Looking for a freelance calligrapher?
See our list here.
Founding Documents and more:
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The scribes who lettered the Declaration
of Independence and the US Constitution. -
Brody Neuenschwander demonstrates how this country's founding documents were lettered.
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1967 film The Art of Hermann Zapf on the purpose and techniques of calligraphy.
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Lecture by Julian Waters tracing the development of Calligraphy, Lettering and Typeface Design. [The Power of Writing at top by Julian Waters.]
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Ewan Clayton explores how the design of letterforms has evolved over time and across the world.
Washington Calligraphers Guild Projects:
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The Graceful Envelope Contest: WCG sponsors this popular annual competition of envelope art, now in its 30th year.
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Meet Our WCG Members: Calligraphic achievements of some of our professional and amateur members, including the White House calligraphers.
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CalligraFest: Our fall calligraphy fair was held nine times between 1999 and 2010 in Northern Virginia.
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Baby Elephant Walk: WCG's entry was selected to be among the 200 hand-painted donkey and elephant statues on display in every part of Washington DC in 2002. Our elephant took viewers on a walk through DC's popular neighborhoods and sites. It was painted and lettered by three members.
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WCG organized and hosted three International Calligraphy Conferences (Letterforum logo by Julian Waters):
Letterforum 1988 at Marymount College in Northern Virginia;
Letterforum 1995 at St. Mary's College in southern Maryland; and
Letterforum 2006 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. It was the 26th international gathering of lettering artists. -
Below: for Letterforum 2006, WCG produced a video about the Guild:
Calligraphy Resources:
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Paper & Ink Arts Calligraphy supply shop serving calligraphers worldwide online.
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John Neal Books In addition to a large selection of calligraphy books and supplies, his team compiles class listings and events.
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The Postman's Knock blog and tutorials by Lindsey Bugbee: TPK is an online resource for learning pointed pen calligraphy, creative hand lettering and watercolor techniques.
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Pen World Magazine covers fountain pens for all uses, how-to guides and our Graceful Envelope Contest.
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Calligraphy Crush: A digital magazine for hand lettering artists that provides tutorials and tips by creatives from around the world.
Conferences, Workshops & Guilds:
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76th Annual IAMPETH Conference July 7-12, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Cheerio retreats. Study with acclaimed calligraphers in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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List of Guilds and Study Groups in US and Canada (compiled by Summit Scribes)
Learning Calligraphy:
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Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters features exemplar alphabets and instruction for broad-pen lettering.
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The Speedball Textbook 25th ed. Always a must-buy book for broad-edge calligraphers, a new 25-page section on the pointed pen expands its appeal.
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PDF of 10 different calligraphy hands using both broad-edged and pointed pens.
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Calligraphic and digital resources from blackletter artist Tamer Ghoneim.
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How to Write Calligraphy (website by Katharine Scarfe Beckett)
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CalligraScape: Tutorials for beginners on a wide variety of styles (Richard Wideman).
Manuscript Resources:
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Donald Jackson and team lettered and illuminated The Saint John's Bible, the first Bible created completely by hand since the invention of the printing press.
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Medieval bookbinding video.
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Seven Things to Look for in Medieval Manuscripts, from medievalists.net.
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The Aberdeen Bestiary: the story behind
a Medieval manuscript. -
Digital images from The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD.
How-To Guides:
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What I Wish They Taught Me about Copyright in Art School from the US Library of Congress.
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Fair Use Checklist from Cornell U. Library.
