic, this time  around.  With perhaps more time on my hands I will continue to pick up my pen daily.  Mastering a skill only comes with practice and perseverance.  Hopefully the approach of Christmas and the prospect of sending elegant hand written greetings to one and all will keep me going.

In the mean time London Calligraphy are holding on line workshops. If you are looking for a new hobby and would like to learn from the comfort of your own home this would be a lovely place to start.  A personalised calligraphy kit is sent out to you at home prior to the class