9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best beginners' calligraphy book!, Mar 20 2011
By Leonard Elliott "Crossworder" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Calligraphy 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily through Step-by-Step Instruction (Spiral-bound)
The layout of this book is great - spiral bound so it lays open as you practice. The layout of this book is simple - the stroke explaantions are easy to follw and illustarted nicely. And most importantly, the layout of this book is unpretentious - it just guides you through the art of handwriting. I have purchased several books on the subject and by far this one is the best!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Basic Calligraphy Book, Nov 2 2011
By James D. Degraaf - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Calligraphy 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily through Step-by-Step Instruction (Spiral-bound)
This book comes with a DVD that walks through all of the contents in the book. With each section in the book, the author gives a project to go with it. I really like this because even though I may not use the particular art project, it has inspired other ideas. Also, on the DVD, some of the projects are different. This gives a wider use of the type of project.
One example for a project is making spice jar labels, on the DVD the author shows how it's done. I lucked out because this is a project I am interested in. Another project in the book was using gold leave to monogram a jewelry box. I did not really care for this, but on the DVD the author showed how to use gold and silver leave to monogram stationary. Monogrammed stationary is something I would try! I think she gives a tad more information on the DVD about the projects than in the book. I believe this is mainly because she can talk about it while she creates it, rather than just listing the steps of "how-to" that is in the book.
The beginning of the book is dedicated to teaching a beginner about Calligraphy. The author talks about the types of pens used, and their pros and cons. The author talks about how to set up the writing area, as well as other tools that will be helpful in Calligraphy. There are different types of writing and the book shows how to make the strokes for each and every letter. I think there is more information in the book about the tools and set-up, than there is in the DVD.
I really like this book. I have used some of the projects, and it has inspired ideas for future projects. It is a great basic book for those of us who do not know much about Calligraphy, but want to get started. Happy Writings!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Way to Learn an underappreciated art, Mar 15 2012
By Michael R. Lovett "Darthmore" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Calligraphy 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily through Step-by-Step Instruction (Spiral-bound)
Learning a new art form is always a challenge for those without skill, like myself, but well written guides such as this really are appreciated.
